Hilton wins school’s first ever hockey title; Aquinas back on top

Class A: (2)Hilton 5, (1)Pittsford 2

Liam Porter broke a 2-2 tie with a shot from the point early in the third period, and Hunter Hutteman added at three point night as the Cadets won the Class A final 5-2 at the Gene Polisseni Center Monday night.

The sectional championship is the first ever for Hilton in hockey.

“It’s amazing,” exclaimed Mason Knight, who was named tournament Most Valuable Player. “We’ve been looking forward to this all year. It’s been on our calendar. We just worked our butts off all day long and every freaking week, and we got it done.”

“Surreal. Right now, there are so many emotions,” said Hilton head coach Chris Monfiletto. “From all the people who have been involved in this program from the inception. It’s been a long time, and our community has stuck by us. It’s just a surreal moment.”

Kelan Ahern gave Pittsford the first lead of the game on the very first shot of the game. Knight was able to equalize for Hilton, but Simon George tapped in his own rebound to put the Panthers on top by a goal after the first period.

“I had a shot earlier in my first shift, and he (Pittsfords’ goalie) kind of wabbled it,” said Knight, as he explained his goal. “The puck came out to me, I just gripped it and ripped it to the same spot, and it went in.”

Lucas Grizzanti set up the only goal of the second period by digging the puck out at the side boards and then one-handing a pass in front to Jayden Teetsel, standing all alone. The full power one timer from point blank range knotted the game at two heading to the third.

Porter’s go-ahead goal came after his first shot from the point was blocked right back to him. The second try dented twine for a 3-2 Hilton lead. Porter tried the same thing seven minutes later, but this shot needed help from Hutteman on the crease to get past the goalie. Hutteman closed the scoring with an empty netter a minute and a change before the horn.

“We went in at the end of the second period tied up, and we just said we were going to get the win,” said coach Monfiletto when asked about the third-period explosion. “We’re going to do the things that we have done all year. We’re going to keep the pressure on, we’re not going to take our foot off the gas, and when we do that were a great team.”

Hilton improved to 14-8-1 and will face West Genesee from Syracuse’s Section III in the state quarterfinals on Saturday. Pittsford finished their season with an 18-3-2.

Class B: (3)Aquinas 4, (1)Webster Schroeder 2

Caleb Wood scored a hat trick and was named MVP, leading the Lil’ Irish past previously unbeaten Schroeder in the Class B final.

“It’s a goal that’s been sitting and waiting,” said Wood following the victory. “We wanted to bring a brick back to Dewey Avenue. It’s been twenty years since we won one, and we were so excited to bring it back.”

Wood broke a scoreless tie in the second period, skating nearly end to end before sneaking a wrist inside the far post. Ryan Carmody followed up with an equally impressive solo effort to make it 2-0 AQ after two periods.

The lead bulged to 3-0 in the third period when Wood snatched a clearing attempt and promptly deposited it in the Schroeder net.

Webster would not go quietly. More specifically, Anthony Pusateri would not go quietly. The junior defenseman answered Wood’s goal on the next shift to make it 3-1. He scored again in the final minute to close the Warriors within 3-2. However, Wood hit an empty net from his own blue line to seal the win for the Irish.

“No one ever thought we would do it other than those 27 guys in that locker room,” said head coach Chuck Dossier. “We’ve gone through so much this year as a team outside of hockey. We’ve dealt with loss, health issues, and injuries. There are guys playing with so many injuries. It’s just a testament to their will. They never complained, just worked through it. I’m just super proud to be their coach.”

Aquinas earned their first sectional title since 2007 and improved to 17-4-2. The Irish will move on to the state quarterfinals this weekend. Schroeder ends an incredible season with a disappointing loss and a 22-1 record.

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