Hockey's Lazarus Reflects on Maccabiah Games Experience

30029 — *Lazarus (left) with UConn's Max Kalter climbing Masada*

30025 — *Lazarus (far left) with USA teammates at the Western Wall*

30026 — *Team USA at Opening Ceremonies*

30030 — *Lazarus (right) with Israeli captain Ilya Spektor*

In his own words, University of Massachusetts hockey sophomore forward Jonny Lazarus chronicled his experiences traveling to the Maccabiah Games in Jerusalem, Israel and winning a silver medal with Maccabi USA Hockey.

It feels like yesterday when I first received a phone call from Greg Gardner about the 20th Maccabiah Games in Jerusalem, Israel and now I can't believe they are over. Coach Gardner did such an incredible job recruiting this team, it really felt like we had known each other for years after our first two days of training and practicing in Philadelphia before heading off to Israel.

On June 27th, after a couple of days of meeting the team and getting acquainted, myself along with 21 other Jewish hockey players from around the United States hopped on a 12-hour flight and were on our way to the Holy Land. The entire first week consisted of waking up at around 4:30 a.m., eating a quick breakfast and heading to one of the only rinks in Israel for a 6 a.m. workout and 7 a.m. practice. Not only was this one of the only rinks in the entire country, but the size of the ice sheet was probably as big as the goal line to the nearest blue line in the Mullins Center.

This is how we would start each day, and once we were done with practice, we would go back to the hotel, grab a meal and hop on the bus to start our day of touring the landmarks of Israel. Some of the unique things we saw were the Western Wall, which is located in the old city of Jerusalem and it is the holiest place where Jews are permitted to pray. It hasn't changed in thousands of years and is the most popular Israeli tourist site.

Another unique experience was going to the Dead Sea, which is the Earth's lowest elevation point and one of the world's saltiest bodies of water. The weather was insanely hot, but the really neat part about the Dead Sea is floating. However, although it was very cool to float in the water, I couldn't handle it for more than five minutes because the water stings so bad from all the salt. That same day we got to hike the Masada which was very cool, but also very hot and exhausting. We really had to fight through the heat that day, but it was very worth it and awesome to see. With all of that said, the landmark that had the biggest effect on me was Yad Vashem, which is the memorial to all of the victims of the Holocaust. Seeing this was honestly heartbreaking and very difficult to get through.

Once all of the touring was done, it was time for Opening Ceremonies held in Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem. This was one of the coolest experiences I have had in my life. Walking into a stadium filled with 30,000 people while wearing "USA" across your chest is something an opportunity that doesn't happen often, and it is something I will always remember.

Next it was time for the games. It was pretty fitting that our first game of the tournament was against Canada. The rivalry between these two countries still existed even in the Middle East. The Canadians jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and held onto it until late in the game. I had felt that we were the better team throughout the game, but we weren't able to beat their goaltender until there was around four minutes left in the third period. We ended up scoring two goals in the last four minutes and sending the game into overtime, but unfortunately couldn't find a way to win.

Game two was against the Russians and we were looking to come out hot and get redemption after our loss to Canada. Russia was an older team that had a lot of skill, but couldn't really keep up with us. We jumped out to a 6-0 lead after the first period and didn't look back from there. The final score was 12-3, but the score doesn't do Russia justice, they were a very good team that just had a poor showing.

Game three was against the home team Israel, and we knew with a win in this game it would set us up to potentially play in the Gold Medal game. Israel played us very well in front of the home crowd of about 500 people. They kept the score to 3-0 going into the third period and they had plenty of chances to make it 3-3. However, in the third period we opened up the floodgates and ended up winning 7-0. This game was a little extra special for me, because in 2014 I actually met and became very good friends with the captain of the Israeli team. We were on the same team at the Wichita Falls Wildcats main camp and have kept in touch ever since. It was really special for the both of us to be able to play against each other in front of that crowd.

Game four was against Germany and we knew this game wouldn't be much of a challenge based on their previous results, so our approach to this game was to make sure we had good habits. We defeated the Germans 19-0, but did it the right way and with class. This wasn't a very exciting game, but it was good to have confidence going into the Gold Medal game.

Game five was the Gold Medal game against Canada which had the most buildup of any game in the entire Maccabiah. We had been told that almost everybody participating in the games was coming to watch, but that being said, we all didn't really know what to expect. When we stepped out of the locker room and took the ice, I swear I had the chills running through my body. There was close to 10,000 American, Canadian and Israeli fans standing up screaming and waving flags. I think that made our team a little nervous because we let up two goals in the first two minutes of the game. We battled hard the whole game, but the hole we dug ourselves in was too deep and we ended up losing 7-2. However, when I look back on this game 20 years from now, I won't think about the result. I will think about how special it was to be playing in front of so many people in Jerusalem, Israel that were watching hockey for the first time. I also will remember the video they played of Wayne Gretzky acknowledging the Maccabiah Games and Israel as a whole. Despite the loss, this was the most attended sporting event in Maccabiah history and a hockey game I will be proud of for the rest of my life.

In closing, I'd like to take the time to thank my family and the UMass hockey coaching staff for allowing me to go on this incredible experience. Most importantly, I would like to thank Coach Gardner and the entire Maccabi USA Hockey staff along with the 21 other players and now friends, for making this trip something I will cherish forever. It was an honor to wear the Red, White and Blue with these guys for the past three and a half weeks and I feel truly blessed that I was able to share this experience with all of you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

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Jonny Lazarus

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University of Massachusets Athletics