The Neumann Knights brought home a second consecutive national championship in roller hockey on April 9. The club defeated the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV), 4-1, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to capture the crown.
Dr. Rosalie Mirenda, Neumann’s president, sent her congratulations to Coach Lee Strofe and the team late Saturday night, noting that the Knights joined the Villanova Wildcats as the second team to bring a national title to Delaware County in the span of a week.
The Knights never trailed in the championship match. P.J. DiMartino broke open a scoreless contest with two goals in the second period – one short-handed and one on a power play. After UNLV narrowed the Knights’ lead to 2-1 early in the final period, Tyler Kraft pushed the margin back to two goals with a score at the 10:38 mark. DiMartino iced the game and notched a hat trick with an empty-net goal late in the third period.
Mike Maczynski was outstanding in goal for Neumann, racking up 16 saves.
In the two Final Four games, the Knights outscored their opponents 14-2, including a 10-1 blowout of Michigan State in the semi-finals.
The National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (NCRHA) invited 24 teams to participate in the tournament (out of more than 170 member clubs nationwide). In early matches, played on April 6 and 7 for seeding, the Knights beat Bethel, 3-2; UNLV, 3-2; and the University of Missouri at St. Louis, 8-3.
With the field narrowed to 16 clubs for the single-elimination tourney, Neumann drubbed the University of Rhode Island, 15-0, and Farmingdale, 6-3, on April 8 to reach the Final Four. In their four tournament games, the Knights outscored their opponents 35-5.
Neumann has a high profile in roller hockey, having won Division II titles in 2006 and 2008 and a Division I title last year.
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The Roller Hockey Club, taken after the squad won the Eastern Collegiate
Roller Hockey Association title in March 2016. |