Notre Dame

Notre Dame forced 34 turnovers, often snatching the ball from opponent's hands mid-dribble and covering the steal into a score, leading to 72-39 win over Romulus in the Class D2 bracket.

The win sets up a dream match-up for local basketball fans with a rivalry match for the D2 boys' championship on Friday against the Elba Lancers.

"Our defense carried us tonight," said Head Coach Mike Rapone. "Offensively we missed a lot of the shots that we normally make and we didn't do well at the free-throw line either but our defense was excellent we carried us all night long got us a lot of easy shots in transition and the kids played hard and they've done it all year. They battled. They weren't having the best shooting night but they worked their way through it and I'm just proud of the approach that we had."

Colin McCulley, who recently returned to the lineup from an ACL injury, led the team with 23 points. Jimmy Fanara scored 16, Cody Henry, 10, and Jordan Welker, seven.

Saturday's championship match with Elba is at 11 a.m. at Letchworth.

 

In a close matchup two girls' semifinalist teams, #2 Notre-Dame and #3 Genesee Valley made a game of it for a chance to play this week for Class D1 championship.

Notre Dame came away with a five-point victory 31-26. 

After a slow first quarter down by 4 after the opening quarter, the Irish got some buckets from Emma Sisson who finished with a game-high nine points on the night.

Genesee Valley's Mary Hamer dropped eight points in the first half and 14 total on the night.

The two teams were tied at 12 at the half.

Notre-Dame rallied in the third with points by Avelin Tomidy, Judah Macdonald, and Lindsey Weidman to take the lead 23-16 after three-quarters of play.

Maylee Green had six points, Tomidy, MacDonald, and Weidman, five each.

The Irish kept the pace to maintain the lead and ball possession right to the end and win and advance to the finals.

Notre Dame will take on #1 Filmore at 8 p.m., Friday at Letchworth.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

In boys basketball on Friday, Notre Dame took a quarterfinal playoff game over Houghton 79-31.

The Fighting Irish (18-3, seeded #1) will take on Romulus (12-9, #4) in a D3 semifinal game on Monday at a time and site to be determined.

Notre Dame led 50-15 at the half.

Ryan Fitzpatrick had 18 points while breaking the school record for three-point shots in a season, previously held by Mike McGee and Spencer Misiti. Jordan Welker scored 14 while Colin McCulley and Cody Henry each had 11. 

Photos by Jim Burns.

The Notre Dame girls beat Honeoye Falls/Lima in a quarterfinals match at home on Friday, 55-7.

The Fighting Irish (16-5, #2 seed) play Genesee Valley/Belfast (16-5, #3) at 6 p.m., Monday, in Letchworth for the Class D1 semifinal.

Lindsey Weidman scored 17 points, Emma Sisson scored 15 and had 10 steals, Maylee Green scored eight and had 15 rebounds.

Notre Dame dominated in their first girls basketball playoff game of 2022 with a 79-31 win over Houghton.

The Fighting Irish, seeded #1, advance to the D2 semifinal on Monday against Romulus (#4) at a site to be determined.

There are no stats available for the game.

Photos by Jim Burns.

 

Batavia Notre Dame United’s season came to an end tonight at the hands of perennial hockey powerhouse Victor, 5-0, in the Section V tournament Class A quarterfinals at the Rochester Ice Center in Fairport.

The team – in its first year of the merger of the Batavia High and Notre Dame programs – finishes with a record of 12 wins, seven losses and three ties.

As the clock wound down in the third period, Head Coach Marc Staley said he could only think of seven senior class members of the club who provided the leadership needed to forge such a successful inaugural campaign.

“Right now, we’re just thinking about the seniors; we’re thinking about how far up the mountain we climbed because it’s a lot further than I think people thought we were going to go,” Staley said. “And, tonight we may have just lost to the state champions – on their home ice.”

Victor, now 16-2-2, got goals from five different players – scoring once in the first period, three times in the second period and once in the third period. A deep and talented squad, it limited United to 18 shots and put constant pressure on BND goaltender Frank Falleti Jr., putting 38 shots on net.

“They’re one of the best teams in the state,” Staley said. “So, that’s the level you have to get to; you can’t make mistakes.”

Staley was talking about a turnover along the boards behind Falleti that turned into the game’s first goal at the 10:02 mark.

Senior forward Jon Chapman stole the puck and quickly passed it out front where senior forward Braydon Risenberger, streaking down the middle of the ice, flicked a one-timer past Falleti.

Less than a minute later, United’s Cooper Hamilton had a great scoring chance but missed the open side of the net. Falleti came up with a sparkling save with 3:46 left to keep it at 1-0.

Victor thought it had a second goal in the opening period with 1:42 remaining, but the goal judge ruled “no goal” as Falleti fell onto the puck as it rolled across the goal line.

BND’s freshman forward Brady Johnson, alone in front of Victor's sophomore goalie Max Pitts, was unable to get off a good shot in the first minute of the second period, and less than a minute later, Victor went up 2-0 when sophomore defenseman Michael Peluso’s long flip shot toward the BND goal deflected off Falleti’s pad and into the net.

The Blue Devils capitalized on a roughing penalty on BND as sophomore forward Tanner Radogna batted a shot in mid-air from Asher Erwin past Falleti. Chapman scored an unassisted goal with 6:12 left to make it 4-0. Victor outshot United 16-4 in the period.

United had a few decent scoring opportunities in the third period but Pitts was equal to the task – thwarting seniors Vin DiRisio and Gavin Schrader. Victor senior forward Colin McNamara closed out the scoring with a power play goal with just 2:29 left on the clock.

After defeating Victor, 4-2, on Jan. 27 in Batavia, United was unable to find the back of the net in the teams’ next two meetings, losing 9-0 on Feb. 3 and getting shutout tonight.

Staley said he could sense the disappointment on the bench when the team got down by three and four goals, knowing that Victor gave up as many as four goals in a game just twice this season.

“You could feel it on the bench when they got up by four goals but we never stopped, we never quit. I thought we played a great third period. I'm proud of the way that the kids handled themselves in terms of playing with class right to the end,” he said.

Victor Head Coach Mike Ferreri, who guided the Blue Devils to the state title in 2018 and were on their way to the state Final Four in 2020 before COVID-19 hit, credited the BND coaches for their efforts.

“I think Marc and (Assistant Coach) John (Kirkwood) did a phenomenal job of trying to merge schools,” he said. “We’ve got a handful a merged schools in our section right now and it’s very challenging. I can't imagine how they do it because the culture that we preach – supporting one another and putting the team ahead of your individual goals – would be even harder to do with kids from multiple schools.”

Staley acknowledged that he will be thinking about next season in a day or two but tonight was saddened about losing “a great senior class” – Schrader, DiRisio, Zack Eschberger, Parker Corbelli, Andrew Kasmarek, Thomas Reardon and goalie Courtney Schum.

He said the journey that all of the coaches and players took together this year was special.

“So many stories to be told about practices; what happened in the locker room and great moments of guys supporting one another and being selfless,” he said. “To me as a coach, that's what it's about. Did we make 21 kids better hockey players, probably. But I feel really confident that we made 21 kids better people. And right now, that's what I reflect on.”

Still, he couldn’t help but to speak about the future.

“We certainly have a very positive jayvee team this year. The coaches did a great job developing those kids and a number of those kids are going to be ready to step right in with us next year,” he said. “That was the goal -- to create this type of development model and it was extremely rewarding. It's something personally that I've been privately dreaming about for over a decade and now we’re seeing this unity not only in the hockey locker room, but within the community too.”

Staley said the United club will be involved in raising the bar for youth hockey at the David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena in Batavia.

“We want to help the youth hockey program grow,” he said. “We have a responsibility to help fix up the rink in Batavia a bit and put hockey on a better path long term – and this was a heck of a start.”

Photo at top: United's Vin DiRisio fires one past Victor goalie Max Pitts but just wide of the net.

Pitts grabs the puck as BND's Jameson Motyka applies the pressure.

United's Brady Johnson reaches to control the puck as he battles with Victor's Tanner Rodogna.

United goalie Frank Falleti Jr. dives on the puck with help from DiRisio after a shot by Victor's Simon Kowal.

BND's Ronin Hofmaster looks to skate past Victor's Asher Erwin.

United's Cooper Hamilton and Victor's Christian Kurz meet at the puck in front of goalie Pitts.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

It was Mike Rapone's night at Notre Dame and in front of a capacity crowd there to honor the legendary coach, the Fighting Irish emphasized the point with a win over archrival Elba 63-52.

Rapone said he wanted the focus to be where it should be, where it's always been, on the kids, but also admitted it was an emotional night for him.

"It really didn't hit me until tonight," Rapone said. "I've been talking, you know, this is my last year. It hit me tonight. It was pretty emotional."

Rapone coached at Notre Dame for 42 seasons amassing 709 wins (a Section V record), 32 Genesee Region championships, nine Section V championships, and two state championships.

On Wednesday, Jordan Welker led the scoring with 15 points. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Aiden Sisson scored 14 points each and Cody Henry scored 13.

For Elba, Zach Marsciell scored 23 points, hitting four three-pointers along the way.  Conner Scott scored 15 points.

No matter how you slice it, the inaugural season of the Batavia Notre Dame merged hockey program has been a successful one. And it became much sweeter tonight before a large, enthusiastic crowd at the newly-named David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena on Evans Street.

Junior forward Cooper Hamilton’s goal with 5:15 remaining in the third period broke a 2-2 tie and Coach Marc Staley’s United squad went on to post a 4-2 victory over the Hilton Cadets in the opening round of the Section V Class A tournament.

The win lifts the seventh-seeded BND’s record to 12-6-3 and sets up a quarterfinal matchup against No. 2 Victor at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Rochester Ice Center on Lyndon Road in Fairport.

Tonight’s contest featured inspired play by both teams – especially goaltenders Frank Falleti Jr for BND and Luciano Chinappi for Hilton, who time and time again came up with spectacular saves.

United fired 50 shots at Chinappi – 19 of them in the decisive third period – while Falleti turned away 31 of 33 shots by the Cadets.

Staley pointed to his team’s ability to dig deep when the game is on the line as a key factor in the victory,

COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH

“This team is resilient,” he said. “We've been resilient all year. We’ve been down in the third period and we've come back to win before, and even when they (Hilton) came back and tied the game, there was no panic on our bench, none at all.

“In a pressure moment -- do or die at home and a new merged program. A lot of these kids haven't been in big sectional games before. And they did a great job executing our defensive game plan the last seven or eight minutes by keeping the clock running and getting the pucks deep.”

Hilton opened the scoring 8 minutes and 19 seconds into the game when senior defenseman Rylan Searley’s shot from the point went through Falleti’s legs and into the back of the net. Senior forward Dominic Goodenow picked up an assist.

BND was unable to convert several good scoring chances on two power plays prior to that, and junior Noah Hudson, playing on the front line tonight due to three teammates being out with illness, was thwarted by Chinappi in front with five minutes left.

A pair of stellar saves by Falleti in the closing three minutes of the period kept the deficit at one goal.

GAVIN SCHRADER TIES IT UP

United tied it up at the 9:48 mark of period two when senior Gavin Schrader (in top photo winding up for a shot), Section V’s leading scorer, deposited the rebound off the initial shot by junior defenseman Bryce Feldmann.

The home team took a 2-1 lead with 2:05 left in the period when freshman forward Jameson Motyka took a pass from freshman forward Brady Johnson, skated in alone, put a nifty fake on Chinappi and backhanded the puck into the net for a shorthanded goal.

Hilton killed off a United power play with 9:23 on the clock and four seconds later tied the score at 2-2 when Goodenow flew in from the left side and flipped a rebound past Falleti.

Four minutes later, Hamilton came through with what proved to be the game-winning goal (Motyka and Johnson assisted) and Johnson sealed the deal with 2:14 remaining by converting a pass from Motyka.

Staley said he expected a hard-fought game against Hilton, which came into the contest with a 6-10-4 record.

“They’re a great hockey team; much better than their record because of the difficult schedule they play,” he said. “Our plan was to stay out of the (penalty) box and to limit the odd-man rushes, although we did give up a few of those.”

FALLETI, DIRISIO STRONG ON ‘D’

He also credited Falleti and senior defenseman Vin DiRisio for rising to the occasion.

“Frankie was spectacular. I mean, he made four saves in that last period that were probably the difference in the game,” Staley said. “And Vincent was incredible on defense. When he puts his mind to it, and stays focused on hockey, and doesn't get drawn in, he's one of the best players in the league. I think he's learning that and, now he’s seeing the fruits of that labor.”

Staley also singled out Schrader’s ability around the net and said that Motyka’s shorthanded goal triggered the loudest cheer “I’ve heard in this building in 10 years.”

“We had a lot of great individual efforts,” he said. “I thought defensively that (Andrew) Kasmarek was excellent and Feldmann was very strong in the back. We got great minutes from Bartzie (Alex Bartz), (Noah) Whitcombe and Gino Falleti.

“That's really key when we can get that third line in and they can eat 10 to 15 minutes of the clock for us. That just keeps our other guys fresh.”

FACING VICTOR FOR THIRD TIME

United only gets a day or so to celebrate before facing Victor, 16-2-2, for the third time in the last three weeks. BND beat the Blue Devils, 4-2, on Jan. 27 but dropped a 9-0 decision on Feb. 3.

“I think the kids are excited to have a third crack at them,” Staley said, adding that maybe Victor might be a bit overconfident coming off of the lopsided win.

“Our kids know we can beat them and we wanted another shot at them because we didn't play well last time,” he said. “The beat goes on. The train keeps rolling.”

Staley said sophomore forward Addison Warriner and junior forward Ryan Hamilton will not be able to play on Thursday, but he is hoping that senior forward Zack Eschberger will be available.

United's Brady Johnson moves in on Hilton goaltender Luciano Chinappi as Evan Fish (15) defends on the play.

BND goalie Frank Falleti Jr. secures te puck as teammate Parker Corbelli checks the Hilton player.

Jameson Motyka takes aim at Chinappi during the first period for BND.

Falleti and teammate Vin DiRisio slide on the ice to prevent the Cadets from finding the back of the net.

Photos by Howard Owens.

After 42 seasons, 708 wins (a Section V record), 32 Genesee Region championships, nine Section V championships, and two State championships, Notre Dame's Mike Rapone will be honored before Wednesday evening's basketball game at the high school.

Game time is 7 p.m.

Rapone is a 1971 graduate of Notre Dame and also served as the school's athletic director.

His coaching career began in 1978 as JV coach.

In 1981, he became varsity coach. The team was just two years removed from a 1-17 season yet Rapone helped guide the team to its first of 17-straight Genesee Region championships, a Section V title, and a win in the Far West Regional Championship.

The GR championship streak was broken in 1998 but Rapone's teams won 14 of the next 16 GR titles.

Submitted photos. Top photo, Mike Rapone as a player with Notre Dame.

Mike Rapone in 2008

Coach Mike Rapone with his son Mikey in 2002.

Coach Mike Rapone, 1979.

Update, 4:30 p.m., Feb. 13:

Batavia Notre Dame United is the No. 7 seed for the Section V hockey tournament and will host No. 10 Hilton at 6 p.m. Tuesday in a pre-quarterfinal game at the Batavia Ice Arena. Hilton comes in with a 6-10-4 record.

Other first-round matchups are No. 8 Fairport vs. No. 9 Greece Storm, No. 5 Brighton/HFL/ER vs. No, 12 WFL Panthers, and No. 6 Portside Royals vs. No. 11 Gates/Wayne/EI/Wheatland.

The top four seeds receive a bye. They are No. 1 Penfield, No. 2 Victor, No. 3 McQuaid Jesuit and No. 4 Pittsford.

If United wins on Tuesday, it will take on Victor at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Rochester Ice Center.  Victor and BND have split two contests this season.

-------------------

Batavia Notre Dame Coach Marc Staley said he’s already put Friday’s 9-0 loss against top-seeded Victor in the rearview mirror as he prepares his United club for next week’s Section V hockey tournament.

“I could see that we weren’t that sharp to start the game – giving up three goals in the first six minutes – so we kind of took the approach to play everyone, rotating all five lines,” Staley said this morning. “Things didn’t go our way, but I consider the final score an anomaly. We’re definitely right there in terms of our caliber of play.”

Victor avenged a 4-2 loss to BND (on Jan. 27 at the Batavia Ice Arena) as Colin McNamara scored three goals and added three assists, while Simon Kowal chipped in with two goals in the game at the Rochester Ice Center.

The Blue Devils outshot United, 27-21, scoring seven times against starting goaltender Frank Falleti Jr., who was relieved by Courtney Schum midway through the second period.

BND finishes the regular season at 11-6-3 while Victor improves to 15-2-2.

“Looking at everything, we had a fantastic first year – merging the two programs the way we did and playing the 14^th hardest schedule among all teams in New York State,” Staley said. “An 11-6-3 record is quite an accomplishment.”

United will look to post win number 12 at 6 p.m. Tuesday when it opens the Class A sectionals at home.

“Our opponent is yet to be determined but it looks like it will be Gates-Chili or Hilton,” Staley said. “It depends on what happens today as there are still a number of games to be played.”

Staley said the status of senior Zack Eschberger is uncertain after the first-line center suffered a shoulder injury early in yesterday’s game.

The BND United junior varsity team takes a 9-7-2 record into sectional play on Monday night when it takes on host East Aurora.

Batavia Notre Dame United’s four-game winning streak came to an end tonight by a 6-2 score at the hands of the McQuaid Jesuit Knights at the Batavia Ice Arena.

The loss drops BND to 10-5-3 while McQuaid evened its record at 7-7-2 in Section V competition.

United is scheduled to take on Victor, weather permitting, at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Rochester Ice Center in Fairport. BND handed Victor only its second loss of the season, 4-2, last week.

Freshman forward Brady Johnson gave United a 1-0 lead with 9:15 on the clock in the first period, converting a pass from Ronin Hofmaster to beat McQuaid goaltender Rory Fitzpatrick. Gavin Schrader also picked up an assist on the power play goal.

BND held the lead until just 44 seconds remained in the period when freshman Jack Callery took a pass from Nicholas Bianchi and put a one-timer past United goalie Frank Falleti Jr. for his eighth goal of the season. McQuaid’s goal also came on the power play.

Two goals within four minutes of each other early in the second period gave the Knights what proved to be an insurmountable lead. Junior defenseman Drew Palmer beat Falleti to the glove side 1:28 into the period and junior forward Alex Saracene deflected a shot from the point by Dante Coelho past Falleti, who was screened on the play.

Junior forward Cooper Hamilton’s power play goal – coming after sharp passes from Ronin Hofmaster and Jameson Motyka – pulled United within a goal with 7:58 left in the period.

United had a couple of power play opportunities in the third period but was unable to put the puck past Fitzpatrick, who had 25 saves.

McQuaid scored again after BND pulled Falleti with 1:10 remaining for an extra attacker, with Palmer finding the back of the net on a shot that went the full length of the ice.

With Falleti back in, Palmer closed out the scoring -- and finished with a hat trick -- by poking the puck into left side of the net with just one second to play. Junior forward Evan Kopacz was credited with assists on both goals.

The teams combined to commit 16 penalties – nine against McQuaid and seven against United, which was 2-for-8 on the power play. Shots on goal were even at 27 apiece.

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Thursday night’s 4-2 home win over Victor has moved Batavia Notre Dame’s varsity hockey team into the No. 4 seed in the Section V Power Seeding Standings.

BND defeated the previously once-beaten Blue Devils to raise its record to 10-4-3, which is good for 88 points in the standings. The team’s per game average of 5.1765 puts it fourth on the list of the section’s 12 Class A clubs.

Penfield (12-1-1) is No. 1 with a 6.5714 per game average, followed by Victor (12-2-2) at 6.5625 and Pittsford (7-5-1) at 5.6154.

Other teams in Class A, currently ranked fifth through 12^th, are Brighton/HFL/ER, McQuaid Jesuit, Portside Royals, Greece Storm, Fairport, Hilton, Gates/Wayne/EI/Wheatland and WFL Panthers.

Should United finish in the top four at the close of the regular season, it would get a first-round bye into the Section V Tournament.

BND Head Coach Marc Staley said the power seeds are determined by strength of schedule, with more points awarded to clubs taking on teams with winning records.

“Teams that are better and have a winning record give us more points whether we win or lose,” he said today. “So, it rewards you for playing against top teams. For instance, we can beat Geneva (WFL Panthers, currently 1-8-0) and we will only get four points. Or we could lose to Aquinas (11-3-0 in Class B) and we still get four points.”

Last night’s victory gave United 10 power seeding points – moving them up from seventh to fourth.

Section V hockey officials say they are using the power seeding system “to provide the best opportunity for the best teams (in) Section V ice hockey to potentially represent us onto (New York) State competition.”

Staley took a deeper dive into his team’s won-loss-tie record, which has been boosted by five wins and a tie in its last six matches.

“Our record may not look incredible at 10-4-3, but in 17 games, we’ve only lost three games in regulation time. That’s impressive; 14 games we’ve either won or went into OT,” he said.

United is back in action at 6 p.m. Tuesday against visiting McQuaid, and then has a rematch with Victor at 5 p.m. Feb. 3, this time at the Rochester Ice Center in Fairport. The regular season finale is scheduled for 6 p.m. Feb. 8 at home against Geneseo/Avon/Livonia.

The Class A sectionals begin with pre-quarterfinals on Feb. 15-16. The top four teams would start with quarterfinal contests on Feb. 17-18.

Semifinals are scheduled for Feb. 25 at the higher seed’s rink and the finals are set for 4 p.m. Feb. 27 at Tuttle Ice Arena on the Brockport State College campus.

Regional competition in Division I will take place at 1 p.m. March 5 at Tuttle Ice Arena.

File photo: Batavia Notre Dame's Gavin Schrader scored three goals and added an assist on Thursday night to raise his Section V-leading totals to 29 and 28, respectively. The senior forward's 57 points are five more than compiled by Max McKay of Churchville-Chili (24 goals, 28 assists). Photo by Howard Owens.

It may be time for the New York State Sports Writers Association to take a closer look at the Batavia Notre Dame varsity hockey team.

Coach Marc Staley’s United club posted a major victory tonight, knocking off the Victor Blue Devils, ranked third in the state by the NYSSWA, by a 4-2 score at the Batavia Ice Arena.

Gavin Schrader, Section V’s leading scorer, poured in three more goals to lead BND, which stands at 10-4-3 after its fifth win in its last six games (the other being a tie). United is not listed among the NYSSWA’s top 15 teams in Division I in its latest poll.

Victor’s second straight loss puts its record at 12-2-2.

United got a big lift from sophomore goalie Frank Falleti Jr., inserted into the starting lineup for the first time since he suffered a leg injury in the team’s opening game. Falleti stopped 29 of 31 shots, including several at point-blank range.

BND managed just 13 shots against the Blue Devils, but made the most of its opportunities – driving starting goalie Cameron Beal out of the game after Schrader’s third goal at the 12:11 mark of the third period gave the home team a 4-1 advantage.

As expected, Staley was ecstatic after the final buzzer sounded – yelling out “I told you we would win this game” – as he headed to the locker room.

Afterwards, he brought up the fact that his club had just beaten an elite opponent.

“Well, they are the third-ranked team in the state,” he said, responding to the significance of tonight’s win. “So, you tell me. I mean it was 4-1 at one point and we went into our trap the last eight minutes to keep the clock moving. We knew they were going to come after us late, but we hung on.”

Victor opened the scoring five minutes into the first period when sophomore forward Chris Donnelly scored after a shot from the point by teammate Christian Kurz popped out of Falleti’s glove and onto the ice.

United responded eight minutes later when senior Vin DiRisio swept a rebound on a long shot by Schrader past Beal for a power play goal to tie the game. Zack Eschberger also picked up an assist on the play.

Neither team scored in a second period that proved to be a clinic in penalty killing as the teams combined for six infractions – four of them by BND. Falleti was tested throughout the frame as the Blue Devils outshot United by a 12-1 count.

The third period showcased Schrader’s talents as the senior forward registered a “natural hat trick” with three goals in the final 17 minutes. He now has 29 goals and 28 assists in the team’s 17 games.

BND took the lead with 14:46 on the clock when Andrew Kasmarek got the puck to Brady Johnson, who passed it in front of the net to Schrader, who quickly put the puck in the net.

Schrader made it 3-1 when, after taking a pass from DiRisio, rushed down the ice untouched and beat Beal high to his glove side with 12:31 to play. Following a Victor timeout, Schrader scored again just 20 seconds later when he jammed the puck into the net, with Johnson picking up the assist.

Victor’s Simon Kowal collected a rebound of a missed shot at the 7:08 mark to make it 4-2, but the visitors were unable to score again as Falleti came up with five nifty saves down the stretch.

“We’ve been a great third period team all year – outshooting and outscoring teams – but we got outshot tonight, and we knew that was going to happen,” Staley said, assessing Victor’s strengths. “But we wanted to get quality shots, and a couple of those went in to really help us out.”

He said he wasn’t pleased with all the penalties in the second period, but was happy that BND was able to kill them off and also was one for four on the power play.

“When you get that and then you add in some g

oaltending, you’re tough to beat,” he said. “(Falleti) played really well; he’s fully healthy now. With Courtney (Schum), who has done an amazing job, we now have two fine goaltenders competing for that spot, which helps.”

Staley said the team’s nickname is appropriate at this stage of the season.

“I just feel by the way we've been practicing that these kids are really united, and they’re really playing for each other right now,” he offered. “Everybody on the bench is happy. Even when we see guys blocking shots and clearing the puck, the team is responding to that now.

“And we've really found our identity in terms of the style we want to play. And when we stick to our game plan, we're going to be a tough team to beat down the stretch. Teams are going to have to play their best hockey to beat us.”

United is off until 6 p.m. Tuesday when McQuaid Jesuit comes to town, and then it will face Victor again at 5 p.m. Feb. 3 at the Rochester Ice Center in Fairport. Its last regular season game is set for 6 p.m. Feb. 8 at home against Geneseo/Avon/Livonia.

Photos from tonight's game: Coach Marc Staley on the bench, United players congratulate goaltender Frank Falleti Jr. (33). Photos by Mike Pettinella.

With two games against highly-regarded Victor scheduled over the next two weeks, there’s no better time than now for Batavia Notre Dame United to show that it can compete – and defeat – the elite teams in New York State.

Coach Marc Staley’s squad took a giant step forward this afternoon, playing probably its most complete game of the season, en route to a 7-1 victory over visiting Canandaigua Academy in Section V hockey at the Batavia Ice Arena.

“Actually, I think this whole week – we knew this was going to be a big week with three games in five nights,” Staley said. “So, we set a goal to try to win them all. And, we did that.”

United, winner of four of its last five games (the other was a tie against Williamsville East), raised its record to 9-4-3 with a dominant performance against the Braves, who drop to 4-10-1.

BND got goals from six players as its sharp passing and fast pace resulted in a 46-15 shots on goal advantage.

The home team controlled most of the action and, while not tested as far as quantity of shots, United’s senior goaltender Courtney Schum came up with some sparkling saves before giving way midway through the third period to freshman Frank Falleti Jr.

Falleti returned to the ice for the first time since suffering a leg injury in the team’s opening game.

Jameson Motyka led the way with two goals. Other scorers were Zack Eschberger, Gavin Schrader, Bryce Feldmann, Brady Johnson and Gino Falleti.

United took a 1-0 lead at 9:02 of the first period when Motyka deflected a shot by Noah Hudson past Canandaigua goaltender Charlie Fuller. Schum turned away Alex Chen’s attempt in front of the net to keep the Braves off the board.

Eschberger made it 2-0 just 14 seconds into the second period with an unassisted goal and it stayed that way until Schrader tipped in a shot by Eschberger with 3:22 remaining. Josh Barnes beat Schum to her stick side at the 1:50 mark to cut the lead to 3-1, but BND responded in short order as Motyka converted a pass from Johnson with :23.9 on the clock.

The third period was all United as it outshot Canandaigua, 18-5, scoring on a shorthanded goal by Feldmann at 13:38, and even strength goals by Johnson and Gino Falleti at 11:06 and 10:20, respectively.

“Looking back at this past week, I think we got better every period,” Staley said. “We gave up only 15 shots tonight, which is our lowest total of the year. And I'm really pleased with the way that we're starting to commit in our own defensive zone.”

BND has flexed its muscles on offense all season, but now is starting to put it together on the defensive end as well.

“We know that teams are going to have to score a lot to beat us, but if we can keep teams to one, two, or even three goals, we're going to have a really good chance of winning every night,” Staley added. “But, in terms of a full 51 minute game, I think we played pretty darn well for 48 of those 51 minutes.”

Staley said the development of “a real legitimate third line” with Gino Falleti, Addison Warriner and Ryan Whitcombe is key to the team's success.

“What that does is it gives our top two lines a little more rest so they can play faster,” he said. “We have destroyed teams in the third period this year. We saw this against Greece the other night where we came back, against Williamsville East and we had a really strong third period tonight. When we can run three lines and keep our average shift length under 45 seconds, we’re going to be a tough team to beat.”

Looking ahead, BND hosts Victor at 6 p.m. on Thursday and McQuaid at 6 p.m. on Feb. 1 before traveling to Victor for a 5 o’clock game on Feb. 3. United wraps up the regular season at home against Geneseo/Avon/Livonia for a Senior Night contest at 6 p.m. on Feb. 8.

Sectional competition gets underway on Feb. 15.

Staley said Victor will present United’s toughest tests of the season.

“They’re ranked No. 2 in the state, undefeated going into today’s match against Orchard Park, another unbeaten team,” Staley said. (Orchard Park came out on top in that game by a 3-0 score.)

When asked if his team can knock off Victor, Staley quickly responded in the affirmative.

“Right now, with our team, the way we're playing, I would put this team up against anybody,” he said. “We’re staying out of the penalty box … and we we’re one-for-one on the power play tonight. When you're executing on specialty teams and you're getting some goaltending and you have three lines that you can run up front, that’s a really good recipe for winning hockey games in high school.”

Photos by Howard Owens. Top photo: United goalie Courtney Schum makes the save.

Jameson Motyka, who scored two goals, controls the puck for BND.

BND's Addison Warriner battles for the puck.

Motyka leads the rush down the ice.

A stick goes flying as Canandaigua's Brayden Crouse applies a check.

Battling along the boards.

United's Bryce Feldmann and Schum combine to keep the puck out of the net.

Schum reacts after sweeping the puck away.

Zack Eschberger slips past the Braves' defense to pursue the puck.

Photos by Howard Owens.

A clutch save by senior goaltender Courtney Schum triggered the game-winning goal by junior center Cooper Hamilton with 1:32 left to play Thursday night to give Batavia Notre Dame United a 5-4 victory over Greece Storm in Section V hockey at the Batavia Ice Arena.

The win lifts BND to 8-4-3 going into a home contest at 3 p.m. Saturday against Canandaigua Academy, while Greece drops to 6-7.

The deciding sequence began with a faceoff to the left of Storm goaltender Kaden Fioreca with 1:55 on the clock. BND won the draw but Greece’s Aidan Candalari gained control and started down the left side of the ice.

It quickly became a 2-on-1 situation with Candalari passing the puck to Brent Shallenberger, who flew in all alone from the right side. Schum was equal to the task, however, sliding to her left to stop Shallenberger’s shot.

United’s Bryce Feldman gathered the rebound after knocking Shallenberger off the puck and tipped it out to teammate Jameson Motyka, who advanced it to Hamilton.

Hamilton, back in action recently after suffering a collarbone injury in BND’s first game of the season, gained a head of steam, veered to the right toward the Greece goal and beat Fioreca to his glove side.

Greece immediately pulled Fioreca for an extra attacker but was unable to score against United, which actually misfired on three shots at the empty net.

BND opened the scoring on Noah Hudson’s first goal of the season (assisted by Motyka) three minutes into the game but the Storm responded with three goals in a span of three minutes and 10 seconds – the first by Candalari and the next two by Spencer Griffin.

The score stayed at 3-1 until just 25 seconds remained in the period when BND senior forward Gavin Schrader stole the puck, made a nifty move past a Greece defender and fed Brady Johnson who scored a shorthanded goal, his 12^th of the season.

BND scored the only goal of the second period, this one coming with 16 seconds left when, again, Schrader controlled a loose puck and fed it to Johnson, who beat Fioreca. Zack Eschberger also picked up an assist.

The visitors regained the lead early in the third period when Griffin won a faceoff and got it to Candalari for his second goal of the game.

United tied it up at 4-4 with 5:30 remaining when Schrader rushed past the Storm defense and flipped a backhand shot past Fioreca for a power play goal. Schrader now has 25 goals and 25 assists.

Fioreca stopped 44 of 49 shots, many of them at close range, while Schum turned away 22 of 26 shots, including a couple in a two-minute span just before thwarting Shallenberger.

The Lady Trojans, entering the game at 6-6, did more than upset the 8-2 Lady Irish on Tuesday. Alexander dominated.

At no point in the four quarters of basketball played in Alexander did Notre Dame seriously threaten the Alexander lead.

The final score helps tell that story: 49-35.

For Alexander, Alyssa Kramer scored 19 points. Emma Kramer scored seven and Melanee Pohl scored six.

For Notre Dame, Lyndsay Weidman scored 14 and Emma Sisson scored 12.

Also in girls basketball on Tuesday:

• Elba beat Kendall 54-42. Dakota Brinkman scored 18 points, Laci Sewar, 12, Kennedy Augello, 10, and Halie Deville, eight. For Kendall, Elizabeth Snyder scored 17.
• Attica beat Byron-Bergen 54-53.

In boys basketball, Le Roy beat Pavilion 57-32

 

Senior winger Gavin Schrader scored two goals and assisted on another to lead Batavia Notre Dame to a 6-2 victory Tuesday night over Geneseo/Avon/Livonia in Section V hockey at Wilson Ice Arena in Geneseo.

Schrader tallied both of his goals in the third period for United, which took a 4-0 lead into the final stanza. The section’s leading scorer, Schrader now has 24 goals and 23 assists.

Jameson Motyka had a goal and an assist to raise his season totals to 12 and 18, respectively, while Ronin Hofmaster had a goal and two assists and Brady Johnson chipped in with a goal and an assist.

Hofmaster has nine goals and 19 assists and Johnson has 11 goals and 15 assists for United, now 7-4-3.

Cooper Hamilton registered three assists, Zack Eschberger had two assists and Addison Warriner scored a goal – the first of the game at 5:29 of the opening period.

Senior goaltender Courtney Schum stopped 26 of 28 shots.

For G/A/L, 2-10, Christian Rumfola and Derrick Wigley scored.

United hosts Greece at 5:30 p.m., Thursday and Canandaigua at 3 p.m, Saturday at the Batavia Ice Arena.

In an intersectional battle between teams with similar records, Batavia Notre Dame United and the visiting Williamsville East Flames played to a 3-3 overtime draw Tuesday night at the Batavia Ice Arena.

Brady Johnson’s goal with 7:01 remaining in the third period lifted United to the tie in a game that saw the home team outshoot their Section VI opponent by a 41-26 margin.

BND, now 6-4-2 in Section V, has a week off before facing Geneseo/Avon/Livonia at 6 p.m. Jan. 18 at Wilson Ice Arena on the Geneseo State College campus.

The game-tying play developed when Johnson gathered the puck at the blue line and moved it to Jameson Motyka who raced down the left side of the rink. Motyka then made a nifty backhand pass to Johnson, who beat Williamsville East goaltender Luke Fryling. Andrew Kasmarek earned an assist.

Both teams scored a goal in each of the three periods.

Johnson opened the scoring just 1:57 into the game when he rebounded a shot by Vin DiRisio. Gavin Schrader also picked up an assist on the play.

Three minutes later, Peter Nostrant scored the first of his two goals for the Flames, 5-4-2, by slapping the puck past United goalie Courtney Schum after being left alone in front of the net.

The visitors took a 2-1 lead 13 seconds into the second period as Caden Cavalieri scored on a rebound of his initial shot, but Motyka tied it up at the 13:01 mark by converting a rebound off a shot by teammate Ronin Hofmaster. Johnson also picked up an assist on the play.

Nostrand’s goal 4:17 into the third period came after teammate Ryan Ljiljanich won a faceoff to give the Flames a 3-2 edge.

United applied a lot of pressure on the Flames’ defense at the end of the third period and into overtime but was unable to put the puck past Fryling, who withstood four United power plays throughout the contest.

Batavia Notre Dame Head Coach Marc Staley believes his United varsity hockey team is prepared to make a strong push over the last eight games of the Section V regular season.

“Tomorrow (Tuesday) is our 13^th game and it’s the first time all year that we’re healthy, so I think we’re ready to put it together,” Staley said today, two days after United’s 4-2 victory over Western Finger Lakes Panthers at the Batavia Ice Arena.

The win over WFL – Staley’s 150^th in nine-plus seasons behind the Notre Dame (and now merged program) bench -- raised BND’s record to 6-4-2 entering Tuesday’s home game (6 p.m.) against Williamsville East.

“The way I look at the milestone is that I’ve stuck around long enough to compile that many victories,” said Staley, who has a 150-128-6 record. “I’m thankful for the kids that have played through the years. I’ve been able to watch a lot of great hockey players. It’s been rewarding, challenging and, at times, stressful.”

Staley said that this season’s six victories have meant more to him because of the merger of the Batavia and Notre Dame programs.

“For quite some time I felt that our kids were at a disadvantage playing against the Rochester teams by being split up,” he said. “We’re seeing mergers in Rochester, too, and I’m just glad that we were able to do this.”

As far as his future, he said he wants to keep coaching “for as long as they’ll have me,” with a goal of being able to coach his son, Luke, who will be entering seventh grade next fall.

HIGH EXPECTATIONS THIS YEAR

Batavia Notre Dame came into its first season as a combined unit with high expectations with a roster loaded with skilled players at all positions. Offensively, United hasn’t had too many problems putting the puck in the net – five players have at least eight goals each -- but has been hampered by inconsistency on the defensive end.

On Saturday against WFL, United held the Panthers to just 15 shots on goaltender Courtney Schum and killed four of five penalties – an encouraging sign, Staley said.

“We’re working to correct things defensively – limiting shots, limiting chances and being in better position,” Staley said. “Now, with Cooper (Hamilton) back from injury, we are looking at moving Zack Eschberger to defense as he is just a versatile player.”

Hamilton, a junior center, suffered a collarbone injury in the season opener and returned to action on Saturday, picking up an assist.

Staley said he plans to put him on a top line with senior wingers Gavin Schrader and Vin DiRisio while wingers Ronin Hofmaster and Jameson Motyka will skate with freshman center Brady Johnson on the team’s other high-scoring line.

SCHRADER LEADS ALL SCORERS

Schrader (photo at right), with a goal and two assists on Saturday against WFL, now has 103 points in his high school career – 54 goals and 49 assists. This season, he has 22 goals and 21 assists, and – according to the Pointstreak website, is the leading scorer in Section V.

“Gavin is one of those generational type talents,” Staley said. “You rarely find someone his size (6-foot-4) that can skate as fast as he can and is as strong physically as he is. Beyond that, he’s become mentally tougher as a senior.”

Motyka had a goal and two assists – upping his totals to 10 and 16, respectively – while Eschberger and Johnson had the other goals. DiRisio has 11 goals and 12 assists; Hofmaster has eight goals and 16 assists, and Johnson has eight goals and 13 assists.

Defensive standouts thus far this season include senior Andrew Kasmarek, junior Noah Hudson and sophomore Orion Lama.

STRONG BETWEEN THE PIPES

United has been without starting goaltender Frank Falleti Jr. since its first game due to a right foot injury but senior Courtney Schum has performed admirably in his place.  Falleti, a sophomore, skated for the first time last Friday, Staley said, but it is unclear if he will make it back this season.

“We not rushing him; he’s got two more years ahead of him and we don’t want to risk any further injury,” Staley said. “We’re supremely confident in Courtney. We feel she has the ability to lead us down the stretch.”

Following tomorrow’s game, BND will be off for a week. It has a Jan. 18 game at Geneseo/Avon/Livonia before ending the regular season with a five-game homestand, including two games against powerful Victor with McQuaid Jesuit, another tough opponent, sandwiched in between.

File photo by Steve Ognibene.

The Hornets stayed undefeated at 8-0 on Friday after beating Notre Dame 62-45.

For Oakfield-Alabama:

 

• Gaige Armbrewster, 31 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 block
• Kam Cusmano, 18 points, 16 rebounds, 2 blocks
• Kaden Cusmano, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks

For the Fighting Irish:

• Jordan Welker, 16 points
• Ryan Fitzpatrick, 10 points
• Cody Henry, 10 points

Notre Dame is now 7-3 on the season.

Also on Friday in boys basketball:

• Le Roy beat Rochester Prep 80-41.  Merritt Holly, Jr. scored 34 points, Finn Shelby, 15, and Mitchel Hockey, 14.
• Pavilion lost to Livonia, 6-41.
• Alexander lost to Wheatland-Chili, 59-42
• Byron-Bergen beat Kendall, 74-54
• Elba beat Attica, 65-51

There were no local girls games on Friday.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.