May, 2015 -- The 2015-2016 season sees the Fordham University ice hockey program now entering its 46th campaign, one of the longest of any the clubs at school. The team was actually created in the 1967-68 season playing and winning one game versus cross-town rival Manhattan College. The "Maroon Six" as they were known then, began playing a full slate of games during the 1970-71 seasons. The team joined the MIHL (Metropolitan Intercollegiate Hockey League) in the fall of 1970 and began playing such teams as Columbia, Fairfield and St. Johns. The team was originally created and funded by Fordham University Athletics to become a varsity program. However the team was relegated to its current club status in 1975 when the school chose to elevate its club football team back to varsity instead. After a league name change to the BSMIHL (Bi-State Metropolitan Intercollegiate Hockey League) for the 1975-76 season, the team held the longest tenure as a member of the MCHC (Metropolitan Collegiate Hockey Conference) after the league changed its name at the start the of the 1976-77 season.
The team is coached by Rich Guberti, who begins his 8th year with the team. The team has gone 115-44-5-7 during this time. They have finished the regular season in 1st place 4 times. The team has also gone to the Finals 4 times, winning twice. In his six years as the team's Head Coach, Guberti historically ranks 1st in overall wins and in winning percentage. A USA Hockey Certified Level 4 Coach, he runs successful year-round Pro Player Clinics and Summer Camps. His Westchester Select tournament teams play in AAA tournaments during the summer on the East Coast. He has also run successful youth hockey and junior programs. Those teams have gone on to compete for State and National Titles as well as International Silver Sticks both here and in Canada.
Behind the scenes is Director of Hockey Operations, Andrew Mola CBA '86 (32nd year) who handles the day-to-day team operations which can range from organizing transportation, finances, alumni relations, statistical analysis, scheduling, recruiting, and running game day operations. Mola also is in his seventh year serving as the President of the MCHC and has held prior MCHC Executive Board positions such as Director of Eligibility and Director of Structures.
The 2014-15 season saw the team continue to build on the success from the previous year. With the addition of 10 incoming freshman and a solid core of returning players from the prior season's league championship team, the Rams played 11 non-league games against outside competition which included several contests coming against the American College Hockey Association's Atlantic Division's nationally ranking top 10 teams.
In league play, the team remained close to the top of the Metropolitan Collegiate Hockey Conference standings trailing only first place Suffolk though out the semester. It was not until the final week of the regular season when Fordham clinched the number one seed for the post season tournament with a 5-2 win over longtime rival the County College of Morris. After defeating C.C.M. again by a 7-4 score in the playoff semifinal game, Fordham was unable to repeat as league champions falling 3-2 in overtime to Stevens Tech.
The team finished the season in first place for the fourth time in the last six years and posted a league record of 9-2-0-1 with an overall record of 15-6-2-2. The team reached the post-season league tournament for the 15th consecutive year and posted their 12th consecutive winning season, the longest in team history. Academically, the team maintained a solid 3.2 overall GPA with 2 players awarded with ACHA Academic All-American honors. Despite the disappointing loss in the championship game, the team continued to cement its status as one of the elite teams in the region.
The team begins its practices early September skating twice a week until the 16-game league schedule kicks off mid-October. Once the league games start, the practices are scaled back to once a week. No games are played during Thanksgiving break, Finals week in December or Christmas break. The season culminates with first round of playoffs in the second weekend of February and the Semi-Finals and Finals the third weekend in February. The season is concluded with the Annual Alumni Game, which was reinstated ten years ago after a 5-year absence.
For more information on the team please contact Andrew Mola at 917-743-4429.
