WNYGVIHF Week 2 Report

Before they hit ice Mae Roberts told her Lancers that regardless of the outcome this would be a day they would remember for the rest of their lives.

It didn’t disappoint and neither did the Lancers.

St. Mary’s skated to a 2-2 overtime tie with HEWS in their inaugural WNY Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Federation game that was played before a packed Cheektowaga Town Rink on Nov.22.

The stands were filled with everyone from family to St. Mary’s faculty and classmates who were all on hand for the historic day.

“I told the girls before the game this is a really special moment for them,” said Roberts, who played for West Seneca during the first season of the girls Fed.

“So whatever the scoreboard looks like just take it all in. They will remember this exciting moment forever. And I just cannot emphasize enough just how great the school was. We had teachers there. We had other students there. Our whole boys hockey program came out to rally around them. I was so impressed with how supportive the boys teams were.”

Roberts said that she has also been bowled over by the flurry of text messages congratulating the team.

Down 2-0, the Lancers showed the perfect amount of heart and skill as they relentlessly battled back to tie Hamburg/Eden/West Seneca on goals by Alannah Pagano and Kirsten Domagola.

Pagano said she is proud to have scored the first ever goal in program history. While records come and go a milestone achievement like this is something that will last forever.

“It was great. I’m glad everyone came out, supported us and watched. It was very exciting,” said Alannah Pagano. “To have that feeling that I scored the first goal felt great. Fans were super loud and it was really fun.”

While the importance of living in the moment and enjoying that first game should never be forgotten, it was equally vital to make a good showing. The fact they were able to come away with a point in their first game gives the Lancers something substantial to build off.

“I think it did a lot to keep the energy up and also take a little bit of weight off their shoulders,” said Roberts. “They’re a more than capable team. They’re an awesome group.”

Roberts said it took about a period and a half for the first game jitters to disappear. Once the girls took a deep breath and calmed down they found a flow to their game and were fine the rest of the way.

Samantha Hatt and Teddie Osinski both collected assists.

Monsignor Martin features a smothering defense and continues to receive outstanding play from goalie Sophia Will who has been a big part of the strong start.

“We have been playing with a lot of effort and some great team defense backed up by strong goaltending,” said coach Mark Brownschidle.

“We will have to continue that in the future with the tough games coming up.”

Will had a combined 35 saves in a 4-0 over LID and 3-0 over CASH.

Mia Boyd has provided some offense as her three points. One point behind league leader Vanessa Willick of Williamsville.

Speaking of Williamsville, they faced a tough non-league challenge in Section III Skaneateles just before the holiday break.

Sophomore Scout Oudemool’s five-point night paced the Lakers 7-0 win.

NiCo and KenGI will have the chance to test themselves against talent from other parts of the state when they co-host a tourney at Cornerstone, Dec.10-11.

They will face Section I East and Section VII Plattsburgh.

Plattsburgh recently ended the 19 game winning streak of 2020 state champion Clinton.

Monday Results

KenGI 3, St. Mary’s @Cheektowaga 0

NiCo 1, MonMar 0

HEWS 5, CASH 4 (OT)

Two games of note for Dec.1st 

NiCo @ HEWS, West Seneca Rink, 4:00.

The Lady Warriors will be looking to s

Dec.2, St.Mary’s @ LID, Holiday, 4:15

This will be the first meeting between the two teams as they battle for “Lancaster Bragging Rights.”

WNYAthletics will be streaming Thursday afternoon’s game between HEWS and Williamsville (12/2 4:30pm) from the Northtown Center. Stu Boyar and Randy Schultz have the call. The game will be available on all WNYA Social Media accounts and on their home webpage.

FEATURE PIC CREDIT JANET SCHULTZ/NYHOCKEYONLINE