Bulls Charge to Victory over Patriots

Thirty eight seconds, that’s all it took for Jake Mangano to score his sixth goal of the season and put the Ward Melville Patriots on the board. Right after Smithtown Hauppauge Bulls Netminder Patrick Ryan made a clutch shoulder save against Patriots defender Patrick Scali, Mangano batted the puck out of midair and into the net. What followed was a flurry of penalties, odd man rushes and heavy hits by both the Patriots and the Bulls.

Two minutes and twenty five seconds into the first period, Patriots forward Luca Scolaro went to the box for high sticking. The Bulls failed to capitalize on the power play, which came to an early end when Bulls defender David Wetzel was sent to the box for tripping. The Patriots couldn’t sneak one past Patrick Ryan that time, but they continued to press. With three minutes and thirty one seconds remaining in the first, Bulls defenseman Raymond Sherwood’s interference penalty sent the Patriots back to the power play. Then everything changed.

The Bulls tied it up with a short handed goal by John Dallessandro with twelve minutes and twenty seconds gone by in the first period. It was assisted by former Junior Varsity Captain Brandon Landrigan and defenseman David Wetzel. By the start of the second, the tide had turned in favor of the Bulls. Adam Lackowitz, the second year varsity defender, blasted one past Michael Sittler to put the Bulls up 2-1 in the second. Patrick Malone was awarded an assist on the play. Rookie Gavin Bareham than committed a tripping penalty, but the Patriots power play couldn’t seal the deal that time.

A minute after that successful kill, Bulls forward Max Campo took a tripling penalty which led to an unassisted power play goal by Jake Mangano. And while the scoresheet may suggest otherwise, don’t be fooled. Patrick Ryan made difficult stops look like routine saves, while Michael Sittler showed style with a windmill save in the second period to keep the game tight.

But despite Sittler’s best efforts, the Bulls fired right back with two goals in two minutes. The first scored by Shane Reidy, assisted by David Wetzel and Brandon Landrigan. The second scored by Jackson Cantalupo, also assisted by Brandon Landrigan as well as Shane Reidy.

The game opened up from there, with Jake Mangano committing a penalty which led to a Michael Arnoni power play goal with assists being awarded to defenseman Christopher Guglielmo and forward Bobby Trites. Having given up three unanswered goals, Ward Melville called timeout.

By the time the puck was dropped at center ice, the Patriots were playing with pace and creating space. Their fast and physical style of play drew a tripping penalty which was assessed to John Dallessandro, but Patrick Ryan shut the door on the penalty kill which allowed the Bulls to maintain their 5-2 lead.

The Bulls came out firing on all cylinders to start the second, drawing an early penalty which led to a Michael Arnoni goal just thirty seven seconds into the period. That’s one second less than Mangano took to score in the first. It was assisted by the one and only Bobby Trites as well as fan favorite defenseman Christopher Guglielmo.

The Bulls proceeded to attack the net, but were fended off by the heroic efforts of Patriot Netminder Michael Sittler. However after a penalty by Patriots forward Timothy Brown just past the ten minute mark of the third period, Patrick Malone scored the first varsity goal of his young career on the odd man advantage. Assists were assessed to fellow rookie Jackson Cantalupo and the veteran Adam Lackowitz. Gavin Bareham added to the lead shortly thereafter, making it an 8-2 lead for the Smithtown Hauppauge Bulls. Richard Phister III had the primary assist, while Bobby Trites was awarded the secondary assist. The Bulls Timothy Sellito proceeded to make it 9-2 on an unassisted goal, with Patrick Malone following up with his second goal of the night. With a minute left, Patrick Malone completed the Hatrick on a shot scored in the final minute. An 11-2 route for the Bulls.

So after a season opening win against the Longwood Lions, the Patriots have now dropped four straight. The Patriots lost 4-2 to the second place Kings Park Commack Knights and lost 6-4 to the third place East Islip Chiefs. The Patriots also lost late last night to the Connetquot Sayville BBP T-Birds in an 8-6 barnburner. This 11-2 loss is the widest margin of defeat this season for the Patriots, but the good news is that this team is far better than their record may indicate. With a week’s rest between tonight’s loss and a matchup with the tenacious Northport Huntington Tigers, look for the Patriots to right the ship. The Patriots will then be off until November 5th and 6th, when they face off against Sachem and the St. Anthony’s Friars.

For Smithtown Hauppauge, this is the win fans were looking for. After a 10-3 win over North Port Huntington in their season opener, the Bulls lost back to back games. One came in a 5-4 overtime in a major rivalry game against Sachem, which was followed up by a 3-2 loss against the West Islip Lions. Now they are coming off back to back wins against the Friars and Patriots. The kids are flying, with former Junior Varsity Captain and Division Champion Brandon Landrigan leading the charge.

With an upcoming game against last years county finalist East Islip Chiefs, last years Junior Varsity champions will need to answer the call if the Bulls want to advance to 4-2 on the season. This team can’t afford to take their foot off the gas now. With an upcoming game against a good Connetquot Sayville BBP T-Birds team on November 12th, followed by a matchup against a hungry Longwood Lions team looking for their first win on November 15th, this team has their work cut out for them. But if they can pull it off, last year’s Junior Varsity Champions could be this year’s Varsity Champions.

Tonight’s Stars of the Game

The honorable mention goes to Brandon Landrigan, the kid captain of last year’s Junior Varsity team, who had three assists tonight. The two way forward has made a seemingly effortless transition to the varsity level. Jackson Cantalupo, with his ability to dance his way past defenseman and goaltenders, was also a serious contender for star of the game honors.