Friars remain unbeaten, handle rival Chaminade

Though still inspired by the recent passing of Marie Drisco, the beloved St. Anthony’s long-time General Manager, the Friars needed no extra motivation Friday night to dominate archrival Chaminade.

St. Anthony’s (8-0-0, 16 points) controlled the game early and piled it on late for a 7-1 win, outscoring Chaminade 4-0 in the final two periods in Syosset.  Mike Marnell had six points and Dan Peterson made 12 saves in net to solidify the first-place Friars’ standing as the best team in the CHSHL.

Chaminade (5-2-1, 11 points) entered the game tied for second place with Iona Prep, after beating the Gaels 5-3 in its last game on Dec. 28.

“It was a big game for us and it always is against Chaminade,” coach Jeff Stelmok said. “It was good to see our guys show up and play three solid periods tonight.”

Marnell scored two goals and tallied four assists, and was one of five Friars with multiple points in the game. Tom McGregor had two goals and two assists and Tyler Hall added a goal and two assists. Stelmok praised Marnell after the game, and made sure to mention the important role that sophomore defenseman Chris Calandra played throughout the night.

Calandra, a natural defenseman, has floated between forward and defense this season because of the Friars’ depth in the back end. Calandra had an opportunity to play on the blue line Friday night, and proved he can be a legitimate contributor to an already strong St. Anthony’s defense.

“He was aggressive and just played extremely well,” Stelmok said.  “He’s that stay at home steady player, and you come to realize how important those guys are in the bigger games. I was pleased to see him out there and that does a lot for his confidence and mine as a coach.”

St. Anthony’s and Chaminade play again Jan. 12 at 7:10 p.m. in Dix Hills.



Box Score
St. Anthony’s     3  3  1--7
Chaminade      1  0  0--1

St. Anthony’s:
Goals—Mike Marnell (2), Tyler Hall, Christian Habberstad (2), Tom McGregor (2)
Assists—Marnell (4), Hall (2), McGregor (2), Brendon Hurley (2), Ryan Wolsiefer, James Gobetz
Goaltending—Dan Peterson 12 saves

Chaminade:
Goals—Michael Minarczyk
Assists—Kyle Irwin, Joseph Vella
Goaltending—Brandon DeStasio 18 saves