In case there was any question what Mamaroneck’s goal was for this year, that slogan what was printed on the black T-shirts the players received in the preseason. And now it has come true.
In a story line that shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise, the team with the most depth and talent in the section outlasted another opponent, scoring three times in the final eight minutes to defeat White Plains 4-1. You can watch a replay of the game by going here and clicking “on demand.” You can also read my article here.
Both teams seemed a little nervous in the first period. Mamaroneck couldn’t get the puck on net, and White Plains didn’t really get in an attacking mode — though it did have a clever strategy of clogging the middle, which prevented the long passes Mamaroneck likes and seemed to frustrate them. It also took the fans a little while to get adjusted and stop chanting “Let’s Go Tigers!”, since that obviously didn’t mean anything in this game.
White Plains got things going immediately in the second period. Dan Broderick’s tip off a Steve McCarrick pass went just wide 30 seconds in, and 30 seconds later Aaron Klimchuk seemed to have a mini-break down the right side until Sean Hagan dove to upend him and prevent the shot. That was the first of two Mamaroneck penalties White Plains would draw in the first three minutes, and it finally scored with 8:51 left in the period when Ryan McGee’s shot deflected off a Mamaroneck player right to Broderick, who scored into an empty net.
Far from unsettling Mamaroneck, that seemed to be the spark they needed. Instead of seeking the perfect shot, the Tigers finally started firing away and creating traffic in front, something that continued the rest of the game. White Plains’ only penalty proved costly with seven minutes left when Brett Jackson won the ensuing faceoff and then rebounded his own shot for the tying goal.
Playing its third top-5 team in five days, White Plains was still in the hunt for its first sectional championship in 30 years, but Mamaroneck finally went ahead with 7:53 left when Rob Fine placed a perfect shot from the right faceoff dot into the upper left corner.
Mamaroneck continued to control possession, and after Adam Zweig intercepted a breakout pass and kept it in the White Plains zone, he passed to Scott Hagan for a shot, and Joe Naclerio was there to put in the rebound with 5:39 left (note: the p.a. announcer was wrong, and thus so was I on the internet broadcast — it was not Zweig unassisted). Finally Jackson scored his second goal into an empty net with 31 seconds left to ice the game.
My story has some more details, but here’s some quotes that didn’t make it in:
Luke Glaser: “They came out and played us hard — I think it was the least amound of shots we had all year. They threw a trap at us and we couldn’t get anything generated the first or second period, and we finally broke through.”
Sean Hagan: “We’re used to taking shots all over the place and not caring about where they’re from, just trying to get the rebounds, and we were being way too picky.”
Adam Zweig: “We controlled the puck down low a lot better in the third, we really tired out their defense, and when we work down low their wingers came down and left the points wide open.”
Steve McCarrick: “Losing all the guys last year, a lot of us through we wouldn’t even go anywhere. To be the runner-up in the championship is big.”
Howie Rubenstein: “We were happy where we are, going into the third period 15 minutes from the championship. We battled like we have all year. They’re a great team and they finally broke through. They have a great goalie and we tried to get pucks to the net but it didn’t work out for us. You have to tip your cap to them.”
The paid attendance was 654, and anyone who kept their ticket can get into Tuesday night’s game for free. While some people complained about the distance, there is no denying that Tate Rink is a beautiful facility. Everyone I talked to — fans, coaches and players — enjoyed the atmosphere and the experience.
Steve McCarrick: “I think it’s awesome. They should do it next year. Big ice, it’s fun to play on.”
What did everyone else think?
Now Mamaroneck will get to avenge last year’s overtime loss to Massena in the state quarterfinals. I’ve gotten conflicting reports on the time — Chap thought it would be in the afternoon, while a reliable blogger from Massena posted in the comments that the game would be at 7. I will let you know as soon as I find out for sure.
Mamaroneck went up to Massena two weeks ago and won 6-1, but Hagan is not expecting an easy time on Saturday: “They didn’t have much of a fan base there but I’m sure they’ll pack it tight, it’s definitely going to be louder. After what we did to them, I’m sure they’re going to come out with a lot more fire and intensity.”
I’ll have some more information on Massena (and Section 2 Division II champion Queensbury) in the days ahead. In the meantime, there’s still one more Section 1 game to be played — Rye-Pelham Tuesday at 7 at West Point. You can add your thoughts about that to the new poll on the right.
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