Take the way back machine to the beginning of March. The Suffern Mounties hockey team were reigning state hockey champions and in the thick of another playoff run. Against rival Mamaroneck, Suffern mounted an epic comeback in the last seconds of the game to cap the team’s fourth consecutive Section 1 championship.

But then the Mountie magic tank went dry. The defending state champs got dethroned 3-2 in a bang-the-boards game against the Saratoga Blue Streak in a Division 1 state quarterfinal at Monsey’s Sport-O-Rama. It was the first time since 2009 that Suffern didn’t make the trip to Utica for the state tournament.

At the Tuesday, April 2, Board of Education meeting, the Suffern High School hockey team and coaches were celebrated and personally congratulated by Board President Craig Long and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Douglas Adams.

“Our hockey team had another exemplary season, winning Sections for the fourth year in a row,” noted Adams. “It is a real tribute to you young men and coaches. And I’d be remiss not to give kudos to your parents for their support. Parents raised more than $30,000 to purchase ice time for practice, and they’ve driven you all over—even to New Hampshire—to compete.”

Mounties longtime ice hockey coach Rob Schelling presented each player with a certificate of recognition for their hard work during the 2012-13 season. Schelling, who was also named NYS Division I Hockey Coach of the Year last year for the team’s championship run, serves as a Guidance Counselor at Suffern High School, where he has worked with the Guidance Department to digitize and make available important academic and scholarship resource information.

“The 2012-13 varsity ice hockey season was a great success,” Schelling said at the board meeting. “The boys worked tremendously hard every game, finishing with a 19-4 record and winning the section championship. I am so proud of these young men for their dedication and commitment to Suffern Hockey.”

Last March, after the hockey team’s dramatic state championship run, the Mounties boys hockey team was officially feted by the Village of Suffern with a parade down Lafayette Avenue, led by the Suffern Marching Band.

Like the hockey team, which has enormous community support group, the Marching Band has The Halftimers, a coalition of parents with students involved in music programs either through band or orchestra. With the recent district Budget Workshops underway, many parents and concerned teachers have attended BOE meetings to remind the board of the importance of district programs, which play an important roll in the life of students.

“The music program is the face of the district,” said Nancy Diamond, a member of the Halftimers.

The Ramapo Central School District Board of Education holds a Budget Workshop Thursday, April 4, at its Hillburn Administrative Offices, 45 Mountain Avenue, Hillburn, NY. For additional information, contact the Ramapo District’s main number at (845) 357-7783.

Ramapo Central School Board photos and information provided courtesy of Jennifer Citrolo.