Long Beach wins hockey crown

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“We didn’t do all the right things in front of Marc in the second game against Massapequa,” Brand said. “He’s been solid in the net. He makes the saves he needs to make.

“Defensively, it was uncharacteristic of us,” he added. “We’ve played great in our own zone all season, but maybe we started celebrating in our minds a little too soon.”

Pittinsky allowed just one goal in Game 1 of the finals —Schwartz and Larry Niland scored in the win — and posted a shutout against Syosset in the semifinals. The Marines (17-1-1 overall) prevailed over the Braves, 2-0, with Michael Leonetti netting the eventual winning goal in the first period. McGovern, who spearheads the defense along with Hoarty and Chris Guido, added an empty net goal with 21 seconds left. “It was definitely nerve-racking, but I never felt like we weren’t in control,” Brand explained.

Long Beach Arena is hosting the state small schools tournament, which features five teams, beginning this Friday. Teams will face each other in a round-robin format that culminates on Saturday night. The championship game is Sunday at 5 p.m.    

 

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