The Boys Varsity Ice Hockey Team enjoyed a successful season on the backs of tremendous play by its seniors.  Leading the team with 49 points was senior Pat Luongo, whose 31 goals also led the team.

Other outstanding players included seniors Anthony Mangone with 31 points, defenseman Nick Walker with 21 points, and juniors Nick Mangone with 43 points, and Bobby Oldmixon with 36 points. Each athlete helped lead the Chiefs to an 18-7-2 record.

Carrying on the team’s tradition, the Town of Oyster Bay championship trophy was carried through the halls of MHS before the team headed to the AAU Club Team State Championships in Amherst, NY.

There, the Chiefs went undefeated by posting victories against state powerhouses such as St. Joseph Prep and Hutchinson Tech –and advanced to the tournament’s semi-finals.

In a well fought game, the Chiefs took St. Francis into overtime and secured the victory with a score 4-3.

“Advancing to the finals of the tournament was thrilling enough, but we wanted to finish what we started,” senior Joe Giammarino said. He had a key goal in the semi-final match up.

The championship pitted the Chiefs against perennial power Lancaster, a heavy favorite to win the title.  However, perseverance and determination paid off as goalie Dana DeMarco led the Chiefs to a 3-1 victory by finishing with a .963 save percentage.  Nick Mangone scored in both the semi-final and final games and also had an assist to seal the deal for the team, ending the season ranking the Chiefs third in Nassau’s power rankings and seventeenth state wide.

After several disappointing losses, the state tournament victory serves as a true testimony of why the game is played, because on any given day, any team can prevail.