Pitarresi: Cunningham deserving of high praise

 

There were a lot of expectations for the New Hartford High School hockey team this season.

 

And the Spartans certainly lived up to them in storming to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Division II hockey championship this weekend. With a pair of one-sided victories over Kenmore East and Pelham, they did exactly what they set out to do back four months ago.

 

The players did a great job, but I’d also like to give a tip of the hat to coach John Cunningham. This is his second state title in hockey, and he’s won a bunch games and league and sectional titles in softball, too, in his more than two decades of coaching.

 

Cunningham is not a loud guy, so he doesn’t stand out as much as he should. I've known him for nearly 40 years, so perhaps I'm biased, but I think he’s been an exemplary coach in terms of wins and losses and how he runs his teams. He’s also been a positive force as Section III’s hockey chairman and in organizing the state tournament.

 

In short, he’s quietly put together a standout resume. Before his career is over, he really should be thought of as of the Mohawk Valley’s all-time great coaches, if he isn’t already.