A caller reports a suspicious condition to emergency dispatch: a car is parked off Ellicott Street, on "an extension road" by St. Joseph's Cemetery and it's been there for half an hour. It's "occupied and it's going up and down." Police are responding to investigate.

The three Batavia men arrested in February for running an illegal gambling operation, including two city firefighters, have entered guilty pleas in city court today to a Class A misdemeanor charge of promoting gambling, 2nd.

The pleas are a dramatically reduced from the Class B felony of enterprise corruption, which the case was elevated to in April.

Gregory Phillips and Brian Bordinaro, both veteran city firefighters, along with Lance Engel, a cook with the state's veterans home in Batavia, were originally arrested on a felony charge of criminal possession of gambling records in the first degree, a Class E felony. Philips was also accused of possessing a small amount of cocaine and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th.

The Class B felony carried a maximum penalty of 8 to 25 years in state prison.

City Court Judge Robert Balbick's sentencing options include everything from an unconditional discharge to a year in county jail, including a combination of a shorter jail term and a term of probation.

As part of the plea deal, all three men agreed to resign their government jobs.

Attorney Larry Andolina, representing Phillips, said the charge his clients pled guilty to was exactly what they should have been charged with in the first place.

"I just don’t think gambling is that serious of a crime considering all of the gambling that goes on by the state, various lottery tickets, horsing racing, casinos … times need to be changed," Andolina said.

When the case first became public, investigators said gambling records indicated the trio was running a wide-ranging bookmaking operation that covered a variety sports, had numerous clients and turned over about $1 million in wagers. The trio was alleged by investigators to have taken in $80,000 in profits.

Andolina said none of that was true.

"It's all nonsense," Andolina said. "This was little people, betting, gambling on football games. It was blown so out of proportion, which is why it ended up being a misdemeanor."

At the first court appearance that Andolina and his fellow attorneys made on behalf of their clients, District Attorney Lawrence Friedman turned over thousands of pages of "discovery" -- the evidence the government has supposedly gathered against the defendants.

Andolina said the discovery failed to substantiate the original charges.

Friedman was not in court today, was out of the office and has not responded to a request for comment.

Sheriff Gary Maha said his investigators felt they had a solid case that could substantiate the felony charges or they wouldn't have made the arrests.

"We have many cases in which we make an arrest and then the case is pled down," Maha said. "It's our job to make the arrest. It's the DA's job to decide what to do with the case."

The Class A misdemeanor of promoting gambling is the lowest level crime under Article 225, New York's gambling penal code.

Joseph LaTona, attorney for Engel, said there was nothing unusual at all about the plea bargain. He characterized it as a "garden variety" plea.

"I’ve practiced criminal defense law for almost 40 years in Western New York and for individuals without a prior criminal history, for a first-time gambling offense, this is par for the course," LaTona said. "I’ve had many dispositions identical to this throughout many counties in Western New York.  It’s not unusual. It’s typical."

Sentencing on all three defendants is set for March 5.

One decision Balbick will be asked to make in the case of Phillips is to declare what Andolina called a "release from liabilities." He said Phillips has an opportunity for another job and a release from liabilities allows a person convicted of a crime to still be licensed in New York for some types of jobs. Andolina said the job prospect for Phillips is in the private sector.

Phillips and Bordinaro had 17 and 18 years on the job and would have been eligible for a New York State pension if they had completed 20 years of employment.

Both, they said in court, have already resigned from their city jobs.

Photos: Top, Bordinaro, center, with Andolina, right and Greg Ireland, president of IAFF Local 896. Inset, Phillips.

We need snow. Ask any snomobiler. Without snow, there is a lot less winter fun.

But there's also an economic impact. There's a whole industry of bars, restaurants, repair shops, fireplace retailers and other businesses that depend on cold weather and snow.

The forecast for this winter is: We just don't know.

"There's an equal chance for above or below normal for both temperature and precipitation," said Jim Mitchell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

If the start of winter had seen the formation of an El Nino or a La Nina, then forecasters could make a longer range prediction on what kind of winter we might expect. Without either of those weather phenomena, the outlook is neutral.

The longest range prediction, Mitchell said is that outside of today, we'll see warmer and drier conditions for about a week and then some colder temperatures and some precipitation up to about 18 days out.

There is a chance, Mitchell said, of a white Christmas.

Kevin Fisher, president of Genesee Sno Packers, is keeping an eye on the weather.

Last year's dry winter resulted in fewer people -- about half of normal -- registering their snowmobiles.

Most of the state fee for registrations -- $35 of it -- went to local snowmobile clubs to help maintain the state's 10,000-mile trail system.

Without that money, many clubs may be hurting, Fisher said.

"In your household, a business, in any organization, getting half of your funding cut is pretty hard to swallow," Fisher said.

If that happens again this year, the impact could be devastating.

"My biggest fear is that snowmobile clubs, not necessarily right here in Genesee County, but statewide, are going to have difficulty staying afloat," Fisher said. "The trail system as we know it will start to come apart."

Right now, registrations statewide are down 17,000 from this time a year ago.

Fisher suggested that people at least join their local clubs, pay their local dues, that will at least help finance some trail grooming.

Guy Clark, owner of Cedar Street Sales and Rentals, said he always has a plan A, B, or C for his seasonable business.

In a normal winter, Clark said Cedar Street might sell 100 to 150 snowblowers and service twice that many.

That didn't happen last winter, but the winter was so mild, his service department kept busy getting lawn mowers ready for spring, and the early spring helped with other sales.

It actually would have been a worse winter if there had only been about a foot of snow and then the ground just stayed frozen for a month or two, Clark said.

When it's cold, said Rita Towner, co-owner of WNY Fireplace Outlet, and home heating oil bills are going through the roof, people start looking at less expensive alternatives for heat, such as wood or pellets.

"We're creatures of habit," Towner said. "When it's cold, we want to be warmer, but we don't want to pay extra money."

But while sales have been slow for wood and pellet systems, Towner said, it's been a weird winter so far. A lot of people are coming in looking for gas inserts, and those sales are balancing the books.

"There are a lot of people who are getting away from wood and looking for something more efficient," Towner said.

As for a longer term outlook -- the kind possibly related to climate change -- Mitchell said he isn't looking at the weather patterns that way. Everything balances out, he said, and while WNY had an unseasonably mild winter in 2012, Alaska had colder temperatures and more snow than average, as did much of northern Europe.

A lot depends, he said, on the jet stream. If it pushes cold Canadian air into the Northeast, we're more likely to get winter storms. When the jet stream stays to the north, we get warmer weather, but somebody else is colder.

For snowmobilers now is not the time to worry about a lack of snow, Fisher said. It's what comes later this month and January that matters.

"We could have a great winter yet and technically the trails don’t open until Dec. 19, so as present of a snowmobile club, I’m glad it’s not snowing right now," Fisher said. "I would like to see cold and get the ground frozen, but as far as snow, no, because there’s still hunters out there. It’s their time. It’s their season. If there’s snow people are tempted to go out and ride."

Riding now, he said, causes problems with property owners who donate land to trails -- and they are often are also hunters -- so Fisher is glad people are off the trails.

The weather and the economy definitely have a ripple effect, Clark said.

First, many of his customers do landscaping during the summer and spring, and if they're not plowing driveways in the winter, they're not making the money that will help pay for a new lawn mower in the spring.

Second, Clark noted, there are a lot of businesses, such as bars and restaurants and gas stations, that depend on snowmobilers to provide them with winter cash flow.

"Those business owners are the customers of everybody else," Clark said. "If they're not doing well, they're not going to spend."

Benjamin Authur Tribunella, 18, of Spencerport Road, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, unlawful possession of alcohol by a person under age 21 and promoting prison contraband, 1st. Tribunella's vehicle was stopped at 4:28 p.m. Monday on Route 33, Stafford, for an alleged equipment violation by Deputy Joseph Corona. During the traffic stop, Tribunella was found to allegedly possess a controlled substance and alcohol. While being processed into the Genesee County Jail, Tribunella was reportedly found in possession of an additional controlled substance that he allegedly tried to conceal.

Randy Kevin Wilmet, 35, of Franklin St., Batavia, is charged with falsely reporting an incident. Wilmet is accused of providing false information regarding a vehicle accident at 5:18 a.m., Oct. 21, in the Town of Bergen. Wilmet reportedly was a passenger in the vehicle. Also charged was Matthew James Reed, 28, of State Street, Batavia.

Joshua David Kritz, 24, of Lyndale Court, West Seneca, turned himself in on a bench warrant out of the Village of Corfu Court for allegedly violating a conditional discharge on a DWI arrest. Kritz was jailed on $500 bail.

Gregory Stephen Halifax, 46, of Diane Drive, Cheektowaga, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Halifax is accused of violating an order of protection.

Rochel J. Johnson, 31, of Pembroke, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Johnson was arrested by State Police in connection with an alleged incident reported at 6:20 p.m., Oct. 26. No further details were released.

Five years of planning, public meetings, studies, environmental reviews and dozens of written reports came down to one vote Monday night in the Town of Alabama, and by unanimous decision, the town's planning board said yes to a proposed industrial technology park.

The 5-0 vote to change the zoning for 1,340 acres within the town's borders clears the way for the Genesee County Economic Development Center to aggressively market the technology zone and begin the process making STAMP the kind of "shovel ready" property that GCEDC officials say is necessary to attract big business.

Before the vote, Mark Masse, VP operations for GCEDC, said it had been hard work to get the development to the point of the pivotal vote, "but now we leave it in your hands."

"The town has been involved from the beginning in hiring consultants and getting a lot of work done looking at the project," Masse said. "We're excited to be at his point."

For the board, the decision came down to three key points: infrastructure for public water, support from the majority of town residents, and jobs.

Trustee Janet Sage noted the expense the towns of Bethany and Batavia are facing to bring public water to their residents, but under the agreement with GCEDC, the infrastructure for water will be created for 70 percent of the town residents at a reduced cost to ratepayers.

The total capital cost of the water project is $5.2 million.

An estimated $1.9 million in grants will reduce the cost of bringing public water to Alabama rate payers from $882 annually to $512 per year.

"We will be saving residents a lot of money over the long run," Sage said. "It would be a long time if ever before Alabama gets water if this doesn't pass."

Sage also noted that in a survey of residents, among those who responded, nearly 70 percent said they supported STAMP.

It was that support for the project that board members should note, said Alabama resident Sam Ferris.

"You should put your personal issues aside and vote the way the town wants," Ferris said. "We voted into into office to vote for our rights.  If you can’t put your own personal thoughts aside, you should reconsider running when it's your turn to run again."

Other speakers echoed Ferris call for a vote in line with the majority support for STAMP, and Donald Sage spoke about how important the jobs are to the future of Alabama.

"I've lived here all my life and I've never been able to make a living here," Sage said. "I worked construction in Rochester to make a living for my family."

GCEDC estimates that at full build-out -- which may take as long as 25 years -- that STAMP could employ 9,300 people.

Sage went on to talk about the importance of family staying together and said he probably won't be around by the time the real benefits STAMP kick in, but his grandchildren will benefit.

"You should not have to worry about going to Dallas, Texas, or Raleigh, North Carolina, to get to spend time with your family," Sage said.

There were no speakers at Monday's meeting who opposed STAMP.

When Supervisor Dan Mangino announced the resolution passed 5-0, most of the 20 residents in attendance applauded.

In related action, the board set a public hearing for Jan. 14 to consider a 12-month moratorium on all commercial construction in the town that is outside of the STAMP district.

The moratorium would give the town time to developed new zoning laws in anticipation of STAMP-related growth, preventing unwanted commercial construction and destruction of farmland.

With the announcement this morning from the Batavia Area Jaycees of their annual Christmas lights display winners, I drove through Batavia this evening and got pictures of the five houses.

Above, 108 Ellsworth Ave., the traditional winner.

16 Vine St., most colorful.

101 Naramore, overall winner.

23 Meadowcrest Drive, most commercial.

20 Valle Drive, simple and elegant.

I also drove by 19 Trumbull Parkway, the honorable mention, but the lights weren't on.

According to this Facebook group, there will be a candlelight vigil in memory of Collin Crane from 4 to 5 p.m., Tuesday, at Batavia HS.

Crane, 17, a senior at Batavia HS, died Saturday night in a car accident on Route 33, Stafford.

Tips from readers of The Batavian have helped lead to the arrest a man suspected of driving his truck into the building of a restaurant in Darien Center on the night of Dec. 1.

Johny Bear's, on Broadway Road, reportedly suffered significant damage from a truck that spun out in the parking lot while the asphalt was covered with a dusting of snow.

N. L. Beglinger, 21, of Peaviner Road, Alexander, is being charged with reckless driving and leaving the scene of a property damage accident.

According to Deputy Brian Thompson's report, Beglinger drove into the parking lot at 12:35 a.m., with a 2006 Chevy pickup registered to Harlan L. George, of Peaviner Road. He drove in a northwesterly direction, spun counterclockwise and struck the building. He then allegedly headed southwesterly, and peeled out in the grass in front of a fire hydrant. Tire marks then showed the truck heading northwest and doing a donut in the parking lot.

Thompson said in his report that the investigation revealed that Beglinger intended to report to an insurance company that the truck struck a tree on Sprague Road.

The initial report in The Batavian suggested the truck involved in the accident also did donuts at the Triple C Shop Mart, Darien, and a video surveillance system captured some images of that truck.

It turned out the two incidents were unrelated -- different trucks -- though similar-looking -- and different drivers.

There were three passengers in Beglinger's truck, Shelby L. Fryer, 17, Douglas J. Knauss, 22, and Christopher King, 21.

Beglinger is scheduled to appear on the matter in Darien Town Court at 5 p.m., Dec. 18.

Deputy Kevin McCarthy assisted in the investigation.

Meghan McCormick created this video tribute to Collin Crane and posted it on YouTube.

Crane, 17, a senior at Batavia HS, died Saturday night in a car accident on Route 33, Stafford.

In a letter to the Department of Transportation, Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer has asked the agency to reconsider its delay in replacing the Bethany Center Bridge.

While the DOT has stated the bridge is safe, its visual deterioration gives the appearance of a bridge in a high degree of disrepair.

At one time, the bridge was scheduled for replacement in 2011, but it was moved down the priority list and the earliest proposed replacement is now 2015.

"I recognize that allocation of scarce resources is of particular concern, but I would urge you to reconsider the deferral of this project," Ranzenhofer wrote to Commissioner Joan McDonald. "Please consider adding this project to your list of top-priority projects and start the process that will allow this bridge to be replaced as expeditiously as possible."

Ranzenhofer said he has received numerous complaints about the bridge, both from residents and business owners. He cited the bridge as a vital link in local agriculture transportation, especially with the opening of the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park.

"Vital parts of the economy of the Genesee County would be seriously impacted by a failure of this bridge," Ranzenhofer wrote.

Download: Full letter (PDF).

A dishwasher fire is reported at 6151 Clinton St. Road, Stafford.

The house is reportedly filling with smoke.

Stafford fire with mutual aid from South Byron are being dispatched.

UPDATE 10:41 a.m.: Chief on scene reports smoke coming from dishwasher, no flames showing.

UPDATE 10:56 a.m. Dishwaster removed. Fire is out.

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Justin M. Wotherspoon, 26, of Gibson Street, Oakfield, is charged with felony DWAI, aggravated unlicensed operation and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. Witnesses reportedly observed a vehicle allegedly driven by Wotherspoon operating in an erratic manner on Lewiston Road, heading from Batavia to Oakfield. The vehicle reportedly traveled over fog lines before going off the roadway on the opposite side of the road, then traveled a short distance in the ditch before reentering the roadway. Witnesses followed the vehicle to a residence in the Village of Oakfield and waited for police to arrive. Wotherspoon was allegedly found in possession of several prescription medications that were not his.

Stacey N. Cino, 24, of 22 Old Meadow Lane, Batavia, is charged with aggravated harassment, 2nd. Cino is accused of sending harassing and annoying text messages to another person. Batavia PD reportedly previously advised Cino not to have further contact with that person.

Sharon Y. Sharman, 41, of 8487 Seven Springs Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Sharman is accused of violating an order of protection. Sharman allegedly contacted, repeatedly, the person covered by the order of protection.

Nathan A. Dowty, 23, of Arpin, Wis., is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Dowty was allegedly observed by a Le Roy police officer in the Fire Star Bank parking lot on West Main Street, Le Roy, driving the wrong way in the drive-thru lane and striking the curb. Dowty was jailed on $500 bail.

Thomas C. Zimmer, 36, of 3 1/2 Thomas Ave. Batavia, was arrested for allegedly failing to abide by a release under supervision contract. Zimmer was located at the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office and turned over to Batavia PD on a bench warrant. Zimmer was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Andrei P. Sliker, 21, of 318 W. Main St., Batavia, was arrested on a bench warrant for alleged failure to appear. Sliker was located in Le Roy by Le Roy PD and turned over to Batavia PD. Sliker was jailed on $300 bail.

Thomas M. Moe, 37, and Todd J. Corron Jr., both of Pleasant View Avenue, Syracuse, are charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Moe is also charged with operating on a suspended registration. During a traffic stop on Route 5, Pembroke, Moe was allegedly found with a bag of marijuana in his pocket and remnants of marijuana cigarettes in his vehicle. Corron allegedly possessed a bag of marijuana in his pocket. The traffic stop was conducted by Deputy Lonnie Nati with assistance from Deputy Brian Thompson and K-9 "Pharoah."

Steven Michael Witkop, 46, of State Street, Medina, is charged with felony driving while impaired by druges with a child less than 16 in the vehicle, driving impaired by drugs and endangering the welfare of a child. Witkop was stopped by Deputy Joseph Corona on Bank Street, Batavia, following a complaint of a vehicle being driven erratically.

Sam Michael Cassidy, 21, of Montclair Avenue, Batavia, is charged with trespass. Cassidy is accused of being on College Village property after previously being barred from the property.

Brandon Nicholas Benz, 17, of Clinton Street Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Benz allegedly left a threatening message about the victim on his Facebook wall after being served an order of protection. Benz was jailed on $750 bail.

Anthony Paul Dibble, 23, Bethany Center Road, Bethany, is charged with burglary, 2nd, criminal mischief, 4th, and harassment, 2nd. Dibble allegedly kicked in the door of another person's apartment, entered without permission and while in the apartment destroyed a bathroom door and struck two other people during an altercation. Dibble was arraigned on $2,500 bail.

Jeffrey Michael Johnson, 24, of Farnsworth Avenue, Oakfield, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, criminal possession of a controlled substance and possession of a hypodermic instrument. Johnson was allegedly found in possession of heroin, hypodermic needles and unidentified pills lacking proper documentation or containers. Johnson was allegedly supervising a child at the time. Also charged was Lauren Marie Peters, 22, of Martin Road, Akron.

Members of the Batavia Area Jaycees drove around the City of Batavia and found what they judged to be the best Christmas light displays in the following categories:

• Traditional: 108 Ellsworth Ave.
• Simple & Elegant: 20 Valle Drive
• Most Commercial: 23 Meadowcrest Drive
• Most Colorful: 16 Vine St.
• Overall: 101 Naramore Drive

It all started with a little girl with a big heart.

Angelique Heick, the 8-year-old from Bergen who competed as a finalist in the "American Miss" pageant in August, spent a large part of the last year taking money from her monthly allowances and using it to purchase toys for underprivileged children in Genesee County.

She donated 12 toys for each month of the year to Community Action Angels of Genesee County, which is the volunteer arm of Community Action of Orleans & Genesee. It's made up of volunteers dedicated to gathering donations for toys, food, clothing, extra money and other necessities for Genesee County residents in need.

But this wasn't enough. When Angelique learned about all that the "Angels" do to support needy kids and families, she was bothered that there was no such volunteer program for kids her age.

"I wanted to know why there was no Community Action Junior Angels," she said, "so I decided to start my own."

Now, with the help of 100 Girl Scouts -- officially dubbed "Jr. Angels" -- their families, Community Action and others, Angelique has achieved this dream.

Angelique -- a third-grader at Byron-Bergen Elementary School, a Girl Scout since age 4 and a member of Troop 42174 -- inspired her Girl Scout Troop with her idea and efforts to collect funding promises from local businesses along with three friends -- Pat, Lisa and Annet.

Troop 42174 Leader Rene Vurraro gathered Girl Scout Troops from Byron-Bergen, Pavilion and Le Roy to help with a community service event in response to Angelique's vision.

When Community Action, in turn, heard about what the Scouts were doing, they decided to partner with them to make this a much bigger, annual event called "Circle of Giving" and to develop a Community Action Jr. Angels program.

The first "Circle of Giving" was held on Saturday at Byron-Bergen High School.  The Jr. Angels were there to collect donations of food, clothing and toys, and to make cards for the recipients.

The goal is to eventually turn this into an opportunity for area Girl Scouts to earn a badge.

Beyond that, Community Action has included this project in a book of statewide initiatives so that people in other areas of New York State can read about it and get similar projects started.

"One 8-year-old's dream could turn into thousands of Girl Scouts doing the same thing," said Pat Standish, founder of Community Action Angels of Genesee County.

Standish gave the Scouts an inspirational talk about her experience with the "Angels" and told them how much people will appreciate what they are doing.

"When I first started (with Community Action Angels)," she said, "I thought kids would want things like bicycles and iPods. But what's important to them is not what you give, but that you show that you care."

She also stressed the importance of team effort when it comes to the "Angels" and similar volunteer initiatives.

"I may have had the idea (as founder)," Standish said, "but I needed the help of volunteers to make it happen. And Angelique had an idea, but she couldn't have done it without help from all of you and your families."

Organizations that sponsored this endeavor include Stahlka Agency, Complete Payroll Processing, the Sallie Mae Fund and First Niagara Bank.

"They gave money so the kids wouldn't have to wait (to get started)," Standish said.

Dee Dee Hintz, Angelique's grandmother and legal guardian, expressed gratitude to Byron-Bergen Jr./Sr. High School Principal Aaron Johnson and Elementary School Principal Brian Meister for handing out fliers for this event.

"I think this is the beginning of something big," Hintz said, noting the number of volunteers involved in the overall project.

"Next year will be even bigger," she said. "(Angelique) already knows what she wants to do next year. She'll carry this on for at least two or three more years."

A final note

"Circle of Giving" is the philosophy of Community Action Angels, which encourages its beneficiaries to "pay it forward."

According to Standish, many of the people helped by the "Angels" over the years have become volunteers.

Special thanks to Angelique's mom, Jennifer Cejka, for sharing background information prior to the event and for providing the inspiration for the article's title.

Notre Dame edged out Batavia/Alexander in one of the most exciting cross-town rivalries in Section V.

After losing their first two games of the season, the Fighting Irish notched their first win of the season, 3-2 at Falleti Ice Arena in Batavia on Saturday.

“When we play against Batavia it’s such an emotional game,” said Notre Dame Head Coach Marc Staley. “I just try to keep them low key, as if it is just another game.”

It didn’t take the Irish very long to get on the board, as Kevin Moscicki jammed a loose puck by Batavia goaltender Trevor Rarick just 1:27 into the game. The Ice Devils responded quickly though, as Matt Tambe scored four minutes later to tie the game at one.

Batavia/Alexander would start the second period as the more aggressive team, peppering ND goalie Jimmy Johnson early on before Tambe tipped a Brannon Jones' shot by him to take a 2-1 lead.

Thirty seconds after Tambe’s second tally, Batavia would take a penalty, giving the Irish a power play. However, Notre Dame’s Mason Versage would be called for tripping halfway through, seemingly sending momentum back to the Ice Devils.

But once again Batavia would be called for another penalty, giving the Irish a 4-on-3 man advantage.

Notre Dame finally capitalized on the ensuing faceoff, as Zach Blew blasted a shot through Rarick’s legs from the top of the circle to bring the game back to even heading into the final frame.

The shot advantage in the game was dominated by Notre Dame heading into the third, as they outshot Batavia 23 to 16, however, Batavia would dominate play for the early part of the period.

The Irish would not muster a shot until there was 5 minutes remaining in the game, and only recorded three for the period. However, third one was the difference in the contest.

Versage intercepted an errant Batavia break-out pass with 2:35 remaining, and walked in on goal all alone before flipping it over Rarick’s shoulder for the game-winning goal.

“We had a few missing players,” Staley said of his conservative third-period strategy. “So we went to the trap in the third to conserve energy.”

The game would not end without drama, as Notre Dame would take a penalty with 1:30 left in the contest, but their stingy defense failed to even allow a shot on Batavia’s last power play attempt.

Johnson gave Notre Dame (1-2) a huge boost in goal, making 20 saves. Jeffrey Antolos also assisted on all three of the Fighting Irish’s goals on the day.

“This is a nice win for us,” Staley said. “It will certainly make practice easier on Monday, but we have to continue to work and take it one game at a time.”

One of the main things that plagued the Ice Devils was their inability to capitalize on mistakes, as they went 0-for-5 on the power play for the game.

Rarick made 23 saves for Batavia/Alexander, which falls to 1-2. 

Photos by Howard Owens.

If you're unable to view the slide show below, click here.

A 17-year-old was killed Saturday tonight (Dec. 8) in a two-car head-on accident on Route 33, just east of Route 237, in the Town of Stafford. It occurred at 6:20 p.m.

The driver of the other car, a 49-year-old woman, was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester by Mercy Medic 1 with a severe leg injury.

The teen killed in the accident was Collin Crane, of Batavia. The female was Carmen Vega, of Le Roy, who was driving a 2002 Buick.

The young driver was westbound when his 1999 Saturn drifted into the eastbound lane, according to Sgt. Samuel Tagilenti, zone commander for the State Police.

Vega did try to avoid the accident, Tagilenti said, but the two cars hit head-on.

"You see a car coming over the line toward you, you’re going to try to move away from it, but you run out of road, and time," Tagilenti said.

No cause of the accident has been determined and Tagilenti would not offer up on possible causes.

"You could give 100 reasons and I could say it could be that, but until we can do our investigation and come up with a valid reason, we're not going to speculate," Tagilenti said.

Crane was pronounced dead at the scene by a Genesee County Coroner Barry Miller.

Stafford fire responded to the accident along with Mercy EMS. South Byron and Town of Batavia assisted with traffic control.

Exact cause of the accident and contributing circumstances are under continuing investigation.

UPDATE: Photo of Collin from a memorial page on Facebook that was set up tonight.

UPDATE: Another memorial page for Collin has been set up on Facebook.

UPDATE: Crisis counselors will be at Batavia High School on Monday to talk with students.

(Initial Report)

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries and entrapment is reported at the intersection of Route 237 and Route 33, Stafford.

Two Mercy ambulances dispatched and Mercy Flight is on standby.

Stafford fire dispatched.

UPDATE 6:28 p.m.: Mercy Flight is not available.

UPDATE 6:33 p.m.: A trooper informs dispatch that it's a serious injury accident. A sergeant is requested to the scene.

UPDATE 6:40 p.m. (By Billie): South Byron Fire Police are called to shut down Route 33 at Griswold Road. Bergen Fire Department is requested to bring extrication equipment to the scene -- "A second set (of jaws) is needed." The accident is just east of the 33/237 intersection.

UPDATE 7:04 p.m.: The victim has been extricated.

UPDATE 10:17 p.m.: Stafford and South Byron back in service. Route 33 is reopened.

A motor-vehicle accident, believed to be with minor injuries, is reported at Route 98 and Stroh Road. Alexander Ambulance and Fire Department are responding.

UPDATE 3:31 p.m.: A fireman on scene reports there are no injuries and it is not blocking traffic. Ambulance is cancelled.

UPDATE 4:03 p.m.: There were two sign-offs and one patient is being taken to UMMC.

UPDATE 4:13 p.m.: The patient is a 20-year-old male complaining of head and right knee pain. Alexander fire is back in service.