The Middle Village Roller Hockey League is nearing the end of an exciting season, with a championship series that promises an intense showdown between the top two teams, the Tigers and the Hitmen. In Game One of their best-of-three championship series on Sunday, Nov. 3, the Tigers clinched a narrow 6-5 victory, setting the stage for a dramatic season finale.
Tigers forward Freddy Faulkner delivered a standout performance, netting four goals to lead his team to victory. Goalie Juan Jose Munoz also proved pivotal, making 24 saves. Munoz, who originally played for the High Flyers, stepped in as the Tigers’ goalkeeper after their regular netminder was sidelined with an injury.
Game Two is set for Saturday, Nov. 9, where the Hitmen will need a win to keep their championship hopes alive and force a decisive Game Three on Sunday, Nov. 10. Each game features a standard 40-minute playtime, though they often extend up to 70 or 80 minutes due to stoppages.
The Hitmen entered the playoffs as the top seed, with the Tigers close behind as the second seed. The playoff action began on Oct. 27, with fifth-seeded Stingers facing fourth-seeded High Flyers in a tightly contested matchup that saw the Stingers prevail 5-4, thanks to a hat-trick by Nazariy Hirnyak and 23 saves by goalie Artur Prosinksi. However, the Stingers’ journey ended the following weekend in a 3-1 loss to the Hitmen, where Mason Monahan scored twice and Alex Sliwa recorded 22 saves in goal.
The Tigers earned their spot in the championship series after defeating the Thunder 4-2 on Nov. 2, with Faulkner once again leading the offense with a hat-trick and Munoz stopping 25 shots.
As the series shifts to the James Bohan Rink this Saturday, fans are eagerly awaiting the Tigers’ chance to claim the Queens Moloney Cup, named in honor of Eileen Moloney, who managed the league in the late 1990s and early 2000s. This season has seen fierce competition, with both the Tigers and Hitmen finishing the regular season with identical 7-3 records. In fact, only three of the league’s 24 games this season were decided by more than two goals.
The action won’t end with the championship, as Middle Village Roller Hockey has organized two interleague games against Lynbrook Roller Hockey. The first match will take place in Lynbrook on Monday, Nov. 4, with a return game set for Middle Village on either Nov. 16 or 17. A Mites All-Star game will also take place at 11 a.m. on the same date.
Paul Pogozelski, the league’s organizer, shared his enthusiasm for expanding the sport and building connections with other leagues. “I’ve been working hard to bridge gaps between other leagues,” Pogozelski said. “I believe in the sport. It’s a niche sport, and I see the benefits of it. It’s a lot of hard work for parents to keep the kids’ gear in good shape because if anything’s not working well, then they could get hurt. It’s a great sport for bonding with your kids.”
With the championship title on the line and future interleague games on the horizon, the Middle Village Roller Hockey season is set to end on a high note.
