Monday, April 21, 2025
Hockey is one of the most popular sports in Long Beach, with the high school team, the Marines, constantly drawing large crowds for games.
But this season has been extra special, as the varsity ice hockey team is headed for the Chipotle-USA Hockey High School National Championship — something the squad has not accomplished in more than 15 years.
The Marines will be playing for national hockey supremacy in Irvine, California, March 26 to 30. They will face off against squads from California, Ohio and Colorado.
“A lot of things that the team has achieved have been through their effort,” the team’s head coach, Rob Carson, said. “When they work hard and they work together, that’s when the team’s successful.”
In the county semifinals last season, Long Beach lost to Bethpage High School, which went on to win the county and state championships. This season, Long Beach has experienced some ups and downs, ending up with a 10-5-1 regular season record — good enough to finish third in Nassau County. The Marines went on a little run in the county tournament, before ultimately losing to Bellmore-Merrick in the finals on Feb. 13.
The state tournament comprises two brackets, each with four teams, as well as“pool play, where teams play one another, with the top two teams in each bracket advancing to the semifinals. Long Beach defeated Smithtown-Hauppauge in the first round, and went on to finish 3-0 in pool play, taking the top seed into the semifinals. The Marines then beat St. Anthony’s, setting up a rematch against Smithtown in the finals on March 2.
Smithtown ended up winning the game, but getting to the state finals was enough for Long Beach to punch its ticket to the nationals.
“From Day One with this group, I just saw, honestly, something special with them,” Carson said. “Sometimes you get to your first couple practices, and it takes a little while for the kids to buy into what you want to do. I just felt these kids bought in very early in the season. We’re looking forward to an opportunity to see what we could do on the national level.”
Long Beach is a very tight-knit group, with a bulk of the seniors also playing on the same travel team, the Long Beach Lightning. Before every game and after every timeout, the team recites a chant — something along the lines of “One, two, three, Marines!” or “One, two, three, Long Beach!”
“This year was a little bit different,” Carson said. “They count to three, and then they say ‘beach,’ and then they go ‘four, five, six,’ and then they say Gerrin’s nickname, Gary. They definitely do carry Gerrin with them.”
Gerrin Hagen, 18, a lifelong hockey and lacrosse player in Long Beach, was riding his skateboard along Cantiague Lane in Hicksville on Jan. 12, 2023, after finishing his classes at Nassau BOCES’ Joseph M. Barry Career & Technical Education Center. That’s when a Honda SUV, allegedly driven by a 19-year-old, struck him, officials said. Hagen was rushed to a hospital, where he was initially listed in critical condition, but he died the next day.
The team and the community remember Hagen every day, wearing sweatshirts and clothing sporting his number 2. They observe a memorial hockey day for him each April. Banding together to honor a teammate has made the Marines even closer, pushing them toward the nationals.
One of the key members of the team is Patrick Reilly, the starting goalie. Reilly, 18, a senior, was the backup goalie last year, but took over as the top guy this season. He has helped spark the team while wearing number 28, in honor of Marc-André Fleury, his favorite NHL goalie growing up.
“Coming into the year, (Coach Carson) sat us down at practice one day and said that everyone around the league was playing us down, saying we weren’t going to be anything after our second round exit last year in the semifinal,” Reilly said. “So, I wanted to come in after not playing many games last year and really make a statement and show everybody that we’re a team that’s not meant to be messed with, and that we mean business.”
Through it all, the community has stood by the Marines, offering nonstop support and cheers. Through a GoFundMe page, community members had donated more than $20,000, as of press time, to help the team pay for its trip to the nationals.
“The community has always been behind us,” Reilly said. “For the years that I can remember growing up going to games, there’s always been crowds. There’s always been support, especially since after our captain, Gerrin’s, passing a few years ago. The town has really gotten into the hockey culture around our school, so having everybody back us, it means the world to us.”
Reworld, an industrial waste management services company, caught wind of the team’s accomplishment and its search for financial support. Company representatives met with the team at the high school on Tuesday to present them with a check for $13,600 to cover the remaining costs for the trip.
“This is not just about a donation,” Dawn Harmon, the Long Island director for Reworld, said. “It’s the dedication of you — the players — the leadership of the coaches and the support from the families and fans that have been with you guys every step of the way, and that’s what makes today really special.”
