Harvey Hockey Team Loses Double-Overtime Thriller

Written by Chris Del Campo

Harvey’s hockey season came to an abrupt end Thursday when the Cavaliers lost to league rival St. Luke’s 5-4 in double overtime in the semifinals of the FAA tournament. Harvey finished second in the league during the regular season, beating St. Luke’s twice, 7-6 and 7-3.

Harvey played an excellent first period, outshooting St. Luke’s 18-10. The Cavs created many scoring chances but only managed one goal, as senior captain Keith Lambert of Cortlandt Manor scored off a rebound with just two minutes remaining in the period.

Harvey extended its lead to 2-0 eight minutes into the second period on a penalty kill. As St. Luke’s attempted to leave their own zone, junior Tyler Levy of Chappaqua picked off a pass, found Lambert who lofted a pass to junior Theo Rattner of Waccabuc in front of the net all alone. Rattner neatly finished the play with a backhand after faking a forehand shot.

Harvey’s goal seemed to give St. Luke’s life as the Storm would go on to score the very next shift. “In playoff games such as this,” said Harvey coach Alex Morse, “the first shift after a goal is so important. Either you continue your momentum or give it back to the other team. We gave them life when we had control of the game.” St. Luke’s would go on to score the tying goal just three minutes later, and took the lead with just under three minutes remaining in the period.

Trailing entering the final period, Harvey attempted to mount a comeback. The Cavaliers continued to create shots on goal, yet most of them were from distance, out of the prime goal scoring areas. But Harvey senior Connor Wilson of LaGrangeville knotted the game at 3-3 when he finished a rebound with 10 minutes remaining. Then with just over four minutes remaining, Lambert gave the Cavaliers the lead as he rushed in on a breakaway and finished on a backhand.

The final four minutes saw Harvey control the ice with a neutral zone trap. With under a minute and the St. Luke’s goalie pulled, the Storm finally got a puck deep in the offensive zone. Harvey attempted to clear it, but the defenseman knocked the puck down off the boards and fired a shot on net. Senior goalie Mark Siegel of Mahopac made the original save but St. Luke’s stormed the net and scored on the rebound to tie the game with just 36 seconds to play. Siegel would make 46 saves during the extended game.

During overtime, both teams went up and down the ice with very few chances being created, forcing another period of overtime. With just two minutes remaining in the second overtime, a St. Luke’s forward collected a loose puck in the corner, stepped out and launched a wrist shot to the top shelf, ending the game and Harvey’s title hopes.

Coach Morse said “As the game wore on, I could see that our top line was getting tired. We tried to play one-on-one hockey rather than moving the puck. Part of the reason for that was that our top players had very little left in the tank.”

It was a memorable season for the Cavaliers, who finished 14-8. After starting 1-5, they finished the season, winning 13 of their last 16 games. Lambert finished with 109 points, shattering the school scoring record. The line of Lambert, Rattner and Wilson collected 239 total points, and was the most dominant line in the region.

“I’m sorry to see the seniors go out this way,” said Coach Morse, “but as I told them after the game, the season is always a journey. Our overall journey was one of success, as we leaped over many hurdles this year. Each player had an impact at some point. Although we did not achieve our ultimate goal, we grew as a team and program.”

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