Bear Mountain 16U Bears repeat as league champions
BEAR MOUNTAIN The Bear Mountain Bears 16U hockey team, made up of high school players from Orange, Rockland and Westchester counties, successfully defended their Hudson Valley Hockey League title late last month at the Westchester Skating Academy in Elmsford.
Their opponent was a familiar one: The Westchester Mariners; the teams met twice during the regular season, with both contests ending in a tie.
Fans from both sides were treated to another outstanding game that ended regulation as a tie. Bears forward Erik Tremblay scored on a big rebound during regulation.
The Mariners took a costly penalty late in the third period, giving the Bears a power play that carried over into the sudden death overtime session.
Bears forward John Dunn ended the game at 1:50 of overtime with only three seconds left in the power play. This set off a huge celebration on the ice as the Bears were once again champs.
The Bears controlled the entire games tempo and flow. Only the efforts of the Mariners goaltender kept the game close as the Bears fired more than 50 shots on goal, keeping the play in the Mariners end.
Offensive players – Dan DeMarco, John Dunn, Kyle Eng, Brandon Fienco, Zack Grahn, John Hill, Brian Kilduff, Mark McElroy, Andrew Rafferty, Austin Steinbach, Jack Tofallos and Eric Tremblay - were relentless in their efforts.
On defense, the Bears were hindered by an injury to Owen Basher, but the other four defensemen – Case Coughlin, John Donovan, Richie Krafft and Brian McGovern - took shorter shifts and kept fierce pressure on throughout the game.
Bears goalkeepers Anthony DePinto and Brandon Vazquez split the duties for the game in solid fashion.
The Bears, who are coached by Pete Rafferty, Dan Kilduff and Mark McElroy, would later finish third in their age group at the New York State Championships in Alexandria Bay in March.