Meeting in the JCC of Bayonne Jr. Division Floor Hockey “Gold Medal” round, the (7-1) Bruins and the (6-3) Blackhawks both teams knew the key to a victory would be a balanced effort on offense and defense. Relying on a fast start all season long, the Bruins flew out of the gate by building a 6-0 lead with Sebastian Valles firing in four goals while Christian Benson and Brenden McCall each added a scoring dart. With plenty of time remaining, the Blackhawks began to chip away at the Bruins’ advantage as David Matos pumped in a pair of goals to cut the Bruins’ lead to 6-2. With the Hawks back in striking range, Valles once again gave his squad a six goal margin by making it 8-2 Bruins with two half court scoring jets. Not ready to hit the panic button the Blackhawks blasted in another pair of goals, this time it was AaliyanaCifuentes scoring off assists by Anthony Baez and David Matos. At 8-4, the Bruins weren’t about to “call off the dogs” as Valles kept piling up points as his seventh goal of the bout put the Bruins up 9-4 with ten minutes remaining. Using his speed and stick handling, David Matos kept the Blackhawks in the hunt as he raced up court to notch a breakaway goal to narrow the Bruins’ advantage to 9-5. Hoping to shake free of the relentless Blackhawks the Bruins racked up two more goals as Valles and Toni Rivada propelled the Bruins’ lead to 11-5. Having his best game of the season, David Matos seemed nearly unstoppable as he once again hit his mark with two scoring shots as Steven Gulli and Cifuentes picked up the assists. Needing an insurance policy to secure their 11-7 lead wouldn’t melt away the Bruins’ team captain, Sebastian Valles, took over at net and the move “sealed the deal” as the Bruins captured “Gold” while an impressive effort by the Blackhawks netted the “Silver” and capped off a great season for both squads.
Jr. Division Week 7
Offensive Player of the Week: AaliyanaCifuentes – Blackhawks
Defensive Player of the Week: Sebastian Valles – Bruins
Teamwork/Leadership Player of the Week: Mariam Rasslan – Red Wings