In a wild SCHSHL playoff quarterfinal that featured two hat tricks and a dramatic momentum shift, Longwood Freshman White survived a furious Eastport South Manor comeback to advance with a 6-3 victory Monday night at North rink. Brewer Spinella and Sebastian Aravena each recorded hat tricks for the Lions, who overcame a shaky second period to reach the semifinals behind spectacular third-period goaltending from Riley Parrales.
The Lions came out firing from the opening face-off, building a commanding 3-0 lead in the first period. Sebastian Aravena, who entered with 10 goals in 12 games, struck twice in the opening frame with unassisted markers at 12:56 and 0:12, sandwiching a goal by Spinella at 0:21. The early barrage put immediate pressure on ESM starter Austyn Pagano and seemed to set the tone for a potential blowout.
But the Sharks, who entered 13-5 and had dominated this season matchup 10-2 just 12 days earlier, refused to fold. The second period turned into an offensive showcase as both teams combined for five goals in a wild middle frame. After Aravena completed his hat trick at 10:02 with assistance from John Lechmanski for what proved to be the game-winner, ESM answered with authority. Everett Schupp, the team’s leading scorer with 14 goals and 23 assists entering the game, sparked the comeback with a goal at 10:07 assisted by Brody Maniaci. Just 47 seconds later, Kevin Beckman found the back of the net with help from William Newport, cutting Longwood’s lead to 4-2 and completely shifting the momentum.
The frenetic pace continued as Schupp struck again at 4:57, his second of the period, bringing ESM within one goal and sending their bench into a frenzy. But Spinella answered for Longwood at 3:12 with Brian Dillon earning the assist, restoring the two-goal cushion and setting up a tense final period. The second-period explosion saw three goals scored in just 47 seconds, transforming what looked like a comfortable Longwood lead into a nail-biting playoff battle.
The third period belonged entirely to Riley Parrales, who channeled his inner Patrick Roy with a series of spectacular saves that preserved Longwood’s lead. Spinella capped his hat trick performance just 27 seconds into the final frame, but it was Parrales who stole the show with save after save to deny ESM’s desperate comeback attempts. The Sharks, led by Beckman‘s dangerous rushes and Schupp’s continued pressure, threw everything at the Longwood net but couldn’t solve the suddenly unbeatable goaltender.
With the victory, eighth-seeded Longwood joins a remarkable group of playoff upsets that has defined this year’s SCHSHL tournament. Following Middle Country’s stunning defeat of undefeated top-seed East Islip in quarterfinal action, the Lions’ advancement continues the trend of lower seeds making deep runs. Longwood will face a tough semifinal test Wednesday night, but with two players recording hat tricks and Parrales finding his playoff form, the Lions have the offensive firepower and clutch goaltending to make more noise in this wide-open tournament.