Wolverines During Holiday Season

The Great Neck Wolverines High School Hockey team has reached the midway point of their schedule, playing 10 of 21 games. The Wolverines have been hugely successful by many measures. Their commitment to each other has grown week by week. The response from the community has been terrific, as measured by financial support in the form of donations as well as the many well wishers the team comes across.  The kids are having a great time and not letting any distractions get in their way. They have a common goal. They keep their eyes on the prize!  The team is not deterred by adversity. The opponents don’t intimidate them, the referees don’t intimidate them. Home games, road games, the players stay focused. Their positive attitude has shown up in their hockey record.  At 6-1-2, they are in first place in the Long Island High School Hockey Leage of Nassau County, JV division. (The Wolverines played a game this past Monday, Dec. 6, go to www.Facebook.com, Great Neck Wolverines for game results)

GN Boys Win Flag Football Championship

The Great Neck Boys completed their undefeated flag football season going 15-0. They had a thrilling game with a come-from-behind 30-26 victory this weekend to win the DAC Flag football championship.  They beat a tough team based in Bayside, NY coached by Keith Schisler, a flag football pioneer and long-time coach with multiple titles.

Wolverines Thanksgiving Feast

The Great Neck Wolverines high school ice hockey team got Thanksgiving week kicked off in a festive way. Still feeling the disappointment of their first loss of the season, the Wolverines were out to prove that they wanted no part of a losing streak. The Wolverines packed their hockey bags and headed off to the Long Beach Rink on Sunday night, Nov. 21 to play Bellmore Merrick. The Wolverines came out strong, and took a quick 1-0 lead in the first two minutes of the game. They were just getting started, scoring six goals in the first period against a young Bellmore/Merrick team.  Early in the second period the lead grow to 8-0.  The Wolverines controlled the flow of the game throughout, and upped their record to 6-1-1.

Rangers Event and Bruins Update at Parkwood Sports Complex

The Great Neck Park District, in conjunction with the New York Rangers, welcomed hockey “Hall of Famer” and legend Eddie Giacomin to the Parkwood Sports Complex on Saturday, Nov. 13. Eddie’s smile remained on his face throughout the event as he signed an endless number of autographs and posed for photos with fans of all ages. The event was the first of several planned this season, as the Park District has become official 2010-11 Community Rink Partners with the New York Rangers.

Wolverines Defeated for the First Time

The Great Neck Wolverines lost for the first time this season on Monday night Nov. 15 by a final score of 4-2. The 1972 Dolphins can pop the champagne. A strong team from Massapequa claimed the victory.  Ironically, it was a rematch of the Wolverines first ever game, and first victory. The game started a little slow with Great Neck taking a 1-0 lead midway through the first period. The Wolverines had their chances to put some more goals up. They had quite a few power play opportunities early in the game, but the Massapequa goalie came up big.

The GN Bruins Midget Minor Team

The Great Neck Bruins Midget Minor team is the oldest group of players involved with our program. They are comprised solely of 15-and-16-year olds. This age tends to be difficult with the players juggling not only hockey commitments, but scholastic and social as well. The Midgets play their home games at Parkwood most Saturday afternoons. The Midget Minors are led by Devin Gambino and Rob Mellone in the nets. The blueline is patrolled by Nick Badaracco, Sean Dolan, Tim Hammel, Brad Rutkin, Chris Shanahan, and Cory Zelniker. The offense is solid with Matt Bernot, Robert Campbell, Adam Cieslewicz, Max Latin, Ryan Martino, Anthony Modica, Spencer Schneider, Jonathan Shapiro, Ben Todaro, and Luke Viscusi. This unit has been plagued by injuries the entire season. After the Thanksgiving break, the Midgets return to home ice Saturday, Dec. 4 at 10:45 a.m. to battle Brewster Black. The following Friday, the Bruins tackle the Ice Cats at Iceworks. They return to Parkwood on Saturday, Dec. 11 and face-off against the Rye Rangers for a 12:30 p.m. tilt.  

Scores for Bruines: Squirts lost to the Rebels 11-2 and lost to the Sky Liners 4-3; Peewees beat the sky liners 14-0; Bantams beat the Titans 8-2 and lost to Brewster 6-3; and Midget Minors lost to Brewster Black 4-2 and lost to Brewster White 7-4.

Wolverines Move To 5-0-1

In their most complete game of the season, the Great Neck Wolverines methodically beat Locust Valley by a score of 8-3 on Monday night, Nov. 8 at Parkwood to remain the only unbeaten team in the junior varsity division of the High School Hockey League of Long Island.  The Wolverines had strong contributions in all three phases of the game, offensive, defensive and goaltending.

During the first period, the teams were feeling each other out, looking for opportunities. The only scoring came late in the first period as the Wolverines took a 1-0 lead. Going in to the second period, the energy coming from the crowd at Parkwood spurred on the Wolverines, and they exploded for five more goals to take a 6-0 lead. A late goal scored by Locust Valley cut the Wolverine lead to 6-1 going in to the third period.

Wolverines Enjoy A Week Off

The Great Neck Wolverines returned to action this past Monday night at Parkwood vs. a tough team from Locust Valley (go to Facebook, Great Neck Wolverines for game results). The first place Wolverines enjoyed some rest as they had Halloween weekend off. The next game will be on Monday night, Nov. 15 at Parkwood against Massapequa.

Great Neck Bruins Bantams

Our very own Great Neck Bruins Bantam team is the hottest team on Long Island, right now. They are currently undefeated in LIAHL games. Each competition has been lopsided as they have handled opposing teams with ease. The team is a great mix of players led by goalies, Emily Becker and Nick Salerno. The rearguards are Billy Chakalis, Liam Fitgerald, Paul Majewski, George Pappous and Freddie Ondris. Steve Cacchioli, Jordan Domnitch, Jarrett Greben, Lucass Kranacher, Ian Lam, Dagoberto Rodriguez, Justyn Tesoriero, Andrew Voight and Jordan Zelniker comprise the forward unit that has led the team to early-season dominance.

Great Neck Bruins: Peewees

The 11-to-12-year-old Peewees are off to a red hot start! Five games in, since the start of the season, the team remains undefeated. Their record stands at a dignified 4-0-1. This age group is an especially difficult one to teach because the coaches have the daunting task of introducing the checking aspect into the curriculum. The Peewees upcoming home game will take place at the Andrew Stergiopoulos Ice Rink on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 9 a.m. when they challenge Bronxville. On Sunday, Nov. 7 the team travels to Rinx in Hauppauge where they will battle the Silver Knights. Saturday, Nov.13, the Peewees have an early morning home game at 8:25 a.m. against the Skyliners, who are based out of City Ice in Long Island City.