In the 8 vs 9 matchup of the boys HSW Playoffs, Huntington faced off against Smithtown West on Thursday evening, and it was the 8th seeded Blue Devils defeating the 9th seeded Bulls 7-4 to head to round two of the playoffs.
In the first half it was a defensive battle as goals were at a premium the first 20 minutes of play. Smithtown West struck for the first two goals of the game before Huntington got on the board to make it a 2-1 score. Each team managed to score one more goal the rest of the way brining the halftime score to 3-2 in favor of Smithtown West going into halftime.
The second half was controlled by Huntington, scoring the first five goals of the half to turn what was a one goal halftime deficit into a four goal lead. The run was started by Daniel McNulty and capped off by Timmy McDonald on an assist by Colin Lennon to bring the score to 7-3. Smithtown West added just one second half goal due to Huntington’s lock down defense and Will Fallon in the net which helps the Blue advance in the playoffs.
Scoring two goals each for Huntington was Timmy McDonald and Thomas Girimonti, while Colin Lennon added one goal and two assists for three points. Will Fallon was good for six saves and a 60% save percentage playing the entirety of the game.
The four goals for Smithtown West were scored by four different players between Peter Bonefant, Dylan Frank, Patrick Hyland, and Hopkins commit Carmelo Pace. Dylan Bonasera tallied seven saves with a 50% save percentage.
As Huntington moves on in the playoffs they will be matched with the SA 2026 team on January 7th at 6:15pm. For Smithtown West they move over to the consolation bracket where they will face Massapequa on January 11th at 5:00pm.
