Team Long Island Shuts down Cloud Splitters 12-8

Lake Placid, NY-- Despite over night lows of 48 degrees, Team Long Island continues to roll on with a 12-8 pounding of the Cloud Splitters. The win positions Team LI in the semi-finals of the tournament versus Great Atlantic Sportswear.
Team LI was in total control the entire game led by former Team Canada and Dowling stand-out Mike "Tails" Taylor who led all scorers with 4 assists and a goal.  Rocco Gugliemo (Roanoke '83) dominated at the face-off  X.  Chris Trombetta (Delaware '85)  quarterbacked the D and led a solid defensive team effort.  pretty scary moment.
Long Island never trailed and was up 9-3 at halftime.  Keith "Lackey" Huber (SJU '89) (pictured above)continued to display his championship form which garnered him MVP honors his senior year of high school in East Islip despite bruised ribs. Frank Picola (Uniondale HS '81) took over net responsiblities in the second half and played well.  Teammates complimented Frank on his nice and crisp outlet passes.  Late arrivals to the team Dan Boltja and Burgeson look to provide some added depth for LI in today's semi-finals contest.

 In other news, defending champs Greg "Blanket" Giampoalo's Checkmate easily defeated New Joisey's TROG ( Twin Rivers Old Guys) 9-5.  Checkmate will play a very tough Brown State in the other semi-final setting up a potential rematch of last years championship game. 

Another Long Island team, LandSharks is not fairing as well as its fellowLong Island laxers.  In the Mens Masters III division, they have suffered losses from The Canstigione Crabmen 8-2, and the Crease Monkeys 13-5.  Welcome to Lake Placid boys!
Stay tuned....

Placid Summit Lax Update; Team Long Island Dominates 10-7 in Opening Game

Lake Placid, NY--Bolstered by the solid play of goal tenders Keith Huber (SJU '89) and Frank Picola, Team Long Island pounded CVLC in the first round of the Lake Placid Summit Lacrosse Classic . Never at risk of  losing they were up 7-3 at the half, with Huber making 6 saves.  John Wilkens (JHU '89) found the back of the cage twice for Team LI.  Gregg "Blanket" Giampaolo's Checkmate won big 15-0 over Team Tavern.  Blanket had 3 goals and 1 assist in the win. 
More updates to come.....

SCPD Blew; Sharks Dump Suffolk's Finest

SCPD looked more like the Keystone Cops during their loss to a mediocre Land Sharks Blue team.

Holbrook, NY--With help from players from their two other sister teams, Land Sharks Blue soundly defeated a struggling SCPD team 8-5 in Nor'Easter lax play at the PAL Athletic Complex last Friday Night. Land Sharks Blue took the lead early during the game and never looked back. SCPD's offense struggled the entire evening against a stiff Ed Coleman led defensive unit. Not taking away from Land Sharks Blue's effort but Team SCPD was without their two top producers on offense thus managing only a handful of possessions that night.

Land Sharks' offense kicked it into high gear thanks in part to Paco's (Dowling '92) two goal performance and the teams' whopping 44 shots on goal during the game. "It was ridiculous, it was a barrage!", SCPD goaltender Keith Huber (St.John's '89) exclaimed referring to the Land Sharks' offensive onslaught. "I was shelled pretty good..in fact I haven't been shelled like this since I played with the Rhinos" he chuckled.

Land Sharks Blue improve to 2-1 on the season, while SCPD falls to 3-3.

Next up for LSB is a match-up against Land Sharks Red Friday 8/28 @ 9pm. SCPD takes on the league's favorite punching bag Bruno's Thursday 8/27 @ 9pm.

Checkmate Fought The Law And The Law Won; SCPD over Orange 6-3

Holtsville, NY--Led by solid goal -tending from Keith Huber (St. John's '89), SCPD improved to 3-2 on the season with a decisive win over Checkmate Orange last Friday night at the PAL Athletic Complex. Huber who normally splits halves with the other SCPD goalie played the entire contest. Returning to form which garnered him team MVP honors in his senior campaign at East Islip in 1985, Huber continued his dominant play between the pipes, which started two weeks ago with spectacular play at the Lake Placid Summit Lacrosse Tournament.

When questioned about his almost year long hiatus from Nor'Easter lax play he quipped “That was a long road, but one thing I knew was that I was determined to get back. I knew that if I ever got the opportunity to come back I was going to make the best of it. I had to do everything I possibly could to get back on the field and get a chance to play.”

SCPD held Checkmate to 2 goals at the half leading 4-2, and allowed only 1 goal the entire second half.

The Long Island Lax Blog was wondering how he felt about carrying the burden (in net) the entire game; “I feel like I can do that,” Huber said. “I can go out there and get the job done, especially in this league. We’ve got two totally different styles and I think we complement each other very well.”

SCPD's next game is versus Land Sharks Blue on 8/20 @ 10pm.

Checkmate Orange drops to 1-1. Next game is against Checkmate Black 8/27 @10 pm.

Checkmate Dominates, Captures Lake Placid Crown

The ageless Giampaolo prepares for battle

Lake Placid, NY-- With stellar midfield play and a well executed game plan; a much older Checkmate defeated the much younger Team Long Island-Lax Unlimited 7-6 for the Lake Placid Summit Lacrosse Championship. It was a tough fought, hard hitting game with both teams playing to a 4-4 tie at halftime.

Checkmate Goalie Mike Swift (Adelphi '90) and his counterpart Keith Huber (East Islip '85, St. John's '89) both played awesome. Each goalkeeper had strong tournaments. "Swiftie" as his teammates and friends refer to him as, went on to garner tournament MVP honors; while Huber allowed only 9 goals in 8 quarters of play.

Checkmate relied on a defensive strategy that involved locking off Team LI's middies forcing their attack to handle the ball during set offense series. That freed up their close-D to tee-off on LI's attackmen. Team LI's heralded attack unit featured Bruce Bruno (Cornell), Dan Boltja (Cornell), and John Wilkens (Johns Hopkins). The usually productive unit, who were instrumental in helping Team LI reach the finals were held in check by the stingy Checkmate defense which was led by Glenn Mattson (Marist '90). Insult was added to injury when Team LI attackman Dan "Soldier"Boltja went out of the game in the beginning of the 4th quarter with a pulled hamstring. It is also worth noting that Boltja played attack for Checkmate on their Grand Masters team at this same week of play during the Lake Placid Summit Lacrosse Tournament. He led that offense with 9 goals and 8 assists in four games. It seems that Boltja might have been overworked pulling double duty.

Checkmate pulled ahead to a 7-4 lead going into the 4th as their game plan unfolded perfectly. Team LI pulled within 1 goal with four minutes left to play but ultimately ran out of gas. Team LI had challenges the entire second half clearing the ball, controlling the ball on offense, sloppy goal tending, and scooping up ground balls.

The most memorable play of the game and one which symbolized Checkmate's heart and toughness came late in the third quarter. Team LI-Lax Unlimited midfielder Chris "Bergie" Bergeson had the ball at the top of the box in his offensive zone. Covering Bergeson was non other than Gregg "Blanket" Giampaolo. "Blanket" lived up to his nickname when Bergeson in an apparent attempt to isolate, pulled him to midfield to begin his dodge. With the stick in his left hand, "Bergie" attempted a left-to-right split-dodge on Giampaolo. Giampaolo 15 years his senior, stepped up right into Bergeson and jacked him up! The blow sent "Bergie" to the turf on his back. Giampaolo then swiped at his opponent's stick dislodging the ball. He scooped up the loose GB and initiated a fast break which led to what was ultimately Checkmate's wining goal.

Some feel these players represent the last era of lacrosse in which Long Island players and teams dominated the game. They cite the talent pools that have been expanded to different parts of the country outside of the usual hotbeds of LI, Upstate NY, and MD. Just take a look at many of the college lacrosse rosters these days. You'll find players from Florida, California, and Minnesota to name a few. The decline of Long Island's dominance is evident in the fact that no true Long Island Team competed at the younger Open Division here in Placid, it was more of a mix of players; again reflective of current college rosters. All in all this was a great showcase of Long Island lacrosse, something to be proud of, no matter what the outcome was.

This Evening's Men's Masters Lacrosse Schedule

Can Huber deliver like Broadway Joe?

Holtsville, NY--The race to the playoffs is already heating up during this third week of lax play of the Nor'Easter Summer Lacrosse League at the P.A.L. Athletic Complex.
Two teams are tied for 1st place, three tied for 2nd, and three for 3rd. It comes as no surprise that Checkmate Orange is one of those 1st place teams and Brunos is sucking wind down in the cellar.
The two games tonight features the newcomer SCPD Team vs. a very seasoned and wiley Land Sharks Red Team. Two SJU Alumni will be squaring off against each other. Ed Coleman, a Brentwood native, for Land Sharks and Keith Huber (East Islip '85, St. John's '89) in net for SCPD.
Tonight's game marks Huber's first return to Nor'Easter Lacrosse action since last June when he signed on to play with Ray Sipperly's Remnants squad. The emotional and physical toll he took losing and playing with Remnants put him into hibernation from lacrosse for the past 11 months. He is resurfacing now not only to secure SCPD a Nor'Easter Summer League title but also to tune -up for the Lake Placid Summit Lacrosse Tournament which commences within two weeks from yesterday. At Placid he'll be leading the defending co-champion Team Long Island- Lax Unlimited as the number one seed in a field of twenty on their quest for back to back championships. Huber has predicted victory in tonight's game versus Land Sharks Red. "We'll win", he exclaimed, "as long as I'm between those pipes".
Face-off is tonight at 7pm.

Long Island Lax Blog's Prediction: SCPD 9 - Land Sharks Red 5




The second game features a 1-1 Lily Flanigan's Team against a newly formed Land Sharks Team name Land Sharks White. Face-off is scheduled for 10pm.

Long Island Lax Blog's Prediction: Lily Flanigan's 10- Land Sharks White 4

Rhinos Trampled by Lacrosse Unlimited

The Rhinos fall to 0-3 on the season in indoor lacrosse action at CIS following Tuesday night's pounding by a well-oiled Lacrosse Unlimited squad. Even with the addition of Steve " Super Speedy" Levy, the Rhinos were unable to overcome a 20+ point deficit. The Rhinos lacked fire power offensively as evident by their defensmen scoring the majority of the teams goals.
Shout outs to the entire long pole defensive unit and goalie Keith Huber for their superb play with little to no help. Not to discount other folks' efforts but shout outs to Bones and PJ for keeping it real at midfield, as well as " Broadway" Brett Jaffares for finding the back of the net and snapping his scoring drought (not that anybody noticed he had a drought but he said something last week about it).
With the next game for the Rhinos over a week away, some teammates were mentioning putting a practice together. Brett mentioned possibly Sayville on Friday night. Lets us know your thoughts. Post them on The Blog. In fact, tell everyone about the Blog.