Holy hockey sticks, what a game we had at Islanders Iceworks on Friday night! Farmingdale State pulled off a heart-stopping 6-5 victory over Stevens Institute of Technology in what can only be described as pure ACHA chaos. The Rams came into this one riding high at 13-6, while Stevens was still searching for their first win of the season at 0-6. Spoiler alert: they’re still searching, but damn did they make it interesting.
Luke LaFata absolutely went off for the Rams, putting up a ridiculous 1G-2A performance to lead the offensive explosion. The kid came into this game already sitting pretty with 12 goals and 13 assists in just 13 games, and he made sure to pad those stats in style. But here’s the kicker – it was Luke Ferazi who really stole the show with a two-goal performance. Ferazi, who entered the night with 13 goals in 11 games, continued his torrid pace and proved why he’s one of the most lethal scorers in the ECHC.
The supporting cast for Farmingdale was absolutely dialed in too. Joseph Castellano chipped in with a goal and an assist, while Donald Pace and Noah Lavoie each dished out two helpers. Speaking of Lavoie, this dude came into the game as the team’s leading scorer with 17 goals and 9 assists in 13 games, and even though he didn’t light the lamp tonight, his playmaking was on full display. Jackson Tomforde and Michael DeSaro also found the back of the net, because apparently everyone wanted a piece of this offensive bonanza.
Here’s where it gets spicy though – Stevens wasn’t rolling over and playing dead despite their winless record. They managed to put up five goals and peppered Noah Tloczkowski with 22 shots, forcing the Farmingdale netminder to make 17 saves for a .773 save percentage. Not exactly Vezina Trophy numbers, but hey, when you’re winning 6-5, sometimes ugly gets the job done.
This game had all the makings of a classic ACHA slugfest – two teams trading chances, goalies getting lit up, and enough offensive firepower to power a small city. Stevens showed they’ve got some fight in them despite their record, but ultimately couldn’t quite get over the hump against a Farmingdale squad that’s now 14-6 and looking dangerous heading deeper into conference play. Sometimes in hockey, it’s better to be lucky than good, and the Rams were definitely both on this Friday night.