RAMSEY FUELED BY BOTTA'S HAT TRICK IN 3-2 WIN

WAYNE -- The pre-game ceremony was a chance to celebrate the recent past of the Ramsey ice hockey program. Yet when the festivities to celebrate last season's Public B championship ended and the puck dropped onto the Ice Vault arena ice, it was all about the future of Ramsey. Freshman forward Tyler Botta recorded a hat trick, including the game-winning goal with 22.6 seconds remaining, to lift Ramsey, No. 16 in the NJ.com Top 20, to a 3-2 win over Ridgewood on Saturday. “That’s a good team out there and without my teammates, I wouldn’t get those three goals,” Botta said. “We played hard and we got the victory at the end of the day, that’s all that matters. Added Ramsey coach Dean Portas, “We have a large group of freshmen this year that know that they’re going to have to come in and step up and do some big things for us. For a freshman, what better way to win a game than with your first hat trick? He’s a smart player, he works hard and even though he’s young, those are the kind of things that we expect from him and all of our players when their numbers are called.” Botta first scored under six minutes into the game off a Dan Halik assist. The freshman was at it again, finding the back of the net courtesy of a Brendan Crimmins pass less than seven minutes later. Ridgewood battled back, scoring its first goal thanks to Tony Zambito’s score with assists from Justin Klatsky and J.P. Kelly just three minutes into the second period. The Maroons eventually tied the game with 3:26 left in the third period as Klatsky sent in a shot from the left side of the Ramsey net. For a young Ramsey team looking to replace the production of a 13-player senior class from last season, it was a great litmus test to see where they underclassmen stood. “We’re going to have to be a team that can weather the storm,” Portas said. “This is a good test and a good chance to experience the type of games and situations that they might find themselves in.” Jonny Kopack made 14 saves for Ramsey as Nate Loughlin stopped 25 shots for Ridgewood. Ramsey celebrated its 2015 Public B championship before the beginning of the game, including introductions of last year’s roster and a banner reveal to commemorate the Rams’ title. “It’s great to see the Ramsey community come out and see some of our old players come back from last season,” Portas said. “To also have the younger players that are in our program get a feel of that and get that experience is great. Every win is a big win and on a night like tonight it’s special because we got a chance to celebrate last year’s team.” Added Botta, “They’re all here watching and want us to do good this season, to have another winning season. We showed them tonight that we’re back.”

RAMSEY FUELED BY BOTTA'S HAT TRICK IN 3-2 WIN

Photo Credit: Andrew Koob