Four young Bay Ridge hockey stars reach semi-finals of state championship
A group of young Bay Ridge hockey players are making their neighborhood proud with their performance on and off the ice.
Four local players from the New York Stars of the Greater New York City Ice Hockey League — Jeremiah Ryan, 11, Steven Bencivenga, 11, Joseph DiBona, 12, and Mark Owen, 12 — were members of a team that had a terrific season, going undefeated at 23-0-1 in the in Long Island Amateur Hockey League (LIAHL). The peewee AA team’s near-perfect record gave it the opportunity to qualify for the New York State Championship Tournament in Buffalo.
The four Bay Ridge players, along with teammates from all over the tristate area, made their way to the tournament on Friday, March 4. The Stars started off strong, winning its first game — a close one — against Adirondack, 3-2. The team struggled in game two, losing to the Rochester Grizzlies 8-2. However, it bounced back in an exciting nine-round shootout victory against Centre State, advancing to the semi-finals. The Coney Island-based team was finally eliminated by the Skaneateles Lakers.