This year the Garden City Wings Varsity ice hockey team will begin their 32nd season in the Nassau High School Hockey League. The 2004-05 team features a much younger team than last year’s playoff finalist squad, with five freshmen on their opening night roster. Senior Captain Kevin Seiferth, Assistant Captains Conor Reeves and Conor Sweeney will be counted on to provide experience & leadership on the ice and in the locker room.

Defense should be the strength of the team as four members return from last year’s team, three of which return for their third year on Varsity. Senior Brian Collins led the defensemen last year with a plus/minus rating of 14 and will once again be matched up against the opponent’s top line. Captain Kevin Seiferth possesses a hard shot and will be asked to contribute offensively in addition to his defensive responsibilities. Senior Kevin Rice has great eye/hand coordination and played well at both ends of the ice last year. Junior Mike Makris is a strong skater with a good shot from the point and is tough in the corners. Bolstering the defense this season will be freshmen Tom Rossidis and David Brown. Rossidis is a smooth skating defenseman who will see time on the power play unit. Brown has looked good at practice and has shown that he is ready to make the jump up to the varsity level. Overall, the success of this year’s team will very much depend on the defenseman’s ability to control the play in the defensive zone.

Goaltender Junior Jeff Greco is back for his second varsity season, and leads a trio of formidable net minders. Greco compiled a 3-3-0 record with a 3.95 GAA in 2003-04 and has looked sharp during the preseason. Senior Tom Hickcox returns to the Wings after a two-year absence and has been solid in the nets during practice. Backing up Greco and Hickcox will be freshman Dave Logan who had a very solid year on the 2003-04 middle school squad.

Up front, the Wings will again be relying on aggressive fore-checking and strong positional skating. Assistant Captains Conor Sweeney and Conor Reeves will be asked to step up and fill the void left by last years graduating seniors who accounted for more than 50% of the scoring. Both Reeves and Sweeney are playing on varsity for their third year. Junior sniper Ryan Norell returns after leading the team with 17 goals, along with junior Brian Kiernan who led the team with 33 points in the 2003-04 season. Junior Max Auricchio worked hard in the off-season and has been impressive at practice. Junior Kevin Betts returns after last season being voted the Rookie of the Year by his teammates. A more mobile junior Kyle Seiferth has come back and will be a force near the offensive crease. Junior Max Bankin has shown in practice that he can put the puck in the net and the coaching staff will be hoping to see that carry over into the games. Freshman Aaron Kim has exceptional speed and will see some time on the penalty killing unit. Freshman Nick Greco is very tough in the corners and has shown good hockey sense.

The season begins on Sunday, October 17th at 8pm against Bethpage High School. Bethpage appeared last year in the State Playoffs and will be a great test for Garden City. The Wings will play their second game on Friday, October 22nd at 10pm against division opponent Carey High School. Both games will be played at Iceworks in Syosset. Please visit www.gcwings.org for a complete game schedule or for any additional information on the Wings.