Tough Weekend for Harvey School Hockey Team

The following tournament wrap up is from The Harvey School:

Harvey’s varsity hockey team held its own against bigger Division 1 schools over the holiday weekend in the Coach Matthews Thanksgiving Invitational Tournament at Ebersole Rink in White Plains. After two back-to-back heartbreaking losses Friday morning and Saturday night, the Cavaliers returned to White Plains Sunday for their third and final game against Clarkstown. With a 3-2 loss Friday to Mahopac High School and a 2-1 defeat Saturday to Monroe-Woodbury High School, Harvey’s shorter roster could not keep pace with a combined team from Clarkstown North and South team and lost 11-1 in the Sunday finale.

It was clear from the beginning of Sunday’s contest that Harvey would be in trouble as the Cavaliers were outshot 23-7 in the first period. Despite the onslaught of shots on goal, senior goalie Mark Siegel was brilliant in front of the net, keeping the Cavs in the game. The Cavaliers found themselves down only by 3-1. Senior Keith Lambert scored his fourth goal of the tournament for Harvey. Clarkstown would add three power play goals in the second and third periods en route to the victory. Siegel and Peter Lombardo combined for 47 saves.

Sizing up the play of his team in the tournament, Harvey coach Alex Morse praised the Cavaliers as “a team that never quit hustling.” The coach believes the third game loss was just a matter of exhaustion. “As a two line team, there was very little left in the tank for the last game,” said Coach Morse.

The Saturday night game against Monroe Woodbury was a hard fought battle throughout the contest with both teams locked in a scoreless game until the end of the second period when Monroe-Woodbury scored with four minutes to go. The Crusaders would gain quality chances on Cavalier turnovers in their own end, but once again Siegel would deny them goals allowing his team to remain in the game. Monroe-Woodbury would add a power play tally in the third period to take a 2-0 lead. With senior Marc Catanese and junior Tyler Levy working hard to clear the front of the net, Levy would set up Lambert with under a minute to play to cut the lead to 2-1, but that’s how it ended. Seigel finished the game with 40 saves as the Cavs were outshot 42-25.

In the tournament opener against Mahopac, Lambert gave the Cavaliers the lead when he intercepted a pass in the slot and rifled a shot past the Mahopac goalie. The Indians would tie the game by the end of the first period and took control of the game, and the lead. Lambert would score his second goal of the game on a power play from a nice feed by junior Theo Rattner to knot the game at two. Mahopac would add a power play goal of its own before the end of the second to recapture a 3-2 lead.

The Cavaliers came out for the third period inspired and began to gain control of their game. Led by seniors Connor Wilson and Joe Sorrentino and freshman Alex McLean, Harvey blasted 13 shots at the Mahopac goaltender, but the Cavaliers were unable to find the back of the net. Seigel had 24 saves for the Cavs.

Harvey resumes its regular season with a game Wednesday against the King School in Stamford, Connecticut.

Photos: Senior goalie Mark Siegel makes a save; senior Keith Lambert takes a face off. Photo credit: Craig Siegel