By Ryan O’Connor ‘14

ATHENS, OH – The MSA Class of ‘14 earned their first career O’Malley Cup victory by defeating the Class of ’13 in a game of broomball at Bird Arena on Tuesday, December 11.  The result narrows the gap in the Cup Standings with the Class of ’13 now holding a 3-1 lead.

The broomball event, played on an ice rink wearing tennis shoes, has comparable rules to hockey.  Other major differences include the use of a small ball instead of a puck and the use of stubbed sticks that resemble a sawed off broomstick.

The event was decided by a cumulative score of a men’s game and a co-ed game, both 40 minutes in length.  At the end of the night it favored the Class of ’14 by a score of 2-1.

In the men’s game, the Class of ’14 sprinted out of the gates to a two-goal advantage.  The charge started on a first half goal by Matt Gottfried ’14.  Andrew Kinn ’14 carried the momentum over into the second half with a goal early in the period.

The key to the goose egg on the scoreboard during the men’s game was the performance by Joe de Guzman ’14 at the goalie position.  De Guzman held off countless attacks from a relentless Class of ’13 offense led by Mike Wendling, BJ Beach, and Brady Hart.

“The Class of ’13 came with pressure for all 40 minutes of the men’s game.  They had me on my heels several times,” de Guzman recalled.  “Credit for the shutout has to be directed at our entire defense.   Pat Joe Scott (’14), Ethan Saporito (’14), Dave Preston(’14),  and Eric Shainock (’14) were pivotal in clearing the ball and ending the offensive barrages.”

The nightcap transitioned to co-ed teams and required the Class of ’13 to make up some ground.  They did so quickly with a first half goal by Jeff Engelken ’13.  Just like that, momentum swung back in favor of the Class of ’13.

The early goal caused the Class of ’14 to reassess their conservative game plan.  They adjusted to a more neutral strategy in order to recapture some energy.  Despite numerous runs on goal led by Lucas Topolie ’14, Carey Goodman ’14, Caitlin Munchel ’14, and Kelsey Thomas ’14, they could not find the back of the net.
Standing in there was a flawless performance by David Neumann ’13 at goalie, which created a drama-filled final 30 minutes of play.  Neumann’s effort opened opportunities for Engelken, John Bollinger ’13, Tim Gusweiler ’13, Libby Ebelhar ’13, and Kate McGowen ’13 to put together strong offensive attacks.

 Several late attempts fell just short for the Class of ’13.  The most notable charge came with only a couple minutes remaining on a shot by Gusweiler.  Trey Frazier ’14 was able to make a full-body grab just inches short of the line to prevent the goal.  Frazier’s late saves and the defensive efforts of Brian Joyce ’14 helped the overall final score to hold at 2-1.

In a demonstration of sportsmanship and tradition, the two classes came together at the end of the event to enjoy delicious pizza provided by Anna Jensen ’14 and Packy Moran ’07.  Moving forward, the O’Malley Cup will go on a brief hiatus for as students observe winter break.