Three students play for other schools
Aisling Stathos, Caden Philippi and Kiyoshi Tomizawa agree on why they love hockey: “Because it’s so fast!”
Because there are not enough players at Haldane High School to form teams, they all play for other schools. Philippi and Tomizawa, both sophomores, skate for the Cortlandt Rebels, which also has players from Lakeland, Walter Panas and Putnam Valley high schools, while Stathos, a ninth grader, plays for the North Avalanche, which includes girls from 14 schools in Westchester and Putnam counties.
After two years of skating lessons, Stathos followed her older brother into hockey at age 6. “I was little, playing with boys four years older than me,” she says. “It was a bit rough to start.” Things got better after she joined a girls’ team in Brewster.
Stathos, 14, who plays center, is impressed by how difficult hockey is. “Anyone can run and throw a football,” she said. “Not many people can skate and shoot a puck.” She also enjoys chess, which she said helps her think strategically on the ice, although she can have “a little bit too much chess brain. I need to just go for the puck!”
When she joined the Avalanche, which plays teams from Mamaroneck, Rye, Rockland County and Connecticut, she knew nearly all her teammates. “The girls’ hockey community is pretty small,” she said.
Stathos also plays on an elite-level team for girls up to age 19. Because she is among the younger players, she sometimes “feels like a little kid” but is inspired by Colin Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks, who reached the NHL at age 18.
It was easy for her to select a highlight from the high school season. “I got on the ice for my first shift but wasn’t playing my usual position,” she said. “But a chance is a chance: My shot wasn’t great, but it went in!”
The Avalanche defeated the East Green Wave, 3-0, on Jan. 26 and Rye Country Day, 2-1, on Tuesday (Jan. 28) to complete its regular season.
Stathos isn’t sure how far she’ll pursue the game. “I put academics before hockey,” she said, although she is aware that 15 Division 1 colleges have women’s teams.
Philippi got into hockey after playing in a Junior Rangers program at age 11. Now 15, he was a Rebels’ modified team member last year before moving this season to the varsity. The team practices at Bear Mountain State Park and plays its home games at the Brewster Ice Arena.
A defenseman, Philippi lists strong backward skating as one of his skills, “but I have many things to work on, including my slap shot,” he said.
He likes hockey’s nonstop action. “You’re always doing something,” he said.
After last season, the Rebels moved to a more competitive level and have struggled, with 13 losses and a tie.
Though he had never played hockey before last season, Tomizawa, 15, grew up skating on a backyard pond. “Hockey came pretty naturally,” he said. “I’ve been watching it my whole life.” He was a goalie on the modified team, a position he described as “scary.” This season, he is playing wing. “There’s a lot of skill involved,” he said. “It’s pretty physical, pretty intense.”
He and Philippi said they plan to stick with hockey at least through high school, although Tomizawa conceded his true passion is baseball.
The next Rebels game is at 7 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 1) at the Brewster Ice Arena against Clarkston. They host Byram Hills at 6:15 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 7).
