Long Beach, St. Anthonys set up for heated hockey championship finale
The ice is finally melting for these seniors.Long Island’s high school hockey championship between the Friars of St.Anthony’s and Marines of Long Beach promises to be a spirited finale Saturday at 4 p.m.
at the Northwell Health Ice Center, but it’s also a touching farewell for many outstanding teens who poured their hearts and souls into both programs ahead of what will be their final match.“It’s really sad.I’ve seen a lot of people come and go on this team,” Long Beach senior captain and center Michael Calvi told The Post.Calvi took the “C” on his sweater to heart and kept his Marine corps shipshape.
The team ushered in a wild wave of success with a 13-game win streak, which they rode straight into the Nassau finals.“It really got us together as a team, and helped us grow,” senior center Joseph Feerick said of the lengthy heater Long Beach hasn’t had for many years.The exclamation point was beating rival Bellmore-Merrick 5-4 in dramatic double-overtime fashion to clinch the county title thanks to the heroics of forward Liam Young.“It took a while to know it went in; the ref was just standing there for about 10 seconds,” said backup goalie Sophie Marino, a dual winter sport gymnast who went out for hockey as a senior.“No one thought it went in — and then we got the ref’s hand signal and everybody jumped off the bench,” she added.Marino gives her sole season a 10 out of 10, adding, “I don’t even have the words to explain” the magic of playing for the Marines.Calvi has also deeply reflected on how special it’s been, particularly in becoming a leader and hoping he did right by teammates past and present.One especially comes to mind, former player Gerrin Hagen, a Long Beach hockey force who was killed by a car at 18 while skateboarding in 2023.“He was a great kid, great captain.He showed us what we need to do on and off the ice.
He was a great guy,” said Calvi, who was a freshman when Hagen played.It’s a Long Beach tr...