After suffering a 5-4 overtime defeat at the hands of the Devils in their season opener, the (0-1) Islanders were eager to bounce back as they took on the Penguins in a JCC of Bayonne Sr. Division Floor Hockey bout. The Penguins controlled the pace in the early going as goals by Cee Jay Larino and Mackenzie Woods gave the Penguins a 2-0 advantage. Moments after falling behind, the Islanders stormed back to tie the fray at 2 all as team captain Malachi Smith and Logan Mazziota hit their mark with Drew Radil and Jake Peregrin on the assists. Staying true to form, the Penguins’ Mackenzie Woods and Cee Jay Larino notched two more long distance scoring strikes with two key assists from James Bajor. Just after the games halfway point, the Islanders once again rallied as Drew Radil and Malachi Smith poured in two goals to deadlock the game at 4-4. The game’s turning point only took five minutes as a lethargic Islanders squad fell prey to a three goal barrage by the Penguins as Mackenzie Woods (1 goal, 1 assist), Colin Woods (1 goal), James Bajor (1 goal, 1 assist)torched the nets and gave the Penguins a 7-4 lead. Taking a page from the Penguins’ “bombs away” offense, the Islanders’ John Bautista, Chloe Gregory, Natallyah Teixeira, and Jared Radil unleashed long distance shots on net but the Penguins’ Josh Greenbaum held firm in net. While the Islanders set their sights on scoring, the Penguins’ rookie star Julian Giron took advantage by drilling a net jet from half court to seal the Penguins’ 8-4 victory.
Week 1 Sr. Division
Offensive Player of the week – Malachi Smith – Islanders
Defensive Player of the week – Santana Elliott – Devils
Teamwork/ Leadership Player of the week – James Bajor – Penguins