Ruby stands tall as Somers tops John Jay

SOMERS, N.Y. - On Friday night, May 15, Somers traveled down Route 35 for another chapter in its crosstown rivalry with John Jay, and the first half lived up to the hype. With Somers clinging to a 4-3 lead late in the second quarter, the Wolves appeared ready to keep the back-and-forth battle going into halftime. But Hudson Ruby had other ideas.

“He was right there holding them up,” said Kieren Picco, and after Ruby made five point-blank saves that eventually led to a Tristan Iglesias goal the other way, Somers seized momentum and rode it to a 10-6 victory.

A tough, hard-hitting defensive game was established from the outset, and John Jay earned the first advantage with a power play opportunity. Ruby immediately made his presence felt.

The goalie deflected Dino Rajamani’s overhead shot to give Somers possession, and after the Tuskers beat the John Jay transition defense, Picco did the rest. Cutting in from behind at 8:21, he leapt off his back foot and buried a jump hook for the game’s opening goal.

Moments later, Blake O’Callaghan answered with a big stop of his own. Following Bret Kennedy’s draw win, Iglesias juked his way into space for an underhand rip, but O’Callaghan denied him.

Ruby refused to be outdone. On a loose ball at midfield, James Tesi scooped through two defenders and sprinted in alone, but Ruby stuffed the attempt with his catcher at 6:25.

A Somers turnover led to another penalty on the Tuskers, but Ruby again erased the advantage. On Jack Hartney’s left-side blast, Ruby’s pads thudded for the save and Somers cleared the zone.

Still, the Tuskers couldn’t maintain possession, and Rajamani capitalized. Receiving a pass from Hartney, he faked a shot, juked past a defender and tied the game.

At 5:02, Mason Beresford won the draw, but O’Callaghan stayed sharp and snagged Somers’ only shot of the possession.

John Jay then took its first lead. O’Callaghan launched the ball all the way upfield, and after the Wolves worked it around the horn, Dash Stewart found Riley McMahon cutting on the right side for a goal and a 2-1 advantage at 3:11.

Any chance of a John Jay run was quickly erased by Beresford at the faceoff X. Taller and wider than Colin Kazanecki, Beresford credited his edge not to strength but speed.

“All speed,” he said.

Somers responded on the offensive end behind Cam Violante’s hustle. Battling through traffic in front, he found enough space to feed Xander DiPasquale on the right side, and the junior finished at 2:11 to tie the game 2-2 after one quarter.

To start the second, Somers made an adjustment by moving Kennedy into the faceoff circle, and the offense soon went back to work. Patient ball movement led to Violante swinging behind the cage and feeding DiPasquale on the right side for an overhand finish at 10:46 and a 3-2 lead.

John Jay answered right back. Stewart turned down a pick, cut inside and used the open lane to fire an overhead shot past Ruby and tie the game at 9:44.

The goalies then traded highlight-reel stops. O’Callaghan denied Dylan Jimenez on a wraparound and moments later robbed Violante from the same spot. The senior netminder even got help from the post on the next possession to keep the game tied.

The Wolves called timeout to settle the physical pace of Somers’ transition defense.

“I love playing tough and physical,” Picco said. “It’s the best part.”

The intensity didn’t fade after play resumed. When McMahon tried to power in from the right side, Ruby again stood tall, swallowing up the attempt near the seven-minute mark.

Somers struggled to clear the ball cleanly, and after another Ruby save, the Tuskers used a timeout before Violante delivered the go-ahead goal for good. Beating his defender on the left side, he fired past O’Callaghan with 5:25 remaining in the half.

John Jay threatened to answer again after Cody Jones forced a turnover in transition. Tesi scooped the ball and found Jack Casey alone in front.

“I was like, they’re going to get a free one,” Picco recalled.

Ruby had other plans. He squared up and made the stop at 2:14.

Kennedy then sparked transition the other way with a long outlet pass that eventually set up DiPasquale alone in front, but O’Callaghan answered with another excellent save.

The Wolves quickly countered, sending Casey in alone again on the left side, but Ruby denied him once more before also stopping Stewart on a wraparound and Casey on the rebound.

Somers finally made John Jay pay for the missed opportunities. Iglesias powered down the left side and scored with just 3.5 seconds remaining in the half to give the Tuskers a 5-3 advantage at intermission.

During the break, Somers discussed “different schemes,” according to Violante, and Beresford ensured the adjustments mattered by winning the opening draw of the second half.

Jimenez nearly extended the lead on a tough wraparound, but O’Callaghan held his ground. Ruby answered moments later by smothering a short-hop attempt from McMahon.

Ruby’s role extended beyond making saves.

“We know he’s going to get it ahead and put us on the fast break,” Violante said.

That prediction proved true at 9:50 of the third quarter. After a Ruby outlet sparked transition, Violante buried the rebound of an O’Callaghan save to extend the lead to 6-3.

Another Beresford draw win led directly to more offense.

“Just like last year with Matt Mayfield,” Violante said, “he wins every faceoff.”

Iglesias then stepped into a sidearm shot from the right side to cap Somers’ fourth straight goal and push the lead to 7-3.

John Jay briefly stopped the run when Stewart forced his way inside on the right and scored at 8:05, but Ruby and the Somers defense continued to control the pace.

After several traded turnovers, Ruby cut down the angle on a shot from Hughes, and Somers quickly turned defense into offense. Jimenez spun past his defender on the right side and finished to make it 8-4.

Beresford kept dominating the faceoff circle.

“He’s so quick off the whistle,” Picco said. “I go against him in practice. He beats me every time.”

Somers still needed to solve O’Callaghan, who made another short-hop save, but Violante eventually broke through again. Charging through the defense from the left side, he fired high for a 9-4 lead.

The Tuskers carried that five-goal cushion into the fourth quarter and continued to lean on Beresford’s faceoff dominance and Ruby’s steady play in net to control the clock and secure the rivalry victory.