By Dylan Butler
The St. Francis Prep hockey team had a magical season last year, finishing with an 18-1-1 mark as the Terriers captured the Catholic High School Hockey League’s ‘B’ division crown.
While they return a wealth of talent and replaced some valuable seniors with talented newcomers, head coach Billy Turner knows the team’s step up in competition is going to be tough.
“We won the B and we’re still in the B,” joked Turner, who had just 20 players in the program in its first season four years ago and has seen that number balloon to 32 this year. “But we’re the low man on the totem poll now. Everyone else is looking down on us and we have to climb our way up.”
Under a new league format, St. Francis Prep moves up to the new ‘B’ division with the league changing the old division format of AA-A-B to a simpler, A-B-C.
While the competition, which includes Queens foes Archbishop Molloy and Christ the King as well as St. Edmund, St. Joseph by the Sea and St. Peter’s, is stiffer, Turner says the key to success remains rooted in a stingy defense.
Seniors Steve Cameron and Kevin McMenamin should anchor the defensive unit, which also features junior Mark Foris and newcomers Charlie Foulds and Mike Carpanini, whose brother Nick is a forward on the team.
Jason Black is back between the pipes after the senior was named ‘B’ division Goalie of the Year and MVP of the playoffs last year.
Junior James Bertorelli was second on the team in scoring and leads a potent offensive unit that also returning senior winger Dan McCloskey, sophomore John Leistman and brothers Luke and Paul Desmond.
While the season begins this Friday, the Terriers opener is Nov. 30 against ‘A’ powerhouse Chaminade, a team Turner coached from 1992-97.
Molloy head coach Richie Rodgers warned his team last year not to lean on sniper John DiGregorio for scoring because the day will come when DiGregorio would not be around.
Someday has become today as the Stanners all-time leading scorer in the brief four-year history of the program graduated.
Led by senior captain Joey Evangelista, Rodgers believes Molloy, which finished 7-11-1 last year in its first season in the CHSHL’s second-best division, should have a more balanced scoring attack this year.
“This year the depth is a lot better than last year,” Rodgers said. “There’s not as much fall off down the lines. If we get a bit of scoring from each line, that should help us.”
Junior left wing Chris Pisarski, sophomore right wing Sean Kearney and sophomore left wing Paul LiVecchi should also see their share of scoring chances while senior goaltender Adrian Podpirka, who was named assistant captain along with junior defenseman Mike Sangiamo, is back after two straight solid seasons.
Molloy doesn’t play its first game until Dec. 15 when they take on Fordham Prep from the ‘A’ division.
Christ the King returns one of the top defensemen in the league in junior Jakub Kubrak, who also plays junior hockey on Long Island. Head coach Pat Boller knows there will be potential conflicts when Kubrak can’t play for the Royals and has prepared accordingly as he moved senior Greg Cutrone back from forward to defense.
Senior Bobby Glade leads a talented offensive unit and sophomore goaltender Jeremy Siracusa and first-year senior Rodrigo Vidal should split time in net.
“Our offense should be stronger than we had last year,” said Boller, whose team finished 5-11-3 last year and opens up against Chaminade Nov. 29. “And our goaltending will be better because Jeremy has experience and Rodrigo will push him for time.”
They won’t play their first game until Friday at the Ice Hutch in Mount Vernon against Holy Cross, but Monsignor McClancy head coach Mike Brenneis already knows the 2001-02 season will be much better than last year when the Crusaders finished 5-12 in what is now the ‘C’ division.
“We picked up a couple of new guys and we finally have a full bench,” he said. “It’s nice to have three solid lines. Hopefully some of those games, where we were close down the stretch last year and ran out of gas, we can hold on and pull out the victory.”
After fielding a team of just 10 skaters last year, McClancy has 14 skaters and two goaltenders, including a freshman who is expected to fill the void left by starter Manny Lorras when he graduates next year.
Also among the top returnees for the Crusaders are senior defensemen Chris Knipe and Joe Barker, junior forwards Anthony DiMarco and Kevin Moran, who Brenneis hopes can fill the scoring void left by last year’s leading scorer John Maschetti, as well as junior Jason Andjelovic, who should split his time between forward and defense.
Morale was at an all-time low for Holy Cross last year as the Knights trudged through a 4-13 season. But a nice mix of youth and experience has given a shot of adrenaline to Holy Cross, reminding head coach Mike Mitchell of the 1997-98 ‘A’ division championship team.
“I know what level they could play at and it’s up to them to do it,” he said. “We have youth and talent and we haven’t had that combination in a few years.”
The Knights have a pair of goaltenders in junior Dave Mandel and freshman Matt Cammarata. The defense should be anchored by senior Ryan McNena and junior Mark Goetzger while sophomore Pat McHugh, senior Joe Temperini, freshman Chris Ryan, senior Mike Vohs and junior Eric Mistretta should add the scoring touch.
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 143.
