EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — Chris Callandra scored three times, including the eventual game-winner, as J.F.K. Customs Hockey Club rallied for an 8-4 win over the Long Island Knights on Saturday at Northwell Health Ice Center. The exhibition was part of the George Lucas Memorial Classic, benefiting the Gerrin Hagen Foundation.
Christian Scudder got the Knights on the board first, converting a crease rebound with assists from Jeremy Kabinoff and Chris Kraemer. Callandra answered for J.F.K. Customs in the opening period, the first of his three tallies on the night with helpers from Robert Chaffee and Danny Huss. Long Island pushed back in the second period as Vinny Rusotto buried a feed from Kraemer, and Kraemer added an unassisted goal of his own to give the Knights a cushion. J.F.K. Customs responded before the intermission, getting a goal from Kennedy off a Joe Stavola assist and a second Callandra strike, assisted by Stavola and Jon Rubino, to even the score entering the third.
The third period belonged to J.F.K. Customs. Jon Rubino opened the scoring with an assist from Tommy Batche, and Callandra completed his hat trick moments later with an unassisted goal that stood as the game-winner. Kraemer answered for the Knights with his second goal of the night, unassisted, but J.F.K. Customs continued to pull away. Batche scored with an assist from Eric Urban, Joseph Vespertino added a goal assisted by Huss and Stavola, and Urban closed the scoring with a goal assisted by Callandra, capping the comeback win.
Callandra finished with three goals and an assist for four points to pace J.F.K. Customs, while Stavola contributed three assists. Kraemer led the Knights with two goals and two assists. In goal, Shaun Jackson allowed two goals on 33 shots before Tim Schnaible finished the game, stopping 17 of 19 shots faced for J.F.K. Customs. Eric Wright turned aside 85 of 93 shots in the loss for Long Island.
The two clubs will look ahead to their next tests as the high school season on Long Island draws closer in the coming months.
