Rebellion Rolls, Sting Stings at Rapid Fire Semi-Pro Festival

After the Minor teams wrapped up their ten-game slate, Rapid Fire Arena flipped right into Semi-Pro mode on Saturday evening as four clubs – the East Coast Rebellion, Moriches Sting, Suffolk Sting, and the Empire State Labeda Legends – each played four games in a fast-paced, cross-divisional Metropolitan/Mid-Atlantic showcase.

Over eight games, East Coast and Suffolk both skated to 3–1 records, while Moriches and the Labeda Legends each grabbed a win and showed flashes of high-end offense against tough opposition.

Game 1 – East Coast Rebellion 10, Moriches Sting 6

Game #SPNE077 – 5:40 PM

The Semi-Pro portion of the day opened with a wild, 16-goal track meet between East Coast Rebellion and Moriches Sting.

Moriches came out flying, building a 3–0 lead on first-period strikes from Matt Battelli, Sal Deluca, and Michael Luzopone. In the second, Luzopone added another, and both Deluca and Sean Kavanagh chipped in as the Sting kept the scoreboard moving.

But Rebellion’s top group completely took over the middle of the game and never let go. Andrew Cetola and Ryan Cotcamp were all over the scoresheet, combining for multiple goals and assists as East Coast rattled off ten unanswered tallies. Jesse Petito, Steve Drizis, Jimmy Sweeney, Ryan Foley, and Mike Cupolo all factored into the onslaught as Rebellion flipped a 3–0 deficit into a 10–6 victory.

JT Morris battled in goal for Rebellion, making 12 saves on 18 shots while the offense did the heavy lifting. Danielle Speroff stopped 9 of 19 in a tough opener for Moriches.

Game 2 – Empire State Labeda Legends 1, Suffolk Sting 5

Game #SPNE078 – 6:20 PM

Game 2 brought the first Mid-Atlantic/Metropolitan crossover of the night as the Empire State Labeda Legends faced the Suffolk Sting.

The Legends struck first when Zach Pomara finished off a setup from Tyler Steimel to make it 1–0. From there, Suffolk took control.

Josh Weger answered less than a minute into the game, scoring off a feed from John Healy. In the second period, Weger added another goal to complete a multi-goal night, while Justin Alfaro, Nick DeSalvo, and Austin Zomerfeld all found the back of the net as Suffolk pulled away.

Drue Santora turned in a standout performance, stopping 21 of 22 shots for Suffolk. At the other end, Matthew Lazaro faced 29 shots in the loss for the Legends.

Game 3 – Moriches Sting 1, Empire State Labeda Legends 7

Game #SPNE079 – 7:00 PM

The Legends responded to their Game 2 loss with a statement win over Moriches Sting.

Empire State opened the scoring early when Paul Valvo tapped in a feed from Pomara and Charlie Murray. The second period was all Legends, as they erupted for six more goals. Aidan Ryan started the surge, and Joey Slevin quickly followed with a pair of tallies. Ross Kleinschmidt added two more, and Sean Hart rounded out the scoring off a setup from Mike Muccio-Schrimpe.

Moriches’ lone goal came from Battelli in the second, set up by Kavanagh and Deluca.

Muccio-Schrimpe was sharp in goal for the Legends, making 19 saves on 20 shots. Speroff faced 29 shots for Moriches as the Legends skated away with a 7–1 victory.

Game 4 – East Coast Rebellion 1, Suffolk Sting 4

Game #SPNE080 – 7:40 PM

In a battle of teams that had won their openers, Suffolk Sting turned in another complete effort against East Coast Rebellion.

Suffolk jumped out to a 3–0 first-period lead. Alfaro opened the scoring off a pass from Jeremy Puglia, Healy made it 2–0 with help from Zomerfeld, and Alfaro struck again shortly after, this time on a setup from Healy.

Early in the second, Weger pushed the lead to 4–0 with a solo effort. Rebellion finally broke through when Jesse Petito scored on a feed from Cupolo, but Drue Santora slammed the door the rest of the way, finishing with 20 saves on 21 shots.

Kyle DiMascio turned aside 20 of 24 shots for Rebellion, who dropped to 1–1 while Suffolk improved to 2–0.

Game 5 – Suffolk Sting 3, Moriches Sting 4

Game #SPNE081 – 8:20 PM

The “Sting vs. Sting” matchup turned into one of the best games of the night, with Moriches edging Suffolk in a one-goal thriller.

Moriches exploded for four goals in the first period. Luzopone opened the scoring, then Battelli took over with a pair of tallies and an assist. Deluca also found the net, and the trio of Battelli–Luzopone–Deluca drove the Moriches attack throughout the frame.

Suffolk slowly clawed back into the game. Weger scored early off feeds from Rick Seward and Puglia, then Nick DeSalvo and Healy added second-period goals to cut the deficit to 4–3. Despite heavy pressure late, Patrick Hecht stood tall in the Moriches crease, stopping 22 of 25 shots to preserve the win.

Petroro made 23 saves on 27 shots for Suffolk in a losing effort as both Sting squads traded blows in an entertaining contest.

Game 6 – Empire State Labeda Legends 4, East Coast Rebellion 6

Game #SPNE082 – 9:00 PM

Game 6 was a back-and-forth offensive showcase between the Labeda Legends and East Coast Rebellion.

Rebellion came out firing in the first period, building a 4–0 lead. Drizis opened the scoring from Cetola and Cotcamp, Petito added another on a feed from Cetola and Drizis, and then Cetola and Cotcamp each scored as East Coast’s top line put on a clinic in puck movement and finish.

The second period saw more of the same early, as Cetola added two more goals to complete a hat trick (and then some) and extend the lead to 6–0.

The Legends refused to fold. Hart took over the latter half of the second, scoring all four Empire State goals in rapid succession, including a pair set up by Aidan Ryan, Nick Lang, and Steimel. The comeback push made things interesting, but East Coast held on for a 6–4 win.

Morris earned the win for Rebellion with 17 saves on 21 shots, while Muccio-Schrimpe faced 29 shots for the Legends.

Game 7 – Moriches Sting 4, East Coast Rebellion 13

Game #SPNE083 – 9:40 PM

The night’s highest-scoring game belonged to East Coast Rebellion, who unloaded for 13 goals against Moriches Sting.

Rebellion scored eight times in the first period alone, with nearly every forward and defenseman hitting the scoresheet. Foley, Cotcamp, Cetola, Drizis, Cupolo, and Sweeney all picked up points as East Coast moved the puck crisply and attacked in waves.

In the second period, the Rebellion added five more, with Cupolo, Drizis, and Cotcamp among those piling on. It was a complete offensive onslaught that reflected the chemistry Rebellion had been building all night.

Moriches got four goals of their own, with Luzopone and Battelli each scoring twice once again, but the gap proved too large to overcome. Morris finished with 22 saves on 26 shots for Rebellion, while Hecht faced 34 shots in the Moriches net.

Game 8 – Suffolk Sting 1, Empire State Labeda Legends 0

Game #SPNE084 – 10:20 PM

The Semi-Pro festival closed with an outstanding goaltending duel between Suffolk Sting and the Labeda Legends.

The only goal of the game came midway through the first period, when Alfaro jumped up into the rush and buried a feed from Seward to give Suffolk a 1–0 lead.

From there, the story was the netminders. Santora was perfect for Suffolk, turning aside all 29 shots he faced to preserve the shutout. At the other end, Muccio-Schrimpe was every bit as sharp, stopping 28 of 29 shots and giving the Legends a chance deep into the third.

Despite a late push from Empire State, Suffolk held on to finish their night with a 1–0 win in a tight, playoff-style contest.

Festival Wrap-Up

The Metropolitan Semi-Pro festival delivered high tempo, big offense, and a pair of clear early-season statements:

• East Coast Rebellion finished 3–1, leading all teams with 35 goals scored across four games and showcasing one of the most dangerous top units in the region.

• Suffolk Sting also went 3–1, combining timely scoring with strong goaltending from Drue Santora, including a 29-save shutout in the finale.

• Moriches Sting closed the night at 1–3, but picked up a quality win over Suffolk and got big production from the Battelli–Luzopone–Deluca trio.

• The Empire State Labeda Legends also went 1–3, highlighted by a dominant 7–1 win over Moriches and a strong defensive showing in the narrow 1–0 loss to Suffolk.

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS

East Coast Rebellion

• Andrew Cetola was the centerpiece of the Rebellion attack, piling up goals and primary assists in all three wins. He had a monster night in both meetings with the Labeda Legends and Moriches, finishing the festival as one of the most productive forwards in the building.

• Ryan Cotcamp provided the perfect complement on Cetola’s wing, chipping in multiple goals and multi-assist efforts, especially in the comeback win over Moriches and the 13-goal explosion later in the night.

• Steve Drizis was a constant threat in transition, opening the scoring against the Legends in SPNE082 and adding several key helpers while driving play through the neutral zone.

• Jesse Petito, Mike Cupolo, Jimmy Sweeney, and Ryan Foley all had multi-point games throughout the evening, giving Rebellion impressive depth scoring beyond their top line.

• Goaltender JT Morris carried the load in net and quietly went 3–1 on the night, making timely saves in a series of high-event, high-shot games while the Rebellion offense did the rest.

Suffolk Sting

• Josh Weger was Suffolk’s go-to finisher, scoring in all four games and racking up multipoint performances, including a pair of goals against the Legends and a big night versus East Coast and Moriches.

• John Healy drove the offense from everywhere on the floor, picking up goals and primary assists while anchoring Suffolk’s puck possession game.

• Justin Alfaro came up clutch repeatedly: he scored in the win over the Legends, struck twice against Rebellion, and buried the lone goal in the 1–0 shutout to close out the night.

• Nick DeSalvo, Austin Zomerfeld, and Rick Seward all had key moments offensively, with DeSalvo and Zomerfeld each scoring big goals and Seward setting up important tallies, including the winner in the finale.

• Between the pipes, Drue Santora was outstanding. He backstopped all three of four Suffolk games, highlighted by a brilliant 29-save shutout in SPNE084 and a steady, composed presence in the earlier wins.

Moriches Sting

• The trio of Matt Battelli, Michael Luzopone, and Sal Deluca powered Moriches’ offense. Battelli and Luzopone each posted multiple multi-goal games, and Deluca frequently appeared on both the goal and assist lines.

• Sean Kavanagh provided steady two-way minutes and chipped in with key assists, especially in Moriches’ comeback pushes.

• Danielle Speroff and Patrick Hecht handled a heavy workload in goal. Speroff faced high shot volumes in the early games, while Hecht turned in a strong performance in the 4–3 win over Suffolk, making several key stops in the closing minutes to secure Moriches’ lone victory.

Empire State Labeda Legends

• Sean Hart delivered one of the standout individual performances of the festival with a four-goal outburst in SPNE082, single-handedly dragging the Legends back into the game against East Coast.

• Ross Kleinschmidt and Joey Slevin were also major factors, each recording multi-goal, multi-point games in the 7–1 win over Moriches.

• Paul Valvo, Aidan Ryan, and Tyler Steimel rounded out the attack with timely goals and setup work, especially in the dominant middle frame against Moriches.

• Defensively, Zach Pomara, Charlie Murray, and Nick Lang logged big minutes and contributed offensively, with Pomara and Murray consistently appearing on the scoresheet.

• In goal, Mike Muccio-Schrimpe and Matthew Lazaro had to weather some tough stretches against two of the hottest offenses in the building, but Muccio’s performance in the 7–1 win and his near-perfect effort in the 1–0 loss to Suffolk underscored just how good this group can be when locked in defensively.

What’s Next

The Rapid Fire Semi-Pro festival sets the stage for a busy stretch in the PIHA Semi: Metropolitan and Mid-Atlantic calendars:

• The same four Semi-Pro clubs will be back in action as the Metropolitan schedule continues later in December, with standings tightening and playoff positioning already coming into focus.

• Several of these rosters will also be featured in an organization-wide cross-division event in early January at Marple Sports Arena, where Metropolitan and neighboring regions collide in a marquee showcase weekend to close out the regular season.

With East Coast and Suffolk establishing themselves as early pace-setters – and Moriches and the Labeda Legends showing they can score in bunches – the next Semi-Pro festival dates are shaping up to be just as high-scoring and unpredictable as the Rapid Fire slate.