The Ward Melville Patriots are ranked ninth in the LILJ preseason rankings after going 13-4 and appearing in the county finals last year. Their season came to an end at the hands of Northport who went on to win the LIC. They are also fresh off of playing in the LILJ High School Winter League. It was a great showing from a combination of their upperclassmen and underclassmen as they get ready to take the field in 2022. The Patriots are led by Head Coach Jay Negus who is just looking for his team to be the best versions of themselves every single day.
Ward Melville’s offense was prolific at times last season, led by Kevin Dolan (Fairfield) at attack who returns for his senior season. Dolan put together a 41 point season last year with 30 goals and 11 assists. His strength allows him to back down defenders and score around the crease, and he has an incredibly powerful shot with the ability to score from deep. Dolan is joined at attack by junior Nikolas Barbero (Siena) and Nicholas Bruckner (Harvard) who combined to tally 31 points last year. The midfield will consist of four returning seniors, Tyler Flynn, (Providence) Tyler Ruffini (RPI) and Nick Stoecker (Cortland). Flynn is a two-way player that will bring it on both sides of the field with his ability to defend and score from just about anywhere on the field. Ruffini brings a combination of speed and vision that makes him dangerous when he has the ball. His 11 assists last season tied him for the third most on the team. Stoecker also plays both sides of the field and can make defensive plays that will lead to scoring opportunities on the offensive end.
Three players in the class of 2021 whose presence and skill set will be missed are midfielders James Araneo(Brown) and Trevor Dunn(Salisbury), and attackman Chris Simonton(Providence). All three of them provided a big punch on the offensive end.
Defensively the Patriots will lean on seniors Jack Nicholson (Swarthmore), Drew Nicholson (Williams), and Frank Carroll (Providence). They will be playing in front of senior goaltender Zach Licavoli (Endicott) who was dominant between the pipes last season. He finished with over 100 saves and a save percentage north of 60%. As a team Ward Melville allowed fewer than six goals per game which played a huge role in them winning 13 games.
Four players that weren’t on the varsity team last year that may have an opportunity to get minutes are Aidan Valieko, Andrew Belli, Ben Ehlers, and Aidan McMinn. Valieko and Belli are junior midfielders that got plenty of time in the winter league. McMinn is a sophomore defender and Ehlers is a freshman defender.
The Patriots play a tough schedule this year that features league games and non league games against elite teams. Notable matchups include at Garden City (3/24) home against Chaminade (3/26), at Bay Shore (4/9), home against Huntington (4/12), at Smithtown East (4/22), and at Northport (4/30).
Ward Melville has a number of notable alumni that once wore the Patriot jersey. They all went on to play at the collegiate level and some even went on to play professionally. Here are a few former Ward Melville players:
Dan Bucaro (Georgetown, Atlas Lacrosse Club)
Christian Mazzone (Rutgers, Archers Lacrosse Club)
Jack Bruckner (Duke)
Alex Mazzone (Georgetown)
Matt Grillo (Providence)
Dom Pryor (Hofstra)
Ethan Larson (UNC)
Colin Krieg (UNC)
Nice analysis. Don’t forget Brandon Aviles- Syracuse-Defensive Midfielder, Mike Rastivo – Saint Joseph’s and Dylan Pallonetti- Stony Brook