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by Dwayne Sweatsky



With their League Division Showdown with the Elmjack Blue Jays kicking off in just five days, the New York Mud Hens have thrown a curveball into playoff proceedings by selecting Hommock’s Ice Rink in Westchester as the squad’s home field for the remainder of the NYCMBL post season.

During the school year, the Westchester arena, which seats 2,316, is home to the Mamaroneck Tigers, the defending New York State hockey Champions. On Sunday night, an 11th hour deal was reached that will give the Swampers use of the facility until the middle of September.

According to the Hens, the decision to make Hommocks their home playoff site came down to a simple question of match ups. Two of the available fields, the Elmjack Babe Ruth field and the ballpark at Forest Hills High School, have short right field porches—something that plays right into the hands of the Blue Jays. In the final regular season meeting between the two squads this summer, Jays’ left-handed slugger Bob Gorvetzian hit two round-trippers beyond the right field wall.

In contrast, the oblong rink at Hommocks plays a uniform 17 meters from blue line to blue line, thus negating the power of lefty hitters.

“We don’t expect [Gorvetzian’s] power to be a problem,” explains Mud Hens’ director of operations Richard Reed. “We feel that Hommock’s plays to our strength, especially if we get after it with our fore-checking and disrupt shots from the point.”

In addition, the Hens’ selection negates what might be the Jays’ biggest advantage by disturbing the organization’s tradition of grilling before, during, and after games. At Hommocks, all food must be purchased from the arena’s modestly priced concession stand, while outside food and drink is expressly prohibited.

Reed did note however, that the decision to play at Hommocks will mean that the Swampers—as well as their opponents, will have to make some personnel decisions. “We’re still ironing some things out,” explains Reed. “We’re toying with the idea of moving [third baseman] Greg Basso to our second defense line, and thinking about putting [EH] Mike Smith on the inactive list, because he simply doesn’t move well on the ice.”

The puck is scheduled to drop at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. No word has been given on what time the first pitch will be thrown.
Metal cleats are encouraged.