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Pat Donaghue wins 60-and-Over event in Batavia; Samantha Hyde places first in Medina

By Press Release

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Press release:

Batavia native Pat Donaghue returned to Mancuso Bowling Center on Sunday and picked up his first Tommy Kress 60-and-Over Tour victory.

The 62-year-old right-hander, who has enjoyed much success in the Rochester area where he has lived for many years, struck out in the 10th frame for a 226 game to defeat Batavian Fred Gravanda (214) and Rochester’s Rick Jewell (178) for the title.

The victory was worth $330 while Gravanda earned $250 and Jewell took home $170.

Donaghue qualified fifth (the top 12 advanced) and then rolled 256 and 247 in the eliminator rounds leading up to the finals.

Batavian Mike Pettinella placed fourth and earned $120, as did fifth-place finisher Steve Nowicki of Rochester and sixth-place finisher Bob Hodgson of Medina.

Bill Logan of Albion was one of six bowlers cashing for $70.

Submitted photo above: Tournament director Pete Nashburn, left, congratulates Pat Donaghue on his Tommy Kress 60-and-Over Tour victory Sunday as runner-up Fred Gravanda looks on.

LEROYAN TAKES TOP SPOT IN MEDINA

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Samantha Hyde of Le Roy (with tournament director Tom Allis in submitted photo) claimed the $600 top prize in the New Year’s Day Eliminator Tournament at Medina Lanes.

Hyde rolled a 259 game with handicap in the final round to edge Batavian Mike Johnson by 10 pins. Maddie Whiteman of Albion (233) and Vicki Charache of Medina (219) finished third and fourth, respectively.

Le Roy stiffles Attica in 58-34 win to capture Lions crown

By Howard B. Owens
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For the first 12 minutes of their championship match at GCC on Thursday night, Le Roy and Attica looked pretty evenly matched, then in the waning minutes of the first half, the Oatkan Knights offense caught fire.

By the end, the score wasn't close.

Le Roy won the large school division crown of the 39th Annual Pete Arras Lions Tournament 58-34.

The Knights held the Blue Devils to only 14 points in the second half, only four points in the final quarter.

For Le Roy, Mitchel Hockey scored 28 points, Merritt Holly scored nine, John Penepento, 9, and Finn Shelby, 9.

For Attica, Cole Harding scored 11 points.

The all-tournament team for the large school division:

  • Jamel Johnson, Roy-Hart
  • Carter McFollins, Batavia
  • Cole Harding, Attica
  • Simon Lamparelli, Attica
  • Merritt Holly, Le Roy
  • Mitchel Hockey, Le Roy (MVP)

With 74-61 win, Hornets become Lions champions

By Howard B. Owens

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Oakfield-Alabama prevailed over Notre Dame on Thursday to win the small schools division of the 39th Annual Pete Arras Lions Tournament at Genesee Community College.

The final score was 74-61.

Kaden Cusmano scored 20 points for the Hornets, Kam Cusmano, 18, and Gaige Armbrewster, 11.

For Notre Dame, Jordan Welker scored 24 points and Cody Henry scored 17 points.

The small schools' all-tournament team:

  • CJ Gottler, Elba
  • Cody Henry, Notre Dame
  • Jordan Welker, Notre Dame
  • Gaige Armbrewster, Oakfield-Alabama
  • Kaden Cusmano, Oakfield-Alabama
  • Kameron Cusmano, Oakfield-Alabama (MVP)

Photos by Kristin Smith.  For more photos, click here.

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United earns tie with Frontier behind Motyka's three goals

By Mike Pettinella

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Freshman forward Jameson Motyka recorded a hat trick Thursday afternoon as Batavia Notre Dame closed out the 2021 portion of its varsity hockey schedule with 5-5 tie against Frontier of Section VI at the LECOM HarborCenter in Buffalo.

It’s the second straight tie for BND United, which battled Hamburg to a 6-6 draw on Wednesday night at the HarborCenter.

United, 5-3-2, is off until Jan. 4 when it takes on Aquinas Institute at Lakeshore East in Rochester.

BND got on the board first when senior Gavin Schrader, one of Western New York’s most prolific goal scorers, found the back of the net at 11:04 of the first period. Assists went to Ronin Hofmaster and Brady Johnson.

Frontier pulled even with 3:20 left in the period on a goal by sophomore Tanner Smaczniak.

The Hamburg club struck twice in a minute’s time early in the second period on power play goals by junior Jake Losey and senior Matt McCarthy to take a 3-1 lead.

Motyka scored the first of his three goals at the 8:56 mark (assisted by Andrew Kasmarek and Vin DiRisio) before Frontier’s Max Conklin broke free for a shorthanded goal with 5:10 on the clock to make it 4-2.

United closed to within one at the end of the period as Motyka scored again, with Orion Lama picking up the assist with 1:37 remaining.

Schrader tied things up at 4 apiece just 29 seconds into the third period (assisted by Parker Corbelli).

A game misconduct penalty on Frontier coach Brian Dehlinger with a little over 10 minutes left for excessive arguing with referees gave BND the man advantage and it capitalized when Motyka scored again. Hofmaster picked up the assist.

BND held the lead until three minutes remained in regulation but a turnover in its own zone led to a goal by Frontier’s Nick Falcone.

Neither team scored in the five-minute overtime period although Frontier came close with only eight seconds to play. United outshot the Falcons 34-31.

Schrader now has 20 goals in United’s 10 games.

Photo at top: Jameson Motyka celebrates one of his three goals Thursday against Frontier.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

To view or purchase photos, click here.

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United's Noah Whitcombe looks for an opening in the crease.

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Gavin Schrader propels a slap shot at Frontier goaltender Kyle Kacmarski. Schrader recorded his 19th and 20th goals of the season.

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Vin DiRisio looks to put a move on the Frontier defenseman.

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BND's Zack Eschberger and Addison Warriner dig the puck out along the boards.

Schrader's third goal lifts Batavia Notre Dame to 6-6 tie against Hamburg in non-league hockey at HarborCenter

By Mike Pettinella

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Senior forward Gavin Schrader's third goal of the game -- coming just 21 seconds into the third period -- enabled Batavia Notre Dame United to gain a 6-6 tie against Hamburg in non-league varsity hockey tonight at the LECOM HarborCenter in Buffalo.

Trailing 6-5 after two periods, Schrader beat Hamburg goaltender Gavin Waite, with assists going to senior linemates Zack Eschberger and Vin DiRisio.

United, now 5-3-1, was unable to find the back of the net the rest of the way, however, despite outshooting the Bulldogs, a Section VI club, 15-1 in the third period. Both teams had four shots on goal in the five-minute overtime period.

Hamburg took a 3-2 lead after one period with senior forward Luke Stotz scoring twice around a power play goal by junior forward Josh Gregoire. BND's goals were by Schrader (from DiRisio and Eschberger) -- see photo above -- and DiRisio (from junior defenseman Noah Hudson and freshman forward Jameson Motyka).

The wide open play continued in the second period as both teams scored three goals. 

Schrader and Eschberger opened the scoring in the period, giving BND a 4-3 edge, before the Bulldogs countered with a goal by junior forward Braeden McGuire.

United took a 5-4 advantage on a goal by junior forward Ronin Hofmaster 10 minutes into the period before Hamburg rallied to take the lead on goals by senior forward Luke Nassoly and sophomore defenseman Matt Holst.

BND outshot Hamburg, 40-29. Senior Courtney Schum was in goal for United.

Schrader now has 18 goals and 16 assists, while DiRisio upped his goal and assist totals to 11 and 10, respectively. Hofmaster's goal was his seventh of the season to go along with his 14 assists.

United is back at the HarborCenter for a 4:15 p.m. game on Thursday against Frontier.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

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Vin DiRisio connects for a power play goal in the first period.

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Brady Johnson looks to maneuver past Hamburg's Alex Wood (55).

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Zack Eschberger (middle) gets some high-fives from DiRisio and Jameson Motyka after his power play goal in the second period.

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Motyka seeks an opening in the Hamburg defense.

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United's Ronin Hofmaster pokes the puck past Waite to tie the game at 5-5.

Perennial favorites Batavia falls to Attica in first-round of Lions Tournament

By Howard B. Owens

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After trailing for much of the game, including, at times, by double-digits, the Batavia Blue Devils put together a final quarter rally but still fell short against Attica, 50-48.

Carter McFollins scored 19 points for Batavia while Tanner Mountain added 12 points.

For Attica, Simon Lamparell scored 16 points and Luke George scored 10.

Attica advances to the championship game at 9 p.m., Thursday, at the GCC gym against Le Roy.

For more game photos, click here.

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Notre Dame beats Alexander in first round of Lions Tournament, 66-51

By Howard B. Owens

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The Fighting Irish are advancing to the championship round the 39th Annual Lions Club Tournament in the small school division after beating Alexander on Tuesday 66-51.

Notre Dame will play Oakfield-Alabama at 7 p.m., Thursday.

For the Irish, Cody Henry scored 22 points, Jordan Welker, 17, Ryan Fitzpatrick, 11, and Jimmy Fanara, nine.

For the Trojans, Nick Kramer scored 14 points, Dylan Pohl, 10, and Trent Woods, 8.

For more game photos, click here.

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Hornets pick up opening round win in Lions Tournament

By Howard B. Owens

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In a first-round game of the small schools' division of the annual Lions Tournament at GCC, Oakfield-Alabama beat Elba 60-44.

For the Hornets:

 

  • Gaige Armbrewster, 20 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals
  • Kam Cusmano, 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals
  • Kaden Cusmano, 12 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks

For Elba, CJ Gottler scored 25 points.

O-A is now 5-0 on the year.

Photos by Kristin Smith.  For more, click here.

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Hot first half propels Elba over Batavia in girls basketball

By Howard B. Owens

The Lady Lancers hit 70 percent of their shots in the first half of Monday's game against Batavia propelling Elba to a 54-31 win.

Dakota Brinkman, who dropped three three-point buckets, scored 13 points for Elba, while Laci Sewar and Kennedy Augello scored nine each. Adrianna Long scored eight and Sydney Reilly scored seven.

Brinkman also had seven rebounds.

For Batavia, Jaylene Dersham scored 10 points.

Wagner, Green post 300 games in league bowling action

By Press Release

Press release:

A pair of Batavia left-handers found perfection in Genesee Region USBC league bowling this week.

On Wednesday, Rich Wagner started with a 300 game in the Wednesday Men's Handicap League on lanes 3-4 at Rose Garden Bowl in Bergen.

He followed that with 279 before finishing with 218 for a 797 series.

On Thursday, Brian Green ended with a 300 game in the Toyota of Batavia Thursday 5-Man League at Mancuso Bowling Center to post a 698 series. On Tuesday, Green rolled a 778 series in the Mancuso Real Estate League in Batavia.

Also in the Toyota league, Batavian Fred Gravanda started with 274 and 278 en route to a 766 series.

For a list of high scores, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of the home page.

Basketball: Batavia boys lose, girls win

By Howard B. Owens

The Batavia Blue Devils boys basketball team lost Thursday to Greece Olympia 64-47.

Javin McFollins and Tanner Mountain scored nine points each. Estavan Lovett and Sawyer Siverling scored six each.

Also in boys basketball, Notre Dame beat Lyndonville 83-56.

In girls basketball, Batavia beat Olympia 47-37. Jaylene Dersham scored 21 points and Julia Clark scored 10.

Pittsford takes it to Batavia Notre Dame, 7-4, as sophomore Norten records hat trick

By Mike Pettinella

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In what Head Coach Marc Staley called “our poorest effort of the year,” Batavia Notre Dame United – plagued by mistakes in its own zone and outshot by a more than two-to-one margin – dropped a 7-4 decision to Pittsford tonight in Section V hockey at the Batavia Ice Arena.

Sophomore Ben Norten scored three goals and assisted on another as the visiting Panthers broke away from a 2-2 tie with four goals in the second period to take a 6-4 advantage heading into the third period.

Pittsford, 4-3-1, fired 46 shots at BND goaltender Courtney Schum, while United could manage to put just 19 on Panthers’ goalie Aden Brown.

“This was our poorest effort of the year and we have to address that,” Staley said. “We have to come to play every night. And we didn’t execute tonight and they’re a fast team and a skilled team.”

Staley pointed to his team’s miscues in its own end that provided Pittsford numerous extra opportunities.

“We gave up too many pucks in our own zone -- sloppy play,” he said. “Pucks in the back of our net (given away). You can’t make mistakes against Class A teams that are good like this. And we made too many tonight, so we’ve got to tighten that up. And we will. It’s still early in the year.”

Pittsford had several chances to draw first blood but was unable to capitalize on a power play midway through the opening period.

When BND drew a pair of penalties at the 8:00 and 7:21, it came through with the two-man advantage -- with senior Gavin Schrader putting away a rebound at 6:59. Jameson Motyka and Zack Eschberger assisted.

The Panthers tied the score at 3:44 on a goal by sophomore Henok Hankinson (assisted by junior Will Masaschi) and took the lead less than two minutes later when junior Lucas Procious scored from close range, with Norten and Colin Norton assisting.

United rallied with a minute left in the period when Eschberger converted a pass from the speedy Schrader, who had raced down the left side of the rink past the defense.

Pittsford controlled most of the action in the second period, outshooting the home team 26-10. And it didn't help the United cause when defenseman Noah Hudson's skate blade broke, forcing him to miss most of the 17-minute session while correcting the situation.

Norten scored off a rebound of a shot by Norton at 13:22 and Masaschi buried the puck after an initial save by Schum at 12:09 to put Pittsford up 4-2.

Following a BND timeout, United cut the deficit in half as Schrader deflected a shot by Parker Corbelli past Brown at the 11:00 mark (Eschberger also assisted), but Pittsford came back 55 seconds later as sophomore Brady McMahon beat Schum to her glove side from a tough angle.

After Schrader hit the crossbar on a shot at 6:25, United pulled to within a goal again as senior Vin DiRisio found the back of the net after a nifty pass from Motyka.

Schum made a couple tough saves inside of three minutes, but was unable to thwart Norten at the 1:14 mark when he scored his second goal, assisted by Norton. The duo combined again to close out the scoring at 10:57 of the third period after United gave up the puck behind its own net.

Pittsford clamped down in the third period, holding BND without a shot on goal until 2:57 remained in the game.

Asked if he thought Pittsford had a deeper team and better skaters, Staley instead talked about United’s unforced errors.

“We scored one on ourselves. Those are the things we have to address; too many giveaways in our own zone,” he said. “And we need more balance. We’re relying on two few guys right now.”

Still, Staley said he saw it as a learning experience.

“It’s good for us to play against these teams to learn the level that we have to get to,” he said.

Schrader upped his goal total to 15 (to go with his 15 assists) while DiRisio’s goal was his 10th of the season.

United, 5-3, travels to the LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo for games against Section VI opponents next week – at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday against Hamburg and at 1:15 p.m. Thursday against Frontier.

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Photo at top: Batavia Notre Dame's Jameson Motyka avoids a Pittsford defender as goaltender Courtney Schum looks on. Photos at bottom: United's Parker Corbelli controls the puck as Pittsford's Lucas Procious converges; teammate Brady Johnson looks to maneuver past Pittsford's Keegan Ahern. Photos by Howard Owens.

BND hosts rival Pittsford in Section V hockey tonight

By Mike Pettinella

A victory over Pittsford tonight would give Batavia Notre Dame a psychological lift through Christmas and snap a long Section V hockey drought against the suburban Rochester school.

“This is a very important game for us, psychologically, as it can get us to 6-2 heading into next week's tournament at the (LECOM) Harborcenter in Buffalo, and knowing that a Batavia team hasn’t beaten Pittsford since, I think, 1994,” Head Coach Marc Staley said this afternoon.

The game is set for 6 o’clock at the Batavia Ice Arena on Evans Street.

The Batavia Blue Devils were unable to defeat a Pittsford club when they met regularly in Monroe County League competition over the past three decades and, last year, Notre Dame dropped a 5-3 decision to the Panthers in the first round of the sectionals.

Batavia and Notre Dame combined forces prior to this season as "BND United" and has won five of its first seven contests. Pittsford is 3-3-1 but the record doesn’t indicate the overall strength of this year’s Panthers’ team, Staley said.

“This looks to be a dead-even game,” he said. “They have played against some very strong teams – Fairport, Massena and Penfield – and play a similar style to ours.”

On paper, United has more offensive firepower than Pittsford with five players in the top 10 in scoring among the six Independent teams. BND has scored 47 goals and given up 25 while Pittsford has scored 22 and allowed 22.

Senior Gavin Schrader is No. 1 in points with 13 goals and 14 assists, freshman Jameson Motyka and junior Ronin Hofmaster each have six goals and 11 assists, senior Vin DiRisio has nine goals and seven assists, and freshman Brady Johnson has seven goals and eight assists.

BND goaltender Courtney Schum has a 3.53 goals against average in her seven games.

The Panthers have three players with five goals apiece – senior Aidan McGrain, junior Lucas Procious and sophomore Henok Hankinson, while junior Will Masaschi has four goals and nine assists. Goalie Aden Brown has a 2.96 GAA.

Staley said both teams have solid power play units and it could come down to which team stays out of the penalty box.

“The team showing the most discipline likely will come out on top,” he said. “It shapes up to be a close game.”

Basketball: Hornets remain undefeated after game with Attica

By Howard B. Owens

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The Oakfield-Alabama boys basketball team moved its season record to 4-0 with a 66-45 win over Attica on Tuesday.

Scoring:

  • Kam Cusmano, 27 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks
  • Kaden Cusmano, 10 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks
  • Gaige Armbrewster, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals

Also in boys basketball on Tuesday:

  • Batavia lost to Mendon 78-50. Javin McFollins scored 12 points for the Blue Devils. Sheldon Siverling and Sawyer Siverling each scored eight points.
  • Elba beat Lyndonville 63-37
  • Alexander beat Kendall 55-47
  • Wheatland-Chili beat Notre Dame 68-53

In girls basketball:

  • Pavilion beat Keshequa 54-28. Lauren Kingsley scored 14 points for Pavilion.  Karlee Zinkievich, 12, and Paige Landers, 12.
  • Depew beat Elba 70-40
  • Le Roy beat Geneseo 52-42. Abby Allen scored 12 points for Le Roy. Kailyn Tresco, 11, and Kenna MacKenzie, 10.
Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

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Cline sets series record at Medina Lanes with 847

By Press Release

Press release:

Middleport left-hander Brian Cline added another jewel to his illustrious bowling resume on Jan. 9 when he set a Medina Lanes record with an 847 series.

Cline, who has more than 40 800 series and around 60 perfect games, posted 279-269-299 in the Thursday Firefighters League. The previous record was held by Mike Lavender of Medina with 846.

Cline also held the record at Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia with an 858 series in January 2018 until it was eclipsed by fellow lefty Rich Wagner's 899 last February.

In other action at Medina Lanes last week, Ray Neuman rolled 300 in the Wednesday Community League -- his second perfect game in three weeks -- and Mike Schepis fired 299--763 -- three days after registering 300--797.

At Mancuso Bowling Center, Batavian Mike Pettinella took top honors for the week with 238-290-266--794 series in the Turnbull Heating Doubles League.

Darleen Balduf rolled her third straight 600 series -- 623 -- in the Wednesday Night Ladies League at Mancuso's.

For a list of high scores around the Genesee Region USBC, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of the home page.

BND captures Dave McCarthy Tournament crown; hat trick for freshman Johnson; Warriner nets game-winner

By Mike Pettinella

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Sophomore Addison Warriner’s power play goal with six minutes and 11 seconds to play lifted Batavia Notre Dame to a 4-3 victory over Webster Schroeder this afternoon in the championship game of the Dave McCarthy Memorial Christmas Tournament at the Batavia Ice Arena.

Host United, now 5-2, prevailed in a fast-paced, well-played contest between evenly-matched Section V hockey clubs

The game featured only seven penalties, but one of those infractions proved to be the difference, however, when Warriors’ defensemen Matt Grattan was hit with a five-minute major for checking from behind at the 10:21 mark of the final period.

BND fired off several shots at Webster Schroeder goaltender Peyton Sanfilippo over the next four minutes before finally cashing in on a Warriner slap shot, with assists going to Jameson Motyka and Gavin Schrader, to break a 3-3 tie.

From there, United employed its neutral zone trap scheme and managed to keep the Warriors off the scoreboard.

United Coach Marc Staley mentioned his team’s all-for-one, one-for all approach when talking about the game-winner.

“The attitude in the locker room is just next man up. And that's what happened, we popped in Addison Warner there in the middle on the power play, and he scores the game winning goal,” Staley said. “And so, what I love about this team is that we have this deep bench. And if someone's not getting it done, we can just bring somebody in to take care of business.”

Freshman Brady Johnson stepped up in a big way as he registered a “natural hat trick” with three consecutive goals for United – two as BDN took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission and a third that erased a 3-2 deficit in the second period.

Webster Schroeder opened the scoring on a goal by Aiden Baldwin (assisted by Gunnar Bolton) at 14:45 of the first period. Johnson evened things up at 4:38 when he took the puck the length of the ice, broke through two defenders and found the back of the net, and put the home team on top at 1:15 after taking a pass from Ronin Hofmaster.

The Warriors responded in the second period on a power play goal by Evan SanSoucie at 16:27 and an even-strength goal by Bolton (assisted by Ryan Reeves) two minutes later to regain the lead at 3-2.

United bounced back once again as Schrader and Hofmaster worked the puck to Johnson at the point and his shot beat Sanfilippo at 10:33 to knot things up.

“Brady is just an incredible talent – a player who mixes great skill level with just a huge compete factor,” Staley said. “He just willed that first goal and that really gave our bench some life.”

Johnson, Schrader, defenseman Andrew Kasmarek and goaltender Courtney Schum were named to the all-tournament team for United, joining Warriors Alex Bollis, Baldwin and Sanfilippo.

They each received medals that were presented by Mike McCarthy and Brian McCarthy, father and brother, respectively, of Dave McCarthy, a standout athlete who was killed in a car accident in 2006.

United outshot the visitors 31-18, but Schum made several spectacular stops among her 15 saves, including a shot at point blank range by Bollis with 1:02 remaining to preserve the lead.

Staley recognized the performance by Schum, who has been filling in admirably for injured starter Frank Falleti Jr.

“She's been steady the whole year for us,” he said. “She makes the saves she's supposed to make and we know when we stay out of the penalty box and we don't give up odd man rushes, she’s going to do the rest for us. I'm very happy for her making the all-tournament team as she deserved it.”

BND, already without forward Cooper Hamilton (broken collarbone) until sometime in January, lost its co-captain, Zack Eschberger, midway through the second period when he was hit from behind into the boards. He reportedly was being evaluated for a concussion.

“I’m really proud of this team for gutting it out,” Staley said. “I mean we were down some of our key players tonight, for different reasons. And then we lost Eschberger, so we’ve got to figure out what his status is going forward as we have a big game against Pittsford (6 p.m. Thursday at Batavia Ice Arena) coming up this week.”

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Photo at top: Batavia Notre Dame players gather round goaltender Courtney Schum after the buzzer sounds, marking their 4-3 win over Webster Schroeder. Photo at bottom: Players, coaches and tournament officials celebrate with a group photo. Photos by Mike Pettinella.

Schrader tallies three, Brady Johnson two as United rolls past Fulton to advance to tourney final at 3 p.m. today

By Mike Pettinella

Senior winger Gavin Schrader scored three goals and freshman Brady Johnson tallied a pair of goals and three assists to lead Batavia Notre Dame to a 9-2 victory over Fulton in Friday night's opening round of the Dave McCarthy Memorial Christmas Tournament at the Batavia Ice Arena.

The victory puts United in the championship game at 3 this afternoon against Webster Schroeder, which defeated Bishop Timon, 10-0.

United, 4-2, scored twice in the first period, three times in the second and four times in the third as it outshot the Red Raiders, 50-20.

Jameson Motyka opened the scoring a minute and 46 seconds into the game (assisted by Parker Corbelli and Johnson) and Johnson made it 2-0 about two minutes later (assisted by Andrew Kasmarek and Motyka).

Kasmarek (assisted by Gino Falleti and Addison Warriner) gave BND a 3-0 cushion early in the second period before Nick Long answered for Fulton with 9:28 on the clock.

About four minutes later, Schrader – who now has 13 goals this season – converted a pass from Ronin Hofmaster before returning the favor, setting up Hofmaster for a goal with 1:40 left in the period. Alex Johnson assisted on Schrader’s goal and Zack Eschberger picked up an assist on Hofmaster’s goal.

In the third period, following a goal by Jameson Motyka (assisted by Brady Johnson), Schrader scored back-to-back power play goals with 11:47 and 9:42 on the clock. Motyka and Brady Johnson assisted on the first one, with Hofmaster and Eschberger assisting on the second goal.

Brady Johnson closed out the scoring with 8:04 left (assisted by Noah Whitcombe).

United goaltender Courtney Schum made 18 saves, including a stop on Fulton’s Nick Long on a breakaway midway through the first period.

Owen Dixon scored the other goal for Fulton, 1-5-2. Fulton and Bishop Timon will meet in the consolation game at noon.

Hornets defeat Trojans 54-38

By Howard B. Owens

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Oakfield-Alabama beat Alexander in boys basketball on Wednesday night 54-38.

For the Hornets, 

  • Kam Cusmano, 16 points, 8 rebounds
  • Gaige Armbrewster, 16 points, 5 assists
  • Kaden Cusmano, 12 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, 5 blocks

For the Trojans: 

  • Trent Woods, 10 points
  • Braydon Woods, 9 points

Photos by Kristin Smith.  For more, click here.

Also, in girls basketball, Elba beat Wheatland-Chili, 49-36.  Game write-up by Drew Muehlig:

Led by senior Dakota Brinkman, Elba defeated Wheatland-Chili 49-36 Wednesday night in Genesee Region girls basketball. 

The senior baller notched a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Lady Lancers. 

Elba also got strong performances from freshman Sydney Reilly (11 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists), senior Adrianna Long (5 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists) and sophomore Halie Deville (8 points and 6 rebounds). 

Elba (1-2) led 29-13 at the half and led by as many as 19, but held off a valiant comeback effort by the Wildcats in the second half. 

Chyene Whitcomb led Wheatland-Chili with 10 points and 3 steals despite being in foul trouble throughout the game. Thailaih Sainpaulin added three 3-pointers to finish with 9 points and Reghan LaMere added 6 points for Wildcats. 
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Batavia's comeback falls short in double OT loss to Athena

By Howard B. Owens
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The Batavia Blue Devils overcame a first-half doldrums that left them trailing Greece Athena 34-21 to score 42 points in the second half, tying the score and sending the game into a double-overtime when Javin McFollins hit a three-pointer as the clock on regulation time expired.

McFollins finished the night with 18 points, hitting five three-pointers, including two in OT.

Carter McFollins also scored 18 points, Tanner Mountain scored 12, and Cam McClinic scored 10.

For Athena, Connor Osier scored 27 points. 

Batavia Downs ends meet with strong betting numbers

By Press Release

Press Release by Tim Bojarski for Batavia Downs:

Batavia Downs completed their 2021 race meet on Friday (Dec. 10) and when all the columns were tallied, the track posted very strong wagering numbers over the course of the 55-day session.

The track had its third highest handle ever since Western Regional OTB reopened the track in 2002, with per-race betting up 17%. The increase was fueled by competitive racing on the track and two new wagers that were introduced for the first time this year: the Jackpot Pick-6 and Jackpot Super Hi 5 pentafecta. These bets drew the interest of the bettors by providing large carryovers throughout the meet, including the largest in track history ($25,599). 

Having fans back in the grandstand this year impacted wagering in two ways. First, on-track betting at Batavia Downs was up 10% from 2019, as spectators were not allowed in 2020. But the extra live traffic sent the numbers at off-track locations down. 

The WROTB locations -- including OTB outlets and Bataviabets.com -- saw betting decline 18% from 2020, which was expected. The 2020 number was an all-time record and a result of the exceptional amount of people who wagered online when patrons weren’t allowed at the track. This year, gamblers took their business back to the track and the numbers reflected it. 

However overall betting versus 2020 was up $933,027 or 13%.  

“We were happy to welcome back our fans and hold racing in front of a live audience again this year. The crowds were great all summer, driven by our Sunday Dollar Day matinees and our service staff in the clubhouse and on the apron did a great job all year,” said Todd Haight, General Manager/Director of Live Racing at Batavia Downs. “The new wagers, carryovers and guaranteed pools all drove our numbers and our horsemen kept the competition keen on the track. I was very proud of the effort everyone put in to make this meet a success.”

Henry Wojtaszek, President and CEO of Western Regional OTB which owns Batavia Downs Gaming and Hotel, was also happy with the results the track had and gave full credit to their associates for the successful year.

"I can't thank our racing fans enough for returning to the track after last year's hiatus. They came back in force and took full advantage of the great amenities we have here. Our newly acquired hotel was sold out on many occasions as a result of the great stay and play deals we offer. People once again enjoyed live racing, gaming, a multitude of concerts and events and all the great restaurant choices on site," said Wojtaszek. 

"But none of it would be possible without our great staff that worked tirelessly all year to provide a great experience and I can't thank them enough. Todd (Haight) heads our racing department and he's done another outstanding job presenting and promoting that product, which in turn drove the increase in our handle."

Scott Kiedrowski, Vice President of Operations also lauded the staff and fans of live racing for a successful 2021 meet. He said “We are very grateful to have been able to roar back in 2021 with live racing here at Batavia Downs. Our customers truly are the backbone of our success as a race track here in Genesee County.”

With approval from the New York Gaming Commission, opening day for the 2022 meet at Batavia Downs will be Wednesday (July 20) and feature the New York Sire Stake 2-year-old trotting fillies. They will be only one of eight divisions visiting Genesee County next year to highlight the racing schedule along with the return of Batavia’s signature stake, the $60,000 Robert J. Kane Memorial Pace that will be raced on Saturday (Aug. 26).

 

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