By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA
In his final season at his former home of London, Ontario, Alex Tidd helped the London Junior Knights win the 2017 Ontario Hockey Federations Bantam AA championship.
Now, in his junior season with the Pittsford High School team, Tidd is doing his best to help the Panthers win a Section V Class A title.
He’s certainly a big reason the Panthers are just one win away from their third sectional championship in four years, with only Fairport standing in their way in Monday’s 8 p.m. finale at RIT’s Gene Polisseni Center.
Tidd stopped 22 shots, many from prime scoring position, while Ronin VanDamme scored two goals and Hayden Feck assisted on three in Pittsford’s 4-2 victory over top-seeded McQuaid on Thursday night at the Gene.
And to think just last week Tidd wasn’t even sure the Panthers could get past Victor in the sectional quarterfinals.
“Victor’s had our number the last few seasons,” said Tidd, who relocated to Rochester in the summer of 2017 when his father, Dr. Christopher Tidd, transferred to the University of Rochester Medical Center. “But we beat them so now we’re playing with house money.”
The Panthers have no intention of giving it back, either. After Pittsford spotted McQuaid a 1-0 lead — Charlie Merkley scored 2:52 into the game — VanDamme put the Panthers ahead.
He tied the score at 6:16 on a power play, converting a perfect goal-mouth pass by Feck, then put the Panthers ahead when his wrap-around went up and over the left shoulder of Knights goalie David Battisti.
Tidd, meanwhile, missed the final 6:18 of the first period after a goal-mouth collision, but he returned to play the final two periods.
His top-notch play in goal prevented McQuaid from tying the score, then Brady Wambach caused a giveaway deep in the Knights zone and Shawn Alexander fired a shot high into the net for a 3-1 lead at 10:33 of the second period.
When Danny Judge scored just 75 seconds into the third period, the Panthers led 4-1 and were content to play defense. Between sound positional play and the shot-blocking of defenseman Brendan Haims, McQuaid was unable to create sustained pressure.
In one penalty killing shift, Haims blocked three shots, including one on which he made a glove save.
“He’s got more welts on his body than anyone I’ve ever seen,” Pittsford coach Steve Thering said.
For Tidd, the transition from the non-school affiliated hockey in Canada to the Section V schedule has been enjoyable.
“I just love every second of it, playing for your school and having all your classmates come to watch,” he said.
McQuaid, meanwhile, was forced to relive what-ifs.
“I think we had a good season, I don’t think this game defines us,” said first-year McQuaid coach Jeff Lovier after the Knights finished 15-6-1. “We played an incredibly tough schedule, probably the toughest in the state.
“But in a game that means the most, we didn’t come through.”
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