Smithtown making its claim for first

Just past the halfway point of the Suffolk hockey season, Smithtown and Connetquot/Sayville have established themselves as the top two teams in the league.

Smithtown (12-0, 24 points) is in first place, and is the only team to beat Connetquot/Sayville this season with a 3-1 victory on Oct. 19. Smithtown has a balance of youth and experience with junior captain Brian Masi on defense and its top line of sophomores Michael Gioia, Nicholas Lupo and Daniel Nelson leading the attack.

"I expected us to be a strong team at the top of the league," Smithtown coach Vincent Granice said. "We were competitive last year and when we started our tryouts this season we weren't sure how our young guys would do at the varsity level but we've been very successful."

Connetquot/Sayville (10-1, 20 points) has the best scoring ratio in the league, outscoring opponents 85-17, allowing less than two goals per game. Senior captain Nick Russo is the team's leading scorer and six players on the team have 10 or more points through the first 11 games.

"Our success thus far has been a total team effort," Connetquot/Sayville coach Bruce Kollmar said. "We've had a commitment from everyone to a total team defense."

The two teams will meet again on at 8:10 p.m. on Jan. 9.