Legends Run the Table in Rapid Fire Semi-Pro Showcase

Rapid Fire Arena hosted a tight, four-team Semi-Pro festival on Saturday, with the Empire State Labeda Legends, East Coast Rebellion, Long Island Empire Snipers, and Fusion Steel each playing four games in a compact, fast-paced schedule.

By the end of the day, the Legends had clearly stamped themselves as the class of the event at 4–0, while the Snipers and Rebellion both finished at 2–2 and Fusion Steel went 0–4, often closer than the scores suggested.

Game-by-Game Recap

Empire State Labeda Legends 6, Fusion Steel 2 – 12:00 PM (Game #SPNE085)

Empire State opened their day with a statement win.

The Legends jumped on Fusion early, riding a first-period burst from Michael Tardino, Aidan Ryan, and Matthew Ferrari to build a 3–2 lead after one. In the second, Tardino added another, and Sean Hart and Doug Sheeler tacked on insurance. Mike Muccio-Schrimpe turned aside 23 of 25 as Empire State controlled play late to seal a 6–2 victory.

Long Island Empire Snipers 5, East Coast Rebellion 2 – 12:40 PM (Game #SPNE086)

The Snipers and Rebellion traded chances in a high-tempo opener for both sides.

East Coast struck first on a finish from Troy Power, but Frank DiChiara and the Snipers answered. DiChiara engineered a pair of first-period goals, then Vinny Pontrello and Alex Nelson helped Long Island pull away in the second. Conor O’Leary was solid in net, turning aside 28 of 30 in the 5–2 win.

Empire State Labeda Legends 3, Long Island Empire Snipers 2 – 1:20 PM (Game #SPNE087)

In the first crossover tilt between Empire State and Long Island, the Legends edged a very disciplined Snipers group.

Tardino scored twice in the opening frame, both assisted by Joe Salavec, as Empire State jumped to a 2–0 lead. Long Island answered with goals from Daniel Nelson and Ryan Sheflin, but Salavec stepped up again in the second with the eventual game-winner. In a battle of goaltenders, Matthew Lazaro outdueled O’Leary as the Legends held on, 3–2.

East Coast Rebellion 6, Fusion Steel 3 – 2:00 PM (Game #SPNE088)

Fusion Steel seemed poised for a bounce-back, taking a 3–0 lead on the strength of a big first period from Collin Ewald and Josh Fontaine.

The second period belonged entirely to East Coast. The Rebellion erupted for six unanswered, led by Power, Andrew Cetola, Steve Drizis, and Ryan Cotcamp, using both the power play and transition chances to flip the game on its head. Chris Marsillo shut the door when it mattered most as Rebellion grabbed a critical 6–3 win.

Empire State Labeda Legends 9, East Coast Rebellion 6 – 2:40 PM (Game #SPNE089)

The highest-scoring game of the festival showcased both clubs’ offensive firepower.

Rebellion came out flying, scoring three in the first (two from Mike Cupolo and a solo marker from Stracuzzi), but the Legends matched and then surpassed them with a four-goal opening frame. Tardino, Hart, Ryan, Ross Kleinschmidt, and the Empire blue line pushed the pace, and Empire State poured in five more in the second to take a 9–6 decision in a wild, back-and-forth contest.

Long Island Empire Snipers 7, Fusion Steel 1 – 3:20 PM (Game #SPNE090)

Long Island delivered one of the most complete performances of the day.

The Snipers built a 3–1 lead after one and then pulled away with four unanswered in the second. DiChiara, Nelson, Sheflin, Will Lalor, and Stephen Falkowski were all heavily involved, as the Snipers rolled four lines and controlled the puck. Fusion’s offense, again sparked by Greg Kubrak, could not keep pace against a locked-in Long Island group.

Empire State Labeda Legends 7, Fusion Steel 5 – 4:00 PM (Game #SPNE091)

In their third meeting of the day, Empire State and Fusion Steel combined for another track-meet-style game.

Fusion came out firing and hung around thanks to a multi-point effort from Fontaine and Matthew Hawkins, turning a 3–1 deficit into a 5–3 game entering the late stages. But once again, the Legends’ depth proved decisive. Tardino put together another multi-goal outing, Ryan and Kleinschmidt added key tallies, and Empire State closed out a 7–5 win to move to 4–0.

East Coast Rebellion 3, Long Island Empire Snipers 0 – 4:40 PM (Game #SPNE092)

The festival closed with a sharp, structured performance from East Coast.

After surrendering five to the Snipers earlier in the day, Rebellion tightened up defensively and got a big effort from Marsillo, who turned aside all 35 Long Island shots for the shutout. Cotcamp and Cetola provided the offense, with Jesse Petito also figuring into the scoring, as East Coast secured a 3–0 win and finished their day at 2–2.

Festival Standings Snapshot (Unofficial)

Including all eight games from the slate:

• Empire State Labeda Legends:4–0 (GF 25, GA 15)

  • Perfect record, tone-setting offense, and enough structure to win both run-and-gun and tight games.

• Long Island Empire Snipers:2–2 (GF 14, GA 9)

  • Strong defensive numbers and two decisive wins; both losses came in one-goal or shutout fashion against high-end opponents.

• East Coast Rebellion:2–2 (GF 17, GA 17)

  • Streaky, but dangerous. When they found their rhythm, they could flip games in a single period, capped by a statement shutout in the finale.

• Fusion Steel:0–4 (GF 11, GA 26)

  • Winless on paper, but competitive in stretches of nearly every game, including long spells with the lead against both Rebellion and Empire State.

Individual Performance Highlights

Even in a compact four-team event, several skaters and goaltenders stood out across multiple games:

Empire State Labeda Legends

• Michael Tardino (93) was the offensive engine all day, recording multi-point performances in every game. He was in on the scoring early and often, including two goals in the 3–2 win over Long Island and a massive line in the 9–6 shootout versus East Coast.

• Aidan Ryan (89) provided high-end finish and playmaking, tallying in three of four games and consistently driving offense off the rush.

• Ross Kleinschmidt (69) and Sean Hart (52) added critical depth scoring from the back end, combining for multiple goals and primary assists, especially in Empire State’s 9–6 and 7–5 wins.

• On the blue line, Joe Salavec (4) quietly logged heavy minutes and piled up key assists, often starting the breakout on Empire’s most dangerous sequences.

• In net, Mike Muccio-Schrimpe and Matthew Lazaro shared the workload effectively, backstopping the only undefeated performance of the day.

Long Island Empire Snipers

• Frank DiChiara (64) was the Snipers’ focal point on offense, factoring into multiple goals in each Long Island win and driving their transition game.

• Daniel Nelson (66) and Alex Nelson (96) anchored the back end, contributing at both ends of the floor and appearing regularly on the scoresheet with point shots and secondary assists.

• Ryan Sheflin (26) and Will Lalor (47) delivered key goals in the 7–1 win over Fusion, helping Long Island pull away in the second period.

• Conor O’Leary (1) turned in a strong day in goal, highlighted by a 5–2 win over East Coast and several stretches where he held the Snipers in games against a relentless Legends attack.

East Coast Rebellion

• Troy Power (79) was at the heart of East Coast’s offense, scoring in multiple situations (even strength, power play, and shorthanded) and leading the surge in the 6–3 comeback win over Fusion.

• Andrew Cetola (90) and Ryan Cotcamp (9) formed a dangerous tandem, combining for goals and primary assists throughout the day and driving East Coast’s best offensive shifts.

• Jesse Petito (13) chipped in timely scoring, including points in both the 6–3 win and 3–0 shutout, and provided energy in all three zones.

• Goaltender Chris Marsillo (73) delivered one of the day’s top individual performances with a 35-save shutout against the Snipers to close the festival.

Fusion Steel

• Collin Ewald (66) was Fusion’s most consistent threat, scoring in multiple games and sparking the offense in their best stretches, including the fast 3–0 start against Rebellion.

• Josh Fontaine (13) and Greg Kubrak (68) did significant heavy lifting on the scoresheet, generating much of Fusion’s playmaking and net-front presence.

• Matthew Hawkins (92) provided offense from the back end and logged big minutes in special-teams situations.

• Between the pipes, Mike Camasso (98) and Stephen Digiovanna (39) battled through heavy shot volumes, keeping Fusion within striking distance in several games that could have tilted even more lopsided.

As the Semi-Pro Mid-Atlantic and Metropolitan slates move deeper into the 2025–26 season, this Rapid Fire event gave an early look at the pecking order: Empire State out front, with Long Island and East Coast proving they are right on their heels – and Fusion Steel clearly one hot weekend away from turning close losses into wins.