Over the past three years, co-captain Matt Bronfeld ’03 has been exalted as one of the all time Ramaz hockey greats. On February 11, Matt broke the record for points scored by a single member of the Ramaz team.

Matt grew up on the Lower East Side, which he and his friends refer to as the “chillest place in the world.” Matt attended Manhattan Day School and spent his summers at Camp Hillel, where he was able to polish his hockey skills before coming to Ramaz.

Over the course of Matt’s Ramaz hockey career, the team has done well when Matt does well-a feat of which few players can boast. Playing first line in tenth grade, which Matt believes could possibly be his “greatest accomplishment” as a player, the hockey team won a humbling four games out of 14. Matt says that season taught him what it is like to lose and to persevere through tough times.

When Matt was a junior, the hockey team improved, winning eight games. This year the hockey team is off to a 10-2 start. Matt’s maturity as a player has clearly helped the team, as Matt no longer tries to do “too much with the puck.”

The hockey team’s great start has also led to higher expectations. When Matt was asked what he hopes to accomplish this season, he firmly stated, “win a championship.” Although Matt may resemble other hockey greats, he insists that he doesn’t try to emulate anyone on the floor. Later, when asked who his favorite professional player is, Matt answered, “Paul Kariya, a small guy who still plays hard and gives it his all every night.” Matt is also a lifelong Ranger fan.

As captain, Matt always has to have composure to help lead his team. He says that he has “to talk in the locker room to get everyone to play hard and well.” Matt recalls his greatest play, which he made in tenth grade in a game against TABC: “I faked shooting forehand and the goalie bought it and I went backhand and scored.”

Matt plays forward, and although this is a scorer’s position, he is also an excellent passer. He is constantly deflecting attention onto his teammates, including Jeremy Rosenfeld ’03, whom Matt says is the player he has enjoyed playing with the most during his tenure on the team. After Rosenfeld heard this, he beamed with pride and said, “Matt may be really good at hockey, but you should check out his midot,” saying what a good all-around guy the hockey star really is.

Ben Bernstein ’03, a long-time friend and teammate of Matt’s describes him as “a great hockey player and a great kid.” Rosie also added that “there is no other person that I’d rather have break the record.” Besides playing hockey, Matt enjoys playing basketball and listening to music. This is a record that was truly meant to be broken.