Friday, February 7, 2025
Young hockey players from East Meadow, Levittown and Hicksville are back on the ice for another season of action as part of the Ice Falcons Hockey Club, which unites players across school district lines.
The Ice Falcons are a nonprofit, parent-funded hockey group for middle and high school students, usually hosting games at Cantiague Park in Hicksville, the Long Beach Ice Arena, or the Freeport Recreation Center. Currently, the club hosts 20 players from East Meadow, 30 from Levittown, and five from Hicksville. While the program is designed for students, it is not affiliated with a specific school.
The team qualified for playoffs for the first time since 2018 with an 11-1 victory against Cold Spring Harbor on Jan. 13.
Hockey provides young players an outlet to make friends and learn life lessons about perseverance and teamwork.
Falcons’ General Manager Tom Columbia of East Meadow oversees the league’s operations, organizes team events, coordinates with parents and maintains the club’s online presence.
Columbia has been a hockey fan since childhood.
“I’ve been playing hockey since I was 12 years old — I grew up in the Stanley Cup years in the ‘80s,” he said. “The game has given me a lot of good times, and that motivates me to give back.”
Columbia joined the Ice Falcons in 2019 and has been a referee for over 30 years. His son grew up as a member of the Ice Falcons — and now, he sees other former players returning as the next generation of coaches.
“It’s kind of generational,” he said. “A lot of some of the coaches in the program were players in the program. We all kind of feel the same way with giving back to the game of hockey, something that we’ve enjoyed — that’s why we do it.”
Coaching young players is about supporting their personal growth as much as it is playing the sport, Columbia said. The sport teaches students the importance of timing and teamwork.
“The kids have been great,” he said. “When you’re coaching the kids and you see them growing in the sport, maturing as a person and maturing as a player, it brings you a lot of joy.”
Tom Carroll, veteran coach for the Ice Falcons, has been a guiding force for the club for 25 years. He coached locally for Stony Brook University, New York Apple Core Youth Hockey in Long Beach and the Nassau Lions Youth Hockey Association.
“The best thing about it is a whole bunch of players can play ice hockey that probably wouldn’t have got a chance to play,” Carroll said.
The Ice Falcons Club fills an important niche in Nassau County’s athletic community. Most hockey programs are travel leagues — most games are away from home. This program allows young people to consistently play the game in their own neighborhood, making the sport more accessible.
“When you play on the travel team, you might have kids from all over Nassau or Suffolk County, or big kids from New York City, and then when the team is done, they all go in their separate directions,” Carroll said. “It’s hard for students and parents to come watch travel teams because they play out of state a lot.
“High school hockey kind of takes a back seat to travel hockey, which is unfortunate, because kids like to play with their school friends.”
With the Ice Falcons, players can enjoy the sport while involving their friends and families. All three of Carroll’s sons played local hockey when they attended W.T. Clarke High School in the East Meadow School District.
Participation in high school sports can help students get into colleges they want or pursue a career in athletics, Carroll said.
Ice Falcons assistant coach Ron Beale helps train the varsity, junior varsity, and middle school teams. He and Carroll have known each other for almost 50 years, playing and coaching hockey as teammates and as opponents.
“Growing up, I had a handful of really good, committed coaches,” Beale said. “I enjoy trying to teach the kids and pass the game along. We’ve been together a really long time, these specific coaches, and we’re trying to bring the next generation of coaches in.”
Beale describes the sport as a life-changing opportunity.
“Hockey is the kind of thing that if you’re into it, you can be involved with it for the rest of your life, as long as you’re healthy, and when you’re not healthy, then you can coach,” he joked.
Ice Falcons players, regardless of their division, will be able to take their experiences on the rink with them for the rest of their lives.
“Hockey is a great game because it gives you sports lessons and also gives you life lessons,” Beale said. “So, for the kids that may not continue with hockey, hopefully they take some of the information we’ve given them.
“It’s all about giving back to the game.”
To learn more about the Ice Falcons and local hockey programs, visit IceFalcons.com.
