Oceanside rallies into finals

Trailing Lynbrook by three goals with time dwindling down in the second period of a Nassau High School Hockey League Liberty Division semifinal playoff game at Long Beach Arena Feb. 12, things were looking quite bleak for Oceanside.

But behind the defensive pair of senior Brian Hurley and junior Andrew Green, the Sailors staged an improbable comeback to not only keep their season alive but achieve a longtime goal of qualifying for the state tournament. Green’s natural hat trick tied the game with 5:32 remaining, and Hurley’s goal with 31 seconds remaining won it, 6-5, in heroic fashion.

“It was just amazing,” Oceanside coach Bill Clark said. “It’s one of the most exciting high school games I’ve seen. Lynbrook came into the playoffs peaking at the right time and had us on the ropes. I kept telling our kids to keep going. They worked too hard to go down without a fight.”

Clark burned a timeout early in the second period after the Owls scored three straight goals to take a 4-2 lead. “We needed to start playing the type of hockey that got us to the playoffs,” he said. “We were a step behind.”

After Lynbrook made it 5-2, the Sailors seized momentum. Green scored on assists from Hurley and freshman Shane Clark with 1:09 left in the second and tallied again off a feed from Hurley with just one tick remaining on the clock to cut the margin to 5-4 heading into the third. “To score with a second left in the period gave us a major push,” the coach said. “At that point, I felt like the team that scored the next goal would win. Either we keep the momentum going or they steal it back.”

Lynbrook had a golden opportunity when Oceanside (15-8-1 overall) was whistled for a penalty with about six minutes to play, but instead of providing themselves with breathing room the Owls let the unthinkable happen. Green scored a shorthanded goal, with senior Joe Mitchell and sophomore Kieran Hurley assisting, and it was 5-5 with 5:32 left.

“Andrew loves to motor around and push the puck,” Clark said of Green. “He’s got speed and very good hands.”