Leavey Lifts Bellmore-Merrick Hockey Over Massapequa

It was the first time all season that the Bellmore-Merrick Bulldogs had been outshot, held to less than 10 goals and surrendered more than one goal, but it didn't stop the team from improving to 4-0, as they defeated the Massapequa Chiefs 7-6 on Wednesday afternoon at the Cantiague Park Ice Rink.

Senior Frankie Leavey led the way for the Bulldogs with a hat trick and an assist, while line mates James Bobb and James Karp combined for two goals and six assists.

"The performance was excellent overall," Leavey said. "We beat them on the scoreboard and we beat them in just about every category."

Bulldogs goalie Jacob Smart made a season-high 21 saves in the win.

"It was a great team effort," senior Evan Pasquariello said after the game.

Score: Bellmore-Merrick 7, Massapequa 6

Records: Bellmore-Merrick 4-0; Massapequa 5-2

Hero: The Bulldogs anticipated a tough game on Wednesday, and Leavey brought his 'A' game to the ice by netting his first hat trick of the season.

"I saw a wide open net every single time," Leavey said. "I was just aiming for the right spot and I got it. I sniped, sniped all day."

The top line's ability to move the puck around the ice was on display all afternoon, like when the dynamic duo of Bobb and Karp did a little tic-tac-toe passing in the Massapequa zone and eventually found Leavey wide open on the doorstep to give the Bulldogs a 4-0 lead. Leavey acknowledged that his line mates, Bobb and Karp, were a big reason for his output.

"My two line mates got me those goals with very hard work," he said. "We did work, did a lot of hard work."

"We got a great effort out of them," added Bulldogs head coach Chris Patten of his top line. "We treated the first line like dogs tonight and they skated. It kind of just showed that they're our go-to line."

The Turning Point: The Bulldogs jumped out to a big 4-0 lead midway through the second period, but none of that would have been possible if it wasn't for Smart's acrobatic play in net during the first period.

Smart, a first-year varsity player after playing travel hockey last season, stopped an onslaught of close-range shots and finished the first period with 10 saves.

"Jacob has been a beautiful addition to the Bulldogs," Patten said of his goalie. "We were very excited that he came in and fit in the way he did. He was the type of boy, that as a student and a player, that we dream of having."

The six goals against were no indication of the way Smart played in between the pipes, something Patten agreed with.

"Tonight, I told him when he came off the ice, 'This is your shutout,'" Patten said. "… He was very poised because first period he faced a lot of shots, and even at the end he faced a lot of shots. Defensively we have to do a little bit better of a job of protecting him because some of those goals shouldn't have happened if players were properly positioned."

Quotable: "The reality is we've come a long way in a short time," Patten said. "We only started on Nov. 15. … We're still developing and growing as a team, we're still working on a lot of stuff, but I'm very, very proud of the effort tonight."

Bottom Line: On the same day that Patten found out that his wife was pregnant with their second child, he also found out that his team was ready for this season by taking down the perennial powerhouse, Massapequa.

"Massapequa's an amazing team," he said. "They've always been an amazing team. We have the utmost respect for Coach DeMayo and the program that he runs over there. I think we're just excited that maybe we can take a step and compete in the league."

While Bulldogs dominated most of the game, they almost let a 7-3 lead slip away late in the third period.

"I wish we played a little bit more defensive minded at the end, because I really don't think that should have been a 7-6 game and that close at the end," Patten said.

Key Stat: The Bulldogs are 21-for-21 on the penalty kill so far this season.

Who's Next? Dec. 13, Bellmore-Merrick @ Wantagh-Seaford (Newbridge Arena), 9:25 p.m.

Box Score

Goals (from scorekeeper)

Saves