The Roy-Hart/Barker/Medina/Akron Club Hockey team will begin their quest for the New York State  Championship Friday at the Homewell Ice Arena in Long Island.

RBM will face Eden/Lake Shore/Pioneer/Springville (ELPS) in the opening game at 3 p.m. Ironically, it was ELPS that beat RBM for the Western New York title last weekend.

This year, instead of three divisions, the State Championship has only a Large School Division and a Small School Division.  RBM is in the latter with ELPS, Manhasset and the No. 1 rated club team in the state, Long Beach.

The schedule beyond Friday has RBM playing Manhasset on Saturday at 1 p.m. and Long Beach 9:30 p.m.

After pool play, the top two in each group  will play a semi- final round Sunday with the title game at 6 p.m. The other group contains East Aurora/Holland, City Honors/Cardinal O’Hara, Locust Valley/North Shore and Port Washington.

Last season, RBM took second place.

Contributed Photos – Bella Prest, left, and Emily Kams

Two Orleans County players, Albion High graduate  Bella Prest and Medina grad Emily Kams, are freshmen members of the Genesee Community College softball squad.

Kams is a pitcher/first baseman and Prest a utility player.

Both players earned first team Niagara-Orleans All-League honors during their senior year.

The G-R squad also has five former Genesee Region League players including sophomore pitcher/outfielder Sam Tatarski from Pembroke, freshman catcher Carli Marino from Alexander, sophomore second baseman/outfielder Jaclyn Guzdek from Oakfield-Alabama, freshman third baseman/first baseman Anna Kobel from Notre Dame and freshman outfielder Nicole Boldt from Elba.

GCC will open its season with a series of games at Myrtle Beach beginning on March 8.

Another Medina grad, Alisha Scroger, is a freshman shortstop on the Niagara County Community College softball squad. She was also a first team N-O All-League honoree her senior year.

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Lyndonville’s Zach Johnson goes up for a shot against York defender Matthew McFarland during the Tigers sectional loss to the Golden Knights this evening at Batavia High School.

Leading from wire to wire, No. 3 seed York bested No. 2 Lyndonville 67-50 in the Section V Class C3 semifinals this evening before a packed house at Batavia High School.

Matthew McFarland scored a game high 24 points and James Kennedy had 20 to spearhead the attack for York which will now face top seeded Caledonia-Mumford in the C3 title on test on Friday.

Zach Johnson scored 12, Nathan Hydock 10, Russell Stephens 9, Nathan Dillenbeck 7, Matt Hess 6, Nathan Poler 4 and Casey Winiecki 2 for Lyndonville which finishes the season at 18-4.

Capitalizing on six early Lyndonville turnovers, York jumped out to a 10 point, 15-5, lead at the outset as McFarland hit two threes and Josh Davis one.

Lyndonville though trimmed the deficit a bit to six, 15-9, at the end of the opening period on a layup by Dillenbeck and a jumper by Winiecki.

Nathan Dillenbeck puts up a shot for Lyndonville as York’s Matthew McFarland tries to block.

The Tigers then closed to within three, 17-14, at the outset of the second period on a rebound bucket by Johnson and a three by Stephens. However, the Tigers would get no closer.

York answered with a key 9-0 run including a three, a rebound bucket and a layup by Riley Stella, to pull back out to a 12 point, 26-14 advantage.

Lyndonville did close the period with a 7-2 run including another three by Stephens and two layups by Hydock but the seven point, 28-21, margin at the half would be as close as the Tigers would get the rest of the way.

York broke the contest wide open in the third period outscoring Lyndonville 27-14 to race away to a commanding 20 point, 55-35, advantage at the three-quarter mark.

McFarland had 14, including two threes and a pair of three-point plays, and Kennedy 10, including two threes, to spearhead that surge by the Golden Knights.

“We met our match,” said Lyndonville Coach Lee Dillenbeck. “They have the speed, the athleticism and they can score.”

Lyndonville did battle back at the outset of the final period cutting the deficit to 14, 58-44, after a 9-3 run which included a three by Hydock, a pair of layups by Johnson and a jumper by Hess.

York though again answered back this time with a jumper by McFarland and a three by Kennedy to regain a 17 point, 63-46, advantage with just 3:45 to go.

Four free throws by Poler and two by Johnson did pull Lyndonville to within 13, 63-50, with 2:40 remaining but the Tigers could not score again.

“Our kids played hard and I’m proud of them,” said Dilleneck. “We had a very good season.”

It marked the first time Lyndonville had advanced to the semifinals since 2006 when the Tigers ironically defeated York 58-53.

Lyndonville’s Nathan Poler puts up a shot over York defender Riley Stella.

Lyndonville’s Matt Hess puts up a shot over York defenders James Kennedy and Lucas Maggio.

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The defending champion  Roy-Hart/Barker/Medina/ Akron Club hockey team dropped a narrow 4-2 decision to to Eden/Lake Shore/Pioneer/ Springville (ELPS) in the sectional title contest Monday evening.

Drew Marsh (Ak) got RBM on the board for a 1-0 lead early in the opening period with a power play goal assisted by Nick Wood (Ak).

That score stood until the 15 minute mark of the next period when ELPS tied the score.  RBM fell behind shortly afterward 2-1, but Dylan Krzykowski (Ak) evened the score near the end of the period.

The game was anyone’s to win in the last period, but ELPS got the game- winner with 9:07 left in the game.  The last score was an empty net goal with just five second left on the clock.

Jason Kuchey (R-H) was selected MVP for RBM, while Peter Brockman was MVP for ELPS.

RBM now travels to Long Island this coming weekend for the New York State Championship Tournament. This season, there are only two divisions instead of the three in the past.  RBM will compete in the Small School Division.

Sacred Heart combined a 45-25 win over Vets Club with former frontrunner  Legion’s 40-30 loss to JR Wilson Monday to regain the Medina Euchre League lead.

Now on top by 14 points, Sacred Heart is 719-611 on the season, Legion 705-625, JR Wilson 688-642 and Vets Club 548-782.

League competition continues on March 4 with JR Wilson at Sacred Heart and Vets Club at Legion.

Contributed Photo – Sara Gendrue

Barker High graduate Sara Gendrue had a big record setting weekend as a member of the Roberts Wesleyan College swim team at the Metropolitan Collegiate Championships held at Piscataway, N.J.

Gendrue, who is a sophomore Communications major at Roberts, was a member of four school record setting relay teams including the 400 Freestyle (4:00.88), 800 Freestyle (8:41.64), 200 Free (1:49.76) and 400 Medley (4:32.25).

On the second day of the meet, Gendrue became the first Roberts swimmer to place in an individual event at the Metro Championships placing 21st in both the 400 Individual Medley (5:20.62) and 100 Breaststroke (1:13.33)

She also placed 20th in the 200 Breaststroke (2:44.17) on the third day and on opening day she set a new school record time of :26.98 in the 50 Free.

Contributed Photo – Tri County Midget hockey team players and coaches celebrate capturing the division playoff championship.

The Tri County Midget hockey team captured its Empire Amateur Hockey Conference division playoff championship with a narrow 2-1 overtime victory over Perinton this evening at Batavia.

Scoreless after two periods, Perinton took a 1-0 lead with just seven minutes to go in the third stanza.

However, Tri County battled back into a tie when Jake Esposito scored with only two minutes remaining.

That set the stage for a dramatic overtime period and just one minute in John Pilon scored the game winner for Tri County off an assist from Patrick Ricker.

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Lyndonvlle’s Russell Stephens and his Tiger teammates will face York in the sectional finals on Monday at Brockport.

Advancing to the playoff semifinals for the first time in over a dozen years, No. 2 seed Lyndonville will face No. 3 York in the Section V Class C3 semis at 7 p.m. Monday at Brockport Middle School.

It marks the first time that Lyndonville has advanced to the semifinals since 2006 when the Tigers ironically defeated York 58-53.

Lyndonville advanced by defeating No. 7 Harley-Allendale-Columbia 83-61 in the quarterfinals on Friday while York ousted No. 6 Pavilion 68-52.

Just as has been the case all season the Tigers featured a balanced attack against HAC as Nathan Dillenbeck scored 22, Zach Johnson 21, Nathan Poler 17 and Nathan Hydock 14.

Lyndonville brings a record of 18-3 into the semis while York is 15-6. The 18 wins is a school record for the Tigers.

Monday’s other Class C3 semifinal will have top seeded Caledonia-Mumford (20-1) facing No. 4 Naples (13-8).

Cal-Mum ousted No. 8 Clyde-Savannah 79-38 in the quarterfinals while Naples downed No. 5 Oakfield-Alabama 55-42.