Hall, Telesca keep Middle Country hockey afloat, right into Suffolk final

It was a regular season held together by gauze and splints.

Broken noses, broken hands, ankle sprains and torn cartilage; at times, there were more Middle Country players in the doctor's office than on the bench. The team averaged less than 10 players per game because of injuries, and the ones who weren't hurt were exhausted. Kids who would normally play limited minutes had to skate for close to the game's duration. The defense was beat up and Middle Country allowed more than six goals per contest, ending the season on a 3-10 skid.

It was an injury situation even a Mets fan could commiserate with, and by no stretch of the imagination should the team have made the Suffolk finals.

But James "J.T." Hall and Tom Telesca kept scoring, and Middle Country (9-13-0) locked up a playoff spot, albeit the sixth seed. Hall and Telesca scored some more and the team beat No. 3 Connetquot-Sayville, 4-3, in the quarterfinals and No. 1 Sachem, 6-3, in the semis.

And if Hall and Telesca keep their prolific puck work going over the next week, Middle Country might have the right to call itself a county champion, taking on No. 2 Smithtown (17-3-2) in the Suffolk final that begins Monday.

"We pretty much just wanted to prove that we could play with the top team and that we weren't a joke," said Telesca, a junior at Newfield. "We have the talent; it just didn't look like it on our record."

Hall and Telesca are the top two point scorers in the Suffolk Hockey League. Hall has 38 goals and 16 assists (54 points) and Telesca 23 goals and 26 assists (49 points) in 16 games. Hall has three hat tricks and Telesca four.

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The pair first played roller hockey together when they were younger and immediately felt something click.

"Tom's just a great player and, me and him together, it's great to play," said Hall, a Centereach junior. "We know where we are on the rink and we look for each other out there. Basically, we're both the same player and we both have the same mind-set, so that helps out a lot."

But the duo's value goes beyond the stat box.

"They're great role models and great leaders," coach Tom Argano said. "They're the type of kids that will put their arm around you and say, 'C'mon, let's go.' I don't see many kids who are capable of doing that.

"And they have such a desire, they could play all day. They're one of the first ones on the ice and the last to get off when we practice. They respect the game, they respect themselves and respect their opponents. In every function, the way they represent themselves and the organization is something to be very proud of."

Middle Country's opponent, Smithtown, is also adept at scoring, totaling just one fewer goal during the regular season than Middle Country with 106. Smithtown's defense is also outstanding, allowing just 57 goals on the season, less than three per game.

But Middle Country sees a light at the end of the tunnel and has played Smithtown hard during the regular season, where the squads split two meetings. What's telling is that of the 57 goals Smithtown allowed, 11 were against Middle Country.

Cue the theme from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly": this one's going to be a shootout.

"This year, we've just got to keep shooting and putting pressure on the goalie," Hall said, talking about what he learned from Middle Country's loss to Sachem in the 2009 final. "We've just got to keep moving the puck and put it on net."

And stay out of the doctor's office.