Girls Ice Hockey put up a good fight in their semi-final game against Kent Place, who was seeded first in the playoffs, but the Rams ultimately lost the battle in overtime, 2-1. The Rams’ loss at the first-ever Cohen-Cup game, played at the Prudential Center on Feb. 13, put an end to a great season overall for the team.

“We are the public school that gave the private school a run for their money,” Coach Ryan Hallock said afterward.

Randolph came out ready to fight and determined to show Kent Place what the Rams could do. Kent Place came out confidently as well, which wasn’t surprising, since the private school team had more experience on the ice than Randolph.

Despite this, Randolph shook Kent when proving that this game would not be an easy win. With Randolph showing incredible defense and offense, the first period ended with a score of 0-0.

The second period started off with both teams fighting for the first goal of the game. With incredible dedication and perseverance, Randolph continued to work together as a team and try to outplay Kent. Junior Joelle Yurchuck banked the first goal of the game, making the score 1-0, Randolph.

During the third period, Kent Place was eager to score a goal, perhaps hoping for a blowout, but Randolph held out for 13 minutes without letting them score. In the last two minutes of the third period, however, Kent scored their first goal, making the score 1-1.

The enthusiasm of both teams resulted in a 15-minute overtime period. The rules of the overtime were sudden death, meaning the first goal made wins the game. Randolph fought hard but ultimately lost the game with one minute remaining.

“Although we lost, we played the best we’ve ever played,” senior co-caption Steph Martin said.

“We win and lose as a team; the teamwork and determination showed Kent Place what this team could do,” Coach Richard Fuchs said. “That is the most important lesson.”

As the game came to an end, Randolph congratulated junior Steph Xhumba for reaching 1000 saves in her goalie career with Randolph. Throughout her three years playing for RHS, she created a name for herself with every team Randolph played.

Xhumba is not the only player who deserves the kudos, however. It was because of the entire team’s talent and determination that they made it into the semis for the first time ever, which is a great accomplishment for the skaters in this relatively new athletic program.