Coming in at No. 6 in our top 20 rankings are the Mt. Sinai Mustangs as they enter this season after appearing the last two Long Island Championships. Although the 2022 season did not end the way they would have liked, they are aiming to put themselves in a position where they will have a chance to take home the LIC and possibly a state championship this season. They may have graduated a generational talent in Joey Spallina, but they still return a supremely talented cast of players that have an opportunity to write their own script.
There’s no question the offense will have a different feel to it without Joey Spallina who creates so many opportunities for both himself as well as those around him. However this year they will still be a difficult matchup for opponents with an attack the features Lucas LaForge, Cole Marsala, and Christian Colantonio. LaForge, the future Wolverine has been a household name in this program since his freshman year and will now have the chance to initiate and create a lot of goals for himself. Last year he had a dominant season and showed up in the big games, totaling 53 goals and 13 assists for 66 points. Marsala the Qunnipiac commit is on the heels of a sensational 41 goals, 14 assist season last year. As for Colantonio the senior heading to Marist is a lefty sniper that is on the brink of having a breakout 2023 campaign. Another attackman that could be in the fold this year is junior Nicholas Carretta who was a member of the team last season as a sophomore.
Headlining the midfield is Jake Spallina the Syracuse bound senior. Spallina is utilized in a multitude of ways as he can be a traditional midfielder but also excels as a FOGO. Spallina will have his hands all over the game this season whether it’s scoring, facing off, or on defense. With key graduates in the 2022 class from their midfield and FOGO’s including James Carretta, Gavin Takacs and Austin Oppenheim, it opens the door for players like Noah Sulpizio, Brett Oppenheim, and Shea Mullahey to get more playing time this year.
At LSM it’s senior Brett Spallina (Syracuse) that is back and will once again have tremendous impact on the game. Spallina, a defensive oriented LSM provides physicality, toughness and makes game altering plays that go beyond the numbers, and is someone that every contending team needs.
After a very stout 2022 season the Mustangs will once again protect the cage with goaltender Brayden Wilcken the senior LIU commit. Wilcken returns after tallying 119 saves last year and will be pivotal once again to the Mt. Sinai defense. Among the defensemen that will be playing in front of him are Nick Jaferis (Binghamton) and Demetri Boutis. This year the defense will be without the 2022 graduates Dylan Sageder and Mikey Trepeta, but they still have an excellent chance to remain a top defense with those returning. Last year opponents had a tough time scoring on Mt. Sinai, as they allowed only 6.2 goals per game.
The Mustangs get the regular season started with a must see non-league matchup against Garden City on March 25th. As for their opponents in conference, some of the opponents that will likely be battling for positioning with for the playoffs include Bayport (4/18), Islip (4/20), and Shoreham Wading River (5/2). Mixed in as well this season is a non-league game against Class A Massapequa (4/22).
