LoHud Hockey Blog

Scarsdale players celebrate their first goal against Brewster during the quarterfinals of the Section 1 Division 2 hockey tournament at the Brewster Ice Arena Feb. 22, 2012. (Seth Harrison / The Journal News)

To view a gallery of photos from the game, click here.

BREWSTER - This definitely isn’t the Scarsdale team that was searching for an identity and piling up losses back in December.

“Thank God,” Raiders head coach Jim Mancuso said.

Scarsdale is forcing the powers that be to pay attention. A convincing 6-4 win over top-seeded Brewster on Wednesday in a Section 1 Division 2 quarterfinal converted a few more non-believers and put the Raiders into final four. And the eighth seed is going in with confidence and momentum.

“I don’t consider it an upset,” goalie Connor Wolfe said. “We knew that we could play with them.”

The Bears contributed to a five-game losing streak with a 7-2 win over the Raiders earlier this season, and came in with an 18-2 record, but struggled to keep pace from the start. Scarsdale is playing better defense, and the Raiders are becoming downright dangerous in transition.

“We have everybody healthy now,” Mancuso said of the biggest difference between now and then. “And we finally have everybody moving. Nobody is standing around watching.”

The flurry of constant action isn’t easy to contend with.

Brewster was affected by the aggressive checking at both ends. What the Raiders give away in pounds and inches, they make up for in hustle.

“We’re not the biggest team,” freshman forward Jame Nicholas said. “Brewster was much bigger than us. We have some height, but we’re all skinny. We are quick, though, and blow right by people and go right to the net. It’s a strength of this team.”

Travis Misarti got Scarsdale in front right away, but Sean Henderson answered on the power play. Nicholas moved the Raiders back on top eight minutes in, but Henderson netted a rebound to make it 2-2 with 17 seconds to play in the first period.

Every single exchange was intense.

Scarsdale didn’t waste any time gaining control in the second, but took a penalty at the 4:25 mark. Nicholas skated onto a bad pass in the neutral zone and was pulled down, setting up a penalty shot. He got Bears goalie Shayne Lisa to commit early and flipped the puck inside the post to make it a 3-2 lead.

“They got me from behind and I flew into the goalie,” Nicholas said. “I looked at the ref, and once I saw the hand gesture for a penalty shot, I knew we had the opportunity to take the game from there.”

And the Raiders did not let up, and Lisa had to make 33 saves to keep things interesting.

Jake Bank made it a 4-2 lead with 2:01 to play, and Brewster was clearly flustered. Wolfe did an excellent job of keeping Joe Wegwerth, the leading scorer in Section 1, from riling up the large home crowd. He took at least two goals away with some quick legwork, and had a viscous slap shot slam into his chest with a sickening thud.

“That one definitely winded me,” Wolfe said. “He’s got one hell of a shot. Joe was our main focus. If we shut him down it gives our team confidence and slowly chips away at theirs.”

Brewster also took some ill-timed penalties, and looked rusty after the layoff.

“I don’t think we came out ready to play,” Bears coach Tom Andreacchio said. “I don’t want to put it on the layoff. Scarsdale played just an incredible game. All the credit goes to Jim and his team. We were kind of fortunate to be down 2-2 after the first, and even 4-2 after the second.”

A collision with a teammate at mid-ice left Wegwerth in a heap with four minutes gone in the third. Bank took advantage of the room to maneuver and scored a power-play goal to give Scarsdale a 5-2 cushion. Wegwerth left the game with a knee injury and was unable to return. He needed help to leave the ice afterward, but was moving under his own power after the game, albeit gingerly.

The Raiders added one more goal, before Henderson completed the hat trick. Sean Hamilton forced Scarsdale to settle down and finish when he scored with 48 seconds to play. And now comes Rye, another team that handed the Raiders a 5-1 dose of humility when things weren’t going so well.

“It’s going to be a good match up,” Nicholas said. “Once we heard that Rye had won, everybody was excited for the rematch.”

Which explains the chant in the postgame locker room.

No. 2 Pelham 6, No. 7 Greeley 2: Andrew Schauer had five goals, included a natural hat trick in the second, but Colin Reilly stated afterward the Pelicans need to step it up even more.

No. 3 John Jay 5, No. 6 Pearl River 1: Vince Riocci and Sean Smith each had two goals for the Indians, who took penalty after penalty and lost momentum after going up 3-0 in the first period.

No. 4 Rye 5, No. 5 Yorktown 3: The Garnets fell behind 2-0 in the first before the defense settled in and the offense began to solve a stubborn Huskers team.

No. 8 Scarsdale 6, No. 1 Brewster 4: James Nicholas and Jake Bank each had two goals for the Raiders, who held the section’s top offense scoreless in the second period and took command.

Semifinals
Friday
Pelham vs. John Jay, 6 p.m. at Ice Hutch
Rye vs. Scarsdale, 7 p.m. at Playland

John Jay’s Vincent Riocci scores on Pearl River goalie Lowell Hunt during the quarterfinals of the Section 1 Division 2 hockey tournament at the Brewster Ice Arena Feb. 22, 2012. John Jay defeated Pearl River 5-1. (Seth Harrison / The Journal News)

To view a gallery of photos from the game, click here.

Are we finally going to have an upset?

I’m not picking one, but Scarsdale is very capable of sending Brewster home for the season. We are covering three of the games in some fashion. I’m heading to BIA for John Jay-Pearl River and Brian Heyman is going to the Ice Hutch to see Pelham-Greeley. Both of those games will make the paper. I’m going to watch Brewster-Scarsdale while I write, and do an online story on that game since it’s going to end past deadline. You can find it here in the morning. I’ll tweet updates throughout.

Wedsnesday, Feb. 22

Division 2 quarterfinals

No. 1 Brewster vs. No. 8 Scarsdale
8 p.m. at Brewster Ice Arena
Storyline: Brewster was in control during the first meeting, a 7-2 win, but that came when Scarsdale was struggling to find an identity. A lot has changed since. If the Bears play a smart game and use their physical advantage without landing in the penalty box, they are still a slight favorite.
Prediction: Brewster 6, Scarsdale 5

No. 2 Pelham vs. No. 7 Greeley
6 p.m. at the Ice Hutch
Storyline: It’s a learning experience for a young Greeley team that aspires to be what Pelham is, and while enthusiasm helps, it’s not enough to overcome the depth of talent possessed by the Pelicans.
Prediction: Pelham 7, Greely 2

No. 3 John Jay vs. No. 6 Pearl River
6 p.m. at Brewster Ice Arena
Storyline:John Jay needs to eliminate the defensive lapses that have cost the Indians against good teams, and this will be an opportunity to practice sound principles. Pearl River has to be perfect since it doesn’t have the same kind of firepower up front.
Prediction: John Jay 5, Pearl River 1

No. 4 Rye vs. No. 5 Yorktown
7:45 p.m. at Playland Ice Casino
Storyline: Rye is back to playing balanced hockey after some midseason hiccups. The Garnets might have to grind a little against Yorktown, but they have been tested all season by unfortunate bounces and can be a patient bunch.
Prediction: Rye 5, Yorktown 2

LARCHMONT - Every goal provided Mamaroneck another reason to celebrate the fact that this team was surpassing all expectations after experiencing numerous moments of doubt.

There were some injuries along the way, too.

It took the Tigers a little while to get revved up, but a decisive 8-4 win over Mahopac on Tuesday at Hommocks Park Ice Rink put them into the semifinals of the Section 1 Division 1 tournament. Suffern awaits. The rivals will bump heads at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.

“This definitely feels good,” senior forward Nathan Mullaney said after scoring four goals to lead the charge. “I was on the team two years ago when we lost to Lakeland/Panas (in the semis), and then last year we lost to New Rochelle (in the quarterfinals). It’s really exciting to go play Suffern, especially at Sport-O-Rama. There’s always so much atmosphere.”

And it’s been a while since the powers have met in the postseason.

You have to go back to a 2008 meeting in the championship game. Mamaroneck won that game 2-1, but the Mounties are easily the favorite in this one. They’ve beaten the Tigers 6-0 and 9-1 this season.

“It’s tough scoring on them,” Mullaney said. “They play a real tight defensive system, so it’s hard to put any pressure on (goalie) Tyler Stark. Hopefully, we can get an early goal, but the focus, obviously, is team defense first when you play Suffern.”

The start against Mahopac was a little bumpy.

Mamaroneck held the puck too long instead of throwing shots on net and crashing. John Hangach got everyone’s attention when he got loose on a breakaway. A Tigers defenseman threw his stick in from behind to disrupt the charge, and the officials awarded the Mahopac forward a penalty shot.

There was some head scratching before the attempt.

Mamaroneck coach Mike Chiapparelli took out starting goalie Brett Poniros, and put in Thomas Grilli to handle the penalty shot. There was a pause while he went through a warm-up. Hangach wasn’t bothered in the least, and gave the Indians a 1-0 lead.

“I was trying to ice him,” Chiapparelli said. “I figured we’d let him sit there for two or three minutes and think about it.”

The Tigers finally got something going when a rebound off the leg of Mahopac goalie Anthony Barletta was swept in by Mullaney with 16.6 seconds to go in the period. A couple of breakdowns early in the second by the Indians let Mamaroneck get two goals in a span of 37 seconds. Another let down later in the period resulted in two more in a span of 33 seconds.

It was 5-1, and Mamaroneck was playing with more confidence than it’s had all season.

“And that’s kinda been the story of our season,” Mahopac coach Chris Lombardo said. “We’d have those four- and five-minute hiccups and it cost us some goals.”

The Indians got one back, and were still thinking about making a comeback during the ice cut.

“We’ve done it a couple of times,” Lombardo said. “In the locker room we were talking about that. We felt like we had a chance to steal a game, but that sixth goal was a back-breaker.”

Josh Kriss wound up at the point and let fly, then Peter Conley deflected the puck into the net just 25 seconds into the third, making it a 6-2 advantage, and the Tigers were on their way.

Quarterfinals

No. 2 Eastchester/Tuckahoe/Bronxville 4, Clarkstown 2: Ian Palfrey broke a 2-2 with 2:46 to play, then added an empty-netter. Frank Sherding also had a pair of goals.

No. 3. New Rochelle 4, No. 6 RTH 1: The Huguenots scored four unanswered goals to move on. Chris Ramondelli’s power play goal in the third got New Ro in front.

No. 4 Mamaroneck 8, No. 5 Mahopac 4: Nathan Mullaney got Mamaroneck rolling with a goal late in the first, then poured in three more during a rare offensive outburst by the Tigers.

No. 1 Suffern 4, No. 9 White Plains 0: Ian Adler, John Redgate, Adam Brenner and Kevin Hill each scored a goal for the Mounties, who had to play a patient game.

Semifinals
No. 1 Suffern vs. No. 4 Mamaroneck, 6:30 p.m. at Sport-O-Rama
No. 2 ETB vs. No. 3 New Rochelle, 6 p.m. at the Ice Hutch

Here we go. There is upset potential from here on in. And the butterflies only get bigger with more at stake in each round. Hold on tight.

I’m going to the Ice Hutch this afternoon to watch ETB play Clarkstown, and then I’m heading over to Hommocks for Mahopac and Mamaroneck after I file that story. Do me a favor, tone down the rhetoric and let the kids play. We don’t need to provide artificial stimulation that sends them onto the ice with any kind of malice. Let’s debate who’s got better pizza joints, Mamaroneck or Mahopac.

The late starts are going to affect what you see in the paper.

ETB and Clarkstown is easy. Mamaroneck and Mahopac will be on the blog and on the web, only. Can we get the Snowplow Sams off the ice at Hommocks and play these marquee games around 7 p.m. to enhance the crowds and increase the coverage next season, please?

I really think RTH could throw a scare into New Rochelle, which seems to be playing better after losing some momentum late in the season. Suffern is no doubt itching to get back on the ice and tune up, so I don’t give White Plains much of a chance.

Tuesday, Feb. 21

Division 1 quarterfinals

No. 9 White Plains vs. No. 1 Suffern
6:30 p.m. at Spot-O-Rama
Storyline: White Plains loves making Suffern work hard for goals and is equipped to keep the score down. Getting three or four pucks by Tyler Stark at the other end is an entirely different story, though.
Prediction: Suffern 5, White Plains 1

No. 5 Mahopac vs. No. 4 Mamaroneck
8:15 p.m. at Hommocks
Storyline: It’s becoming a nice little rivalry, at least online. Mahopac wasn’t playing at full strength earlier in the season when it lost 5-1 in the Jungle, but will still have to play its best game of the season to win.
Prediction: Mamaroneck 5, Mahopac 4

No. 7 Clarkstown vs. No. 2 ETB
2:45 p.m. at Ice Hutch
Storyline: A proper approach for ETB is very important. If the Eagles are fixated on Suffern, a team like Clarkstown might very well end their season. The Mall Rats are sneaky good.
Prediction: ETB 6, Clarkstown 4

No. 6 Rye Town Harrison vs. No. 3 New Rochelle
7:45 p.m. at Ice Hutch
Storyline: Keeping up with a quicker New Rochelle team could be an issue for RTH, which plays a more physical game. Goalie Jaime Ketchabaw should keep the Titans in range, though.
Prediction: New Rochelle 3, RTH 2

Yesterday
Division 2 opening round
Pearl River 7, Ossining 0
Greeley 5, Hen Hud 3
Scarsdale 6, Pawling 0

Scarsdale’s James Nicholas (16) battles for control of the puck with Pawling’s Bobby Ferrante (22) in the first period of the Section 1 Division II hockey tournament at The Ice Hutch in Mount Vernon. (Carucha L. Meuse / The Journal News).

To view a gallery of photos from the game, click here.

Opening round
No. 8 Scarsdale 6, No. 9 Pawling 0: Jake Bank had two goals and one assist while Jame Nicholas had one goal and two assists to lead the Raiders.
No. 7 Greeley 5 No. 10 Hen Hud 3: The freshmen class accounted for all but one Quakers goal. Zach Shapiro kept the Sailors in with 28 saves.
No. 6 Pearl River 7, No. 11 Ossining 0: The Pirates moved onto a quarterfinal matchup with John Jay for the second time in three years.

Quarterfinals
Wednesday
No. 1 Brewster vs. No. 8 Scarsdale, 8 p.m. at Brewster Ice Arena
No. 2 Pelham vs. No. 7 Greeley, 6 p.m. at the Ice Hutch
No. 3 John Jay vs. No. 6 Pearl River, 6 p.m. at Brewster Ice Arena
No. 4 Rye vs. No. 5 Yorktown, 7:45 p.m. at Playland Ice Casino