OLMA Basketball Gears Up For Playoffs; Club Hockey A Win Away From Championship

Playoff Time in the CHSAA

While the final regular season outing may not have been pretty - a 61-24 loss to St. John the Baptist on Wednesday night - the basketball team has reason to be optimistic.

The same team that won only three games last season finished the year 10-13 overall and 4-10 in the difficult CHSAA.

Now, it’s on to the postseason.

The league will meet on Friday night to determine playoff match-ups. In the most likely scenario, the Mustangs will open up the CHSAA playoffs on the road against St. Mary’s on Monday.

The match-up shouldn’t be too daunting for OLMA. It was just last Friday when they topped St. Mary’s 45-39 on Senior Night. While Co-captain Louise Lehmuller led all scorers with 10 points, it was Olivia Walsh who took control when the Mustangs needed a spark. The junior netted all eight of her points in the fourth quarter.

Walsh’s fourth quarter outburst was hardly a shock to anyone. A three-year starter, Walsh is no stranger to the big moment. She has spent most of the year defending the opponent’s number one option.

“I believe her to be one of the best players in the Catholic League,” Head coach John Kiffel said earlier in the season.

Walsh, along with captains Lehmuller and Amanda Walsh, will be called upon to lead Mercy through the playoffs.

Syosset Club Hockey Gears Up for Championship Game

It’s been a long time since the Syosset Braves club hockey team has been quite this good.

How long? Try 1998.

The Braves finished the season with 25 points, good for third place in the Long Island based league. After losing to Merrick in the league semi-finals, Syosset will compete for the Town of Oyster Bay championship on March 1 against Massapequa at 7:30pm.

The play of freshman Corey Hoffman was a large part of the Braves success. Hoffman finished first in the league in scoring, tallying 35 goals and adding another 38 assists. finished first in the league among defenseman with 28 goals.

With the help of Hoffman and Goldstein, the Braves scored over 100 goals for the first time ever.

Goalie Daniel DeSilva finished the year 8-1-1. DeSilva posted a 4.33 goals against average.

The championship game will mark the final appearance of the clubs four seniors. Captain Richie Happel will be included in the farewell four. Happel was known for his grit and leadership on the ice. David Lynch, Corey Grossman, Nick Evangelow, and Scott Schwartz will also be saying goodbye after the Oyster Bay Championship.

"Losing these type of players will hurt, but we have strong players to replace them,” Head coach Richard Goldstein said. “I just hope that they deliver the same leadership and intensity that is needed to get back to the championship round and win it next season.”