Sep 14, 2010 -- This past weekend the 2010-11 version of the Fordham Hockey team began their defense of their Metropolitan Collegiate Hockey Conference championship crown.

Competing in the Aston Pennsylvania Ice Works College Club tournament, this past weekend marked the earliest the team has ever skated in a game situation to start their season. The tournament guaranteed three game slots with a possible fourth slot for a championship game. It would serve as a turn up for the teams regular league schedule which does not start until October 8.

With only 2 team practices/tryouts under their belt, things were rough from the onset.

The team graduated their entire first line of offense from last year's championship team, which last year accounted for 45% of the team's goal production. To add insult to injury, of the remaining 16 returning players from the championship squad, 6 decided to either focus on academics or internships and decided not play come out and play. That left the team with a crop of new players as well as the remaining returnees, but even then, some of these players couldn't make the tournament because of outside obligations.

So the depleted Rams squad traveled to PA with 2 goalies, 4 defensemen, 7 forwards and minimal expectations...and made it all the way to the championship game.

The team defeated Shippensburg by a 6-2 margin on Friday @ 7:00 pm, then played twice on Saturday defeating Neumann 5-4 @ 9:00 am and Bucknell 4-2 @ 5:00 pm.

The team fell to Salisbury by a 4-1 mark in the championship game @ 2:00 pm Sunday.

Though the team does not skate another game until 10/1 against old nemesis Wagner College, things seem to look promising based off of this weekend's past results.

Our schedule for the remainder of the year should be ready by the end of the week and hopefully will be posted to the web.