Tim Duffy on Farmingdale - DI's First Season

The 2023-24 season marks the first for Farmingdale’s Division I hockey club in the AAU. The Rams have found some great success amidst this inaugural DI season. At the end of 2023, they’re leading the Empire Conference with a 13-7-1 record and 30 points in the standings. 

Assistant captain Tim Duffy talked about some of the factors that have contributed to the Rams’ early success. One of the big ones was the team’s training camp that took place in Lake Placid. “To go away with the guys that early… to get to know them and create those bonds, it definitely helped,” said Duffy. “I can tell the difference it made and the impact it had.” He also attributed the team’s success to the leadership of the returning Rams players. “We have a good group of guys that stayed,” said Duffy. “We definitely have a lot of good mentors and leaders to show our new guys the way and what it takes to be a part of what we have at Farmingdale.” 

One of the biggest highlights during this season of Rams hockey came when faced with the tall task of playing against the Binghamton University Bearcats. Facing one of the AAU’s top-ranked teams, Duffy was proud of the team’s ability to not be intimidated by the challenge in front of them. They gave the Bearcats a great fight, but unfortunately took a 3-2 loss in the first of the two meetings. However, that didn’t shatter the Rams confidence heading into the second game. “We knew we had the tools to beat them, and we came out and beat them 5-2,” said Duffy. “That made me very proud of the guys to be able to go out there and take control of the #1 seed like that.” 

Looking ahead, the Rams will look to continue their winning ways on their road trip to Florida. They’ll be taking on the Florida Atlantic University Owls Division II squad in back-to-back games. It’s an experience that Duffy believes will help get the team ready for the second half of play. “That trip to Florida, that’s going to be a real test for us going into the second half with a couple of new guys joining the team,” said Duffy. Regarding the 10-1-1 Owls team they’ll be facing, Duffy said, “They’re a strong team and we’re just going to have to show up.”

    A strong start to the second half will be critical to the Rams accomplishing their season goals. One of those goals is winning the Empire Conference playoffs. After losing to Ramapo in the Empire playoffs last season, Duffy and the Rams are hungry to win it all this year. “Going into the playoffs, we got to know that we’ve seen these teams before and we know what it takes to beat them,” said Duffy regarding what the team will be emphasizing in this year’s Empire playoffs. “We have to go out there hard, not like we’ve already won, but we have to go out there knowing we’re the better team, and we have to play our game.” 

    Along with an Empire Conference crown, the Rams will have redemption in nationals on their minds this season. The members of last year’s Division II team suffered a tough loss to Fairfield after an incredible run in the tournament. “Last year definitely was heartbreaking losing to Fairfield, a team that we had beat throughout the season,” said Duffy. But the 2023-24 season presents a chance for the Rams to right that wrong and advance further in the tournament. “In order to prepare for that, we're really going to have to build that chemistry up and become one instead of being five men out there,” said Duffy. It’ll take a lot of hard work, but Duffy and the Rams have shown that they’re talented, confident, and driven enough to be a winning team.