Justin Mezzasalma scored with four seconds remaining to cap a wild third-period comeback as Kings Park Commack Freshman Black stunned West Islip Freshman Blue 5-4 on Wednesday night at North. The dramatic winner, assisted by Stella Boccard, erased a 2-0 deficit and gave Kings Park Commack (6-11) revenge for their 4-3 loss to West Islip in November.
West Islip appeared to be cruising toward victory after building a commanding two-goal lead through 40 minutes. Michael Lane opened the scoring at 12:18 of the first period, and Shea Levy extended the advantage to 2-0 in the second period with Jake Aniano providing the assist. The Lions entered the game having struggled all season at 4-14, but seemed poised to pull off an upset against their fellow cellar-dweller.
The third period turned into an absolute shootout with seven goals in the final 20 minutes. Joseph Tuozzolo got Kings Park Commack on the board first, followed 11 seconds later by Aiden Marchese to suddenly tie the game 2-2. Lane answered back for West Islip to restore the lead, but Joseph Schwartz knotted it again at 3-3 with an assist from Mezzasalma. Marchese then gave Kings Park Commack their first lead of the game with his second goal of the period, but Levy responded with 35 seconds left to force what appeared to be overtime.
Instead, Mezzasalma delivered the knockout punch in the final seconds, completing a remarkable rally for Kings Park Commack. Marchese led all scorers with two goals despite picking up 10 penalty minutes, while Lane and Levy each recorded two goals for West Islip in the losing effort. The victory was crucial for Kings Park Commack as both teams continue to battle near the bottom of the SCHSHL standings.