Let’s hope the bracket falls into place because I’m thinking we might have a very interesting Division II tournament after watching Kennedy/Putnam Valley take down Lakeland/Panas.
I had a little time so I swung by to watch the Rebels, something I’ve been attempting to do for the last three or four weeks.
There is some talent on that roster, no question. It seems that a couple of hard lessons need to be learned before Lakeland/Panas can be considered a contender. A little too much conversation with the officials turned a bad situation into a nightmare, and let Kennedy turn a 4-3 deficit with six minutes to go into 6-4 win.
“We started talking back to the refs,” senior defenseman Kyle Park said. “It’s something we can’t do. We said a couple of things and put three or four guys in the box. This could help us for sectionals because it makes us realize as good as we are, we have to be even better to go hang with teams like Suffern and Mamaroneck.”
All three goals came 5-on-3.
“The kids felt the officials were calling it a little tight against us,” Rebels coach Bart Mucci said. “I didn’t see it like that. They definitely learned a lesson. It cannot happen again. … We’re generally a fairly disciplined team. It didn’t look that way tonight. I told them, I’m embarrassed.”
I have to do the math, but the loss could prevent Lakeland/Panas from grabbing the No. 2 seed and home ice should they make the semifinals in the upcoming playoffs.
Sorry, didn’t mean to dump all over another team’s moment in the spotlight. We need to give credit to Kennedy/Putnam Valley for putting a good team in a tough spot.
“We got ourselves under control and took a breath just before we came out there,” junior defenseman Mike Tierney said. “Once we got the first one, the rest came easy. We couldn’t let that opportunity go to waste. That was a big one. They pretty much gave it to us.”
Steve Santini knotted the score eight seconds into the first power play, then Christopher Considine and Sam Loizeaux finished off the Rebels in short order.
It might be nice to see Rye, Pelham, JFK/Putnam Valley and Sleepy Hollow/Irvington in the Division II semis.
Tierney was out most of the season with mono and is now helping to solidify the defense, and Luke Martin is playing well in goal. It’s a case of perfect timing. Confidence is quickly going up with two weeks to go.
“It’s good,” Kennedy/Putnam Valley coach Steve Santini said. “We got Mike back, along with a couple of our other guys and it’s giving us the depth we need to be competitive for three full periods. Guys are playing well and buying in to the system. It’s a good time for everything to come together.”