In what felt like a blink of an eye, the Middle Village Roller Hockey League has ended its summer league by crowning its first summer champions this month: the Jets.
Jets Coaches Gary Posylkin and Glen Santos guided their team to victory in the season’s championship, defeating the Cardinals in a nail-biting 1-0 game.
Ultimately, the Jets hoisted the Queens Moloney Cup, named in honor of the previous Middle Village Hockey League founder, to declare a well-deserved victory.
MVP Hockey League President Paul Pogozelski declared this season’s championship game “a magnificent snapshot of the league’s most competitive season to date.”
Eleven of the 15 games played in the Summer session were decided by one goal, including four games that required overtime to decide victors, the league’s President highlighted.
Among the Jets standout players were Team Captain Mason Monahan and the the league’s top goalie, Juan Jose Munoz. Mason saw support from his linemates, Michal Sebestyan, Aidan Cavanaugh, Joaquin Lozano and Daniel Krawiec, throughout the season.
The Jets also sported a solid second line, featuring Arthur Tu, Julian Izydorczyk, Alexander Posylkin, Henry Rock, Marcel Zolech and Thomas Warkenthien, along with the dynamic duo of Henrik and Ryan Santos.
Honorable mentions for the team are MVP players Conor McPhillips, Johnny Macchio and Nazariy Hirnyak, who all filled during the summer season.
Although the Cardinals did not secure the victory this season, they did display a range of skills that could lead to future success.
Coaches Bill Browne, Dan Porr and Mathew Restrepo led the Cardinals all season, developing their players’ skills on the rink.
The Cardinals also had the league’s top scorer AJ Landa, goalie Joseph Scotti and a well-balanced roster of high-character players on their side.
The Cardinals showed tremendous grit in their first playoff win against the Dolphins, where the team erased 4-2 and 5-3 deficits to ultimately secure a 7-5 victory.
After the championship game, in a showing of camaraderie and sportsmanship, the Cardinals and Jets coaching staff surprised their teams by throwing a joint banquet provided by the league’s newest sponsor, Carlo’s Pizza of Middle Village.
League President Paul Pogozelski said the players and coaches this season illustrated tremendous sportsmanship and respect for their opponents — capping off this competitive season with a tremendous 1-0 championship game.
The Middle Village Players Roller Hockey League plans to welcome the Uniformed Firefighters Association to celebrate the life and significance of Firefighter James Bohan and officially unveil their donated scoreboard on Saturday, Sep. 7, at 11 a.m.
After the festivities, the MVP Roller Hockey League will have two games to kick off the season, with the defending champion Thunder Trucks facing off against a newcomer, the Stingers, at 1 p.m. The Hitmen and High Flyers will then face off at 3 p.m.
The Hockey League will also be volunteering their efforts on Sunday, Sep. 15, with Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr. and Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi to provide another street cleaning on Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village.
For more details or to register to volunteer for the clean-up event, call Assemblyman Hevesi’s Office at (718)-263-5595.
For more information on the league, and to see upcoming events, go to their website mvproller.com, Instagram (mvprollerhockey) and Facebook (Middle Village Roller Hockey) pages.
Additional information and reporting provided by MVP Roller Hockey League President Paul Pogozelski.
