Apple Core Junior Hockey Skating Toward Another Title

The Long Beach-based Apple Core Junior Hockey Team is a rowdy, exuberant bunch with nothing but championship on their collective mind.

And why not? 

In a sport dominated by teams from the North Country, they're 22-1 and ranked as the best junior hockey team in the country.

The team is composed of 15- to 20-year-olds, including two from Merrick–Pat Condon and Michael Mascaro–who aspire to be college hockey players. 

With tri-state area high schools offering few options in the way of organized hockey, Apple Core attracts the cream of the crop. And this current group has a lot to live up to: Apple Core Junior Hockey has won three national championships, in 1996, 2002 and 2010.

"This group is special because they are a team in the truest sense of the word," said Oceanside's Jon Sandos, who was an Apple Core player before be became head coach. "The camaraderie that is displayed on a daily basis both on and off the ice is second to none."

Sandos is responsible for pulling this group of exceptional young athletes together from throughout the tri-state area and leading them as they travel as far as Vermont, Buffalo and Virginia.

Condon, a defenseman on the team, boils Apple Core's success down to two essentials: dedication and chemistry.

"We're a hard working team," said Condon, who leads the team in assists. "All around, everybody's good friends and we just work well together."

Those words are a coach's dream, and Sandos echoed the sentiments.

"The players stick up for each other and really play for each other," he said. "Five players on the current team were on the team last year that won the national championship. They know what it takes to win over the course of a long season and the rest of the team has quickly bought into that work ethic."

Apple Core is a strong, fast skating team that plays a strong puck control style, creating open space and scoring chances with efficiency and precision. They get a healthy dose of both on the offensive end from Mascaro, an 18-year-old Merokean, who leads the team in goals (17) and points (32).

Like his teammates and coach, Mascaro also acknowledges the leadership of last year's returning championship team as the driving force behind the quest for another banner.

"We're returning kids from last year that won nationals," Mascaro said. "We have a bunch of good kids together; hopefully we win another one."