hockey

Press release:

The Batavia Ramparts Squirt Travel Hockey Team won Bronze competing in the Empire State Winter Games in Lake Placid this last weekend.

The team is made up of 9- and 10-year-olds from the Batavia area.

They include; Owen Bentley, Bronx Buchholz, Chase Cummings, Francesco Falleti, Jake Hutchins, Brady Johnson, Andrew Jursted, Orion Lama, Jameson Motyka, Sammy Pies, Evan Schwerthoffer, Anna Stevens, Justin Valyear, Noah Whitcombe and Mac Wormley.

The team is coached by Jeff Whitcombe, Pete Stevens and Chad Valyear.

On Friday, Feb. 3^rd Batavia played the Tupper Lake Lumberjacks and won 9 to 2.

On Saturday, Feb. 4^th Batavia played two games, the first one was against the Saugerties Mustangs and they tied 4 to 4. The second game of the day was against Sara Placid, which was also played to a tie of 2 to 2.

On Sunday, Batavia played the Cortland Flames and won 14 to 0.

The Batavia Ramparts completed round robin play and ended up tied for second place but lost the tiebreaker and ended in third place which set them up to play the fourth-place team in the Bronze Medal game. Batavia faced off against the Oswego Buccaneers and won 4 to 2, clinching the Bronze Medal for the weekend.

The Ramparts ended the weekend undefeated with a record of 3-0-2.

The Genesee Ice Devils travelled to Rochester Saturday to take on the Gates-Chili Spartans. Genesee defeated the Spartans 5-0 in a dominating performance. 

Photos by Destin Danser. Click here to view more and purchase prints. 

Conditions were just right this afternoon for a group of young hockey players to get some practice time in at the outdoor skating rink at DeWitt Recreation Area.

Press release from Notre Dame High School:

“After considering the information presented to the Section V Executive Committee at the administrative hearing held on Dec. 19, the Executive Committee has ruled that there has been no violation of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (“NYSPHSAA”) sport standard #24 -- RECRUITMENT AND UNDUE INFLUENCE by Notre Dame of Batavia High School.”

Notre Dame is relieved for these three students, their families, and our hockey coach, Mr. Marc Staley.

It was unfortunate that our students, families, and staff, had to face these unfounded allegations of wrongdoing. Whether in the classroom, on the ice, or through community service, Notre Dame remains committed to instilling in our students the faith, knowledge, and confidence they will need to succeed in an ever-changing world. We are thankful for the thoughtful deliberation and time the Section V Executive Committee gave Notre Dame in making this decision.   

None of Notre Dame's hockey players will need to sit out the 2016-17 season, at least to start the year, state officials determined after hearing an appeal by school officials on a Section V ruling on eligibility requirements for two or three players.

Officials with NYSPHSAA kicked the appeal back to Section V to reconsider after finding irregularities with the initial ruling.

Wade Bianco, principal for Notre Dame, said he hopes to know by the end of the day today when the school and Section V officials will meet again.

He said he doesn't know what the impact would be on this season if Section V officials again reach an adverse decision based on new perimeters.  

"This their first time through this process and it's our first time through it all, so it's really something for the lawyers to work out," Bianco said.

Bianco said a top priority is protecting the students, the integrity of the coach and the school.

The names of the involved players have not been released, but in early November, Section V officials issued a decision after a hearing that at least two players were deemed ineligible for this season, citing possible violations of recruitment rules.

Officials with NYSPHSAA (New York State Public High school Athletic Association) were out of the office today and not available to provide more information.

Members of the Batavia Ramparts and Notre Dame Ice Hockey were on hand today at Falleti Ice Arena so young children could give hockey a try.

The Try Hockey for Free event is held annually.

Notre Dame may be looking at a 2016-17 ice hockey season without a player or players who Section V officials deemed was inappropriately recruited or influenced to attend the school.

Kathy Hoyt, executive director of Section V, confirmed Section V officials held a hearing on the eligibility of the player or players. She declined to discuss details. She said the school has appealed the decision and New York Public High School Athletic Association will consider the appeal next week.

A source said two players were affected. Another Section V official who is not authorized to speak on behalf of the section said he was aware that players had been deemed unduly recruited or influenced, but he didn't know how many players were affected.

Hoyt said regardless of the outcome of the process, Notre Dame will retain its 2015-16 Section V Class B crown. 

The only question is whether the players will be eligible for the 2016-17 season.

The Batavian received no response to our request for comment made via email yesterday and today from either Notre Dame Athletic Directory Mike Rapone nor Head Coach Marc Staley.

A source says the complaint that led to Section V holding its hearing came from a team outside of Genesee County.

The names of the players involved have not been released.

The Batavia Rampart's Squirt III travel team traveled to Cleveland to play in the Rock'n'Roll Cup Tournament, where they beat the Michigan Sting, 5-0, the Lake Erie Panthers, 10-1, and the Erie Lions twice, 4-1 and 5-2, to win the championship.

In the first game, goals were scored by Chase Cummings, who had three, Anna Stevens and Jameson Motyka.

In the second game, scoring: Brady Johnson, three goals, Anna Stevens, two, Jameson Motyka, two, and with one each, Chase Cummings, Drew Jursted and Noah Whitcombe.

In the third game, Evan Schwerthoffer, Anna Stevens, Sammy Pies and Jake Hutchins scored.

In the final, Chase Cummings had two goals, Anna Stevens, Sammy Pies and Jake Hutchins each had one.

Frankie Falleti was tournament MVP.

Interview and photos by Mike Carney.

Three times this season, Notre Dame played Geneseo and lost, but there was really only one game that truly mattered, and that was the fourth one.

The Fighting Irish won that game, 2-0, to capture the Class B Section V championship in hockey.

"Coming into this game, I think the kids were anxious for one last shot, one last shot," said Head Coach Marc Staley. "I said, 'The good thing about the first three losses is no one handed a trophy out after those games, but they're handing one out tonight boys and you can erase the demons with one good effort.' "

That effort put the emphasis on defense. Notre Dame has scored prodigiously all season long, but Staley said he recognized that Geneseo goalie Morgan Brown is the best player in the league.

"We knew that weren't going to score four or five goals against them, so we thought we had to play a crazy good defensive game," Staley said. 

H. Toivainen scored the game-winning goal in the first period at 8:28. The second goal was by B. Moscicki on an empty net late in the game. The MVP was Toivainen.

Notre Dame seems to be peaking at the right time, scoring goals in bunches in post-season play, sending them to a Sunday final against a team they've played close three times this season, but came up a goal short each time.

On Thursday at RIT, the Fighting Irish flicked in three goals in under two minutes to start the second period and lock down a playoff victory against Aquinas, 8-1.

All four of Notre Dame's lines scored at least one goal for the second straight game.

"This is a good sign at the right time of year," said Head Coach Marc Staley.

The game was scoreless for the first six minutes and Staley said some of his team's lack of offense can be blamed on nervousness. Aquinas had beaten Brockport earlier in the year, and one of Notre Dame's four defeats was a lopsided loss to Brockport.

There was also a "feeling out" period to start the game.

"I thought we came out a little nervous tonight, which is to be expected, but we rotate four lines and they rotate two lines, so we knew if we kept shifts short and made good line changes that eventually they were going to tire and that's exactly what happened," Staley said.

The three quick goals in the second were a boost of confidence and the 5-1 lead was deflating for Aquinas, Staley said.

"We don't give up a lot goals," Staley said. "There were only three games all year where we've given up four goals or more, so when we get up four, five to one, we can shut it down and teams know that."

The sectional title game against Geneseo is at 1 p.m., Sunday, at RIT. Geneseo has beaten Batavia three times this season, by scores of 6-4, 3-2 and 2-1. Staley said his team is eager to rise to the challenge of meeting a season-long nemesis in a title game.

"It's going to come down in the belief you have in yourself in the locker room, and I believe we've got that right now," Staley said.

Here's the scoring table for the game:

0 - 1 1 1   5:58  B.Moscicki  R.Webster   0 - 2 2 1   6:49  P.Madafferi  M.Keeler   1 - 2 3 1   9:51  T.KELLY  E.CLEMMONS   1 - 3 4 2   0:30  R.Antinore  H.Toiviainen   1 - 4 5 2   0:50  B.Misiak  E.Hutchins   1 - 5 6 2   2:10  H.Toiviainen  R.Antinore   1 - 6 7 2   9:52  R.Antinore  D.DAlba   1 - 7 8 3   4:01  C.Clark  R.Webster  H.Toiviainen 1 - 8 9 3   9:25  D.Grimshaw  R.Antinore  

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In a hometown rival matchup the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2nd seed) played the Batavia Blue Devils (7th seed) for the Section V quarter finals Saturday at the Faletti Ice Arena.

Batavia came out strong the first period to attack Notre Dame's Ethan Conrad but he held strong on Batavia's attempts. 

Late in the first period at 4:21, Notre Dame went on a scoring streak scoring three quick goals in three minutes. Brad Misiak scored the first goal from Cameron Clark, pictured below. Hayden Chamberland and Michael Keeler scored the second Irish goal 50 seconds later. Ryan Webster from ND, pictured above, scored the third goal with a minute left in the first period. Shots on goal were 15-6 after one period of play.

The referees called no penalties in the first period when Notre Dame lead 3-0. During the second period, Batavia got physical with some interference and roughing calls that led to a power play goal by Ryan Webster just shortly after Peter Madafferi added one and the irish led by 5-0 midway through the second period.  

Both teams drew multiple penalties in this period as the game got more intense. Exchange student Henrik Toivianinen tallied the sixth goal with a minute left in the period, which became the final, 6-0. Batavia added seven shots to Notre Dame's nine.

The third period was very scrappy on both sides as frustrations mounted for Batavia. More penalties were added on both sides and the shots were 15-6 for a game ending 39-19 led by Notre Dame.

The Irish will move on to the semifinals this Thursday night at 7:30 versus Aquinas at the Gene Polisseni Center at RIT.

For more pictures go to: Steve Ognibene Photography

Notre Dame beat Batavia 6-3 in a regular-season hockey game today at Falleti Ice Arena.

The hometown rivals will face off again next weekend in a first-round sectional playoff game.

From Jeffery Whitcombe:

The Batavia Ramparts Squirt Tier 3 team participated in the Empire States Winter Games last weekend (Feb. 4th thru 7th, 2016) in Lake Placid. The Squirt Ramparts were the only team representing the Western Region of New York State. The Team ended up winning a bronze medal ending up in third place for the weekend. The Team is made up 9- and 10-year-olds from the Batavia area. They are:

Mason Cook
Chase Cummings
Cooper Hamilton
Ryan Hamilton
Noah Hudson
Alex Johnson
Brady Johnson
Jamison Motyka
Brenna Munn
Carter Prinzi
Noah Whitcombe
Mac Wormley

Kevin Hamilton- Head Coach
Jeff Whitcombe - Assistant Coach
Dan Hudson - Assistant Coach
Fred Hamilton- Assistant Coach
Bob Johnson- Manager

Batavia/Alexander scored the first goal and the game looked like it would be a goal-trading shoot-out at the end of the first period, but Notre Dame pulled away for an 8-2 win to move to 5-0 on the season.

Notre Dame's Henrik Tolvianinen notched a hat trick.

Notre Dame had 35 shots on goal to 24 for the Ice Devils, but saves went to Batavia 27-22.

Scoring:

• Batavia, Cameron Els, with assists for Josh Hylken and Bryce D'Alba, at 14:38, period 1
• Notre Dame, Bryan Moscicki, assists Ryan Antinore and Ryan Webster, at 10:15, period 1
• Batavia, Bryce Polito, assists Jake Kasmarek, 10:02, period 1
• ND, Cameron Clark, name of player with assist not available, 8:38, period 1
• ND, Henrik Tolvianinen, assists Webster and Clark, 0:52, period 1
• ND, Clark, assists Moscicki, 4:52, period 2
• ND Hayden Chamberlin, assists Tolvianinen and Webster, 4:00, period 2
• ND, Tolvianinen, assists Webster and Clark, 11:05, period 3
• ND, Tolvianinen, assists Clark and Webster, 5:55, period 3
• ND Cole Hudson, assists Ethan Hutchins and Devin Grimshaw, 1:44, period 3

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Press release:

Notre Dame High School congratulates varsity hockey Coach Marc Staley on setting a new all-time wins record of 73 with a win over Rush Henrietta on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2015.

Notre Dame High School varsity hockey team hosts Batavia High School today (Dec. 12) at Faletti Ice Arena. Puck drops at 3 p.m. and there will be a quick presentation prior to present Coach Staley with a plaque commemorating his achievement.

After the ’14 – ’15 season, Coach Staley had 69 overall wins since starting his coaching career at Notre Dame in 2008. The previous record of 72 was held by legendary Coach Jack Porter. So far this season the hockey team has won all three games, which gave Staley the record.

Marc attended Batavia High School and played varsity hockey there from 1988 – 1991 and was named captain in 1991. He went on to play college hockey at RIT in ’92 – ’93 and then played professionally overseas for two seasons in Italy and Switzerland. He began his coaching career at his alma mater RIT Tigers in 1999. He coached at SUNY Geneseo from 1999 to 2003 when he became an Assistant Coach at Notre Dame High School until 2006.

Marc started on this journey to the all time wins record for hockey at Notre Dame when he became the head coach in 2008 and has accomplished that record now in his eighth season. Marc lives in Batavia with his wife, Erin, daughter Helaina and son Luke.

“It has been a lot of years getting up very early and it has paid off. I love coaching at Notre Dame and it has truly enriched my life,” Staley said. “I also coach the Junior A Roc City Royals in Rochester and the Beginner Program here in Batavia and I have coached in the Genesee Amateur Hockey Association for over 15 years now!”

“We look forward to many more years of having Marc coach our varsity hockey program,” said Athletic Director Mike Rapone. “Marc has done an outstanding job of not only teaching our students how to play hockey, he has also guided them on how to be successful at the game of life. He had been an outstanding representative of both our school and its hockey program."

Notre Dame Principal Wade Bianco added “Coach Staley brings to life the Notre Dame mission statement in his work with our student athletes. Their families come first. They are expected to work to their potential in the classroom and conduct themselves in a dignified and respectful manner. As a result his players are strongly positioned for long term success in all phases of their lives."

It was Try Hockey for Free Day at Falleti Ice Arena and Nora, almost 3, couldn't wait to play, said her father Brian Gildner. In fact, Nora is eager to play every time Brian takes her older brother to practice.

The Buffalo Sabres have yet to win a Stanley Cup, but the Batavia Sabres can now enjoy some championship swag after capturing the Genesee County title this morning at Falleti Ice Arena in a 4-1 win over the Wild.

MVP Rich Pearson

Team Captain Mike Koch

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Photos by Jim Burns.

The Batavia Ramparts held their 3rd annual Collin Crane Memorial Hockey Tournament this morning at Falleti Ice Arena, with all proceeds benefiting the Collin Crane Memorial Scholarship fund.

Collin was an avid hockey player who died in an auto accident in December of 2012.

The event included three hockey games, an open skate, pizza, hotdogs and drinks along with prizes, an auction and raffle.