BUFFALO, NY -- The West Genesee Wildcats came from behind to defeat the Orchard Park Quakers, 6-4 on Saturday afternoon to win the NYSPHSAA Regional Championship held at LECOM Harborcenter. With the win the Wildcats will now move on to play in the NYSPHSAA State championship next weekend to be held here.
Tied 3-3 going into the final stanza, West Genesee took their first lead of the game :28 into the period on a goal by senior Jonah Vormwald. Christian Ball got the lone assist.
At 2:47 the roles were reversed with Ball scoring and Vormwald getting the assist to put the Wildcats up 5-3. The Quakers cut that lead to one, 5-4, less than six minutes later when senior Tyler Buchheit scored an unassisted goal at 8:42.
Nick Meluni, a sophomore, put the game away for the Wildcats scoring an unassisted goal at 13:48 to make the final score, 6-4.
“Give a lot of credit to Orchard Park,” said West Genesee coach, Frank Colabufo, now in his 31st season at the Wildcats head coach. “They were as good as advertised.
“They’re even better in person than they are on film. They beat us last year, 1-0, at our place. We’re just happy to be coming back next weekend for the States.”
Things opened up in the second period with five goals being scored. West Genesee tied the score, 1-1, at 2:33 when freshman Mathew Schneid scored a power play goal. Carson Berg and Jacob Pensabene assisted.
Orchard Park took a 2-1 lead at 8:53 when senior Jack Ciano scored his second goal of the game. Nolan Thorpe, a sophomore, got the lone assist.
West Genesee came right back four minutes later to tie the score, 2-2, on a power play goal by sophomore Nick Meluni. Carson Berg and Angelo Caruso got the assists.
“Orchard Park has a lot of skill,” stated Colabufo. “In order for us to compete with that kind of skill we have to play with a lot of structure.
“I thought early in the game and at different points throughout the game we got out of our structure. When we play inside our structure we can do what we just did.
“There is a lot of grit in our locker room and a lot of character. I knew that they were not going to quit.”
Less than a minute later Orchard Park came back to take the lead, 3-2, on a goal by senior Brady Ciano at 13:28. Brennan O’Hara got the only assist.
Less than two minutes later the Wildcats would not be denied, tieing the game, 3-3 with an unassisted goal by Christian Ball at 15:27.
The Quakers outshot the Wildcats for the period, 10-9.
Orchard Park opened the scoring in the first period when senior Jack Ciano scored at 14:34 to give the Quakers a 1-0 lead over West Genesee. Justin Relosky, another senior, got the lone assist on the goal.
Orchard Park outshot the Wildcats in the first, 6-4.
NOTES: Orchard Park outshot West Genesee in the third period, 12-5, and for the game, 28-18.
Ciano, a senior, scored two goals in the game for the Quakers.
Nick Meluni, a sophomore, scored twice for the Wildcats.
This will be West Genesee’s 11th appearance in the New York State Frozen Fours.
Feature Image Courtesy of Janet Schultz/NYHockeyOnline.com
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