Bellmore-Merrick and Smithtown/Hauppauge see second chances in state hockey tournament
Lucas Lucchi of Bellmore-Merrick celebrates a goal during Game 2 of the hockey finals at the Town of Oyster Bay Ice Skating Center in Bethpage on Feb. 11, 2026. Credit: Sam Johnston
A first-place regular-season finish didn’t turn into a county championship for Bellmore-Merrick and Smithtown/Hauppauge ice hockey.
In their respective county finals, both teams lost each game by one goal in their best-of-three series. Lucky for them, their season isn’t over yet.
The opportunity for redemption is on the table at the USA Hockey New York State High School Tournament at SUNY Broome Ice Rink in Binghamton from Feb. 27 to March 1.
“Just to get a second chance at a little redemption is always good,” Bellmore-Merrick coach Pat Braglia said. “For us it’s learning from losing and hopefully those lessons from the county championship games will carry over into some growth for a state championship.”
Nassau and Suffolk send their top two teams to the state tournament. The two teams that make the state finals will then head to nationals in Plymouth, Minnesota, from March 18-22.
Bellmore-Merrick lost only one game in the regular season, finishing 13-1-2 heading into the playoffs. The Bulldogs defeated Plainview/Island Trees in the quarterfinals, 8-2, and followed with a 5-2 semifinal win over Syosset/Jericho.
In the finals, their rival Long Beach got the better of them. In Game 2, the Bulldogs led 4-2 in the third period before Long Beach tied it and eventually won the county title in overtime.
Smithtown's Marcus Derrico (19) moves the puck in the third period during the Suffolk High School boys ice hockey final playoff game #2 between St Anthony’s and Smithtown on Friday Feb 9, 2026 at The Rinx Credit: Bob Sorensen
“It was tough the way we lost,” senior Jourdan Luskoff said. “We wish we didn’t go out like that, but it’s not over. We still have this state tournament and the guys are hungry. We want to bring it home for each other.”
It’s a very familiar situation for Smithtown/Hauppauge. Last season, they lost in Game 3 of the Suffolk finals to St. Anthony’s. They responded by bringing home a state championship.
This season, they fell again to St. Anthony’s in the third game of the county title series. Now they look to repeat the side of history that was in their favor.
“It’s kind of deja vu for us,” Smithtown/Hauppauge coach Mark DuBeau said. “This is the exact same situation as last year. Even if you look at the schedule in the state tournament, we’re playing the same teams. And I can tell you everybody is ready to go and excited.”
The Bulls top forward line of Liam McNamara, Marcus D’Errico and Luke Anderson has been the most productive trio on Long Island. McNamara and D’Errico both have 70 points, the most in Suffolk, and Anderson has 61, which is third.
“This definitely means a lot. We all want to bounce back,” McNamara said. “We’re going to be a team that will continue fighting and show a lot of pride. Our chemistry has turned into a brotherhood. It’s really special that we can try to win something like this all together.”
The first games of the pool-play styled state tournament feature county crossovers on Feb. 27. Smithtown/Hauppauge will face Long Beach at 11 a.m., and Bellmore-Merrick will face St. Anthony’s at 1 p.m.
