Sweet Home hockey advances to state final four
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Five years ago, the Sweet Home Federation hockey team went 0-23-1. Five years later, they could be playing for a Division II New York State Championship.

Ryan Gutt scored from Ryan Marko at 3:01 of overtime to move Sweet Home past Section IX's John S. Burke Catholic, 3-2, in a Division II state quarterfinal game held on Saturday at the Ice Time Sports Complex in Newburgh, N.Y.

It's the first postseason win at the state level for the Sweet Home hockey program. Last year, Sweet Home lost, 2-1, in the Division II state quarterfinals to eventual state champion, Monroe Woodbury.

The Panthers (15-9-4) will play Section X's Thousand Islands in the state semifinals at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at Utica Memorial Auditorium. The winner plays either Section II's Queensbury or Section V's Webster-Schroeder for the state title at 3:15 p.m. on Sunday in Utica.

"I didn't see this coming and neither did they," said Sweet Home coach Dave Gerspach. "Coming into the season, the only goal I had for them was to play our best hockey at the end of the year. We had never talked about being a state or Fed champion this year and we already have the Fed championship and are now two wins away from a state championship."

The heart attack Panthers didn't make it easy on themselves. Sweet Home trailed 1-0 for most of the game until Marko scored a short-handed goal at 6:50 of the third period. Marko somehow spun off three Eagles players and shot the puck under the pads of goalie Mike Beck. It was the first of only two penalties Sweet Home took all season.

Their other penalty resulted in the Eagles' game-tying goal with 1:56 remaining. Tommy Farr shot the puck off the boards and Tommy Mahoney put the puck into the open side of the net.

Gerspach felt his team was in control in the third prior to the goal. Gutt put Sweet Home ahead, 2-1, when he scored his first of the game at 4:43 on the power play from Marko and Dominic Puntillo. Then Mahoney scored and forced overtime.

In overtime, Marko took the draw and shot the puck at the net. The puck laid between Panther forward Chris Covel's feet and Gutt stuffed it into the top corner of the net.

Sweet Home outshot John S. Burke Catholic, 37-24. Sweet Home didn't score in the second period but dominated the shots on goal, 10-3. Jimmy Cardinale hit two goal posts on the same power play.

Declan Ludington scored on a scramble in front of the Panther net at 5:53 of the first period from Farr and Jason Healey.

"We were playing really well in the first two periods," said Gerspach. "Other than being down 1-0, I wouldn't have changed anything with the way we were playing."

Sweet Home has been playing great as a team but Marko is a big reason why. Already the school's all-time leading scorer with 163 points, Marko needs five more assists to reach 100, one more point than what 2007 graduate Alex Esposito, the school's second all-time leading scorer, had for career points.

"He's been doing the little things that we need him to do like winning faceoffs and killing penalties," said Gerspach.

Gerspach said Thousands Islands is a physical team.

"They work really hard and have a good goalie," said Gerspach. "He's 6-foot-5. On his knees, his shoulders are still covering the top of the net."