Before the season, former Yorktown ice hockey player Dan O’Connor took his own life. During every game, O’Connor’s No. 42 jersey is hung above the bench. His number is also on the back of all of the players’ helmets.

It was a tragedy that the Yorktown Huskers’ ice hockey team had to overcome. The Huskers battled adversity all season, on and off the ice.
“Internally, it helped drive them a little more,” Yorktown Head Coach Robert Fritsche said.
After a strong start to the season, the Huskers hit the skids down the stretch, losing 5-of-7 games heading into the playoffs. An early playoff exit looked probable.

During Yorktown’s losing streak, Fritsche felt they were losing to teams they shouldn’t be losing to.

“It was frustrating knowing what these guys can do,” Fritsche said. “Against who we played, it was just ‘where are you guys.’ I just don’t understand what happened. I told them we need to turn it around.”
And they did, just in time.

The Huskers rose to the occasion, besting Ossining 3-2 in an opening-round overtime thriller. They then went on to upset No.2-seeded Kennedy Catholic/Putnam Valley, 5-3, in the quarterfinals, followed by another upset, a 2-0 shutout of No. 3 John Jay in the semifinals.
The ride continued all the way to the finals, where No. 7-seeded Yorktown fell to No. 1 Rye, 7-1, in the Division II finals at West Point’s Tate Rink on Sunday. It was the first finals appearance in the history of Yorktown hockey.

“I told them to be proud and hold their heads up high,” Fritsche said of what he said to his squad after the game. “They got where no other Yorktown hockey team has got before. They made a great run.

“This is monumental. We’re stepping on ground we never did before. Even though we didn’t come away with the win, I’m still very proud of them.”
After falling behind 3-0 in the first period, Neil Jacobsen got the Huskers on the board on an assist from Matt Williams with 10:32 left in the second period. Yorktown fought tooth-and-nail in the period and looked to have a shot at a comeback.

But everything came unraveled in the third period, when the Huskers allowed four goals. Rye, who recorded 42 shots on goal, was relentless until the final buzzer sounded.
“We held them at bay at the beginning of the period,” Fritsche said. “They scored that fourth goal and that kind of nicked us a little bit. Next, they got the short-handed goal; that really hurt. And then their (his players’) heads went down. It’s just hard to come back. [Rye’s] a good team that keeps coming at you.”

Yorktown looked to be going into the second period only down 2-0, but Nick Rosenfield scored the deflating goal, making it 3-0 with just 17.6 seconds left in the period.
“We just didn’t bring our ‘A’ game today,” Fritsche said.

Even before the game, the Huskers were faced with adversity. Their bus broke down only a few minutes from the rink, just after getting over the Bear Mountain Bridge. The players’ parents had to pick them up and drive them to the rink, where they arrived later than scheduled. Fritsche didn’t feel it was a distraction, however.

The Huskers (13-10-1) semifinal win over John Jay was due to a dominant performance from goalie Shane Ruiz. He made 34 saves and had 35 more saves in the finals.
“He had a phenomenal game,” Fritsche said. “The kid stood on his head. He’s one of my 15 seniors, and he’s why we’re here. He really played great [throughout sectionals].”
Joe Castellano and Dan Curtis accounted for the scoring in the semifinal victory, while Joe Bonitatibus and Gary Strebel notched the assists.

The Huskers lose 15 seniors to graduation, who all will be tough to replace.
“I love the guys,” Fritsche said. “Fifteen of those guys got their heart broken today. Not just 15, but 15 seniors. That’s hard. Especially with the run we had this past week.”

Mail this page to a friend