The video is from earlier in the week and was featured on the Hockey’s Future website.

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No matter how descriptive, words really do no justice when describing some of the ridiculous saves Fox Lane netminder Conor Bunyan came up with this season.

A highlight tape was necessary to do them justice.

Charles Berger has seen enough circus stops to make a feature-length film, but the Foxes’ head coach whittled the highlights down to a pair of stops before all-section picks were made. The first clip shows Bunyan making a flat-on-his-back save against Nyack/Tappan Zee.

It’s worth a replay.

The second clip is even better. A perfect touch pass from Rob Grande to Nick Dominguez on the other side of the crease forces Bunyan to slide left in a hurry. He is completely exposed. There are Byram Hills players raising their arms and jumping.

And suddenly, the celebration stops.

Bunyan does a split, reaches back and snags the puck with his glove. Dominguez is just standing on the ice, head bowed in complete disbelief.

Wow.

“If you’ve ever seen Conor play the game, you know just how good he is,” Berger said. “He can do things other kids aren’t ready to do. I don’t even want to think about how many wins this team would’ve had without him. Conor was pivotal in every one.”

Fox Lane scored a grand total of 55 goals — and finished with an 11-10-1 record.

To use a favorite hockey phrase, Buynan stood on his head all season long. He is The Journal News Westchester/Putnam hockey player of the year, not a bad way to end a career that started when a youth team needed somebody to fill in at goalie.

“My first game in goal was an exhibition at Madison Square Garden,” said Bunyan, who played with the Bedford Bears growing up. “We needed a goalie, so I played that game in net, and every game after, that’s where I played.”

Bunyan isn’t the kind to blink, no matter how stiff the challenge.

“All of the other players on the ice are thinking about scoring,” he said. “I’m defensive-minded. Standing there when somebody is shooting the puck might seem a little weird to some, but after a while, you get used to it.”

He certainly did that, making the ridiculous almost routine.

Bunyan faced nearly 100 more shots than any other goalie in Section 1 this season. He stopped 93.1 percent of them and gave up just 2.45 goals per game.

“The poise he’s shown is unbelievable,” Berger said. “In his career, I can probably count the number of breakaway goals he’s given up on just one hand.”

He’s a standout off the ice, too, and had a number of options. Bunyan has been accepted to Cornell and is leaning toward playing club hockey in college.

“My brother, Andrew, plays there now, and that’s probably the most feasible plan,” he said. “Hockey’s been such a big part of my life, it would be hard to walk away from it altogether. I’m glad that wherever I go, I’ll be able to play competitive hockey.”

First team

Kevin McGee, White Plains: The senior forward kept finding a way to score or set up teammates despite constant attention. He finished the season with 28 goals and 25 assists.
James Nicholas, Scarsdale: The sophomore forward was always on the ice working to make something happen for the Raiders. He finished with 35 goals and 35 assists.
Shawn Smith, John Jay: The junior forward was a matchup problem for opponents due to his size and speed. He led the Indians with 38 goals.
Will Cullen, Pelham: The junior defenseman took a few risks to help score goals when the Pelicans needed more punch. He led Pelham with 16 goals.
Brian Schiff, Mamaroneck: The junior defenseman improved his decision-making and was an impact player on both ends of the ice. He finished with seven goals and 25 assists.

Coach of the year

Alex Smith, John Jay: Smith led the Indians to the first Section 1 hockey championship in school history, beating Pelham and Rye along the way. John Jay advanced to the state championship game and finished with a 23-2-1 record by playing a disciplined style that resulted in the Indians’ outscoring the opposition by a 136-48 margin.

Second team

F – Chris Ramondelli, Sr., New Rochelle
F – Cal Hynson, Jr., Rye
F – Trey Herlitz-Ferguson, Sr., Mamaroneck
D – Michael Rocco, Sr., Rye Country Day
D – Mark Leprine, Jr., John Jay
G – Matt Lanza, Jr., John Jay

Honorable mention: Ian Bass (Rye Town/Harrison) Jr. F; Brett Barry (New Rochelle) Jr. F; Teddy Bellis (Mamaroneck) Sr. F; Michael Benincasa (Rye) Sr. F; Matthew Blakely (Scarsdale) Jr. F; Peter Conley (Mamaroneck) Sr. F; Frazier Bostwick (John Jay) Sr. F; Connor Bubulo (Lakeland/Panas) Sr. F; Jason Chin (Rye) Sr. D; Zach Coppola (Rye Country Day) Jr. F; Will Donovan (Pelham) Jr. F; Andrew Dzenis (Pelham) Jr. F; Chris Hagen (Eastchester/Tuckahoe/Bronxville) Jr. F; Owen Gatto (Greeley) Jr. D; Jack Grimm (John Jay) Sr. F; Kevin Halpin (Sleepy Hollow/Irvington/Dobbs Ferry) Sr. D; Sean Henderson (Brewster) Jr. F; Scott Jakubowicz (Greeley) So. F; Austin Johnson (Kennedy/Putnam Valley/Haldane) So. D; Brian Ketchabaw (RT/H) So. G; Tommy Kirincic (Mahopac) Sr. D; Chris Lipari (Rye) Sr. F; Matt Lipski (Iona Prep) Jr. G; Brett Malinowski (Hen Hud) So. F; Patrick McKiernan (Lakeland/Panas) Sr. F; David Morgan (Pelham) Sr. F; Kieran O’Meara (Iona Prep) Sr. F; Joey Ramondelli (New Rochelle) Sr. D; David Rubenstein (Somers/North Salem) Sr. F; Tyler Proscia (Yorktown) Jr. F; Andrew Schauer (Pelham) Jr. F; Danny Sullivan (Rye) Sr. F; Chris Stangarone (White Plains) So. G; Aidan Talgo (Rye) Sr. G; Phil Variano (White Plains) Jr. F; Wyatt Zuk (Stepinac) Jr. F.

The post Westchester/Putnam hockey: Conor Bunyan appeared first on LoHud Hockey Blog.

After losing so much talent on graduation day, Suffern desperately needed a leader capable of winning a few games single-handedly while new faces settled into new roles.

Nick Modica wanted to be that player.

The junior goalie spent the previous season on the bench watching Tyler Stark make big save after big save and win a state title, but he was more than ready to play the lead role. A little grace under pressure helped the Mounties run a string of Section 1 championships to four.

And in recognition of that effort, Modica is The Journal News Rockland hockey player of the year.

“We had a lot of kids graduate after winning the state championship,” Suffern coach Rob Schelling said. “We needed to get a good performance in goal to be successful again. Nick was better than good. Nick was great.”

Sure, it would be easy to credit a system that forces players to concentrate first on defense. The Mounties only gave up 31 goals in 23 games. Yes, the defense is strong, but it would be a mistake to short-change what Modica did time and time again.

He was left alone to make a lot of jaw-dropping saves in big moments.

“I like to be the last guy to beat,” said Modica, who led all starters in Section 1 with a 94.2 save percentage and gave up only 27 goals this season. “I like when guys come in on a breakaway knowing that I’m the only person who can stop them. I love to play in high-pressure moments. Sometimes it can be stressful, but it’s fun.”

He settled right in and put on a show three games into the season while Suffern was upstate, making 31 saves in a 4-2 win over West Genesee.

That was a huge game for a kid who stands just 5-foot-4 and relies on pure athleticism to stay cover the net.

“It’s come up more than a few times,” said Modica, who also plays lacrosse. “I can’t change my size. I’m good as long as I’m fast, and that’s really more important so I do a lot of drills to improve my footwork.”

There were several takeaways during a 3-2 overtime win against Mamaroneck in the Division 1 championship game that elicited a crowd reaction on both sides of the bleachers.

“He is just so athletic,” Schelling said. “Nick’s one of the quickest goalies I’ve coached, post to post. He’s a competitor with the perfect mindset. If he lets one in, it doesn’t affect him. For most kids that’s difficult. For most adults that’s difficult. Nick always feels like he’s going to stop the next one.”

Whether in the locker room or on the ice, he’s a vocal presence.

“Nick is so well respected,” Schelling said. “Everyone knows that he was the key to our success. He is such a strong leader. He is always positive. He knows the game so well and will not hesitate to help the other guys out.”

Modica wasn’t as prepared as he wanted to be going into the season. He underwent an emergency appendicitis in July and was hospitalized for a stretch, then a few weeks later was back in for surgery on a broken hand. Modica did play some travel hockey in the fall, but wasn’t on the ice full time until a week before Suffern began to practice.

The disruption did not seem to affect his play and the Mounties went 19-4, losing in a regional final to Saratoga.

“I wouldn’t say we were pleased about the season,” Modica said. “I think we could’ve gone further had we done all of the small things, but I have a smile on my face knowing how far we did go given all the doubts we had at the beginning.”

First team

Mike Gillespie, Clarkstown: The junior forward kept finding ways to score no matter how much the defense adjusted. He led Rockland County with 33 goals.
Kevin Hill, Suffern: The junior forward was a problem for opposing goalies in open ice. He led the Mounties with 31 goals and 22 assists.
Nick Jaeger, Suffern: The senior forward came up with a timely career-year, giving the Mounties a second threat. He finished with 16 goals and 14 assists.
Tom Brennan, Suffern: The junior defenseman was a valuable playmaker from the blue line. He finished with six goals and 17 assists.
Tom Mahoney, Suffern: The junior defenseman did whatever he needed to keep the opposition from getting comfortable deep in the zone.

Coach of the year

Rob Schelling, Suffern: Not only did Schelling have to deal with significant losses to graduation after winning a state championship, he spent the first two months of the season juggling the lineup because of injuries. The level of competition improved, but the Mounties still found a way to win a fourth consecutive Section 1 title.

Second team

F – Robert Clark Sr., Suffern
F – Kevin Murphy Soph., Pearl River
F – Justin Tiso, Soph., Suffern
D – Tim Hekker Jr., North Rockland)
D – Anthony Carudo, Sr., Suffern
G – Anthony DePinto Sr., North Rockland
Honorable mention: Corey Aronson (Nyack/Tappan Zee) Sr. F; Brian Bermingham (Nyack/Tappan Zee) Jr. D; Patrick Burns (Pearl River) Jr. F; Brett Chase (Clarkstown) Sr. F; John Costa (Suffern) Sr. F; Max McGee (Pearl River) So. F;Danny Moore (North Rockland) Jr. F; James Morina (North Rockland) Fr. F; Maurice Murphy (Clarkstown) Jr. D; Andrew Rafferty (North Rockland) Sr. F; Stephen Varmon (Nyack/Tappan Zee) Sr. G; Joe Verboys (Suffern) So. F.

The post Rockland hockey player of the year: Nick Modica appeared first on LoHud Hockey Blog.

Elizabeth Wulf, Keira Goin, Michaela Murdock and Mary Taussig will play hockey Wednesday.

Nothing unusual there. All four got hockey sticks before their second teeth and now spend nine, sometimes 10 months a year on the ice.

But Wednesday’s game means more than most.

The four local teens and their Mid Fairfield Connecticut Stars teammates will face Assabet Valley (Mass.) in the Tier I U19 national championships’ opening round in San Jose, Calif.

The Stars qualified March 10 with Larchmont resident Wulf scoring two third-period goals (burying a rebound, then scoring on a breakaway deke) in the 3-1 New England regional final win over the favored Connecticut Polar Bears.

The Stars’ record is plain ordinary at 11-10-1. But despite facing the top two U19 girls teams in the U.S. in Assabet and Shattuck St. Mary’s School of Minnesota (their other guaranteed bracket game is against the Alaska All-Stars), the players didn’t consider packing a white flag with their jerseys.

“We’ll definitely compete,” said Murdock, 18, of Chestnut Ridge, whose hockey history began at age 4 with The Moose of Hackensack, N.J.

She’ll write her next chapter this fall at Division III Manhattanville.

Before doing so, though, coach Moe Tarrant’s “do-anything-she’s-asked” forward/defenseman wants to add some pages to her current chapter.

Murdock, the only one of the four without previous nationals experience, was ill for the New England title game. But she watched and figures, at nationals, her squad will need to duplicate its third-period play.

That late three-goal charge reflects the Stars’ year, which began with three losses (one to the Polar Bears) in four games in an August tournament.

Wulf, 18, Tarrant’s “dynamic forward,” who started playing at 6 with the Mamaroneck Tigers, said team chemistry grew as the season progressed.

“Once we were comfortable on a personal level, things started to click on the ice,” said Goin, 18, of Dobbs Ferry, who played at 7 in an in-house league at Elmsford’s Westchester Skating Academy.

Most Stars attend prep school — seniors Murdock and Goin and junior Wulf playing for Hotchkiss and senior Taussig for Greenwich Academy.

But the Utica-College-bound goalie Goin contrasted her squad to some super-intense opponents, explaining, “Hockey is not necessarily what my teammates’ worlds revolve around.”

Still, when coming up short in a Christmas tourney, “(the seniors) on the team realized it was the end run of their high school career,” Goin said. “Something happened to us internally. We started to perform better as a team.”

The same thing occurred against the Polar Bears, according to Murdock.

“It was potentially our last period of the season and, for a lot of us, our last period before college. It hit us we didn’t have another shot,” she explained.

Now the season includes at least three more games.

“It’s going to be hard but fun,” said the defenseman Taussig, 17, of Larchmont, another former Mamaroneck Tiger (starting at age 5), who plans to play Division III lacrosse and club hockey at Colorado College.

The Stars, in fact, may have an advantage, as Murdock explained, because there’s nothing to lose.

“The coolest things about the Stars is that nobody expected this to happen,” Goin said.

The post Mid Fairfield Connecticut Stars are seeking title at nationals appeared first on LoHud Hockey Blog.

By Dan DeFrancesco

MOUNT VERNON — For the past four months, Section 1 hockey teams have battled it out with one another at ice rinks across the Lower Hudson Valley.

On Monday night, a truce was called after a war of a season so that some of the best seniors throughout the section could play with each other in the Exceptional Seniors game at the Ice Hutch.

For Scarsdale’s Ian Marinelli, the game was a chance to see how the other half lives, so to speak.

“It lets me get to know some of these kids that I don’t know, that I just think are kinda not great kids because they play for Mamaroneck or Pelham,” Marinelli said. “It’s good to get us all together and play one last game.”

Getting a chance to team with someone who was competition a few weeks earlier is exactly why Mamaroneck coach Mike Chiapparelli likes organizing the event every year.

“I think they’ll go home from this game and go, ‘Hey, that guy really is good,’ or, ‘He’s not as good as I thought he was,’ ” said Chiapparelli, who is the head of the coaches’ association. “I think it’s a good-feeling kind of game.”

While the 28 seniors were divided into two teams, the South coached by White Plains’ Howie Rubenstein and the North handled by Lakeland/Panas’ Bart Mucci, the game was more of a showcase. Hitting was not allowed, and penalty shots were awarded for penalties, increasing the pace of the game and allowing players to show off their finesse.

The spirit of the game was clear early. After White Plains’ Kevin McGee scored the game’s first goal, he celebrated with a head-first dive across the ice.

“The kids hop on the line with kids they might not have been with, and they get to play with them,” Chiapparelli said. “It’s fun.”

South would end up victorious, winning 13-12.

For the majority of the players, the game signified potentially their last time playing a sport that has been a large part of their lives.

“It’s good because I’m not really playing any more competitive hockey,” Suffern’s Robert Clark said. “So it’s fun playing this against all the teams I’ve played with throughout my high school career.”

While Kevin Halpin, a defenseman for Sleepy Hollow/Irvington/Dobbs Ferry, said he would try to play club hockey wherever he ends up, he understands the game meant the end of a chapter of his life, in terms of hockey.

“It’s upsetting and also exciting,” said Halpin of his last game representing his high school team. “It’s moving on with my hockey career.”

Marinelli, who will play roller hockey in college next year, looked at it as just another opportunity to get back on the ice.

“It’s one last bang, I guess,” Marinelli said. “One last game.”

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Please, take minute and post if your district is proposing cuts to ice hockey. Leave an update in the comments section. From the discussions I’ve had with various athletic directors, we’re going to see a number of freshman and modified programs disappear, too, in all sports. The schools are going to blame the 2-percent cap.

There is a story here that goes way beyond hockey, and it will get done eventually, In the mean time, consider this … if you want your kid to play sports and be ready for a junior varsity or varsity team in the future, you’re probably going to have to open up the wallet and pay to play outside the school program. In other words, this is going to feed a setup that eliminates a number of participants based on a financial wherewithal.

Share your thoughts, how much importance do you place on a strong athletic program within the schools?

The post Rabbit season. Duck season. Budget season. appeared first on LoHud Hockey Blog.

County officials were hoping to have the Ice Casino back on line by September, but the project isn’t likely to go out for bid until May. Estimates for construction time run between six and nine months. That likely means Rye and RyeTown/Harrison will have to make a tough decision. Do they schedule the entire season elsewhere before ice slots run out? Do they schedule at the Ice Casino after the New Year? Do they gamble the Ice Casino will be done by November and schedule the entire home slate there?

You can read all of the details in a post by Elizabeth Ganga on the Politics on the Hudson blog.

The post Playland repairs are running behind schedule appeared first on LoHud Hockey Blog.

Seriously, it’s nice to know that when you hit the publish button, somebody’s reading (or getting ready to pounce).

We should make a little noise for the coaches, who used to be able to make one quick phone call to the paper after each game and go home. Now they have to report the result to countless media outlets and provide blog material. It’s a long day for those guys and that stipend they get doesn’t even cover a summer’s worth of greens fees.

The kids deserve some credit, too, especially the ones who stopped and spoke after tough losses. Hockey players have no filters and make this job easy. And we should probably acknowledge the parents who seem to be absorbing more and more of the cost of this sport. Sadly, it’s going to get even tougher with school budgets getting trimmed again. Let’s hope we don’t lose anybody.

I’m not quite free and clear of hockey … the Rockland and Westchester/All-Star teams are being picked as we speak.

When the run date gets closer, I’ll send out a reminder and post them here on the blog when they publish. I will check in from time to time with any news that I stumble over, and maybe provide a fresh post every couple of weeks so the string of comments doesn’t stretch out so far in the offseason.

You can find me on the LoHud Boys Lacrosse Blog with Ta-Da, slacrosse and Bundy for the next couple of months and on the LoHud Golf Blog until the leaves turn color and fall. Don’t forget my other Twitter feeds, too … @LoHudLacrosse and @LoHudGolf.

Play hard. Have fun.

The post A quick thank you … appeared first on LoHud Hockey Blog.

John Jay loses championship game

John Jay lost 4-2 to Christian Brothers Academy/Jamesvlle DeWitt in the championship game of the division 2 state hockey tournament in Utica Mar. 10, 2013. Video by Peter Carr

The post Video: John Jay loses in state title game appeared first on LoHud Hockey Blog.