RSS 2.0 FeedThursday, December 1, 2011, Bellmore Life
Bulldogs open season with tie
Bellmore-Merrick takes on Cold Spring Harbor hockey.
by Eric Homburger
The Bellmore-Merrick Bulldogs welcomed in the new season with a 2-2 tie against Cold Spring Harbor at the Newbridge Road skating rink on Monday night.
With spirits high and adrenaline rushing, the Bulldogs took the ice, getting off to a fast start and setting the tone for the rest of the game: fast and physical.
For the first five minutes the play was mainly in the Bulldogs offensive zone. Although they were moving the puck well, the Bulldogs were not able to get many shots off, and were unable to capitalize on two Cold Spring Harbor penalties.
Midway through the first, the Bulldogs took a penalty that led to the first goal of the game. Captain Nick Abbene scored shorthanded to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
Bellmore-Merrick dominated the game through the remainder of the first, outshooting, outhitting and outskating Cold Spring Harbor, and continued the aggressive play into the second period.
Early in the second, Cold Spring Harbor managed to get a few crisp shots on net but goalie Jacob Smart was there to make the saves. With 9:27 left in the second he made the save of the game, an outstanding glove save, to keep the score 1-0.
However, penalties quickly began to plague the Bulldogs. With two penalties assessed at once, Cold Spring Harbor had a 5-on-3 advanage for two minutes and scored, tying the game at 1-1 with a hard shot from the top of the circle.
With the goal Cold Spring Harbor awoke from their period-long slumber to take control of the game. With 1:50 remaining in the second, they scored to make it 2-1. A bad giveaway by the Bulldogs at their own blue line lead to a breakaway for an opposing player, who managed to get it by goalie Jacob Smart to take the lead in the game.
The Bulldogs came out fast and furious in the third, once again dominating the play. With 12:19 left in the game, Nick Abbene pocketed his second goal of the game, knotting the score at 2.
The game ending in a 2-all tie, the Bulldogs finished the game with 19 shots on goal and eight penalties. Those eight penalties would prove to be a major reason in the tie.
Bulldogs forward Joe Mark said, “[we took] too many penalties.” JJ Santagata added to that, saying, “We played the ‘whole’ game down. You can’t win like that.”
But it’s early in the season, and things will change. As Joe said, the team chemistry isn’t there yet. This team has only been practicing together for a week, so you can’t expect everyone to play amazing together.
The Bulldogs next game is Sunday, December 4, at 6:30 p.m, when they will face off against Lynbrook. The game will be at Long Beach. So come on out and support The Bellmore-Merrick Bulldogs, as they look to get their first win of the season.
