On Tuesday January 30th, the undefeated Friars defeated Iona Prep 8-0 at Superior Ice Rink. Playing the second night of a back-to-back after beating Monsignor Farrell 5-4 in a close contest, the Friars received a big boost as captain Ryan Haight returned from his 3 game suspension. He was determined to make big impact.
The notables for the Friars on offense were #21 Matt Coronato with a hat trick, #42 Vinnie Migliore with two goals, and #43 Nick Cozzi with two assists.
The Friars opened the scoring immediately as #21 Matt Coronato scored 29 seconds into the game. Matt didn’t wait long as he scored his second of the game three minutes later putting the Friars up 2-0. The Friars continued their dominate play and after goals by #86 Tim Allen and #42 Vinnie Migliore the Friars had a commanding 4-0 lead at the end of the first period.
The only goal in the second came from #77 Michael Sweeney, his first of the season, putting the Friars up 5-0. Later in the period the Friars went on a long 5 on 3 penalty kill on two questionable penalties to Matt Tullo and Matt Coronato but they killed it with ease. Killing the penalties gave the Friars a big momentum boost for the rest of the game.
The Friars broke the game wide open in the Third, by scoring two quick goals within the first three minutes. #42 Vinnie Migliore with his second of the game and #21 Matt Coronato with his third, giving him the hat trick. #71 Peter Cuputo closed out the scoring in the final regular season game. Goalies Silvio LoSardo and Matt Walsh made 7 and 8 saves respectively in the shutout win.
Coach Lund said, “The team was prepared and the boys were ready to go.” Coach Lund stated that the key to killing the long 5 on 3 power play for Iona was discipline and communication. He also said the win provided great momentum as they are looking forward to the playoffs.
Matt Coronato said, “He has formed a great connection with Nick Cozzi and it has helped his game out tremendously.” He also said, that the captains help him out a lot with sharing their experiences with the talented sophomore.
The Friars finished the regular season 11-0-1 and are the number one seed heading into the playoffs. They open against Monsignor Farrell on Thursday February 8th at 7:10pm, at the Dix Hills Ice Rink in a best two out of three series.
About The Author:
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Alex Rocco Alex Rocco is a sophomore at St. Anthony’s High School, writing for his second year with Friar Scoreboard. He hopes to have a career in Sports Management one day. He is also a member of Friar Faithful, PBJ Club and Special Needs Ministry. |
