Long Beach claims hockey title

Long Beach High School brought home a Nassau County ice hockey title last week by heating up at the right time. 

The Marines rebounded moments after Bethpage evened the best-of-three county finals with a 2-0 victory in a decisive 10-minute mini game at Long Beach Arena. Senior forward Sean Niland put Long Beach up early and later added an insurance goal to send the Marines to the New York State championships. 

“We were a completely different team,” said Long Beach head coach Joe Brand, whose team had fallen 6-2 to Bethpage in game two of the series just minutes before. “We were focused.” 

Long Beach (16-1) set the stage for Thursday’s dramatics two days earlier when freshman Jack Gannon scored the game-winner in a 5-4 double overtime win in game one of the series at Bethpage. The Marines, who defeated Syosset 6-2 in the semifinals, boasted plenty of depth, which Brand said proved crucial in the deciding 10 minutes of play following a four-goal loss in game two. 

“We committed ourselves to being the deepest team in the county,” Brand said. “We took advantage of that.” 

Brand credits senior tri-captains Tristan Quinn, Derek Bannon and Niland with steering the ship on the right course throughout the season and especially when the team’s backs were against the wall heading into the decisive mini game. The three forwards were leaders on and off the ice in guiding the Marines to 13 straight regular season wins and a first place finish in the Michelino West division. 

“They weren’t going to let their last game at home end any other way,” said Brand of his senior trio. “They came out on a mission.” 

Long Beach’s defense also responded to the challenge when the season was on the line. After struggling in game two surrendering six goals, the Marines did not surrender a single shot in the final crucial 10-minute stretch. 

The Marines will look to keep the momentum going when it travels 400 miles west to compete in the New York State Championships from March 2 to 4 in Jamestown, N.Y. Long Beach, which is seeking its first state crown since 2012 and fourth in program history, begins the weekend tournament on a Friday and if Brand hopes the journey concludes on Sunday vying for gold. 

“We’re as talented as anyone we’ll play that weekend,” he said. “If we play our game we’ll be in the mix on Sunday in the medal round and then anything can happen.”