By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA
They had already finished the regular season a perfect 20-0 and now the Webster Schroeder Warriors have done what no Section V hockey team has accomplished since the 2009 Greece Thunder: reach the sectional championship game undefeated.
It’s been history in the making since Game 1 back in November for the Warriors.
But there’s no time to savor the accomplishments. Not when they have a Class B championship-game date with Aquinas Institute at 5 p.m. Monday at RIT’s Gene Polisseni Center.
“As of 6 o’clock last Thursday, being undefeated didn’t matter anymore,” Schroeder coach David Broussard said after Wednesday’s 3-1 semifinal victory over Irondequoit. “At 7 o’clock tonight, it didn’t matter anymore. And at 5 o’clock on Monday it won’t matter. It’s win or go home.”
Top-seeded Schroeder kept their season rolling along in Wednesday’s sectional semifinals by holding off the pesky, fourth-seeded Eagles (11-9-2). Schroeder never trailed but Irondequoit did give them a scare.
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The first period was scoreless and the second period was on its way to the same until Schroeder senior defenseman Noah Spakoski found the net at with 5:44 remaining.
“That was definitely a big step for our team to get us going,” Spakoski said.
Not that the scoreless duel was a surprise. Fast starts are not a Schroeder trademark, he said.
“We struggle with our first periods,” Spakoski said. “But our second and third periods are definitely our go-to, we tire them out and we bury pucks.”
He did just that, breaking the scoreless tie by taking a return pass in the left circle and then quickly firing a shot top shelf past senior goalie Joel Reeves (23 saves in the game).
The goal allowed the Warriors to exhale because Irondequoit had been matching them stride for stride.
“I think you felt it through the building,” Broussard said.
His goalie, sophomore Cole Hudson (18 saves), certainly did.
“In the first period, no goals, very stressful,” Hudson said. “Once we scored, all that stress went away. I was like, I can just play my game.”
Even so, the score stayed 1-0 until the first shift of the third period, when freshman forward Connor Scott went top shelf from the high slot for the Warriors second goal at 58 seconds.
The 2-0 lead gave Schroeder a bit of a comfort zone to start the final period, though they knew there was still work to do.
“They’re heavy loaded with seniors,” Scott said, “so we knew they were going to be fighting for their lives. We knew this game would be a dogfight.”
Indeed, the Eagles weren’t done. Senior forward Dylan Carey scored on a wrap-around with 5:22 remaining, cutting Schroeder’s lead to 2-1.
But Schroeder was able to maintain control for most of the final five minutes, finally clinching the victory when junior defenseman Nikolas Schouten scored into an empty net with 51.7 seconds remaining.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the team,” Irondequoit coach Michael Cimino said. “We said we were going to give them everything we’ve got and I can 100 percent say we did that.”
For Schroeder, the game was much like so many during the season. They just don’t give up goals. In 22 games, they have allowed 22 goals.
“That’s incredible, that’s ridiculous,” Cimino said in admiration.
Hudson said the secret is simple: “Be better than the other goalie.”
There’s a little more to it, though. Namely, buying into the instructions that how you play in the defensive zone will determine your fate.
“It’s attention to detail and understanding that the defensive side matters more than the offensive side,” Broussard said.
They’ll have a chance on Monday to prove that defense really does win championships. The Warriors are seeking their first sectional block since 2023.
“We wanted revenge for losing in the semis last year,” Hudson said. “After we started winning a couple games, we realized we can do this.”
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