Mamaroneck had a lot riding on its March 4 regional game against Monroe-Woodbury; a return trip to the state semifinals was up in the air, and with it the Tigers’ hopes of repeating as state champs. The only thing standing in their way was a Crusaders team who most fans didn’t believe stood much of a chance against the top-ranked Division I team in the state.
Mamaroneck coach Mike Chiapparelli knew that as long as his team didn’t overlook the Section IX skaters. It was apparent from the opening faceoff, however, that overconfidence would not be a problem for the Tigers as they put together a dominant performance to top the Crusaders 6-0 and book their return trip to Buffalo this weekend.
“I thought during the week that we weren’t taking this seriously,” the Tiger coach said. “But we had to rip them a few times, and I think we got it; and we came out fast.”
Mamaroneck peppered Monroe goalie Dan Dorney from the outset, tallying 50 shots on goal. Although Dorney was solid, the sheer volume of offensive output simply proved too much for the Crusaders. The Tigers had a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission and exploded for three more goals in the second period. Both Harrison Schreiber and Henry Alimanestianu had two goals for Mamaroneck, while James Torre and Michael Carducci rounded out the Tiger scoring.
“[Dorney] was good; he is a very big, lanky kid, and he made 44 saves,” Chiapparelli said. “But we were getting chances early, I knew their second line wasn’t as strong and we were just able to wear them down.”
Tiger netminder Tommy Spero made 11 saves to earn his 20th career shutout, setting a New York state record with the win.
“You have a feeling any time he’s in net that you have a chance to win the game,” Chiapparelli said of Spero. “We always have the best goalie, no matter who we play.”
Mamaroneck will head to Buffalo to play the state semifinal round on March 11 against Section IV champ Williamsville North, which enters into the game as the No. 3 ranked team in the state. As they look to defend their title, the Tigers are hoping that both their veterans, who went through the state tournament last year, and the newcomers, who are getting their first taste of state competition, will all be on the same page this weekend.
“I think early in the year we were relying on the seniors, but there’s no difference between the first- and second-year players now,” Chiapparelli said. “You don’t see that separation anymore; we are just playing like a team.”
