Sleepy Hollow/Irvington Advance in Ice Hockey Playoffs

MONSEY - Sleepy Hollow/Irvington was in unfamiliar territory last night. It was the first time the Legends were expected to win a playoff game. They did not succumb to the pressure.

The Legends built a four-goal lead and then held on late to advance on to the next round as they beat the visiting Brewster Bears 6-4 in last night's Section 1 Division II first round playoff hockey game at Sport-O-Rama.

Everything looked sweet for the Legends early on in the game as they went up 4-0 near the midway point of the second period.

Their offense looked crisp and they were the aggressors as senior forward Josh Kaplan and sophomore defenseman Brett Pesce led the way for Sleepy Hollow/Irvington. Kaplan had both of his goals during the Legends' commanding 4-0 spurt and Pesce put in one of his game-high three goals during the stretch.

Then just like that, the Bears made things interesting with three unanswered goals of their own to close out the second period. Mark Bentson put in a goal and Sean Hamilton scored twice and just like that it was a new game.

"They made a big comeback on us and during the intermission before the third period coach (Howie Weiner) told us to settle down and play the way we are capable," Kaplan said. "We knew we were the more talented team so we just had to get it back offensively and finish strong."

Pesce made his presence felt in the third period as he gave the Legends a little breathing room with his second goal and then put the game out of reach with his final tally at the 10:04 mark to make it 6-4.

"This is the first time I had a hat trick in a playoff game so it's very exciting but overall I just want to help the team and do whatever it takes to win," Pesce said. "With Pelham up next, we all have to play solid, and we all have to play well if we want to win."

That second round match up will occur Wednesday night at 7:20 p.m. at Sport-O-Rama. The last time the Pelicans and the Legends met up earlier in the season, Sleepy Hollow traveled down to the Ice Hutch in Mount Vernon and they played to a 1-1 tie. Now with the stakes being much greater and playing on home ice, Sleepy Hollow is hoping for a more favorable outcome.

"We played OK today, not our best game and not our worst," Weiner said. "I told the guys going into the third period to just keep it simple, nothing fancy and to get up their shots on goal. With Pelham we have to get after it and play smart. They're a solid team and they have a strong defense so it will make for a really good game."