By STEVE SINISKI
"He's a player on the team making the most of his opportunity," Rams coach Fred Graham said. "And he's trying to be a team leader."
When Palmer sets up behind the cage to run the offense, he'll also have lefty Mike Gerrato (four scores) in his sights. Despite a sluggish start in the win over Valley Stream Central, the offense picked up the pace in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Falcons 5-0 over the final eight minutes. "We struggled in the first half," Graham said. "We woke up a little [in the fourth quarter] and started to put the ball in the net. We had a lot of shots early but were just shooting, not aiming."
One of the keys for Clarke, hopeful of continuing to build on three straight postseason appearances, is the play of a midfield that is both deep and potent. Mark Sniffen, Jon Gagliano and Kevin DeNunzio have worked their way onto the No. 1 line, while Pat Pascale, Chris Zadigan and Jordan Spirou form another effective trio. Joe Gaynor also returns to the midfield for the Rams.
"On transition and the move from defense to offense we're going to score if we can," Graham said, also noting that controlled play is part of the game plan. "We're going to try not to force the ball. We have better than average speed on the whole team [and] at the middies."
Part of the early scoring outbursts can be traced all the way back to goaltender Mike Nuzzi, a returning All-Conference performer, whose outlet passes to the short stick middies kick-start the transition game. "He's been doing a good job in net and making saves," Graham said of Nuzzi's 35 stops in four games.
The early season successes are important for the Rams, who opened play in Conference III against two of the best, Manhasset and Wantagh early last week. Even Cold Spring Harbor looms on the slate during the campaign. "If we can get through that without losing confidence [it will be a big step forward]," Graham said, noting the impact a strong showing could have on the rest of the year.
Clarke's four-game homestand in Conference play, which began April 5 against Wantagh, continues this Saturday at 10 a.m. with North Shore coming to town. A matchup with Island Trees on April 11 at 4:15 p.m. follows before the holiday break.
