Happy Birthday Mom! Tigers Top T-Birds 6-4

Jose Walter scored once and added two assists as the Northport/Huntington Tigers (1-0) defeated the Connetquot/Sayville T-Birds (0-1), 6-4. Kevin Sherwood scored the go-ahead goal for the Tigers — on his mom’s birthday, no less — and J.T. Caruso’s 3rd-period dagger sealed the deal.

Boden Rudloff backstopped the Tigers to victory in his first start of the season. Reilly Hanley started in goal for the T-Birds.

Carter Tomforde opened the scoring at 1:10 in the opening stanza to give the T-Birds a 1-0 lead. Bennett King made a pass to the left point for Tomforde, who scored his first career varsity goal on a screened shot.

Hanley stonewalled Northport/Huntington in the first frame, but the Tigers came roaring back in the second stanza.

Patrick Schmidt scored his first of the season with 12:02 to go in the 2nd period to make it 1-1. Walter went end-to-end, carried the puck beneath the goal line, and dished it to Schmidt for a shot from the slot to beat Hanley five-hole.

The two teams traded scoring chances, with Rudloff making a key stop off the ensuing draw and Hanley making a couple of key saves on an odd-man rush with under nine minutes to go.

Then Sherwood found the back of the net to put Northport/Huntington up 2-1 with 8:43 left in the 2nd period. Sherwood fired a shot from the point to beat Hanley through traffic.

Walter scored the third consecutive Tigers goal with 5:11 in the second stanza. Walter burst up ice, split the defense, and beat Hanley five-hole with a silky-smooth backhander to make it 3-1.

Joe Villani made it a one-goal game on the power play with 1:54 left in the second frame. Villani came crashing down from the point, collected a rebound, inched in, and beat Rudloff short side.

The T-Birds trailed 3-2 at the end of two.

Jordan Oramaner answered back for Northport/Huntington with 12:40 left in the 3rd period. Hanley went down on an attempted shot from the slot, but Jacob Guzzardo fanned on it, recovered it, and moved it to the back door for Oramaner, who beat the netminder while he was still down.

Caruso made his presence felt with 5:18 left in the third stanza to make it 5-2. Caruso went end-to-end, slicing across the Connetquot/Sayville zone before sniping five-hole for the eventual game-winning goal.

The T-Birds called timeout after Caruso’s goal. Off the ensuing draw, Connetquot/Sayville pulled Hanley for an extra attacker, but an errant pass in the neutral zone led to an empty-net goal for Lucas Serino, his first tally of the year, just 42 seconds after the timeout.

But the T-Birds refused to go quietly into the night, with King scoring his first career varsity goal with 3:16 to go in the final frame. King redirected a shot from the point by Alex Barlyski to make it 6-3.

The clock kept ticking and the T-Birds ran out of time. Villani found the back of the net on a shot from the slot with six seconds remaining in regulation, but the Tigers held on to win 6-4.

Three Stars

Jose Walter (1G, 2A) — The speedster played with pace, created space, and dominated possession in a three-point performance.

Kevin Sherwood (1G) — The rugged defender played a solid two-way game and chipped in on offense with a timely goal.

J.T. Caruso (GWG) — Just another night at the office for the Tigers star, who put the dagger in the T-Birds.

Official Box Score

Upcoming Schedule

The Northport/Huntington Tigers (1-0) are back in action against the defending state champion Smithtown/Hauppauge Bulls (1-0) Monday, Sept. 22, at 9:40 p.m.

The Connetquot/Sayville T-Birds (0-1) will look to bounce back into the win column against the East Islip Chiefs (1-0) on Friday, Sept. 26, at 10:10 p.m.