Forget the standings. Saturday’s Long Island high school hockey championship between Long Beach and St. Anthony’s is a profound farewell, where two senior classes will play not just for a title, but to honor teammates, complete redemptive journeys, and cement their legacies forever.
The typical championship narrative focuses on records and rivalry. This one is written in grief notes, locker room prayers, and the silent reverence for an empty stall. When the Long Beach Marines and St. Anthony’s Friars face off Saturday at the Northwell Health Ice Center, the “why” extends far beyond the 16th title for one program or the other. It’s about Michael Calvi guarding the legacy of Gerrin Hagen. It’s about Tommy Azzaritti exorcising a three-year-old ghost. It’s about the last chapter for players who define their teams’ souls.
Long Beach’s Captaincy: An Honor Forged in Memory
For Long Beach senior captain Michael Calvi, leadership isn’t a letter on a sweater; it’s a sacred trust. His path to the “C” was literally paved by a fallen teammate. Gerrin Hagen was a rising force for the Marines before his tragic death in 2023. The team maintains a powerful memorial for him, and as a freshman, Calvi watched Hagen from the adjacent locker room stall.
“I would look at that stall as a freshman and think, ‘I really want to be there someday.’ So I’m really, really grateful,” Calvi reflected, noting the deep honor of being assigned that very spot as a senior captain. This isn’t just sentiment—it’s the engine of their season. Channeling Hagen’s memory, Calvi and the Marines unleashed a 13-game win streak, a seismic shift for a program not accustomed to such sustained success. The pinnacle was a heart-stopping 5-4 double-overtime victory over rival Bellmore-Merrick to clinch the Nassau County title, a game sealed by forward Liam Young’s winner.
“It really got us together as a team, and helped us grow,” said senior center Joseph Feerick of the streak. That cohesion is now focused on one final, perfect mission: “Now we want to end on a good note,” Calvi said, a phrase that carries the weight of a promise to Hagen and to each other.
St. Anthony’s Unbreakable Code: Prayer and Redemption
While Long Beach channeled a legacy, St. Anthony’s built a fortress of culture. Senior captain Zack Sirel credits the Friars’ unique pregame ritual for forging their identity. Before every puck drop, the team recites “The Husker’s Prayer,” a decade-old tradition that sets a tone of faith and honor. The student-recited prayer concludes with a crucial clause: “if we shall lose, let us stand by the road, and cheer as the winners go by.” It’s a mindset that defines their approach to Saturday’s final, win or lose.
No one embodies this spirit of resilience more than assistant captain Tommy Azzaritti. The burden of a missed shootout goal against Long Beach in the 2023 playoffs lived “rent-free in his head” for three years. That pain transformed into a singular focus this season. When presented with the same opportunity in Game 1 of this year’s playoff series against the Marines, Azzaritti didn’t just score—he redeemed an entire era.
“I blacked out after scoring that goal,” he admitted. The weight of that moment, and the team’s subsequent series-clinching victory, now propels them toward the final. For Sirel, it’s about cherishing the “little things” about the Friar brotherhood, a community that “has built up my confidence in a way I wouldn’t have gotten elsewhere.”
The stage is set. Two teams. Two profoundly different emotional catalysts. One final game for a group of seniors who have already given their sport—and each other—everything. This isn’t just a championship; it’s a testament to how sport can cradle grief, fuel redemption, and provide a final, shining moment for true believers.
For the fastest, most authoritative analysis of the biggest games and the stories behind the scores, onlytrustedinfo.com delivers the insights that matter, moments after the final buzzer.
