The Ward Melville Patriots used a five-goal first quarter to build a 7-1 halftime lead en route to a dominant 13-4 victory over the visiting Smithtown West Bulls (NY) on Monday afternoon at Ward Melville High School.
The win moves Ward Melville to 7-0. Smithtown West (NY) suffered their first defeat of the season and fell to 7-1. The rivalry game was a rematch of the 2012 Suffolk County Class A semi-final game, also won by the Patriots, 13-9.
Christian Mazzone (Rutgers) netted the first goal of the game for Ward Melville, giving the Patriots a 1-0 advantage. After Smithtown West tied the game just a minute later, Ward Melville clamped down defensively, allowing the offense to finish the quarter on a 4-0 run to lead 5-1 after the first period.
The pace slowed some in the second as the teams traded possessions. The Patriots netted the only two goals of the quarter, taking a 7-1 advantage into the break.
The second half picked up where the first ended. The Patriots outscored the Bulls, 2-1, in the third quarter to take a commanding 9-2 lead into the fourth.
Smithtown West was able to cut the lead to 9-4 midway through the quarter, but that is as close as it would get. Ward Melville would pump in the final four goals of the game with the Bulls defense scrambling to double-team to take the 13-4 victory in East Setauket.
The game was an impressive, balanced effort by the Patriots. The offense led by Mazzone (4G, 2A), who was spectacular on the day continued their impressive display to start the year. The Patriots have scored 105 goals an average of 15 per game en route to their 7-0 record.
The defense was also huge, continuing its impressive 2013 campaign. They were quick to check-down on cutters in the crease, and caused countless turnovers utilizing trail-checks on hanging Smithtown West sticks. They really never allowed Smithtown West to get into any kind of rhythm.
The Patriots entered the game giving up 4.8 goals per game, and held a high-powered Bulls attack which was averaging 13.8 goals per game entering the contest to under that at just four goals.
We will have much more on the contest in the coming days, including a great video recap and game observations. Be sure to check back!
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