LILJ Boys Winter League Opening Weekend Recap: Game Write-Ups, Analysis, Player Performances

Alexander Chalifoux was unstoppable, dropping five points with three goals and two assists on six shots and consistently breaking down the defense. Ryan Lasko (BU) struck for a pole goal along with two assists and Gavin Snyder (Army) matched as they fueled the offense as dual-threat creators. Scoring two goals each was the duo of Logan Hecht (Rutgers) and Shawn Tuccillo (Navy) with Reid Johnston adding a goal and an assist and Gavin Lynch scoring once to keep the pressure on throughout. The Friars were led at the face-off X by Nathaniel Cook, winning 60% of face-offs going 6/10. Defensively Lasko was vacuum in scooping up ground balls with a game-high six along with three takeaways.

Kellenberg battled through a high-volume defensive workload and found scoring from three different players, including Gavin Antonik (Stevens), Finn Lavelle, and Eoin Power (NJIT) who each netted a goal. Antonik, in particular, impacted all over the field with five ground balls and a team-high seven faceoff wins. In net, the tandem of Alfonso Yevoli and JP Mastacciuola combined for 12 saves, each posting near 50% save marks despite constant pressure.

St. Anthony’s 2026 vs Kellenberg

St. Anthony’s 2026 turned in a lights-out performance on both ends of the field, powering past Kellenberg 16-1 behind a deep scoring effort, relentless pressure, and standout individual showings across the roster. With nine goals in the first half and seven more after the break, the Friars controlled every phase of the game, while Kellenberg battled to generate chances against one of the strongest groups in the league. The offensive firepower of the Friars saw a number of players find the back of the net, with two goals each coming from Billy Atkinson (Bryant), Charles Cacciabaudo (UNC), Paul LoNigro (Wingate), Robert Hommel (Florida Tech), and Chase Trivigno (Saint Leo). Defensively Ethan Bramoff (Maryland) and Pat Heron (Navy) each caused two turnovers, and in the cage was Loyola commit Dylan Rappaport who tallied seven saves with just the one goal allowed. For the Firebirds their lone goal was scored by the sophomore attackman Finn Lavelle, and in goal the combination of Alfonso Yevoli and JP Mastacciuola tallied 11 saves.

St. Anthony’s 2027 vs Ward Melville

St. Anthony’s 2027 earned a hard-fought 10–7 victory over Ward Melville in a competitive matchup that stayed tight from start to finish. After taking a narrow 5–3 lead into halftime, SA relied on timely scoring, strong two-way play, and key defensive moments to hold off a persistent Ward Melville squad that continued to generate pressure throughout the game.

St. Anthony’s offensive depth proved to be the difference, with contributions spread across several players. Boston University commit Ryan Lasko the long pole delivered a standout performance, posting a team-high four goals on four shots, showcasing both efficiency and poise in big moments. Supporting the effort was Gavin Snyder, who added one goal and one assist, while Tyler Garrett’s two assist performance helped drive the offense throughout the contest. Reid Johnston, Shawn Tuccillo (Navy), Logan Hecht (Rutgers), Mark Welling, and Michael O’Brien each added a goal, reflecting SA’s balanced scoring attack. On the defensive end, St. Anthony’s collected 18 ground balls, led by Johnston (3), Hecht (3), and Lasko (3). Jack Neary (Jacksonville) anchored the backend with a solid showing in goal, stopping eight shots at a 57% clip, including several key saves down the stretch to protect the lead.

Ward Melville stayed within striking distance thanks to strong offensive efforts of their own, led by Zach Dunn, who posted a hat trick. Additional goals came from Jack Rella (Salve Regina), Collin Mark (UMass), Louis Montellese, and James Speciale, as WM continued to apply pressure. Face-offs were a major storyline, with Angelo Sorbera dominating the X for Ward Melville, going 9-for-15 and helping create extended offensive possessions.

In the end, SA’s ability to capitalize on high-quality chances and close out late-game possessions proved decisive.

Legacy Taz 2030 vs St. Anthony’s 2028

The eighth graders of Legacy Taz put together a strong two-way effort on Sunday, defeating the sophomores of St. Anthony’s 6–3 behind balanced scoring and standout play at the face-off X and in the defensive end. Legacy set the tone early, striking three times in the opening half while holding St. Anthony’s to just one goal. In the second half, both teams found more rhythm, but Taz continued to control possessions and finish key chances, outscoring SA 3–2 to close out the win!

For Legacy Taz Lucas Cribbie, Ronan King, and Sean Monteleone all finished key chances that helped power them to victory, while John Hague made plays as a distributor dishing out two assists. The goaltending was the story of the game with Luke Rochford delivering a stellar performance in the second half, denying six shots with a 75% save percentage, and Charlie Barbieri recording four saves with an 80% save percentage in the first half. The face-off X saw Austin Macomber go 5/6 securing crucial possessions that fueled the offense.

St. Anthony’s battled throughout and generated 18 shots, but Legacy’s defensive presence and goaltending limited clean looks. Goalie Nicholas Sheridan kept SA in the game from start to finish with an excellent performance in cage, turning aside high-quality attempts and keeping the deficit manageable. His final stat line saw him make 14 saves with a save percentage of 70%. Scoring one goal each for the Friars was the trio of Salvatore Ranieri, TJ Torres, and John Paul Grande.

Shore 2 Shore Trojans vs Legacy Black 2029

Shore 2 Shore Trojans and Legacy Black 2029 played one of the most evenly matched games of the weekend, finishing in a 5–5 tie after a back-and-forth defensive battle that came down to the final minutes. Legacy struck first and held a narrow 4–3 lead at halftime behind sharp shooting from Colin Neff and Cayden Peters, while the Trojans countered with strong transition play and timely finishing. In the second half, the defenses tightened on both sides, with each team finding the net just once as neither group was willing to break.

The Trojans showcased balanced scoring and gritty two-way play. Christian Ferrari with two goals led the offense with efficient finishing and a pair of key first-half goals. Dennis Williams and Nicholas Canner both added important tallies, each scoring once. Thomas Breheny provided what was the game-tying goal for S2S in the second half which resulted in the 5-5 final score. Dishing out one assist was Kevin Heggarty who also scooped up a team-high five ground balls. In the cage the duo of Donovan Carroll and Luke Vendetti each made four saves with 50% save percentage for Carroll and an 80% save percentage for Vendetti.

As for Legacy Black, it was Collin Neff who had the hot hand on offense as he struck for three of the five goals, doing so with efficiency. Adding to the five goals was Nico Spallina and Cayden Peters each with one, and dishing out two assists was Dylan Massari while Stefan Sordyl added one. Jude Piken at the face-off X made his mark, winning 6/10 face-offs.

Legacy Taz 2029 vs Legacy Taz 2030

It was big brother against little brother as the Legacy 29s faced the Legacy 30s, and this one saw big brother come away with a 10-3 win to move to 2-0 in pool play. The 29s set the tone from the opening whistle and never looked back, powering their way to victory behind a commanding first half and balanced scoring across the offensive unit.

The 2029 squad exploded for seven first-half goals, moving the ball crisply and capitalizing on nearly every quality chance they generated. Griffin Aebisher and Harry Karoussos each buried two goals to anchor the offense, while James Magnus added another two of his own in a strong all-around performance. Gavin Beauchamp, Cole Chalifoux, and Ryan Bardak chipped in with key plays that helped extend the lead heading into halftime.

Playmaking was also a major factor—Gavin Gifford stood out with a game-high three assists, finishing with four points total to lead all scorers. Jake Friedrich and Cole Pupke supplied assists of their own, helping 2029 maintain pace and possession throughout the game. Securing six face-offs at the X was James Siragusa.

Legacy Taz 2030 settled in after the break, putting up two goals in the second half behind strong efforts from Owen Abrams, Lucas Cribbie, and Gavin Rooney—who all found the scoring column in the game. Abrams and Cribbie also added assists, contributing on all three of their team’s scores. Despite limited shot volume, the 2030 attackers made the most of their touches and continued to pressure late. Face-off specialist Hunter Hodges was a bright spot at the X, winning 5/7 face-offs to create extra possessions.

Hills vs Huntington

In a Suffolk Class A Clash between Hills and Huntington, it was Hills picking up a hard fought 7-5 victory in the first game of pool play for each team. It was the second half that saw them gain the edge after the score all even at 2-2 going into halftime. Huntington struck early and kept pace throughout the first half, with Brendan McNulty doing everything he could to fuel the offense. McNulty was electric, finishing with four goals and one assist, accounting for all but one of Huntington’s tallies. Jack Kamenstein (Geneseo) added the other goal while also contributing defensively with a takeaway and a caused turnover. In goal freshman Chris Redo denied eight shots in the game with a 53% save percentage.

But after the break, which is where the game was decided, Hills completely shifted the momentum. Lucas Rodriguez led the charge, delivering a three goal, one assist performance. He was the steady presence the Hills offense needed as they erupted for five second-half goals. Jeffrey Kleinman added two goals, and the duo of Nick Haugen with two goals and Aidan Ozvath with three assists provided the balance Hills needed to consistently break down the Huntington defense. Ozvath’s vision in the second half played a key role in opening up high-percentage looks.

Hills relied heavily on the work of Lucas Chung, who was outstanding at the faceoff X and in the ground ball game, winning 11/13 face-offs. In the cage, Michael Labovitz was a difference-maker. He turned away seven shots and posted a strong 58% save rate, holding Huntington to just three goals over the final 20 minutes. With the win, Hills caps off a resilient performance marked by timely scoring, strong two-way play, and a poised finish to close out a tight matchup.

St. Anthony’s 2026 vs Hills

It was a parochial vs public clash between the seniors of St. Anthony’s and the boys from Hills. St. Anthony’s 2026 delivered a team performance on both sides of the ball, powering to a 10–2 victory over Hills behind balanced scoring, a smothering ride, and standout defensive play. Hills struck twice in the first half, keeping things tight early, but St. Anthony’s quickly took control. The Friars fed off a strong transition game and relentless pressure, building a 5–2 halftime lead before shutting out Hills entirely in the second frame. Future Maryland Terp Dylan Harrigan was the bus driver of the offense, finishing with a game-high five points. He scored in multiple ways—dodging downhill, slipping into space, and capitalizing in tight—while also adding two ground balls. Brody Richert (Towson) brought instant punch to the offense, burying three goals with confidence and pace. A key facilitator, Billy Atkinson’s (Bryant) patience and precision helped extend possessions and generate high-quality looks, while Charles Cacciabaudo (UNC) delivered two points with one goal and one assist. In the caused turnover department it was Ethan Bramoff (Maryland) who had a team-high three takeaways, while coming up with two caused turnovers each was Richert along with Robert Hommel (Florida Tech). The two goals for Hills were scored by Jeffrey Kleinman and Jake Casamento (UPenn) with Casamento delivering a pole goal scored on a Hills man-up. In the net in the second half was sophomore Anthony Dickson who recorded seven saves with a save percentage of 58%.

Ward Melville vs Huntington

Two of Suffolk’s Class A teams went head-to-head as Ward Melville faced Huntington, and this one saw Ward Melville set the tone early and never looked back, defeating Huntington 9–4 behind a dominant first half and an efficient offensive trio that controlled the pace from start to finish. The Patriots came out firing with a 5–0 first-half run, moving the ball crisply and capitalizing on high-percentage opportunities. Huntington battled back with a four-goal second half, but the early deficit proved too steep as Ward Melville closed out a steady wire-to-wire win. Jack Rella (Salve Regina) led the way with a game-high four points, shooting a perfect 3-for-3 on cage with an assist and generating offense both off the dodge and in transition. Patrick Mark delivered two goal and an assist, showing he was a  tough cover for Huntington’s defense. Zach Dunn delivered timely scoring, burying two goals and showing strong off-ball awareness, while Louis Montellese found the back of the net once. Dishing out one assist and causing a turnover was Brett Hansen, and forcing one turnover each was James LaRosa, Liam Cronin and James Speciale. The Blue Devils offense was sparked by the two goals scored by Brendan McNulty and one goal each from Christian Luca and Frankie Algieri. Colby Curran had a strong game at the face-off X where we went 9/14, and goalie Chris Rado denied six shots. The boys winter league resumes on December 21st with games starting at 3:15. Catch all of the action by clicking the link to tune into the livestream presented by LI Sportsnetwork!