Horace Greeley Ices Mahopac, 7-4, Snags League Title
By Ray Gallagher
Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays
& Rob DiAntonio @RJD_Photos
The COVID-19 abbreviated regular season is over. An eight-team post season is upon the Examiner-area teams who comprise the Putnam-Northern Westchester regional playoff grouping, including Mahopac, BYSNS, Cortlandt, Mount Pleasant, Fox Lane, 2020 D-II runner-up John Jay CR and Horace Greeley, the prescribed favorite, based upon a 5-4 win over John Jay and a 3-3 tie with the Wolves.
White Plains will try to make some hay in the Southern Westchester grouping that features Rye and undefeated perennial powerhouse Mamaroneck, the clear favorites.
HORACE GREELEY skated to a 3-3 tie with perennial power Mamaroneck on Saturday night at Hommocks Ice Arena.
Greeley fell behind 3-0 but rallied with three goals in the third period. Two of those goals were netted by Gabe Adams with one being scored by Jared Rothman. Dylan Mutkoski and Jacob Rothman each had two assists.
The next night, Greeley defeated MAHOPAC 7-4 to celebrate their senior night. Greeley built a 3-0 lead before Mahopac responded, cutting the deficit to 4-3. But the Quakers were able to close the game out with three unanswered goals.
Adams sparked the Greeley attack with a hat trick. Mutkoski (1 assist), Ben Cohen and Jacob Rothman also scored. Jared Rothman and Johnny Spar each dished out two assists. Arye Wolberg made 17 saves.
Ryan Caraher and Matt Luczkowski each had a goal and an assist for Mahopac. Nick Stiller netted the Indians’ other goal. Mike Horan made 32 saves in net.
Greeley honored its five seniors before the game: Mutkoski, Wolberg, Joe Lamb, Molly Babowal and Max Orlich.
The Quakers (3-3-1) closed out the regular season today with a game against the BYSNS. The regional playoffs begin tomorrow with the finals slated for Saturday.
Behind five goals and two assists from Daniel Cardozo, WHITE PLAINS cruised past MOUNT PLEASANT 11-4 on March 1.
John Myers had two goals and two assists. Harley Formica scored his first varsity goal and added two assists while Teddy Hauser dished out two assists. Alex Farber-Griggs, Jack Chetti and Jason Katz netted a goal each. Sean Keenan made 27 saves.
Tom Schutt scored twice for Mount Pleasant with Javier Wurster and Nathan Xie adding a goal each. John Sarfaty made 17 saves.
The White Plains Tigers then dropped a pair of games to Rye Town/Harrison by scores of 7-5 and 8-6. In the first meeting, Cardozo netted a hat trick. Myers added a goal and two assists, including the 100th assist of his career. Keenan made 30 saves. Cardozo (2 goals, 2 assists) and Myers (1 goal, 3 assists) paced White Plains in the second contest.
White Plains (2-4-1) faced off with ETBE on Monday and takes on Mount Pleasant tonight before heading into the regional playoffs.
FOX LANE fell to Mahopac 12-7 last Wednesday. Dan Leader had a trick for the Foxes while Aaron Easton notched two goals. Charlie Della Penna added a goal and two assists.
Nick Biagini sparked the Indians with four goals. Caraher and Luczkowski each had hat tricks. Horan made 37 saves for Mahopac while Fox Lane goalie Nick Pierce made 37 stops.
Two late goals, including Ryan Caraher’s 22nd of the season, gave MAHOPAC a 4-3 come-from-behind win over BYRAM HILLS Thursday at the Brewster Ice Arena. Jonathan Martirano (2A) set up the game-winner for the Indians and G Chris ‘Big Hands’ Horan stopped 21 shots. Caraher earned the hat trick on his final goal and set up another for Matt Luczkowski, who dropped a four pack the night before in a 13-7 victory over FOX LANE. Caraher (3G 4A) had seven points in that game. Nick Biagini (3G, 1A) and Chris Stiller (1G, 2A) and had multi-point efforts for the Indians (4-2-1).
“We’re missing one of our top defenders, Rich Gosniowski, the last two games, so the kids have stepped up,” Mahopac Coach Tim Donaghy said. “The entire group is really starting to coming together.”
CARMEL chalked up a 5-0 win over Byram Hills last Wednesday behind a hat trick from junior F Luke Golisano (2A). Brendan Murphy (1G, 2A), Jaden Albert (1G, 1A), Ryan McDonald (A, 1st varsity point), Graham Ludwig (1) and Noah Jettelson (A) all scored a point while Rams freshman G Nicco Positano stopped 20 shots for his first career shutout.
“Nicco is great,” Carmel Coach Michael Chiacchia said. “He is going to have an awesome career.”
Unfortunately, his postseason career, along with the rest of the Rams, will have to wait until the 2021-22 season as Carmel has entered a close-contact 10-day quarantine that will end their season immediately.
BYRAM HILLS fell to the BYSNS 6-2 on Tuesday and was shutout by Carmel, 5-0, last Wednesday. But the Bobcats gave Mahopac a battle in a 4-3 defeat on Thursday. Lucca Trotta, Austin Carlin and eighth-grader Alex Cutier scored for the Bobcats. It was Cutier’s first varsity goal. Eighth-grader Ryan Nichols also notched his first varsity point with an assist.
Lucca Conigliaro scored both Byram goals in its loss to the BYSNS. Ben Sfarra made 17 saves in net. The Herd saw another solid game in net for G Matt Gergley, who notched his 1,200th career save in the win. Jacob Gasparini had a hat trick for BYSNS.
Ray has 33 years experience covering and photographing local sports in Westchester and Putnam counties, including everything from Little League/Travel Baseball to varsity high school prep sports and collegiate coverage. He has been a sports editor at Examiner Media since its inception in 2007.
Visit Ray’s author bio page for more details. Also read Ray’s archived work here and his Direct Rays column here.
