Smart Move: Goalie Leads Bellmore-Merrick Hockey to 5-0 Start

The Bellmore-Merrick Bulldogs continued their winning ways on Monday night, as they defeated the Wantagh-Seaford Baymen 7-1 at Newbridge Arena.

Goaltender Jacob Smart led the way for the Bulldogs by stopping 17 shots before he left the game with an injury late in the third period. The injury occurred after Smart's hand was accidentally cut by a skate. It was a scary scene for a moment as Smart immediately threw his glove and skated for the bench. The bleeding was eventually stopped at the arena and Bulldogs head coach Chris Patten confirmed that his goalie was fine.

"He was bleeding pretty bad, we stopped the bleeding, and it looks like he's going to need a stitch or two," Patten said. "It looked more serious than it was, and it was kind of scary for a second, but he's okay."

Senior captain James Bobb scored his 10th and 11th goals of the season, while defenseman Nicholas Abbene added four assists in the win.

"I think it was just us getting out there and playing our game, playing as hard as we can, and making the smart decisions: when to move the puck, when to shoot, when to pass it," Abbene said.

Score: Bellmore-Merrick 7, Wantagh-Seaford 1

Records: Bellmore Merrick, 5-0; Wantagh-Seaford, 3-4-3

Hero: It was another great team effort from the Bulldogs, but two defensemen stood out above the rest. Abbene and junior Zachary Schneider controlled the pace of the game from the blue line all night long.

Abbene's smooth skating led to four assists, including one where he skated the length of the ice while shorthanded and found Steven Azzara in front of the net to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead.

"I just looked for the open guy," Abbene said. "[You have to] have patience and the confidence to do something and when you see a guy you just make the pass, you just do what your first instinct tells you to."

Joining the offensive-minded Abbene on the blue line was Schneider, who limited the Baymen's chances and kept them off the scoreboard.

"They were coming down really fast, so I just tried to do the best I could to hold them, push them to outside, and hoped my other defenseman was there to cover," Schneider said.

Schneider also added his first goal of the season with under five minutes remaining on a blast from the point.

"Jacob [Smart] has been solid, but even too you have to look at Nick Abbene tonight and Zach Schneider," Patten said of his two defensemen. "I think Nick factored in to most of those goals. They played well tonight, and I think we played well as a team."

Turning Point: The Bulldogs led 2-0 early in the second period when Smart was forced to stop Wantagh-Seaford's Mickey Wallace on a breakaway. Smart turned the attempt away with ease and put the Bulldogs in prime position to win the game.

"He's stepping up big in his first year," Schneider said. "He's stopping everything. He's solid between the pipes, just keeping us in the games when we screw up on 'D.'"

Patten also recognized what Smart's play in net did for his team.

"When you have someone like that back there, whether it's Smart, Bedell or Waldman, and they can make those saves for you, it really pumps the team up on the bench," Patten said. "… Then they want to get it back for him. I can't say enough about Jacob Smart and I'm happy to have him here in this organization."

Quotable: "As a whole, I think we all contributed well," Schneider said. "The first and second lines, of course, they were doing their part scoring like five goals. But the other lines have stepped up. That's probably what's going to get us to the championship, if the third and fourth lines contribute."

Bottom Line: The Bulldogs have scored 46 goals in just five games, but Patten said it has been his defense leading the charge.

"We'd like to be known as the team that goes from backwards forward," he said. "We've had solid goaltending all year, but our defense has been solid too."

From in between the pipes to the offense, the Bulldogs seem to be firing on all cylinders and have not shown any signs of slowing down. The team will face a big test on Friday night when they take on the Syosset Braves, who have started their season 7-1-1.

Key Stat: The Bellmore-Merrick defense combined for six points.

Who's Next? 12/17, Bellmore-Merrick @ Syosset (Bethpage Ice Rink), 9:30 p.m.

Box Score

Goals (from scorekeeper)

Saves