High School
Pollard Duels Stauffer To A Draw
HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. (LISN) — The West Islip Lions (3-11-1) erased a four goal deficit in a 6-6 tie against the Middle Country Cougars (1-13-1).
Senior Ciaran Pollard had five goals and an assist to keep the Lions in the playoff hunt.
Senior Harold Stauffer recorded a hat trick and an assist for the Cougars in a dominant performance.
Senior Lukas McDowell added two goals, including a power-play tally, to help the Cougars secure the tie.
Junior Andrew Martens stood tall in his eighth start in goal for Middle Country. Sophomore Tyler Sapoff made his eighth start between-the-pipes for West Islip.
The Cougars took a 1-0 lead at 10:46 of the 1st period. McDowell made a quick pass from beneath the goal line to Stauffer, who went short side to beat Sapoff.
Stauffer doubled the lead at 6:23 in the opening stanza. The Cougars captain sniped stick side high for a breakaway goal.
Stauffer scored his 23rd of the season to complete the hat trick with 1:27 remaining in the first frame.
Middle Country extended their lead to 4-0 at 8:05 of the 2nd period when Junior Declan Munkwitz scored his 6th goal of the season.
Pollard put West Islip on the board with 7:00 left in the middle frame. The Lions captain went end-to-end before going forehand-backhand to score.
Pollard struck again at 3:08 in the second stanza to make it 4-2 heading into the 3rd period.
40 seconds into the 3rd period, McDowell scored a power play goal to make it 5-2 Cougars. Sapoff stopped a partial breakaway by Stauffer before McDowell buried the rebound.
McDowell followed up with his 4th goal of the season at 9:52 in the 3rd period to give the Cougars a commanding 6-2 lead.
Pollard forced a turnover before scoring a shorthanded, breakaway goal at 6:41 in the final frame to make it a 6-3 game.
Pollard scored his fourth of the game with 2:34 remaining in regulation off a beautiful feed from Senior Charles Salamone.
Pollard scored his 5th of the night and 29th goal of the season at 1:47, assisted by Mervyak, bringing the score to 6-5.
With just 33 seconds remaining, William Shields tied the game at 6-6, scoring his 7th goal of the season, assisted by Pollard and Mervyak.
Box Score
| Period | TOI | Team | Goal Scorer | Assists | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 10:46 | Middle Country | Harold Stauffer | Lukas McDowell | |
| 1st | 06:23 | Middle Country | Harold Stauffer | Roman Franco, Declan Munkwitz | |
| 1st | 01:27 | Middle Country | Harold Stauffer | Alex Theodorellis, Roman Franco | |
| 2nd | 08:05 | Middle Country | Declan Munkwitz | Jared Catapano | |
| 2nd | 07:00 | West Islip | Ciaran Pollard | Andrew Mervyak | |
| 2nd | 03:08 | West Islip | Ciaran Pollard | Nicholas Perpall, Andrew Mervyak | |
| 3rd | 14:20 | Middle Country | Lukas McDowell | Harold Stauffer, Declan Munkwitz | Power Play |
| 3rd | 09:52 | Middle Country | Lukas McDowell | Unassisted | |
| 3rd | 06:41 | West Islip | Ciaran Pollard | Unassisted | Shorthanded |
| 3rd | 02:34 | West Islip | Ciaran Pollard | Charles Salamone | |
| 3rd | 01:47 | West Islip | Ciaran Pollard | Andrew Mervyak | |
| 3rd | 00:33 | West Islip | William Shields | Ciaran Pollard, Andrew Mervyak |
Three Stars of the Game
| ⭐️ | Player Name | Stat Line | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⭐️ 1 | Ciaran Pollard | 5 G, 2 A | Scored five goals, including a shorthanded tally, to lead the Lions’ comeback. |
| ⭐️ 2 | Harold Stauffer | 3 G, 1 A | Recorded a hat trick and an assist to pace the Cougars’ offense. |
| ⭐️ 3 | Lukas McDowell | 2 G, 1 A | Scored twice, including a power-play goal, and added an assist. |
Upcoming Schedule
The Connetquot/Sayville T-Birds (3-12-0) will face the Middle Country Cougars (1-13-1) on Friday, January 17, at 10:10 PM at The Rinx. In their previous meeting, the T-Birds cruised to a decisive 12-4 victory over the Cougars.
The West Islip Lions (3-11-1) will take on the East Islip Chiefs (6-8-0) on Monday, January 13, at 9:40 PM at The Rinx. In their previous meeting, the Chiefs secured a 9-2 victory over the Lions.
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