Sting and Legends Take Control at Rapid Fire as Stretch Run Heats Up

by Anthony Flynn

The PIHA Minor circuit returned to Rapid Fire Arena on Saturday, December 20, for a crucial late-season festival featuring five clubs: Champion Impact, Suffolk Sting, Mach 1 Moustache, Empire State Legends Black, and the Rink Rat Long Island Blazers. With each team skating its second-to-last event of the regular season, every game carried heavy implications for playoff seeding across the Mid-Atlantic and Metropolitan group.

By the end of ten tightly contested games, two clear themes emerged:

Suffolk Sting authored a perfect 4–0–0 day, winning twice in regulation and twice in one-goal fashion, including an overtime thriller against Legends Black.
Empire State Legends Black countered with a 3–0–1 record, their only blemish an OT setback to Suffolk.

Behind them, Champion Impact battled to a hard-earned 2–1–1 showing, Mach 1 Moustache experienced the full rollercoaster of a 1–3–0 day, and the Blazers ran into three hot opponents on an 0–4–0 slate.

Every time slot felt like a preview of the intensity that awaits when the playoffs arrive.

Game-By-Game Snapshot

Champion Impact 4, Long Island Rink Rat Blazers 2 (12:00 PM)
Impact set the tone early for their day, jumping out to a multi-goal lead and never relinquishing control. Craig Zecca scored twice, while Mike Prainito and Max Stern added singles in a perfectly balanced attack to offset a late push from the Blazers.
Suffolk Sting 3, Mach 1 Moustache 2 (12:40 PM)
This one felt like a playoff game. Mach 1 carried a 1–0 lead into the second, but Suffolk’s depth answered with three in the final frame. Jake Strong’s line sparked the comeback, and Suffolk escaped with a one-goal win that foreshadowed the rest of their afternoon.
Empire State Legends Black 5 (OT), Champion Impact 4 (1:20 PM)
In one of the marquee matchups of the day, the Legends and Impact traded punches in a high-tempo, high-skill contest. Impact led 3–1 at one point, but Empire State kept coming, tying the game late and winning it in overtime on a Drew Alaggio strike to complete the comeback.
Mach 1 Moustache 7, Long Island Blazers 2 (2:00 PM)
Mach 1 responded decisively after their opening loss, exploding for seven goals. Jamie Rifice, Greg Cartwright, and Harry Curran headlined an offensive outburst that saw Mach 1 capitalize on nearly every mistake the Blazers made.
Suffolk Sting 3 (OT), Empire State Legends Black 2 (2:40 PM)
Another heavyweight clash lived up to the billing. After the sides traded goals in regulation, Jake Strong buried the overtime winner, lifting Suffolk to a statement victory over one of the division’s hottest teams.
Champion Impact 4, Mach 1 Moustache 3 (3:20 PM)
Impact’s resilience was on full display. After Mach 1 rallied in the second period, Impact’s defensive core and goaltending held firm, and a late push secured Impact’s second win of the day, ensuring they stayed in the thick of the standings race.
Empire State Legends Black 5, Long Island Blazers 1 (4:00 PM)
Legends Black controlled this one from start to finish. A three-goal first period effectively put the game out of reach, with Jack Ryan and the blue line group driving the offense and Sean Connolly locking things down in net.
Suffolk Sting 4, Champion Impact 0 (4:40 PM)
Suffolk’s most emphatic statement came here. Behind a 23-save shutout from Dan Petroro, the Sting stifled Impact’s usually potent attack. Strong, Nick Tartaglia, and their special teams group put the game away with a pair of shorthanded strikes.
Empire State Legends Black 2, Mach 1 Moustache 1 (5:20 PM)
In a tight, playoff-style contest, Legends Black got both goals from Gregory Hendrickson, one in each period, while Connolly turned aside 20 of 21 shots. Mach 1 pressed late but could not solve the Legends’ structure.
Suffolk Sting 4, Long Island Blazers 2 (6:00 PM)
Suffolk closed their perfect day by surviving one last push from a desperate Blazers squad. Brett Nicholson struck twice, and the Sting’s depth rolled four lines effectively to maintain control and finish off a 4–0–0 sweep.

Team-By-Team Breakdown

Suffolk Sting – 4–0–0

Suffolk looked like a team rounding into playoff form at exactly the right moment. They:

Came from behind against Mach 1.
Outdueled the surging Legends Black in overtime.
Shut out a strong Impact group.
Closed with a solid win over the Blazers.

Their balance was evident: timely scoring from multiple lines, mobile defensemen who jumped into the play, and rock-steady goaltending from Petroro and the Sting netminding group. This festival firmly solidifies Suffolk as a top contender in the Metropolitan mix.

Empire State Legends Black – 3–0–1

If Suffolk were the story, Legends Black were not far behind.

They:

Rallied past Impact in OT.
Took a single OT loss to Suffolk in a coin-flip contest.
Rolled past the Blazers.
Edged Mach 1 in another tight defensive game.

Empire State showed they can win in different ways: high-scoring, wide-open hockey or low-scoring, grind-it-out battles. With Connolly in net and a deep, veteran core in front of him, Legends Black left Rapid Fire looking every bit like a Mid-Atlantic favorite.

Champion Impact – 2–1–1

Impact’s day featured a little bit of everything:

Convincing opening win over the Blazers.
Heartbreaking OT loss to Legends Black after a strong start.
Gritty one-goal win over Mach 1.
A tough shutout loss against a locked-in Suffolk squad.

They remain a dangerous opponent for anyone — fast when they want to be, physical when needed, and backed by capable goaltending. Cleaning up small swings in momentum will be the key as they head into their final regular-season event.

Mach 1 Moustache – 1–3–0

Mach 1 experienced the full emotional swing of a festival day:

Narrow loss to Suffolk despite leading.
Dominant 7–2 performance against the Blazers.
Late rally that fell short against Impact.
One-goal defeat to Legends Black.

The good news: when their forecheck is rolling and their top line gets going, they can overwhelm opponents. The challenge: limiting breakdowns and managing game-to-game consistency so that their best performance looks more like the norm than the exception.

Rink Rat Long Island Blazers – 0–4–0

The Blazers ran into three of the hottest teams at exactly the wrong time. Despite the record, there were flashes:

A strong third-period push against Impact.
Short bursts of sustained offensive pressure versus Mach 1 and Legends Black.
Two late goals against Suffolk to keep the final game interesting.

If they can extend those positive stretches and get a few more key saves and finishes, the Blazers can still be disruptive in the final event and into the postseason.

Individual Performance Highlights

Suffolk Sting

Jake Strong (F) – At the center of almost everything Suffolk did offensively: multi-point games, the overtime winner against Legends Black, and crucial secondary scoring all day.
Dan Petroro (G) – Posted a 23-save shutout in the 4–0 win over Champion Impact and was steady throughout his starts.
Colin Hite, Brett Nicholson, Nick Tartaglia, Josh Roland, Dom Feiler – Key contributors at different moments; Hite and Nicholson chipped in important goals, while Tartaglia and Feiler were strong on both sides of the puck.

Empire State Legends Black

Drew Alaggio (F/D) – The heartbeat of the Legends offense, factoring into multiple goals and scoring the overtime winner against Impact.
Gregory Hendrickson (F) – Delivered the game-winning goal in the 2–1 victory over Mach 1 and added points in earlier games.
Jack Ryan (F/D) – Filled the scoresheet with primary points, including a standout performance in the 5–1 win over the Blazers.
Sean Connolly (G) – Consistent and calm, making key saves in close games and backstopping Legends Black to three wins and a single OT loss.

Champion Impact

Chris Rosso (D) – A play-driving defender who logged multi-assist games and sparked transitions all day.
Craig Zecca (F) – Two-goal opening game and repeated impact in key moments; a constant threat off the rush.
Mike Prainito & Max Stern – Timely goals and smart situational play, especially in tight wins over the Blazers and Mach 1.

Mach 1 Moustache

Jamie Rifice & Greg Cartwright – Led the offensive explosion in the 7–2 win over the Blazers, combining speed, finishing, and heavy puck touches.
Harry Curran & Rory Sheppard – Reliable producers throughout the day, frequently matching up against top opposition and still finding ways onto the scoresheet.
Dan Diiorio – Stepped up with goals in their late push against Impact.

Rink Rat Long Island Blazers

Nick Korzevinski – Involved in a majority of Blazers’ offense, including multi-point efforts early in the day.
Matt Clancy & John Delacruz – Provided key goals and helped generate what offense the Blazers could muster against some of the division’s top defenses.
Antonio Lepore (G) – Faced heavy shot volumes all afternoon; his stops kept several games from getting away early.

Looking Ahead

With only one festival left on the schedule for these five clubs, the table is set for a dramatic finish:

Suffolk Sting leave Rapid Fire with maximum points and a surge of confidence heading into the final Metro date.
Empire State Legends Black sit right alongside them as one of the most in-form squads in the Mid-Atlantic, proving they can thrive in both run-and-gun and defensive slog environments.
Champion Impact remain firmly in the chase pack, a couple of bounces away from an even bigger day.
Mach 1 Moustache will look to bottle their best stretches and deliver a full-day, four-game effort next time out.
Rink Rat Long Island Blazers will be hungry to turn effort into results and play spoiler in matchups that could decide seeding.

The final event of the season will be the highly anticipated cross division match up with the Keystone and Metro division teams. That event will take place at Marple Sports Arena on January 10th.