Owning a three-goal lead after one period, Mahwah seemed to be on the way to a rout in the quarterfinal round of the Big North Liberty Cup. Instead, the Thunderbirds allowed Ramapo back into the game in the second period.
They returned to form in the third period and dispatched the Raiders, 6-3, to set up a semifinal matchup with Lakleand at 6:00 p.m. on Monday at the Ice Vault.
Shane Ciongoli’s second goal of the game just 1:45 into the third period gave Mahwah a 5-3 lead that they nurtured right down to the final two seconds, when Kevin Johnston sent the puck from the defensive left circle into an open net to set the final score.
Early on, the Thunderbirds appeared to be ready to dominate. A Marty Kapoian goal 2:03 into the game gave them the initial lead and even though Stephen Schwab equalized for Ramapo (8-9-6) at 4:45, there was a sense that Mahwah (12-7-3) was in control.
A three-goal outburst in a 1:43 span seemed to prove that. Ciongoli got the lead score at 7:40, followed by Andrew Boucher (his first of the season) at 8:17 and Joe Moschetta at 9:22.
Dalton Graham began the Ramapo comeback with a goal at 2:35 of the second and helped set up Ben Surat at 8:42 of the second to make a 4-3 contest.
Cort Fodi had 29 saves for Ramapo while Ryan Selman stopped 11 shots between the pipes for Mahwah.