NY Apple Core Wins EJHL Championship

Thanks to two second period goals by Mike Mascaro, the Long Beach-based NY Apple Core team erased an early deficit and repeated as Eastern Junior Hockey League 'B' champions, defeating the Boston Junior Bruins, 4-1, on Sunday afternoon in Wayne, New Jersey.

Mascaro finished with a team-high 11 points (7 g, 4 a) in the six playoff contests, including an assist on Mike Davie's overtime game-winner in a semifinal game with the Bruins a day earlier.

"Mascaro was our leading offensive force in the playoffs," said assistant coach Jon Sandos. "He has stepped up his effort from regular season play to playoff level which all top hockey players do. He has carried the offensive load in the playoffs for us."

The Junior Bruins avenged a 4-3 overtime loss on Saturday by jumping out to a quick 1-0 advantage on a power play goal by Mac Cook, who forced overtime a day earlier with a late third-period goal.

However, Brett Jacobson's goal tied the game at one 9:49 into the second period, and Mascaro's pair minutes later sealed the Bruins' fate.

Playing their third game in 18 hours, the Bruins hit a wall late and could hardly muster any offense in the third period against Apple Core's suffocating defensive play. They managed only six shots, though none would get by goaltender Brian Walters.

Apple Core finished EJHL play with an astounding 59-1-2-1 mark. Their 121 points set a record for most points in league history. That mark helped them earn the top overall seed at the USA Hockey National Championships, which will be held in Marlboro, Massachusetts from March 24-29.

Apple Core is no stranger to success on the national stage. Last year, the team edged out the Atlanta Knights, 4-3, in the finals to earn their first USA Hockey 'B' National Championship.