High School
East Islip Soars Over T-Birds
The Second Round Rematch Lived up to Hype
After being bounced in round two of the 2022-2023 SCHSHL Varsity Playoffs, the Connetquot Sayville BBP T-Birds looked to settle the score last night against East Islip. Straight off the draw, the high octane East Islip offense worked to create scoring chances in T-birds territory. Ryan Anatra and co found themselves stonewalled early on by first year T-Birds goaltender Shane Kirby. With the poise of a seasoned veteran, Kirby’s show stopping saves had Connetquot Sayville BBP fans comparing the young netminder to another former T-Birds netminder. I am of course referring to Mathew Hughes, whose sixty save shutout against Kings Park Commack in round one of the 2022-2023 SCHSHL playoffs propelled the T-Birds to their aforementioned round two matchup with East Islip. Mathew Hughes is now with Skipjacks HC of the United Tier One Hockey League, thrusting the T-Birds tandem of Shane Kirby and Alexander Clark into the spotlight.
In last night’s matchup, all eyes were on Kirby as he worked to keep the game scoreless. He succeeded until just past the midway mark, when Thomas Ivers fired a shot through traffic to make it 1-0. East Islip Netminder Brody Dickson would then be credited for his first career assist and point in the SCHSHL Varsity Division after dishing the puck to Ryan Anatra who made it 2-0. The East Islip superstar went onto score two straight goals, which gave him a natural hatrick on the night. Richard Gutterwill would go onto to score the T-Birds lone goal of the night late in the third period, but East Islip would score twice more to secure the 6-1 win.
Scoring Summary:
| Period | Time | Scorer | Assists | Team |
| 2nd | 06:33 | Thomas Ivers | Anthony Pepe | East Islip Chiefs |
| 2nd | 04:00 | Ryan Anatra | Brody Dickson | East Islip Chiefs |
| 2nd | 00:59 | Ryan Anatra | Thomas Ivers, Jack McGarry | East Islip Chiefs |
| 3rd | 12:00 | Ryan Anatra | Thomas Ivers, Anthony Pepe | East Islip Chiefs |
| 3rd | 05:52 | Richard Guterwill | Ryan Fleischauer, Alexander DeLeon | Connetquot Sayville T-Birds |
| 3rd | 02:46 | Anthony Pepe | Thomas Ivers | East Islip Chiefs |
| 3rd | 01:46 | Ryan Anatra | Thomas Ivers | East Islip Chiefs |
Three Stars of the Game:
| Star | Player Name | Stat Line | Performance Description |
| 1st | Ryan Anatra | 4 Goals | If Masterclass offered a course in goal scoring, Ryan Anatra who has scored four goals in three consecutive contests, would be teaching it. |
| 2nd | Thomas Ivers | 1 Goal, 4 Assists | The Maestro of the East Islip offense, the leagues leading set up man racked up four more assists en route to leading his team in total points in last night’s matchup. |
| 3rd | Anthony Pepe | 1 Goal, 2 Assists | Anthony Pepe is a pest in all the best ways, hounding pucks and players across the ice while putting plenty of points on the board. |
Team Insights:
East Islip Chiefs: The Chiefs continue their impressive start to this season, boasting a record of 5 wins, 0 losses, and 1 tie. Their next challenge will be against a young Smithtown Hauppauge Bulls team on Monday, October 30th at 8:10.
Connetquot Sayville T-Birds: The T-Birds, currently with a record of 1 win and 5 losses, have had a tough schedule to start the season. Three of their five losses have come in games against topflight competition such as1st place Sachem, 2nd place Kings Park Commack and 3rd place East Islip. The T-Birds will look to get back to their winning ways against the Longwood Lions on Wednesday, November 1st at 9:20 PM.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login