Friars Win by One

West Islip Comeback Falls Short In The Third Period.

In a game that had SCHSHL fans on the edge of their seats, the St. Anthony’s Friars took on a West Islip Lions team coming off a win against the Longwood Lions just twenty four hours prior. It took just fifty four seconds for the defending champions to get on the board. A highlight reel worthy goal from Zackary Sirel which was assisted by Gerard Nealon and Anthony Scorcia. West Islip’s leading scorer Ciaran Pollard fired right back on a beautiful shot in transition right before the ten minute mark. Just a minute later former St. Anthony JV Gold Captain James Schendorf made the game 2-1 in favor of the Friars. Devin Curry made it 3-1 Friars with just over two minutes remaining in the first.

With the St. Anthony’s faithful cheering them on from the stands, the Friars came out strong in the second period. The game remained within two thanks to the show stopping saves of West Islip netminder Braiden Buccino. The Friars finally managed to capitalize on a second period scoring chance when Gerard Nealon buried a rebound off of a three on one odd man rush. James Schendorf proceeded to make it 5-1 on a buzzer-beating rebound goal as time expired in the second period.

The West Islip Lions came roaring back in the third period. St. Anthony’s starting goaltender Shane Ryan made several key saves in the period’s opening minutes. Then West Islip Lions forward, William Shields, fired a quick shot on net and buried his own rebound to cut the lead to three. Just fifteen seconds later James Barbieri buried another rebound for West Islip. The initial shot came from Andrew Mervyak who was credited with a primary assist. With under two minutes remaining West islip’s William Shields buried yet another Lions rebound off of a shot taken by Ciaran Pollard. The Friars held on to win 5-4 in regulation.

Scoring Summary:

3 Stars of the Game:

The Friars have won two of their last three games despite the absence of Brady Monteleone for the third consecutive contest. Monteleone was St. Anthony’s second leading scorer last season with 14 goals and 8 assists in 17 regular season games. The Friars have managed to overcome his absence thanks to strong performances from multiple members of last season’s St. Anthony’s JV Gold and JV Black teams. The Friars are back in action on Monday November 6th at 8:10 PM when they take on the Longwood Lions.

Coming off a win against Longwood on Sunday Night, West Islip fell just short of knocking off the defending champions. The Lions were unable to complete the third period comeback but managed to score three unanswered goals in the third period. The Lions defensive core has shown off great four way mobility so far this season while creating havoc on both sides of the puck in transition. If West Islip can continue to count on their ability to fire shots from the point and bury rebounds they will continue to make life difficult for their opponents all year long. The Lions Pride can expect another strong showing against the Ward Melville Patriots on Monday November 6th at 9:40 PM. Fans can watch both games live at the Rinx or stream it on the LI Sports Network YouTube channel.