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Notre Dame

United rally falls short in 3-2 loss to Aquinas

By Mike Pettinella

Batavia Notre Dame lost to Aquinas by a 3-2 score tonight in a penalty-free Section V varsity hockey match at Lakeshore Rinks in Rochester.

Senior forward C.J. Mangone scored two goals for the Little Irish, now 9-1 after their eighth straight victory. Aquinas’ only defeat came in BND's season opener by a 6-3 count.

For United, 5-4-2, Ronin Hofmaster and Gavin Schrader tallied goals in the second and third period, respectively, with Schrader’s 21st of the year coming with just 59 seconds left on the clock.

After a scoreless first period, Mangone capitalized on a United turnover to beat BND goaltender Courtney Schum with a slapshot from the left side seven minutes into the second period. Assists went to Kevin Howse and Tyler Day.

Mangone made it 2-0 when he deposited a rebound off a shot by teammate Alex Smola with 5:36 to play. Day also assisted on the goal, Mangone’s 15th of the season.

United cut the lead in half when Hofmaster stole the puck, maneuvered to the right and beat Aquinas goalie Andrew Gatti to the glove side with 1:34 on the clock. Brady Johnson picked up the assist.

Aquinas scored what proved to be the game winner six minutes into the third period when Tony Terrana took a shot from the point that got past Schum, who was screened on the play. Caleb Wood and Mangone were credited with assists.

BND had several opportunities in the closing minutes as it controlled much of the play in the third period -- outshooting Aquinas 13-5 -- but wasn’t able to score until Schrader muscled the puck away from an Aquinas contender and drilled it past Gatti.

For the game, United had 30 shots to the Little Irish’s 27.

United hosts Western Finger Lakes at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Batavia Ice Arena. BND defeated WFL 10-1 on Dec. 14.

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.

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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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.”

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.

DiRisio's hat trick powers Batavia ND over WFL, 10-1

By Mike Pettinella

Updated 10 a.m.:

Senior winger Vin DiRisio registered a hat trick Tuesday night – with all three goals coming in his team’s six-goal second period – to lead Batavia Notre Dame United to a 10-1 victory over the WFL Panthers in Section V hockey at the Geneva Recreation Complex.

DiRisio upped his season total to nine goals, one behind senior line mate Gavin Schrader, as United raised its record to 3-2.

Last night, United unleashed 49 shots at a pair of WFL goaltenders – scoring twice in the first period, breaking the contest open with six in the middle period and twice in the third period. United goalie Courtney Schum stopped 21 of 22 shots, yielding WFL’s only goal early in the second period that cut BND’s lead to 2-1.

Senior Zack Eschberger, center on the first line with DiRisio and Schrader, returned to action and promptly put the visitors on the board at 3:54 of the first period, with assists from Schrader and junior Ronin Hofmaster.

"It was great having our co-captain Zack Eschberger back in the lineup for the first time this season," Coach Marc Staley said. "He gave us a really nice boost offensively with his energy and speed."

Schrader made it 2-0 eight minutes later on a power play goal with Hofmaster and DiRisio assisting.

Following a goal by the Panthers’ Lucas Springer early in the second period, BND took control with six goals over the next 11 minutes – the three by DiRisio and one each from Hofmaster, freshman Brady Johnson and Eschberger. Jameson Motyka had three assists and Noah Hudson two.

Schrader and Motyka rounded out the scoring with goals nine seconds apart in the first minute of the third period, with Eschberger and Johnson assisting, respectively.

"We controlled the puck very well as a team last night and our offense clearly can be lethal," Staley said. "There are still a number of things we need to tighten up on, however, in transition and in our own end." 

For the season, Schrader has 10 goals and 10 assists, DiRisio nine goals and seven assists, Hofmaster five goals and seven assists, and Motyka four goals and seven assists.

Staley said his team will have to be sharp against strong competition at this weekend's Dave McCarthy Memorial Christmas Tournament at the Batavia Ice Arena.

"The Dave McCarthy Memorial Christmas Tournament has a great tradition of bringing in some of the best teams in the state. With Fulton, Webster Schroeder, and Bishop Timon coming in, I expect some great hockey to be played."

On Friday, Bishop Timon takes on Webster Schroeder at 6 p.m. and Batavia Notre Dame will face off against Fulton at 8 p.m. On Saturday, the consolation game is at noon and the championship game is at 3 p.m. Admission for all the games is $5 (the charge for seniors is $3). There is no charge for those 18 and under.

Notre Dame, Elba comes down to final shot giving Irish 29-27 win

By Howard B. Owens
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During the first have of the rival match-up between Notre Dame and Elba at Notre Dame, the Lady Lancers looked like a team rebuilding after losing four starters from last season's championship squad.

Elba trailed 17-8.

In the second half, the Lady Irish were outscored 19-12.

It wasn't enough for Elba, though, after Avelin Tomidy hit a game-winning shot with about 15 seconds left in the game.  Elba wasn't able to answer and Notre Dame celebrated a nail-biter of a victory.

Tomidy finished with nine points. Maylee Green lead the Irish with 14 points.

For Elba, Laci Sewar scored 10 points.

Batavia ND rally falls short in 5-3 loss to Portside

By Mike Pettinella

Batavia Notre Dame United dropped a 5-3 decision tonight to the Portside Royals in Section V hockey action at the Batavia Ice Arena.

BND falls to 2-2 while Portside, a merger of the Brockport and Spencerport programs, improves to 3-1.

The winners scored three goals in the second period to take a 4-1 lead and managed to hold off a spirited comeback by the home team.

Forward Vin DiRisio deflected a shot from the point by defenseman Orion Lama with 12 minutes left in the game, and forward Gavin Schrader buried a backhand shot after he stole the puck deep in the Portside zone three minutes later to pull BND within one at 4-3.

The Royals responded a minute later when United turned the puck over in its own end, leading to a goal by Evan Bovee.

“We just dug too deep of a hole in the second period,” BND Coach Marc Staley said. “We had some great scoring chances that we just did not capitalize on.”

With 2 ½ minutes left, Bovee received a major penalty after a blindside hit on DiRisio, giving United a two-man advantage – following a penalty at the 3:38 mark on Joey Mandel.

BND was unable to generate any offense, however, and Portside was able to clear the puck several times.

The home team opened the scoring at 10:47 of the first period on a slapshot from the right point by Andrew Kasmarek. Portside tied it with 4:55 remaining in the period on a goal by Henry Schulz.

Schultz scored a shorthanded goal a minute into the second period to put Portside up 2-1. He added a power play goal with 5:34 remaining and Sal Balbi scored after taking a pass from Ryan Plouffe with 1:44 to play to make it 4-1.

Courtney Schum stopped 27 of 32 shots while Portside goalie Danny Kucmerowski turned away 35 of 38 shots. Schum has replaced sophomore starter Frank Falleti Jr., who is out indefinitely with a leg injury. .

Schrader now has eight goals and DiRisio has six.

Staley said he saw “a lot of good things” from his team, noting that United outshot the Royals, took only two penalties and gave up just three odd man rushes. He also mentioned that he was surprised by the amount of hard checking.

“The game was much more physical than we’ve seen so far this year. It’s certainly not what we are used to seeing in Section V. I thought the kids did a great job adjusting to that and really coming after them in the third period,” he said.

Senior captain Zack Eschberger returns to the team on Monday after being in quarantine, Staley said.

BND travels to Geneva on Tuesday to take on the WFL Panthers. Game time is 7 p.m.

Schrader scores five goals as United defeats Potsdam

By Mike Pettinella

Senior winger Gavin Schrader scored four times in an eight-goal third period Saturday afternoon to lead Batavia Notre Dame to a wild 13-8 victory over Potsdam in the finale of the Potsdam ice hockey tournament.

BND United, which split its two games in the tournament, trailed 5-3 late in the second period before Schrader (assisted by Ronin Hofmaster) and winger Vin DiRisio (assisted by Andrew Kasmarek and Schrader) knotted things up entering the final period.

From there, Schrader took over -- scoring to put United up 6-5 just 18 seconds into the third period (assisted by DiRisio and Noah Hudson) and following that up with three more goals as the visitors won going away.

All told, Schrader had five goals and three assists, raising his team-leading totals to seven goals and eight assists after three games.

Freshman Jameson Motyka tallied three goals and two assists, DiRisio had a pair of goals and four assists (to up his season totals to five each) and Hofmaster recorded two goals and three assists. Freshman Brady Johnson chipped in with a goal and an assist, and Gino Falleti registered three assists.

Batavia outshot Potsdam, 48-29, and with three power play goals in six chances.

Goaltender Courtney Schum, playing in place of injured staqrted Frank Falleti Jr., was 21-for-29 in the save department.

Sophomore John Duffy scored four goals and sophomore Tyler Berkman had two goals for Potsdam.

BND, 2-1 overall, resumes Section V competition at 7 p.m. Tuesday against Irondequoit at Lakeshore East rink and hosts Portside Royals at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Batavia Ice Arena.

Batavia Notre Dame hockey team falls, 3-2, in OT

By Mike Pettinella

Batavia Notre Dame United lost, 3-2, in overtime to Canton on Friday night in the first round of the Potsdam boys ice hockey tournament.

Jacob Rosales scored the game winner two minutes and 22 seconds into the extra period for the Golden Bears in their season opener.

BND, 1-1, outshot Canton by a 43-19 margin, but went 0-for-9 on the power play as Canton’s standout senior goaltender Hayden Todd stood tall.

"Their goalie played great," BND Coach Marc Staley said. "These (type of) games, although frustrating, are good for us. There's no losing; only learning."

United opened the scoring at 11:36 of the first period on a goal by senior Vin DiRisio, assisted by senior Gavin Schrader and junior Gino Falleti.

Canton tied it 17 seconds later when Kaden Baxter beat United goalie Courtney Schum, who stopped 16 of 19 shots.

After a scoreless second period, Josh Aldous put Canton on top, 2-1, at 6:22 of the third period, before United responded three seconds later on a goal by Schrader, with an assist from junior Noah Hudson.

The Golden Bears racked up 33 penalty minutes while United was flagged for just 10 penalty minutes.

BND played without its top two centermen (Zack Eschberger, quarantine, and Cooper Hamilton, broken collarbone).

United takes on host Potsdam at 1 this afternoon to conclude its trip to the North Country. Potsdam lost, 10-1, to Saranac last night.

Batavia Notre Dame United hockey team posts 'gutty' victory in season opener against Aquinas

By Mike Pettinella

If it’s possible to have a “defining moment” in the first game of the season, Marc Staley, head coach of the Batavia Notre Dame United varsity ice hockey club, said he may have witnessed one during the third period of Tuesday night’s Section V season opener.

In front of a large and energized crowd at the Batavia Ice Arena, United posted a 6-3 victory over visiting Aquinas Institute in its debut following the merger of the Batavia High and Notre Dame programs.

Staley said his team’s ability to control its emotions with the score tied at 3-3 midway through the third period was the difference in the game.

“The kids really gutted it out down the stretch,” he said. “We called a timeout with seven minutes and 40 seconds to go. And all we said was to breathe – everybody reset. This is a big moment."

“It's a 3-3 game. It's an emotional night. Just breathe. Let’s go put the stamp on this thing right now. We have the power play. Let’s go execute the power play.”

Batavia ND did just that, with seniors Andrew Kasmarek, Gavin Schrader and Vin DiRisio working together to produce what proved to be the game winning goal.

Defenseman Kasmarek, who shined in the penalty killing department, was at the top of the power play and “executed it perfectly,” Staley said.

“(Kasmarek and Schrader) got the puck across ice to Vincent, which is what we wanted, and he fired the puck in the net,” Staley said.

DiRisio’s goal at the 9:59 mark put Batavia ND in front, 4-3, and United was able to hold off Aquinas, which pulled its goalie in the final minutes – leading to empty net goals by DiRisio and Schrader.

Staley thinks the team’s response to the timeout could be a rallying point as the players, including some from other Genesee County schools, seek to bond as a unit.

“I hope that was a moment that we're going to be able to call back on already – that we were able to calm down,” he said. “Hockey is played with an active body and a calm mind.  We were able to calm our minds, go back to the task at hand and execute down the stretch.”

The win was a costly one, however, as junior Cooper Hamilton, the team’s second line center, suffered a broken collarbone on the game’s first shift when he fell into the boards. He is expected to be out of action for at least six weeks, Staley said.

Batavia ND also played without its first line center, senior Zack Eschberger, who is quarantined due to an exposure to COVID-19.

“He’s not positive but he’s out for the first two games. We found that out less than 24 hours before the game,” Staley said.

That forced the coaching staff to improvise, putting together different combinations on the front line.

“I mean, our whole game plan and our whole line sequencing was just immediately thrown off. And it was not the easiest situation to coach, when you're thrown curveballs like that to manage the bench and to find combinations, and you really have to just coach on the fly, which is not ideal,” Staley said.

Furthermore, starting goaltender sophomore Frank Falleti injured his leg early in the third period and had to come out of the game. His status for this weekend’s two contests in Potsdam is uncertain, Staley said.

His replacement, senior Courtney Schum, came through with flying colors – giving up only one goal, which was tallied by CJ Mangone, his second of the game.

“Courtney came in and did a tremendous job for us in a really pressure packed moment,” Staley said. “She was coming in cold and did a great job and made some big saves for us down the stretch to help us secure the lead.”

Junior center Ronin Hofmaster and Kasmarek had first-period goals for United, and Hofmaster scored again in the third period to give the home team a 3-2 lead. Schrader had four assists and DiRisio had two.

Going forward, Hofmaster, who Staley credited as having a “phenomenal” game, will anchor the second line with freshman wingers Brady Johnson and Jameson Motyka. Key defensemen include juniors Noah Hudson, Alex Johnson and Bryce Feldman and seniors Kasmarek and Parker Corbelli.

United travels to Potsdam for games against Canton (Friday) and Potsdam (Saturday). Its next home game is at 6 p.m. Dec. 9 against Portside Royals.

The merged program's JV team has won two of its first three games.

Notre Dame High School Holding Virtual Fundraiser

By Press Release

Press Release:

Notre Dame High School is having a virtual fundraiser, the second Ca$h for Christmas Reverse Raffle, with a chance to win up to $10,000! This fundraiser was very successful and popular last year so we are doing it again. 

Notre Dame Events Coordinator, Kathy Antinore, says “ticket sales are going well as everyone could use $10,000 right before Christmas.”

The Notre Dame Foundation raises funds to use for financial aid and scholarships for students. Those needs are greater now than ever. The object of a “Reverse” raffle is to be the last number drawn. That lucky person wins $10,000. Between the immense need and the great cash prize, the school is hoping to sell 1,000 tickets.

Tickets are $25 each and there are 20 chances to win at least your money back plus two $1,000 prizes. The drawing for the last 5 numbers will be “Live” on the Notre Dame Facebook page on Thursday, December 16th .

More information can be found on the school’s Facebook page and website www.ndhsbatavia.com.

Interested in purchasing tickets, please contact Notre Dame at (585)343-2783 or email Events Coordinator, Kathy Antinore, at kathy.antinore@ndhsbatavia.com.

As season comes to an end, Notre Dame football coach Zambito has high expectations for 2022

By Mike Pettinella

A tough season marked by key injuries and inconsistency on offense came to a close on Friday night for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish varsity football team, but Coach Joe Zambito said he sees a silver lining in all of it.

“Our guys hung in there and gave them a game when a lot of sportswriters said we would get blown out,” Zambito said, talking about his team’s 22-0 defeat at Avon in a Section V Class D quarterfinal match.

The loss ends ND’s season at 3-6 while the Braves, 8-1, move on to the next round where they will host Alexander. The other Class D semifinal contest pits Caledonia-Mumford/Byron-Bergen at top-seeded Oakfield-Alabama/Elba.

Zambito pointed to a couple of turnovers late in the second quarter as keys to the game, both giving Avon short fields – leading to a pair of touchdowns.

“We had some momentum but those turnovers flipped the field,” he said. “Give Avon credit; they have a strong team.”

Senior quarterback Andrew Roland rushed for both TDs – one from 22 yards out and the other from 8 yards out.  The Braves added a third touchdown in the third quarter to complete the scoring.

Notre Dame gained 130 yards on offense under rainy conditions, with junior Hayden Groff tallying 57 yards on 13 carries and senior Drew Edwards picking up 36 yards, also on 13 carries. Junior QB Jimmy Fanara was 2-for-8 passing for 39 yards and two interceptions.

The Irish defense was led by seniors Conner McWilliams and Edwards with 11 and nine tackles, respectively, while Groff, senior Vin DiRisio and sophomore Ryan Fitzpatrick each were credited with 5 ½ tackles. Fitzpatrick came up with a pair of interceptions.

“Our defense held up well; our guys were flying all over the field,” said Zambito, who said he sees better days ahead for his squad as a result of the experience the underclassmen gained this season.

Along with Fitzpatrick, Fanara and Groff, players returning in 2022 include receivers Jay Antinore, Brandon Carrick and C.J. Thornley, running back George Woodruff, linemen Anthony Fiorentino, Mavrik Hall, Jacob Maracle, Maximus White, Connor Boehly and Joe Trewer, and running back/receiver Bryceton Berry.

"I'm looking forward to next year," Zambito said. "We'll learn from this."

Notre Dame announces Hall of Fame Dinner, 2020 and 2021 inductees

By Press Release

Press release:

Notre Dame High School will be honoring the Hall of Fame Class of 2020 & 2021 Inductees during the annual Sports Night Dinner on Saturday, November 13, 2021. The event was not held last year due to covid, so both year’s inductees will be honored at this year’s event.

The 2020 Inductees are: Ron Francis ’67, Gary Conte ’69, Caitlin Fix ’01, Jessica Cocco Paulin ’05, “The Foundation” (which includes early years ND All Stars Jerome O’Grady ’55, Samuel John Gerace ’55, James Sullivan ’55, Ron Kosiorek ’55, Frank Ferrando ’56, Vincent Messina ’57, Bill Kelty ’57, Richard Lewis ’58, Patrick Welsh ’58, Michael Welsh ’61), 1968 & 1969 Varsity Golf Teams, and Coach Marc Staley ’20 honorary.

The 2021 Inductees are: Vinny Fanara ’97, Mike Redick ’97, Otis Thomas ’97, Kathryn Redick Thompson ’03, Darci Walthew Pfund ’03, 1978 Varsity Football Team, and 1978 Varsity Girls’ Volleyball Team with special recognition to Donald “Magoo” Suozzi who was an incredible supporter of Notre Dame High School students and the athletic program for over 50 years!

The first Annual Bill Sutherland Humanitarian of the Year Award will also be presented to Dr. Joseph Scanlan ’65. Beloved teacher and coach, Bill Sutherland, passed away in 2020 and his family has created this award to honor someone who helps people behind the scenes.

Notre Dame Hall of Fame recognizes inductees for their outstanding athletic contributions while at ND.

For bios of inductees, click here.

Edwards, Fanara shine as Notre Dame closes out regular season with 41-0 victory over Clyde-Savannah

By Mike Pettinella

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Senior running back Drew Edwards ran for two first-half touchdowns and junior quarterback Jimmy Fanara passed for four second-half TDs to lead the host Notre Dame Fighting Irish to a 41-0 victory over Clyde-Savannah in Section V Class D football action this afternoon.

The Irish, 3-5, handed the Golden Eagles their sixth shutout loss in seven games this season. Clyde-Savannah’s only win was a 7-6 decision against Cuba-Rushford/Hinsdale two weeks ago.

Notre Dame drove to the C-S 16-yard line on its opening possession but turned the ball over on a fumble into the end zone. The Irish made up for that miscue in short order when Edwards capped its next drive with a 19-yard burst off left tackle with 5:47 left in the first quarter (photo above).

Moments later, a high snap over quarterback Logan Massey's head resulted in a safety for the home team when Massey was able to cover the ball in the end zone.

The Irish scored again on the ensuing possession on a six-yard run by Edwards at the 2:30 mark of the opening period. Hayden Groff ran twice for 13 yards and Edwards broke off an 18-yard run to set up the TD. Junior kicker Brandon Carrick booted the point after touchdown to make the scored 15-0.

Notre Dame failed to score in the second quarter as a couple unsportsmanlike conducted penalties thwarted two drives.

While having success on the ground behind the offensive line of center Dalton Hamm, guards Mavrik Hall and Connor McWilliams and tackles Camden King and Joe Trewer, the Irish took to the air after intermission to put the game away.

Fanara hit Ryan Fitzpatrick from 21 yards out early in the third quarter to make it 22-0 (after Carrick’s PAT) and found Bryceton Berry from five yards out with 4:40 left in the period for a 28-0 advantage. A 34-yard pass from Fanara to Berry was the key play leading up to the five-yard TD pass.

The Irish closed out the scoring on a couple more TD passes by Fanara – both to senior Evan Cummings, from 10 yards out with eight minutes left in the game and from 10 yards out in the final minute. Groff had a 22-yard run en route to the first of Cummings’ scoring receptions.

Statistically, ND rushed for 291 yards and passed for 126 for 417 yards of total offense, while the Irish defense held C-S to 24 yards of total offense, including minus 58 on the ground.

Edwards carried 15 times for 114 yards and the two TDs, while Groff gained 75 yards on 12 carries. Fanara, the T.F. Browns Player of the Game, hit nine of 14 passes for 126 yards and the four touchdowns. Cummings caught four passes for 40 yards (and the two scores).

On defense, Conner McWilliams had seven tackles, two fumble recoveries and a sack; Vin DiRisio had six tackles, a fumble recovery and gained possession for ND on a squib kickoff; and Edwards had six tackles.

Notre Dame Coach Joe Zambito said it looks like the Irish will be the No. 7 seed for the sectional playoffs, anticipating a game at Avon on Friday night although it is not official yet.

"We're going in with some momentum but it has been a very difficult year," he said. "I've never seen injuries like this -- losing three key two-way starters (QB/Safety Colin McCulley, LB/TE Cody Henry and LB/RB George Woodruff). But, maybe we can upset the apple cart next week."

 

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Brandon Carrick kicks off for the Irish.

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Anthony Fiorentino closes in on C-S runner Detrick Rose.

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Lineman Joe Trewer, left, and LB Vin DiRisio pouncing on the ball for a fumble recovery.

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ND records a safety.

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Another TD for Edwards.

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C-S quarterback Logan Massey was under pressure all game.

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Before the game, the school recognized its seniors. Their posters were put up on the fence outside Bill Sutherland Field. From left, Drew Edwards, Colin McCulley, Conner McWilliams, Dalton Hamm, Evan Cummings, Vin DiRisio and Camden King. Photos by Jim Burns.

Blue Devils rally to beat Clymer-Sherman-Panama, 25-21; Fighting Irish topple Cuba-Rushford/Hinsdale, 33-14

By Mike Pettinella

Batavia’s two high school varsity football teams recorded victories on the road Friday night.

In a game played at Depew High, the Batavia High Blue Devils of Section V defeated Clymer-Sherman-Panama of Section VI, 25-21, rallying to win when senior quarterback Jesse Reinhart hit Javin McFollins with an 11-yard touchdown pass with 4:11 left in the game.

Meanwhile, at Cuba-Rushford/Hinsdale, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish broke a five-game losing streak, upending the host Rebels, 33-14, in a Section V Class D matchup.

At Depew, Batavia battled back from a 21-13 deficit as running back Aidan Anderson scored on a 60-yard run early in the fourth quarter, setting up Reinhart and McFollins’ late heroics.

The Blue Devils were able to schedule the game against Clymer-Sherman-Panama, a strong Class D team, after its contest at Newark/Marion was cancelled due to COVID-19 issues with the home team.

Reinhart threw for three TDs – two to McFollins (11 and 88 yards) and one to Carter McFollins (18 yards). Anderson racked up 171 yards on 27 carries.

Batavia, 6-1, takes on Wilson Magnet at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Van Detta Stadium.

ND 33, Cuba-Rushford/Hinsdale 14

Drew Edwards rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown in his debut as halfback and quarterback Jimmy Fanara completed 10 of 12 passes for 157 yards and two scores as Notre Dame raised its record to 2-5. Edwards had been the team's starting left tackle until moved to fullback the previous game.

Four of Fanara's completions went to Evan Cummings for 60 yards and Bryceton Berry caught two passes for 37 yards and two touchdowns.  Fanara also ran for a touchdown.

Hayden Groff rounded out the Irish attack with 57 yards on the ground and a TD.

The 33 points is one less than the team had scored over its first six games.

On defense, lineman Connor McWilliams came up with nine tackles, including five for a loss, while linebackers Vin DiRisio and Edwards were credited with eight and six tackles, respectively.

The Irish host Clyde-Savannah at 1 p.m. Saturday.

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