Longwood White’s freshman squad extended its winning ways with a 6-1 victory over West Islip Blue on Monday at The Rinx – South Rink, a game that featured heavy offense from the Lions and a heated, penalty-laden atmosphere throughout. John Lechmanski scored twice in the opening period, including a power-play goal, to set the tone before Longwood pulled away in the second.
Brewer Spinella added two goals of his own, one shorthanded and one at even strength, while also picking up an assist to finish with three points on the night. Peter O’Sullivan chipped in a pair of goals, including a shorthanded strike in the second period while Longwood was on the penalty kill, extending the lead to 5-0 and effectively ending any hope of a West Islip comeback. Cesar Aravena, who entered the night with 26 goals and 33 points in 13 games, set up both of Lechmanski’s first-period goals and finished with two assists.
West Islip avoided the shutout when Jake Aniano scored in the third period off a feed from Luke Galante, but the deficit was already too large to overcome. Goaltender William Chero took the loss for West Islip, allowing six goals, while Malcolm Sherman picked up the win in net for Longwood, allowing just the one.
The game grew increasingly chippy as it wore on, with multiple scrums and fights breaking out and players from both teams heading to the penalty box in bunches. Matthew Minervini and Timothy Krispin each drew double minors, and at one point West Islip nearly had as many players in the box as on their bench. Longwood improves to 10-7 as it looks to hold its position in the standings down the stretch, while West Islip, now 4-13, continues to search for answers with just a handful of games remaining on the schedule.
