SOUTH HUNTINGTON – The Messenger’s exploration of Huntington is relatively new, but the St. Anthony’s boys’ varsity ice hockey team’s dominance is not. The Friars continued to rack up wins and claim titles this year, securing the Suffolk and Long Island championships.
The St. Anthony’s Friars are members of the Suffolk County High School Hockey League (SCHSHL) and compete at the varsity level. The Friars are led by head coach Robert Lund, who is joined by assistant coaches Joe DeLuca and Alex Lund. In 25 games played, St. Anthony’s boasted a 20-4-1 record this season.
The Friars have been a powerhouse for high school hockey on Long Island for a while now. Anyone who gets to the Rinx in Hauppauge to watch the SCHSHL knows this. Surprisingly, they were not the first-place team in the standings this year. The Smithtown/Hauppauge Bulls claimed that spot. That little tidbit didn’t matter to the Friars, though; they claimed what was theirs, and that was the Suffolk County title.
Back in February, the Bulls and the Friars competed in a three-game series for the county championship. The Friars won game one 6-5 in a shootout, and the Bulls took game two 2-1 in regulation. A decisive game three was on the docket for these two teams, who are well acquainted with one another. The Friars emerged victorious with a 2-1 win, becoming Suffolk back-to-back County champions.
With the Suffolk County title under their belt, they had a chance to compete for more. The winner of the Nassau title saw Long Beach beat Bellmore/Merrick, and with that, the Long Island title matchup was set.
The 2nd annual Long Island championship took place locally, at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow, home of the New York Islanders (practice facility) and the LIU Sharks women’s & men’s hockey teams. Puck drop was at 4:00p.m. on Saturday afternoon, and both teams had a solid three weeks of practice leading up to this matchup.
The Friars and Marines put on a close game, with the score being neck-and-neck. Ultimately, St. Anthony’s emerged as the kings of Long Island, winning the Long Island championship by the score of 3-2. The goal scorers for St. Anthony’s were Thomas Azzariti (2) and Christian Buttacavoli.
This season, the Friars saw most of its offensive output come from four players: Cameron Kalberer, Anthony Cutalo, Zack Sirel, and Thomas Azzariti. This core four has claimed spots 4-7 in the SCHSHL top-10 scoring list for the 2025-26 season. Kalberer went 31g-29a-60pts, Cutalo went 22g-20a-42pts, Sirel went 25g-17a-42pts, and Azzariti went 27g-14a-41pts. Kalberer was the first player to reach the 50-point mark this season.
Prior to the LI championship game, St. Anthony’s and Long Beach were both invited and honored at UBS Arena at the New York Islanders game Friday night versus the LA Kings. Midway through the first period, the two teams were recognized on the jumbotron for winning their respective county titles. The fans wished them luck for their game taking place the next day.
Congratulations to the St. Anthony’s Friar boys’ varsity ice hockey team for going two-for-two in title hunting this season!
