Cleveland Sweeps 18U

More of the same in game 2 as Clevland held off a late surge to win 3-2.  Cleveland again struck first with a shorthanded goal, but Brandon Hausler (99/Montgomery, TX) would tie the score at 1 with an assist to Connor Zak (98/Amherst, NY).  Penalties hurt the Saints in the second giving up 2 power play goals.  Alec Yerkovich (98/Hamburg, NY) would cut the deficit to 1 with Matt Gasuik (99/South Buffalo, NY) and Erik Urbank (99/Orchard Park, NY) recording assists.  Despite numerous chances, the Saints could not find the net to tie the game.  Josh Graziano (00/Clarence, NY) made 28 saves in the loss.

Game 1 Goes to Cleveland

A late third period comeback wasn’t enough as the Cleveland Barons built a 2-0 and 5-2 lead en route to a 5-4 win in Cleveland, Ohio.  The Saints never got on track watching the Barons jump out to a 2-0 lead in the first period.  Anthony Scanzuso (99/Lancaster, NY)  cut the lead in half with an assist to Alec Yerkovich (99/Hamburg, NY).  The Saints tied the score on the 10^th goal of the season from Steve Senese (99/Niagara Falls, NY).  Alec Yerkovich added his second assist of the game.  The Barons scored 3 goals in the third to build a 5-2 lead.  Brett Willits (99/London, ON) added a power play goal from Brandon Hausler (99/Montgomery, TX) and Connor Zak (98/Amherst, NY).  With the goalie pulled, Cody Fleckenstein (97/Fredonia, NY) scored with 19 seconds remaining.  Matt Gasuik (99/South Buffalo, NY) and Erik Urbank (99/Orchard Park, NY) recorded assists on the goal.  Jerry Baerwitz (97/Orlando, FL) recorded 30 saves for the game.

18U Heading to Cleveland for the Weekend

The 18U will be heading to Cleveland this weekend to match up with the Cleveland Barons at Barons Arena.  The same two teams faced off last weekend in Buffalo.  The Saints took game 1 8-3 and tied game 2 5-5.  The puck drops Saturday at 5;45pm, and face off will be 10:30am on Sunday.  The Barons are coming off a Tier 1 Elite League Weekend where they went 2-2, and the Saints are coming off a split with the Esmark Stars of Pittsburgh. 

Bounce Back Performance Results in 4-2 Win

Game 2 of the weekend looked much different as the Saints carried much of the play en route to a 4-2 win over the Esmark Stars.  Brandon Hausler (99/ Montgomery TX) got the offense started jamming a puck home from Alec Yerkovich (98/Hamburg, NY) and Cole Donhauser (99/Kenmore, NY). The Saints built a 2-0 lead on a Steven Senese (99/Niagara Falls, NY) power play goal with assists to Brett Willits (99/London, ON) and Erik Urbank (99/Orchard Park, NY).  The second period was more of the same.  Urbank scored two in the second period.  The first coming from the sticks of Willits and Tom Elia (99/Lewiston, NY), and the second goal was unassisted.  Esmark would finally break through in the third period notching 2 goals.  Josh Graziano (00/East Amherst, NY) earned the win with 27 saves on the day. 

Saints Drop Game 1 in Pittsburgh

A lackluster effort in their first road test of the season resulted in a 5-2 loss to the Esmark Stars.  Steve Senese (99/Niagara Falls, NY) opened the scoring with assists going to Connor Zak (98/Amherst, NY) and Erik Urbank (99/Orchard Park, NY).  Esmark would strike back in the second period to tie the game on the power play.  Charlie Carlson (98/Orchard Park, NY) notched his first of the season on a breakaway from Cole Donhauser (99/Kenmore, NY).  Esmark would add two more before the end of the second period to take a 3-2 lead into the locker room.  Esmark would build a 4-2 lead in the middle of the third and cap off the scoring with an empty netter with 8 seconds remaining.  Jerry Baerwitz (97/Orlando, FL) recorded 25 saves for the Saints.

18U Headed to Pittsburgh for Rematch with Esmark

The Saints 18U will head to Pittsburgh to play the Esmark Stars this weekend. Games will be held at the Pittsburgh Ice Arena in New Kensington, PA. Saturday face off will be at 7:00pm. Sunday will kick off at 9:30am. The two teams split earlier this season. 

Join Us at Homecoming; Saints Host Cleveland

Come out and visit Nichols this weekend and support our sports teams as we celebrate Homecoming at Nichols School on October 3.  The weekend kicks off with the Big Green Party featuring live music, food, drinks, and a silent auction to benefit the Nichols Athletic Department.  For more information on the Big Green Party, click here.  Homecoming weekend features our fall sports teams, and the night will be capped off with a home hockey game against the Cleveland Barons 18U at 6:30pm.  The game will be played at Dann Arena on the Nichols School Campus.  For the full Homecoming Schedule, click here. 

We hope to see you there and support Nichols Athletics!

Saints 18U Respond with a Win

After dropping game 2 of the BJB Shootout, the Saints 18U responded with a close, but convincing win over the Connecticut Jr Rangers 18U of the USPHL.   Steven Senese (2g) scored twice including the game winner with under 2 minutes to play to give the Saints a 3-2 win.  The Saints were constantly chasing the scoreboard despite holding a 56-12 shot advantage on the day.  The Rangers opened the scoring on the second shift of the game.  Senese buried a Cole Donhauser (1a) rebound on the power play.  Tom Elia (2a) added an assist.  The Rangers would take the lead back before the first half would close.  With 9 minutes to play Alec Yerkovich (1g) fburied a one-timer under the bar off an Erik Urbank (1a) pass to tie the score.  Elia picked up an assist on the Senese game winner which was short-side laser over the glove from the right side face off dot.  Jerry Baerwitz made 10 saves for his third win of the season.

Saints Drop Game 2 of BJB Shootout

The second game in less than 8 hours proved to be a difficult challenge for the Saints.  The team never seemed to get their legs going, and the slowed pace played into the Skipjacks game plan.  Josh Graziano (32 saves) stood tall in the first 25 minutes and allowed the Saints to escape the first half at 0-0.  The Skipjacks finally found the net building a 2-0 lead before Erik Urbank (1g) scored on an impressive one-on-one move.  Tom Elia (1a) and Brett Willits (1a) were credited with assists on the goal.  Despite a push from the Saints, they could never even the score.  The Skipjacks would add a third goal late in the game to close out the scoring.

Saints 18U Opens Tourney with a Win

The Buffalo Saints 18U started the Junior Bruins Shootout on the right path earning a hard fought 2-1 win over the Valley Forge Minuteman 18U.  Cole Donhauser (1g) opened the scoring with a power play goal, and Alec Yerkovich (1g) scored right as the power play ended to give the Saints a 2-0 lead after 25 minutes.  Valley Forge would push back in the second half of the game and get within 1 but Jerry Baerwitz (22 saves) shut the door and held off the Valley Forge attack. Connor Zak (1a) and Brandon Hausler (1a) assisted the first goal.  Matt Gasuik (1a) and Erik Urbank (1a) were credited with assists on the second goal.