By Rich Chrampanis
MIDDLETOWN – It was like a postcard, with a snowy day on the Navesink River as the backdrop for outdoor hockey.
Rumson-Fair Haven branded its lone outdoor game as the Winter Classic, a term the NHL has used every January. The Bulldogs wore custom uniforms and might want to play outside more. They scored a dominating 9-1 win over Red Bank Catholic.
Brody Riva was sensational. The sophomore had a five-goal game. Riva scored the first two goals to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead at the end of the first period.
RBC got on the board thanks to Mikey Gemellaro’s goal early in the second period. The sophomore leads the Caseys with 10 goals and eight assists.
The Bulldogs took over from there. Riva got a hat trick when he deposited a rebound to make it 3-1. But he wasn’t done. A wrister from right circle made it four goals for the sophomore and a 4-1 RFH lead. Rumson poured it on from there with three more goals to take a commanding 7-1 lead at the end of two periods. Riva scored one more in the third to close out the scoring.
“Once I started seeing the snow, I thought it was going to cancel,” Riva said. “I got a little worried, but (we) got to play. That was great. It’s definitely a great experience for us; not everyone gets to play out here. It’s a once-a-season thing. Definitely started early, once we got the first one, we were rolling from there.”
Riva added two assists to his five goals, while Jacen Doumas had a seven-point game of his own with two goals and five assists. Cole Hogan and Grayson Goldin were the other Rumson-Fair Haven goal scorers.
RBC has revived its hockey program after going dormant for a number of years. The Caseys are the primary school in the tri-op with fellow Catholic schools Saint Rose and Donovan Catholic. Home games are now at the Red Bank Armory. RBC stands at 3-5 following the Monday loss outside.
With the win, Rumson-Fair Haven improves to 5-4. Once again, coach Eric Zullo has scheduled an aggressive nonconference schedule to prepare his team for the post-season. Games with Passaic Tech and Hillsborough are on the horizon, along with a matchup against Gordon Conference power Christian Brothers Academy.
The article originally appeared in the January 9 – 15, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
