BY EVAN BROOKER

The leaves have changed color, the air is frigid and after months of anticipation, winter sports are back at MHS. As the various fall sports wound down, the basketball and hockey teams began to have some light practices. Now, the teams are in full throttle.

Girls’ Basketball

Coming off a 9-11 record last year, the team is determined to improve. It can be said that the Tigers had a relatively successful season last year, despite having a sub-five hundred record. MHS plays in one of the most competitive leagues in New York State and is a Section 1 team. Last year’s team had two main objectives: to earn a place in the sectional playoffs and to improve on the previous year’s record. The team accomplished both goals.

 This year’s team feels confident that it can improve on last season’s results. This could be difficult. The Tigers lost four seniors, including Fayola Moise, who currently plays Division II college basketball. Yet some believe that the team has the potential to achieve greater things.

“Last year we worked really hard to come together as a team in order to reach the common goal of getting to sectionals and improving our previous records,” said Randi Degina, a junior and a shooting guard for the Tigers. “This year we need to step it up on defense and get ourselves into excellent shape.”

Continuous effort is the key to success for any sports team. This talented team is well coached, determined and ambitious. With the right amount of work, the Tigers can surpass all expectations.

Ice Hockey

Last year’s team obtained the best results in the program’s history. The Tigers finished the year with an impressive 26-3-1 record, won the Section 1 championship, and were the runners-up in the New York State finals. This success was due to the team’s depth, chemistry and determination.

This year’s Tigers have a lot of work to do. Rebuilding is always difficult, especially after losing so many extraordinary players like the Glaser brothers, Brett Jackson and Sean Hagan to name a few. Timmy Taussig, a prominent senior defenseman for the Tigers, showed little concern about losing star players, displaying great confidence in the new squad.

“Although we lost a bunch of seniors we still have a good amount [of players] coming back from last year’s team and a new bunch of players coming up from the JV that will definitely be a factor in winning this season,” Taussig said. This is good news. The Tigers will face difficult challenges in the very competitive Section 1.

Chemistry is essential to winning a championship. The team has been working arduously. The Tiger players have said that every practice has helped the team congeal. “The chemistry is building day by day,” Taussig said.

The Tigers are not frightened by the gigantic challenges that await them this winter. Nor do they fear being overshadowed by last year’s success. Since day one, this team has been ambitious. Coach Mike Chiapparelli has constantly reminded the team that it is fully capable of bringing back another Section 1 championship banner to the Jungle (Mamaroneck’s home ice rink). This new and youthful squad has the potential to surprise us all and may very well emulate last year’s dream team.

Boys’ Basketball

The Mamaroneck boys’ basketball program has not had significant results in recent years, but it appears that last year's program turned the corner. Mamaroneck finished the year with a 10-12 record (including the playoffs) and had one of its best wins in years. The Tigers pulled off a colossal upset last year by defeating White Plains in the first round of the Section 1 playoffs. Though some may have been surprised by the upset, signs of the team’s great capabilities were apparent throughout the season.

Despite the team’s 11 loses during the regular season, many of the games were very close in their scores. This is quite impressive when one considers that Mamaroneck plays in one of the most competitive sections in New York.

Last year’s defense was stellar and will be difficult to replicate. The team “played at a pretty quick pace,” said Sam Gruppo, a key senior who plays a variety of positions. “Since we were guard oriented, this [fast pace] worked well for us.” The Tigers lost invaluable players in Gabe Yizar, Taylor Mondshein and Pat Joyce, but the team is determined to work hard to fill those gaps.

        “We need to try and build upon last year’s success and improve,” junior Oliver Shirley said.

Making the playoffs appears to be the team’s primary goal at the moment. The team has a solid core of skilled players that have great leadership qualities, including Shirley, Gruppo and senior Seth Girsky.

       Gruppo expressed great optimism in the upcoming season. “A lot of people don’t have confidence in us because we lost a lot of key players, but I really believe that if we can mesh as a team and take in the coaching, we will be solid,” he said.

One of the keys to this year’s success is to improve on rebounding. This seems to be the squad’s current weak spot. The Tigers are well-coached and are disciplined. It appears that last year was a turning point in the program, and through hard work the team can continue to advance.