Brayden Wilcken, Mount Sinai defense a well-oiled machine
Mt. Sinai goalie Brayden Wilcken follows the Rocky Point shot on goal in a Suffolk Division II game on Friday at Mt. Sinai. Credit: George A Faella
It’s an aggressive combination of skill and communication, and Brayden Wilcken is the last line of defense.
The Mount Sinai goalie is the backbone of a Suffolk II defense that hasn’t allowed more than eight goals in a game this spring.
Wilcken, a senior committed to Long Island University, has stopped 116 shots and holds a 72% save percentage.
The Mustangs are 13-0 this season with wins over Garden City, Bayport-Blue Point and Shoreham-Wading River.
“We’re trying to keep the momentum going,” Wilcken said. “How fast we play, how fast we get around, our communications, our rotations, everything. Our defense gets out on shooters’ hands, making it easy for me to stop the ball.”
Mount Sinai coach Harold Drumm said the Mustangs’ base 3-3 zone defense morphs throughout each game.
Players shift to man-on-man matchups to lock off individual players. Drumm sometimes isn't sure which defensive formation the Mustangs are in.
But it works. Drumm said there are no egos. The players bought in to playing as a team.
“I give them a long leash because they’re smart players,” Drumm said. “They do a good job of communicating, and I stress as long as they talk to each other and communicate, they can play within that.”
That team-defensive mindset means everyone contributes. The players on attack ride until the ball is over midfield, and the midfielders are expected to play both ways.
Seniors Jake Spallina and Christian Colantonio, committed to Syracuse and Marist, respectively, are key parts of the Mustangs' defensive unit.
“A lot of conditioning,” Colantonio said with a smile. “It’s hard to do it all, but without conditioning, running as much as we do, it would not be possible.”
Senior defender Nick Jaferis leads the defensive unit alongside Syracuse commit and long stick midfielder Brett Spallina, who plays the wing on faceoffs and sometimes takes the top spot in Mount Sinai’s defense.
Juniors Demetri Boutis and Jake Furrer round out the close defensive unit.
Mt. Sinai's defense poses for a picture during warmups before a Suffolk Division II game against Rocky Point on Friday at Mt. Sinai. Credit: George A Faella
The Mustangs held opponents to five or fewer goals in nine games this spring, including two games with only one goal allowed. Opponents average four goals per game against Mount Sinai, the strongest mark in Suffolk.
“The biggest thing with us is our communication, just the whole idea that everyone’s got to do their own job, and when we do that it all comes together,” said Jaferis, who is committed to Binghamton.
Drumm and Jaferis said the Mustangs’ zone centers around their goaltender. They want to keep shooters to the outside and give Wilcken the easiest shots to save.
Bayport-Blue Point was undefeated and averaged 13 goals per game before Mount Sinai’s 4-2 win over the Phantoms. Shoreham-Wading River averaged 12 goals per game before the Mustangs’ 11-7 win over the Wildcats earlier this week.
“It’s not about who has the most takeaway checks or who has the most ground balls at the end of the game,” Boutis said. “As long as the other team has zero goals, that’s what matters most.”
The wins, the defense, the shots; they all fall on Wilcken, squared off in the cage, his stick positioned above his right shoulder.
Wilcken earned Mount Sinai’s starting role last year. He’s played best when the Mustangs have needed him this spring, including a 12-save performance against Garden City and 11 stops against Shoreham-Wading River.
“The game relies on offense and defense, and the priority sometimes is the goalie,” Wilcken said. “It changes the game, and I like that.”
Wilcken started playing goalie in second grade when his PAL team needed someone in the net. He liked the intensity. His teammates and coaches are glad he stuck with it.
“It’s almost like a safe feeling,” Boutis said. “Knowing if you mess up a slide or you’re not out on your guy enough and the guy is shooting it, you kind of know Brayden’s going to be there and saving it.”
“He’s been playing phenomenal this year. He was very good last year, and he’s gotten better. I feel like every game he gets better and better,” Drumm said about his goaltender. “We make mistakes, and other teams are very good, and they’re going to get good opportunities. And Brayden, he just makes saves where you’re just like, ‘That’s unbelievable’.”
