By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA
Nate MacBride is like most goalies when it comes to facing shots: the more, the merrier.
He enjoys being called on to make the big save. He wants action in the defensive zone.
“I don’t like playing in the boring games,” the senior goaltender said.
His wish came true on Friday evening. With Victor clinging to a one-goal lead, McQuaid stormed the Blue Devils in the closing minutes but MacBride made every necessary save and preserved a 4-3 victory at the Rochester Ice Center.
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“Just the composure he had was impressive,” said Victor coach Mike Ferreri, whose club improved to 3-0 Section V’s Class B standings by defeating the Class A Knights (2-2-1).
Over the final five minutes, MacBride made four terrific saves, starting with a point-blank stop on an out-of-nowhere shot from Matt Kozara during a goalmouth scramble with 4:50 remaining.
Two minutes later, he denied in-rapid-fire succession one-timers by Jack Callery and then Eoghan Maier.
Then with 31 seconds to play, Callery fired from the left circle toward an open side of the net but MacBride kicked out his right skate and sent the puck harmlessly off to the corner. Instead of the tying goal, it was just another in a series of big-time saves in the showdown of traditional Section V powers.
“They’re a cross-town rival, we share the rink with them and it’s always been a rivalry with McQuaid,” MacBride said. “It’s a game you never want to lose.”
While MacBride was coming off a 25-save shutout of Webster Schroeder in Victor’s 6-0 victory on Wednesday, the workload and quality of shots were much different against McQuaid, the defending Class A sectional champions, but MacBride was very much up to the challenge.
“He’s a great kid who works extremely hard,” Ferreri said. “He’s earned these victories.”
A minute into the final period, it seemed unlikely that the Blue Devils would be relying on their goalie for the victory. Just 30 seconds into the period, senior winger Caleb Clark scored his second goal of the game and Victor led 4-1.
The goal was Victor’s third in a span of four minutes and 41 seconds – stretching back to the 13th minute of the second period.
Clark’s power move to the net off a two-on-zero fast break snapped a 1-1 tie at 12:49, then senior winger Dylan Weldon fired home a wrist shot from the left circle at 14:37 for his second goal of the game and a 3-1 lead.
When Clark scored just 30 seconds into the third period, Victor was comfortably ahead.
“Those guys have worked so hard and in the first couple games they were kind of snake bit, so it was good to see them rewarded,” Ferreri said.
But while down 4-1, the Knights didn’t quit. They started their rally with 9:09 remaining when Kozara outbattled the defense in front and slam-dunked home a rebound.
MacBride’s biggest save actually came about two minutes later. With the Blue Devils on a five-on-three power play, Maier stole the puck at the McQuaid blue line and sped away on a breakaway. He raced down the slot and tried to fire high past the catching glove but MacBride snared the shot.
“It was a nice play by him but I read it all the way,” MacBride said.
Said Ferreri: “That was a huge save.”
Indeed it was, because just 12 seconds after McQuaid returned to full strength, Lou Zaari converted Callery’s perfect centering pass off a two-on-one fast break and the Knights trailed by just one, 4-3, with 6:06 left.
But Victor was able to hold on, thanks in part to big saves by MacBride.
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