The four remaining Section V Ice Hockey Class A teams have combined for nine titles in the last 10 seasons. The No. 2 seed Victor Blue Devils will look to become back-to-back champions and claim their third title in four seasons. Three teams will look to prevent that from happening. Here’s what you need to know:
No. 1 seed MCQUAID KNIGHTS (19-1-1/Independent) vs. No. 4 seed PITTSFORD PANTHERS (15-5-1/MCPSAC Division I)
How they got here: McQuaid (No. 2 NYSSWA Division I) got a first-round bye to the quarterfinals where they picked up a 3-1 victory over No. 9 seed Spartan Hockey. Pittsford (No. 14 NYSSWA Division I) received a first-round bye to the quarterfinals where they won 4-2 over No. 5 seed Penfield.
Total goals scored: McQuaid (92), Pittsford (79)
Total goals allowed: McQuaid (32), Pittsford (44)
Trends: McQuaid has won five straight contests. The Knights have limited their opponents to one goal in each game during their winning streak. Pittsford has won four of its last five games and has scored four-plus goals in every victory.
Players to watch for McQuaid: Evan Kopacz Sr. D 17 goals, 15 assists, 32 points; Jack Callery So. F 16 goals, 16 assists, 32 points; Bode Wehle Sr. F nine goals, 21 assists, 31 points; Drew Palmer Sr. D five goals, 18 assists, 23 points; Rory Fitzpatrick Sr. G 15-1-1, two shutouts, 1.51 goals against average, .930 save percentage.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM DENNIS JOYCE HERE.
Pittsford: Will Masaschi Sr. F 17 goals, 20 assists, 37 points; Lucas Procious Sr. F 13 goals, 14 assists, 27 points; Colin Norton Jr. F eight goals, 13 assists, 21 points; Brady McMahon Jr. F 11 goals, nine assists, 20 points; Aden Brown So. G 11-4-1, two shutouts, 1.94 goals against average, .922 save percentage.
Coaches: Joe Dugan (McQuaid), Steve Thering (Pittsford)
History 101: McQuaid is seeking its first Class A sectional finals appearance since 2015 where they captured the title against Fairport and repeated as sectional champion. Pittsford is looking to make it to the finals for the first time in two years where they defeated Victor for the Class A title. The last time the Panthers and Knights met in sectionals was in 2019 where No. 5 seed Pittsford bested the top-seeded McQuaid 4-2 in the semifinals.
What’s next: The winner will face the winner between No. 2 seed Victor (17-3-1/MCPSAC Division I) and No. 3 seed Batavia Notre Dame (17-4-0/Independent Division) in the Class A sectional championship.
Puck drop is scheduled for Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. at Rochester Ice Arena.
No. 2 seed VICTOR BLUE DEVILS (17-3-1/MCPSAC Division I) vs. No. 3 seed BATAVIA NOTRE DAME UNITED (17-4-0/Independent Division)
How they got here: Victor (No. 7 NYSSWA Division I) earned a first-round bye to the quarterfinals where they defeated No. 10 seed Fairport 4-1. Batavia Notre Dame (No. 11 NYSSWA Division I) got themselves a first-round bye to the quarterfinals and earned a 4-2 victory over No. 6 seed Brighton/HFL.
Total goals scored: Victor (83), Batavia Notre Dame (114)
Total goals allowed: Victor (21), Batavia Notre Dame (48)
Trends: Victor is currently 3-1-1 in its last five games and has limited their opponents to three goals or less in every contest. Batavia Notre Dame has won its last seven games. The United have held their opponents to three goals or less during the winning streak.
Players to watch for Victor: Simon Kowal So. F 19 goals, 15 assists, 34 points; Michael Peluso Jr. D three goals, 19 assists, 22 points; Drew McCandless Sr. D four goals, 17 assists, 21 points; Jackson Guck Sr. F 11 goals, seven assists, 18 points; Max Pitts Jr. G 16-3-1, six shutouts, 1.02 goals against average, .946 save percentage.
Batavia Notre Dame: Jameson Motyka So. F 23 goals, 26 assists, 49 points; Ivan Milovidov So. F 20 goals, 24 assists, 44 points; Brady Johnson Fr. F 12 goals, 26 assists, 38 points; Ronin Hofmaster Sr. F 14 goals, 19 assists, 33 points; Rhys Tanner So. G 10-2-0, two shutouts, 1.90 goals against average, .913 save percentage.
Coaches: Mike Ferreri (Victor), Marc Staley (Batavia Notre Dame)
History 101: Victor will look to reach the Class A finals for the third time in four years. Batavia Notre Dame will look to reach its first Class A sectional finals and first sectional finals appearance since 2016 when they captured the Class B1 title against Geneseo/Avon/Livonia. The last time the two teams met in sectionals was last year when the No. 2 seed Blue Devils defeated the No. 7 seed United 5-0.
What’s next: The winner will face the winner between top-seeded McQuaid (19-1-1/Independent Division) and No. 4 Pittsford (15-5-1/MCPSAC Division I) in the Class A sectional championship.
Puck drop is scheduled for Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Rochester Ice Arena.
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