Brick Wall Braglia

Official Box Score

Lucas Lucchi scored the eventual game winner as the 2nd seed Bellmore-Merrick Bulldogs defeated the 3rd seed Syosset Braves 4-0 to punch their ticket to the NYIHSHL 2023-2024 Championship Series. The Braves came into the matchup as the defending champions after sweeping the Bulldogs in last season’s finals. Joey Braglia made 23 saves in a shutout victory for the Bulldogs. Nick Summa made 17 stops for the Braves. 

After a tripping call that went against the Syosset Braves with 8:47 left in the opening frame, the Bellmore-Merrick Bulldogs went on the power play. Lucas Lucchi scored his first of the playoffs to put the Bulldogs on the board with 6:40 remaining in the 1st period. Lucchi dangled past the defender at the blue line, walked in and beat Summa blocker side. Later in the first frame, Jack Bahrenberg came in 1 on 0 with under three minutes remaining after the Braves forced a turnover in the Bulldogs zone. Joey Braglia came out of his crease to make a big save as Bahrenberg tried to go five-hole. Offsetting penalties were assessed to Braves co-captain Jake Gagliano and Bulldogs defenseman Vin Palagiano at the stoppage. Nick Drogan potted his first of the post-season to extend the Bulldogs lead to 2-0 with 2:22 remaining in the 1st period. Drogan cut right to left to carry the puck from his own zone into the Braves zone before using the defender as a screen to fire a perfectly placed shot between the glove and the pad of the netminder. The Bulldogs led 2-0 after the first fifteen minutes of regulation. 

A penalty that went against Bellmore-Merrick with 13:56 remaining in the second stanza put Syosset on the power play. Bellmore-Merrick captain, Noah Zinman did a great job of preventing zone entries and creating turnovers on the ensuing kill. The Bulldogs blue liner will continue to be a player to watch in the 2023-2024 NYIHSHL Championship Series. Sean Keene scored his second of the playoffs to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead with 9:57 remaining in the 2nd period. Lucas Lucchi won a battle beneath the Braves blue line before making a quick pass to Keene who went top shelf from the door step. A parade to the penalty box by the Braves late in the second frame led to a 5 on 3 advantage for the Bulldogs. Evan Lenz scored his first of the post-season on the power play with 1:59 left in the second stanza. Lenz walked in between the right wing hash marks and the dot to snipe blocker side high. The Bulldogs led 4-0 heading into the intermission.

Syosset’s Brady Lichtenstein and Bellmore-Merrick’s Vin Palagiano were assessed offsetting penalties at the start of the final frame. A high-sticking call that went against Bulldogs forward Nick Drogan gave the Braves a power play opportunity with 11:28 remaining in the 3rd period. The Bellmore-Merrick penalty kill did a great job of limiting Syosset’s chances on the power play. Jake Gagliano was sent to the box with 1:37 left in regulation. The Bulldogs would run out the clock to seal the deal. Following their 4-0 victory over Syosset, eleven Bellmore-Merrick skaters have now found the back of the net this post-season. Nico Buglione and Sean Keene are the lone Bulldogs skaters with two goals in as many playoff games.