PV Tigers No Match for Manhasset in Semifinals

The Putnam Valley Tigers routed Red Hook in the state quarterfinals last week, before falling to eventual state champ Manhasset. SKIP PEARLMAN They got blown out by the same Manhasset team in the Class C state semifinal a year earlier. And despite being determined not to repeat that type of performance, sometimes a team is just so good that there’s nothing you can do.

That was the scenario last Thursday at Hofstra University, as Putnam Valley’s season came to a sudden end after a 13-4 loss to Manhasset, which two days later went on to win a state championship for the second straight year.

The writing on the wall became clear early on, as Manhasset – the No. 2 ranked high school team in the country - scored in the first minute, led 5-0 after a quarter, and upped the cushion to 8-1 by halftime, and 13-1 at the end of three quarters.

PV's Ryan Fitzgerald scored a hat-trick and added two assists in win over Red Hook last week, and was named All-American. SKIP PEARLmAN The problems were more than PV could handle. Manhasset dominated faceoffs, winning 8-of-9 in the first half, and 13-of-18 in the game. The Long Island champion also out-shot the Tigers 18-5 in the first half, and PV had major trouble clearing the ball all game long.

“Faceoffs and clearing were huge,” Tigers coach Brian Kuczma said. “Without those … you can’t possess the ball on offense. It was a major problem for us – especially in the first quarter. They’d score, win the faceoff, then force us to play defense again. It wears on your defense and midfield. And we’re not deep at midfield, so that played a huge role.”

Kuczma and the Tigers knew what to expect from the Indians – who now own a nifty 36-game win streak - they just weren’t able to do much to stop it.

PV's Ryan Fitzgerald scored a hat-trick and added two assists in win over Red Hook last week, and was named All-American. SKIP PEARLmAN “We were over-matched, and not just our starting group,” Kuczma said. “They are two or three lines deep at every position. We would have needed to play the perfect game.”

Put Valley closed the spring at 18-5, while Manhasset’s state title win over Corning East put them at 20-0.

Ryan Fitzgerald had two goals for PV, Kevin Christopher added a goal and two assists, and Jon Warden had a goal.

Quinn Maroney and Pat Maroney each netted a hat-trick and one assist for the Indians, and Matt Tompkins also had three goals.

Brendan McCrudden stopped 13 shots on net for PV, and Zac Gunsberg and Frank Morelli combined to make five stops for Manhasset.

Johnny van de Veerdonk had four goals and two assists in a state quarterfinal win over Red Hook last week. SKIP PEARLmAN Putnam Valley had no trouble getting past Section 9 champion Red Hook, 15-2, in the state quarterfinal two days earlier at Middletown High’s Faller Field.

The Valley dominated from the start, leading 3-1 after one, and pulling away with a six-goal run in the second, and another six-goal outburst in the third.

“We came out right from the get-go and had a good opening to the game,” Kuczma said. “The kids played four quarters. We wanted to leave that game with some confidence, and I think we did. We executed well, and the kids felt good after that game. Christopher had a great game, when he gets going he’s tough to stop. And Johnny van de Veerdonk and Fitzgerald also had a nice game.”

Christopher finished that game with five goals, van de Veerdonk, a freshman, added four goals and two assists, Fitzgerald had a hat-trick and added two assists, Shane Kelly scored a pair of goals, Rob Pasquale had one, and Dan O’Gorman and Evan Kneuer each had one assist.

McCrudden stopped nine shots on the cage for the Tigers, and Austin Loeffel had 14 saves for Red Hook.

Despite the disappointing ending, Kuczma said the team can look back and be proud.

“Beating Rye was huge,” the coach said. “They were a very, very good team, and to beat them on that stage… that was incredible for the team and the program. The seniors leave doing something that no other class has done – winning back-to-back championships. That’s pretty impressive. It was a disappointing end, but when they look back they’ll be pretty proud.”