Smithtown/Hauppauge, St. Anthony's advance to Suffolk boys hockey finals
Smithtown's Robert Auerbach (66) scores in the second period during the Suffolk High School boys ice hockey semifinal playoff game between Kings Park and Smithtown on Wednesday Feb 4, 2026 at The Rinx Credit: Bob Sorensen
Top-seeded Smithtown/Hauppauge had shut out sixth-seeded Kings Park/Commack in the first two meetings, but this Suffolk semifinal had a different start.
Two shots with traffic in front of the net suddenly had underdog Kings Park/Commack up one late in the second period.
But Marcus D’Errico and the Bulls kept pushing. The junior forward scored two goals in the first three minutes of the third period, including a shorthanded tally to complete the hat trick.
Smithtown/Hauppauge defeated Kings Park/Commack, 5-2, in the Suffolk semifinals at The Rinx in Hauppauge on Wednesday night.
“Our coaches told us just to keep pushing,” D’Errico said. “Once we started connecting on our passes and moving around, the goals came and I’m very happy for our team.”
Smithtown/Hauppauge will face No. 2 seed and defending champion St. Anthony's in the Suffolk finals. Game 1 of the best-of-three series is at 10:10 p.m. Friday at The Rinx.
After a stunning overtime win over No. 3 Sachem, Kings Park/Commack came out with confidence. Michael Miele’s shot from the point opened the scoring with 10:41 left in the first period.
Kings Park/Commack held a 2-1 lead in the second period as goalie Tyler Burke made multiple highlight-reel saves to maintain the advantage. But with 18 seconds left in the second period, Robert Auerbach scored in front of the net. Just 37 seconds into the third period, D’Errico buried a rebound, then followed with his shorthanded goal two minutes later to give the Bulls a two-goal lead.
“The first half of this game we were stuck in the mud,” Smithtown/Hauppauge coach Mark Dubeau said. “But the boys figured it out. All four lines played well in the third period, and overcoming adversity like this will help us as we head into the finals.”
St. Anthony's advances to finals
In the other semifinal, St. Anthony’s controlled play for most of the night against fifth-seeded Northport/Huntington. The Friars built a three-goal lead, but Northport/Huntington star J.T. Caruso scored twice in the final two minutes with the goalie pulled, flipping momentum at The Rinx.
The lead was cut to one with 1:11 remaining, forcing a St. Anthony’s timeout. Northport/Huntington continued to apply pressure, but the Friars held firm.
Jordan Valcich made a key save, and on the ensuing faceoff with five seconds left, Zack Sirel fell on the puck to prevent a final shot, helping St. Anthony’s prevail, 3-2, in the Suffolk semifinals Wednesday.
“With five seconds left, I knew they had a guy backdoor and I had to make sure they didn’t get it to him,” said Sirel, who finished with two goals. “Now I’m excited for Friday. It’s another year against Smithtown and I hope we win it.”
St. Anthony’s top line of Anthony Cutalo, Thomas Azzariti and Sirel controlled the pace of play and combined for all three goals.
The Friars’ defense delivered a strong performance, and Valcich made several key saves to keep Northport/Huntington off the board until the final few minutes.
“We preach discipline all season,” St. Anthony’s coach Bob Lund said. “They’re a tough team, but we stayed in our system, forechecked aggressively and defended well.”
The past two seasons, these programs split championship meetings.
Now, it’s the trilogy.
