FOXBORO – For the CD Stingers and Long Island Royals, it was all about saving their best for late as the two teams skated to a 6-3 Stingers win in their opening Jr. A Elite Division game Thursday afternoon at the Foxboro Sports Center.
Both offenses were quiet for much of the first half, Stavros Soilis’ goal that gave the Stingers a 1-0 lead at 5:47 standing as the only mark on the score sheet until late when both teams came through to set the score at 2-1 at the break. Soilis notching his second at 18:29 and Keith O’Brien scoring for the Royals at 19:45.
It was a similar pattern in the second half, with the Stingers scoring early – a Jake Roeper goal at 7:32 – and then nothing until the two sides combining to score five goals in final seven minutes.
The Stingers built their lead to 4-1 on a Josh Renaud goal, but the Royals kept themselves alive and got back to within striking distance with goals from Bryan Whelan and O’Brien just 12 seconds apart, the second at 20:04, to make it 4-3.
Giacomo Messina gave the Stingers back a little breathing room with his goal at the 22:00 mark, before Roeper finished it off with his second of the game with just 1:07 remaining in the contest.