Oliverio Leads Scarsdale Hockey into Playoffs

Matt Oliverio may be the only senior on Scarsdale's hockey team, but he has the impact of an entire class. Oliverio is currently third in Section 1 with 44 goals and 61 points.

He recorded his 100th varsity goal on Jan. 5, and followed that up with his 200th varsity point exactly one month later.

"He has brought leadership, maturity, and an ability to control the game at times," Raiders coach Jim Mancuso said. "He's provided enough offense in some games to win the game for us."

And now his young teammates are providing a lift as well.

Scarsdale has put together some positive results in the last two games, defeating North Rockland 5-3 on the road and then taking defending sectional champion Pelham to overtime on Wednesday.

The Raiders (6-11-2) have one game left in the regular season — senior night tonight against Fieldston — before starting the playoffs with a Division I first round game Sunday.

"Kids are starting to get more mature," Oliverio said. "The freshmen aren't really freshmen anymore. They've taken on bigger roles and really matured as hockey players, and they've really stepped up and helped us grow as a team."

Of the 17 players on the roster, 13 are underclassmen. The other three are juniors — co-captain Patrick Johnson, a three-year starter who anchors the defense; first-line center Eric Staropoli, who is second on the team with 20 points; and goalie Justin Halman, who has played the majority of the minutes in net.

"We're young, and we make some young mistakes, but we're working on it," Coach Mancuso said. "It took a little while at the beginning of the season for the kids to learn the system and mature, and now they're doing it. They're progressively getting better and better the longer they're with us, and it shows."

Scarsdale started 2-1 with wins against Sleepy Hollow/Irvington and Ossining, but won just one of its next eight games. Oliverio is hoping that the past week will help the Raiders gain momentum into the playoffs.

"I really think that we can pull an upset in the first round," Oliverio said. "Right now it looks like the teams we'll be matched up with are teams we can play with. We're definitely capable."

Oliverio was the only freshman on the team three years ago, and now he's once again the only representative of his class on the ice.

"It's not an ideal situation, but being captain, it's an honor to be looked up to as a model by all these other players and lead them throughout the season," Oliverio said.

"Varsity hockey has been some of the best times of my life. I'm going to miss it a lot."