As a miraculous fall season ends, all eyes turn to Massapequa’s winter sports teams to keep the momentum going, particularly the basketball teams and ice hockey team.
Boy’s Basketball
The boys’ basketball team entered the new winter season with an “exceptionally stronger team than we’ve had in years past,” according to senior Matthew Spinelli. Last year’s season ended with a loss against Elmont in the quarterfinals, but the Chiefs look to bounce back and make another run to the playoffs.
The Chiefs started off strong in their first two games of the season, winning easily against non-conference opponents Division and MacArthur. Senior Joe Perna scored a combined 30 points over the course of the two games, leading his team in scoring.
However, as the season progressed, the opponents grew tougher. Even with strong efforts by senior Brandon Merklin with 15 points against Plainview JFK, the Chiefs fell 59-53. The game against Floral Park also proved to be difficult for the Chiefs as they lost 50-34, starting the season with a record of 2-2.
“Even though we lost the game, I think it helped us and some of the younger guys got a glimpse of the kind of competition we are going to face this year,” Spinelli said. “We’re in one of the toughest conferences in the county and we learned today that even with an already talented team, we still need to work even harder if we want to win games.”
While conference play has not started yet, the Chiefs must step up their game in order to be competitive in a conference with powerhouses such as Syosset, Uniondale, and Hempstead.
Girl’s Basketball
Girls’ basketball looks to repeat another successful season this year. The Chiefs ended last year’s season at the county championships with a disappointing loss against the Baldwin Bruins.
However, according to senior Lauren Boix, they believe they can make another run to the playoffs during this year’s season.
“I think we have a very strong team, but we are not cocky,” Lauren said. “We know it will take hard work and dedication.”
The Chiefs have very few changes going into this season, only losing one former senior, Rachael Sieber, due to graduation, while gaining three new players, including junior Allison Stackpole, originally from Kellenberg Memorial High School, and seventh-grader Gabriella Heimbauer.
“Rachael Sieber was an unbelievable shooter,” Lauren added. “I believe that we have really great additions to the team.”
The Chiefs have started off strong, winning their first three games decisively, scoring above 50 points each game. Junior Melanie Hingher scored a total of 57 points over the course of the three games, while Heimbauer led the Chiefs in scoring against Great Neck South with nine points. The Chiefs look to continue this hard work and dedication throughout the rest of the season.
Ice Hockey
The ice hockey team is off to a slow start to its season, losing their first two games of the season: one against Manhasset 2-1 and a crushing defeat against Bellmore/Merrick 8-1.
The Chiefs finished last season with a record of 13-10-3. However, with the first two losses, it seemed difficult at first to believe that the Chiefs would at least break even in terms of wins, losses and ties by the end of the season.
The Chiefs remained positive after these two losses, according to senior Ryan Dashkoff.
“We’ve had a rough start. It’s been a wake up call for us as a team,” Ryan said. “But it’s brought us closer and you can expect big things to come.”
And Ryan may just have been right, as the Chiefs won against Cold Spring Harbor by a score of 4-3, reflecting a similar outcome in last year’s season, where the Chiefs started with a record of 1-2-1, but won three games straight after that. It seems as though the Chiefs needed to fix somes kinks before returning to the win column, and hopefully, they will stay there.