If there’s any one event that every single member of the Fieldston community looks forward to, it’s the annual Fieldston-Riverdale hockey game at Chelsea Piers. Colloquially known as the Bird of Prey Game, it marks a crucial point in the final stretch of the Eagles’ season, and Fieldston’s intense athletic rivalry with Riverdale only adds to the stakes. With the Falcons getting the better of us last year, the team approached this game with a vengeance.
Going into the game, captain Willem Davey (V) said, “We know we need to play a physical game, finish our hits and take advantage of the mistakes that Riverdale makes.” The team’s energy was apparent throughout the week leading up to the game, and the student body responded with passion and support. “This is the most serious I’ve seen the team all season,” added Davey, “and I fully believe that we could have a strong turnout.”
In recent years, the Riverdale game has become more than just another contest in the hockey team’s season: it has become a beloved Fieldston event. When asked about the importance of the game to the student body, Talia Proshan (VI) remarked, “The hockey game is a fun time for the community to come together and show school spirit. It’s a classic Fieldston event that I’ll definitely look back fondly on after graduation.”
The Riverdale game replaced the infamous Poly game, which stopped happening due to its at times overly enthusiastic (to say the least) and rowdy student section. There was always a hint of something menacing in the air as the forces of good and evil battled on the ice. While the Poly game is gone, the crowd’s tenacity and staunch support of its school remains. In fact, last year’s game so far exceeded the arena’s capacity and was so intense that Chelsea Piers officials had to keep people from entering. As a result, this year’s game was ticketed, opening to upperclassmen early on Thursday morning and underclassmen at 1:00 PM. The game sold out within minutes, and promotions ensued throughout the remainder of the week, including a rally on the quad on Friday morning to celebrate the players. Athletics director Gus Ornstein even set up a fan bus to take students from Fieldston to Chelsea Piers at 6:00 PM, towards the end of the varsity basketball games, which started at 5:00 PM.
After a beautiful performance of the national anthem by Rohann Morseky-Madhavan (V), the game began. The stands were packed to the brim with enthusiastic Fieldston and Riverdale students, exchanging chants with each other. Also among the crowd were a large group of Fieldston faculty members, including math teachers Rob Greenwald and Mila Martynovsky, Form VI Dean Stephanie Harris and Spanish teacher Leslie Spalding. Even Morris Ervin, the educator and motivational speaker who recently joined Fieldston English classes for restorative justice sessions, made an appearance at the game, embracing the energetic crowd wholeheartedly. Lily Saal (Form V) noted, “When he showed up, the place exploded.”
Nerves were high on both sides of the ice to start the game, but the student sections’ intensity grew fiercer by the minute. After one period, the score sat at 1-0, the sole goal being an easy wraparound by Riverdale. In the second period, an energized Riverdale added two more goals to their tally, putting them up 3-0. But neither the crowd nor the team let up: just when the game seemed out of reach, the Eagles stormed back on the backs of Miles Braunstein (V) and Jake Karpati (V), with Karpati netting a masterful one-timer to even the score at 3-3 and send the crowd into a frenzy.
The momentum shifted back in Riverdale’s direction when, with 13 minutes left in the third period, a series of quick mistakes led to two Riverdale goals within ten seconds. Another score put the Falcons up 6-3 at the 10:45 minute mark. Recalling the Eagles’ comeback earlier in the game, the crowd did not lose hope, cheering on their team and urging them to make one final push. Unfortunately, a seventh Riverdale goal with nine minutes left silenced the Fieldston fanbase and led to “goodbye” songs on the Riverdale end of the stands. The game ended 8-3, with the Falcons’ late surge fueling their victory.
The game may not have gone our way this year, but the team’s relentless willpower — and our community’s undying energy — should leave us with nothing but positive expectations for next year’s matchup. The hockey team’s future is brighter than ever, so all we can do is look forward to next season.
