William Mistretta netted a pair of goals to help Southampton Freshman battle league-leading Smithtown FR Red to a 2-2 deadlock Friday night at North rink, giving the underdog Southampton squad a valuable point against the top team in the SCHSHL freshman division. The sophomore forward, who entered the contest with 10 goals in 17 games, bookended the scoring with tallies in the first and third periods to cap off a spirited comeback effort.
Southampton struck first when Mistretta found the net unassisted at 5:22 of the opening frame, but the high-powered Smithtown offense responded with authority in the second period. Nicolas Beccarelli, the league’s leading scorer with 15 goals entering the night, knotted the score at 12:55 before Vincent Sellitto gave the visitors their first lead just over nine minutes later with an unassisted marker at 3:25.
The third period belonged to Mistretta, who answered Smithtown’s go-ahead goal just three minutes into the final frame to secure the tie for Southampton. The deadlock represented a significant moral victory for the 11-8 Southampton squad, which had previously fallen 8-3 to this same Smithtown team back on November 3rd. Meanwhile, the result prevented Smithtown FR Red (17-2) from extending their dominant season record, as both teams settled for a point in the standings.
Penalty trouble plagued both sides throughout the contest, with nine total infractions called in what became an increasingly chippy affair. The physical play intensified in the third period, where six of the game’s penalties were assessed, including coincidental minors to Martin Osullivan and Vincent Sellitto with 5:41 remaining that epitomized the heated nature of this freshman division showdown.