In the final playoff game of the evening on Thursday the 3rd seeded Ward Melville Patriots defeated the 14th seeded Express 2027 team by a score of 7-4 in a game that saw the young guns of Express put up another valiant effort but the upperclassmen hang on for the win.
The Patriots struck for two instant goals in a matter of seconds to take a 2-0 lead on goals scored by Madden Murphy and Liam Banks Jr. Ward Melville managed to add two more goals to their tally in the first half and held Express to only one first half goal for a 4-1 lead heading into halftime. The two squads played an evenly matched second half as they each scored three goals leading to the 7-4 Patriots win.
Ward Melville was sparked by two goals from Sacred Heart commit Stephen Rosano and Liam Banks Jr. They were also in command at the face-off X between Boston University commit Madden Murphy going 8/8 and Jayson Halpin going 5/5. Stony Brook commit Thomas Murphy led the Patriots with three ground balls, while Saint Leo commit Jake Sudaley added two ground balls along with a caused turnover. The play of goalie Ethan Shulder was another big part in Ward Melville holding Express to just four goals, as Shulder stopped nine shots with a stellar 69% save percentage.
Express saw their four goals scored by four different players, between Nick Haugen, Shawn Tuccillo, Jamison Holt, and William Schwarz. Jake Collins continued to hold his own in the net with his seven saves and 50% save percentage, and Holt had a team high three ground balls.
With Ward Melville advancing to the second round, they will face Half Hollow Hills on January 7th at 6:15pm. Express 2027 has a matchup in the consolation bracket on January 11th against Rust & Gold at 6:30pm.
