Christopher Lynch turned in one of the most dominant individual performances of the season at Northwell Health Ice Center on Friday, ripping off a hat trick and adding a fourth goal to go with an assist, but F-Troop answered blow for blow in a wild 8-8 tie against NYPD 113th Precinct.
Lynch set the tone early, scoring twice in the opening period — including the game’s first goal at 14:36 off a Vinny Petraglia assist — before adding a third with 2:42 left in the frame and a fourth just 14 seconds before the horn. His five-point night (4G, 1A) staked NYPD to a commanding 5-1 lead after 20 minutes, with Kenneth Miklas and Petraglia also finding the net in the period. Lynch wasn’t finished, either, tacking on a sixth NYPD goal in the third period to push his line total to four goals and cap a two-way effort that saw him disrupt clears and generate chances at both ends throughout.
F-Troop refused to fold, clawing back with relentless forechecking pressure led by Kieran Hurley, who finished with two goals and two assists. Joseph Cangro, Dougherty (two goals), Daniel Gagnon and Connor Fujarski all chipped in as F-Troop chipped away at the deficit across the second and third periods, eventually pulling even. Tim Regan, who set up an early goal with a smart feed and remained a constant threat all night, finished the comeback with an unassisted goal at 2:00 of the third period to level the score at 8-8. NYPD got secondary scoring from Nick Cancel and Conor Lynch, while Peter Steck and Kenny Gallart each chipped in with helpers, but the club couldn’t hold off the late surge.
The penalty report was relatively tame given the scoring pace, with eight total infractions and both squads playing through short-handed and power-play situations, including an F-Troop penalty kill late in the first period. Erik Naimoli got the win in goal for F-Troop, allowing six goals, while NYPD’s netminder conceded eight in the high-event affair.
Both clubs will look to tighten up defensively when they return to action, with plenty of firepower on display to build from heading into their next matchups.
