On March 29th we brought SigEp hockey back to the RPI Field House for the first time since 2020. While none of the actives have ice hockey experience, outside of last year’s SigEp Winter Classic in Albany, they were more than willing to test their balance and coordination. Our annual game saw the gathering of brothers, alumni, friends, and even SigEp National staff. Due to the experience mismatch, our local hockey guru Dan Keefe ’01 picked teams. This year’s Alumni team wore red and black and consisted of 3 actives, 6 alumni, and 3 guests, and was coached by brother Tristan Mangin ‘26. The Actives team consisted of 4 actives, 4 alumni, and 3 guests, and was coached by Max Feta ’29. Time keepers for the game were Zach Hurley ’15 and Daniella Keefe.
Our Regional Director, Joe Tufo, NJZ ’24, came in to captain the active team after visiting the chapter on his official RD duties the weekend prior to the game. Coming out of retirement was Jason Mufano, friend of Dan Keefe, to play goalie. The team, led by father-son duo Dan Keefe and Daniel Keefe Jr. (G), was rounded out with skaters Will Hallam ’91 (G), Dan Keefe ’01, Ben Hurley ’15 (G), Ryan “Geoff” Carroll ’26, Maksim Peterburskiy ’26, Luke Kissing ’26, and Danny Girard ’29.
Goaltender Greg Desmond ’14 led the way for an alumni victory, with a strong team in front of him. Mario Mufano led the team with 4 goals; it’s apparent that he wanted to show his dad who’s boss. Rounding out the alumni team were skaters David Tomkins ’92, Shawn “Spoon” Daly ’01 (G), Andrew Groskopf ’16 (G), Christopher DiNicola ’16 (G), Michael Ahn ’25, Derek Smith ’26, Jonathan Obas ‘26, Logan Keefe, and Landon Keefe.
The game started strong with many saves on both sides as the actives were adjusting to sakting. Being that it was the first time many of them ever were on the ice, it was impressive how much time they spent on their feet. While the alumni got up to a 2-0 lead, thanks to Spoon and Mario, the actives decided to respond with 2 goals with 2 minutes left in the first period, one from Daniel Keefe, Jr and the other from Will Hallam.
Going into the second period tied, there was plenty of tension between the teams. More importantly, penalty box attendants Nina and Henry Desmond were getting bored as there were no penalties in the first period. This issue was quickly resolved, as Christopher DiNicola and Joe Tufo dropped their gloves on the faceoff of the second period. As per usual, the alumni won the fight, but both players were sent to the penalty box. After this morale boost for the alumni, they saw 2 more goals in the period. Mario Mufano came up with his second goal of the game, followed a few minutes later with one coming from the stick of Andrew Groskopf. The period ended with the alumni taking the lead 4-2.
The actives team attempted to rally in the third period as they scored first; Will Hallam had his second goal of the game. He was answered by Mario’s third goal, giving him the first hat trick in the Alumni vs Actives game since Stuart Irwin completed this feat playing for the actives in 2020. Christopher DiNicola extended the alumni lead with a backhanded goal, but his big brother, Ben Hurley, answered less than a minute later with a goal for the actives. Despite this goal, Greg was still not afraid of Hurley’s shots. Mario took one more opportunity to score on his father with only a minute remaining in the game, securing the alumni victory, 7-4, and matching Irwin’s 4-goal record from the infamous 2020 game.
After the game we had some ice time left, which was enjoyed by the families who joined us. Our penalty box disciplinarians, Nina and Henry, had some time to learn to skate. While they were escorted on the ice by some of the alumni, they of course take after their father and are naturals on the ice. We look forward to seeing you at our next annual Alumni vs. Actives game, being held on January 31, 2026. Stay tuned for event details.
