Inferno "replaced"

High SAT scores and divine knowledge of quantum physics did not help the undefeated, magnet-laden Inferno capture the 2002 Intramural Floor Hockey Championship when it faced off against The Replacements on Feb 19. The two division champions played an intense, even-matched game, but The Replacements eventually took a 3-1 lead and never looked back.

Thirty minutes before game time, Inferno players stretched in anticipation for the event they had trained for all winter. They had practiced outside of school and even scrimmaged with last year's champion, The Dangerous Goats.

At the start of the first half, Inferno pounced on the composed Replacements and almost capitalized on a number of chances. But strong play by senior Replacements goaltender Robert Rifkin shut down the Inferno attack and kept his team in the game.

About a minute into the game, Replacement Matt Poness, a junior, shifted the momentum and put the Inferno squad on its heels when he guided the puck past Inferno goalie Greg Tucker, a senior. With five minutes left in the half, Inferno senior Andrew Ginsberg countered with a goal past Rifkin's shoulder from half-court to put his team on the board.

The passion in the first half carried into the second. Though the game was never lopsided, the final score favored The Replacements because of a few unlucky breaks for Inferno. Inferno's scoring opportunities were repeatedly thwarted by clutch saves.

With his team playing one man down because of a penalty, junior Max Eckert scored a beautiful point-blank one-timer for The Replacements two minutes into the half. The spirit of the determined Inferno squad sank when Eckert repeated his earlier goal in an almost identical effort with three minutes remaining.

The Replacements boasted a 7-0-1 record going into the game and had not let up a single goal in the season. Intramural floor hockey sponsor Charlie Wang attributed their success to their four experienced ice hockey players. Senior Inferno member Peter Cirincione had his own opinion of his opponents. "They were a team engineered to win rather than a team of friends," he said.