The Long Island Warriors – Blue edged Flower City (C) 8-7 on Saturday at Northwell Health Ice Center in a game that saw both teams combine for 15 goals. Jeff Shaw and Eric Smith each delivered four-goal performances, trading blows in a scoring race that went down to the final minutes.
Smith opened the scoring for Flower City just before the midpoint of the first period, then set up Frank Patricelli for a second goal to give the visitors an early cushion. Smith kept building from there, scoring twice more in the second period on unassisted goals to push his tally to three before the period ended. Shaw got the Warriors on the board in the second period with an assist from Eddie Weatherall, and Tom Donaldson had already chipped in a goal of his own earlier in the frame.
The third period turned into a track meet. Dave Imparato started the flurry with a goal assisted by Rob Chaffee, and Shaw answered with back-to-back unassisted goals to complete his hat trick and tie the game. Smith restored the lead for Flower City with the eventual game-winning goal, assisted by Chris DelVecchio, but Shaw wasn’t finished – he added his fourth goal of the night moments later. DelVecchio and Weatherall traded scores down the stretch, with Weatherall notching two unassisted goals in the final two minutes and DelVecchio capping his three-point night with five seconds left to make it 8-7.
Smith finished with a six-point game on four goals and two assists, while Shaw matched him goal-for-goal with four scores of his own for the Warriors. DelVecchio added two goals and an assist, and Weatherall chipped in two goals and two assists in the win. Kevin Imparato picked up the win in net for the Warriors, while Jon Donovon took the loss for Flower City.
Both clubs, now with identical 1-1 records, will look to build on the offensive fireworks as the season progresses.
