The Roy-Hart/Barker/Medina club hockey team scored a pair of victories over Long Island foes today to advance to Sunday’s semifinal round of the state Mixed Schools Club Hockey championships being held at Jamestown.

Roy-Hart/Barker/Medina first defeated Wantaugh/Seaford 7-5 and then nipped Manhasset, the top seed from Long Island, 2-1.

In the first game, RBM erased an early 1-0 deficit as Jason Kuchey scored off an assist from his brother, Michael.

In the second period, Joe DiBenedetto scored off an assist from Dominic Peracciny at the 9:45 mark and just two minutes later Michael Kuchey netted a short handed goal as Jason Kuchey picked up the assist.

Jacob Harris gave RBM a 4-3 lead at the end of the period with a late goal.

In the final period, RBM closed out the victory as Dylan Kryzkowski scored from Tom Paisley followed by goals by Rhett Wagner and DiBenedetto.

In the second game, RBM broke away from a scoreless deadlock on a second period goal by Kryzkowski.

That narrow lead held up until the 10:25 mark of the final period when Wagner scored off an assist from Matt Saj for a 2-0 advantage.

The remainder of the game proved to be a real nail biter as Manhasset made the finish exciting by scoring with two minutes remaining.

However, RBM goalie Evan Birkemeir, who was outstanding throughout, was able to preserve the slender one goal win.

RBM will now take a 3-0 tourney record into tomorrow’s semifinals. If victorious they will play for the state AAU High School Club Championship later in the day.

Contributed Photo – Chanyce Powell

Albion High graduate and SUNY Brockport freshman Chanyce Powell won the triple jump at the NCAA Division III All Atlantic Region track and field championships being held this weekend at Ithaca College.

Powell, who won the SUNY Athletic Conference triple jump title last weekend, took top honors again with a leap of 38-9 1/2 to advance to next weekend’s NCAA national championships. She also placed 11th in the long jump.

Another Albion High grad, Justyn Haines, who is a senior at SUNY Fredonia, placed second in the pole vault with an effort of 15-5 1/2.

Medina High grad and SUNY Brockport sophomore Holly Heil was a member of the Golden Eagles Distance Relay team which finished ninth.

Barker High grad and Nazareth College freshman Lydia Dewart was a member of the Golden Flyers Distance Relay team which placed sixth.

Barker senior Collin Webb capped off his high school swim career Friday by competing in the NYSPHSAA federation swim championship meet in Nassau County.

A two-time state qualifier, Webb swam a 22.34 in the 50 free for 44th place and a 50.27 in the 100 free for 57th place narrowly missing returning for the finals on Saturday.

Webb was the only swimmer to qualify for the State meet this year from the Niagara- Orleans league.

Photos by CherylWertman – Lyndonville’s Ella Lewis, left, and Kendall’s Taylor ReQua have earned spots on the Genesee Region League All-Star squad.

Two local players, Lyndonville eighth grader Ella Lewis and Kendall senior Taylor ReQua, have earned Honorable Mention on the annual Genesee Region League girls basketball All-Star squad.

In her first varsity season Lewis led Lyndonville in scoring with 226 points (11.3 average). She also had 89 steals, 46 rebounds and 28 assists.

ReQua, a four year varsity player, had 207 points, 184 rebounds, 95 steals and 51 assists for the Lady Eagles.

Oakfield-Alabama led the All-Star squad’s first team with a trio of selections including seniors Kylie Schlagenhauf and Makayla Hilchey and sophomore Brianna Smith.

A trio of schools have each placed two players on the first team as Elba is represented by senior Emily Reynolds, who was named G-R Player of the Year, and freshman Maddie Muehlig, Notre Dame by senior Margaret Sutherland and junior Callie McCulley and Wheatland-Chili by senior Alyssa Seilheimer and sophomore Jenna LaMere.

Rounding out the first team are Pembroke senior Olivia Kohorst, Byron-Bergen senior Dana Van Valkenburg and Attica junior Taylor Gadd.

The Honorable Mention selections also include Pembroke sophomore McKenna Johnson and freshman Serene Caldron, Oakfield-Alabama senior Lakin Woodward, Alexander junior Macie Riggs, Elba freshman Leah Bezon, Wheatland-Chili senior Abbie Callaghan and Notre Dame junior Stevie Wilcox.

Breaking away in the second period, the Roy-Hart/Barker/Medina Club Hockey team won their opening game in the New York State Championship Tournament defeating Rockville Center of Long Island 6-3 Friday at Jamestown.

After surrendering the first goal, Drew Marsh tied the game for RBM with a goal off an assist from Jason Kuchey.

RBM then exploded for four goals in the second period to take control.

During that decisive stretch Joe DiBenedetto scored  off an assist from Dominic Peracciny, Tom Paisley tallied  from Kuchey, and DiBenedetto made it 4-1 assisted by Connor McNeil.  Matt Saj  then gave RBM a 5-2 lead before Rockville managed a power play score in the period.

Dylan Kryzkowski finished the RBM scoring on a pass from Paisley in the final period.

RBM has two games today against Wantaugh- Seaford and and Manhasset.

Photo by Mike Wertman – Local Genesee Region League All-Star wrestlers meet here including Lyndonville’s Chase Stinson along with Tristyn Moyer, Dylan Spellan, Erik Balys and Jeremy Browe  from Holley-Kendall. Missing from the photo is Cade Aina of Holley-Kendall.

Six Orleans wrestlers have been named to the Genesee Region League All-Star team.

That group includes Lyndonville’s Chase Stinson along with the Holley-Kendall quintet of Tristyn Moyer, Cade Aina, Jeremy Browe, Erik Balys and Dylan Spellan.

Stinson, a junior who went 20-6 on the season, placed third at the Section V Class B tournament and fifth at the Section V championships.

Spellan, who took first place honors at the Class BB Tournament and placed sixth at the Section VI championships, is a senior who went 39-6. He finishes with a career record of 94-44.

Moyer, a sophomore who went 34-10, placed second at the Section V Class BB Tournament.

Browe, a senior who went 39-6, placed third at the Class BB Tournament. He finishes his career with a record of 114-47.

Aina, who placed fifth at the Class BB tournament, is a junior who went 34-13.

Balys is a junior who went 29-7 on the season.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Maddie Williams drives toward the basket against Dunkirk defenders Amari Carter and Gina Salemo during the Mustangs sectional semifinal loss to the Lady Marauders this evening at Kenmore West High School.

Shutout in the opening period and able to score a total of only five points in the second quarter, No. 10 seed Medina was downed 51-25 by No. 11 Dunkirk in the semifinals of the Section VI Class B1 girls basketball playoffs this evening at Kenmore West High School.

Dunkirk jumped out to a 13-0 first quarter lead as Medina went 0 for 14 from the field with eight turnovers during that stretch.

Medina’s Camri King grabs a rebound away from Dunkirk’s Amari Carter.

The Lady Marauders boosted their advantage to 20, 25-5, at the half as the Mustangs shooting woes continued hitting on only 2 of 16 attempts with five more turnovers in the second quarter.

Medina finally got on the scoreboard via a free throw by Maddie Williams with 3:14 to go in the second quarter.  Je’ne Brown then scored the Mustangs first field goal with 2:42 remaining in the period.

Dunkirk enjoyed a 22 point, 36-14, advantage at the three-quarter mark and led by as many as 28, 46-18, midway through the final stanza. Medina clicked on only 4 of 18 shots from the field in the third period.

Kymilondjie Nance scored 13 and Olivia Smith 12, on four threes, to lead the way for Dunkirk. Nance scored 7 in the second period while Smith hit a pair of threes in the third.

Brown finished with 9 for Medina as Camri King added 6, Kharise Johnson 4, Williams 3 and Shamaria Howard 3.

Dunkirk will now face rival No. 5 Fredonia in the B1 championship game on Sunday at Buffalo State College.

Fredonia upended top seeded Newfane 46-32 in the other semifinal. Trailing 26-22 in the third period Fredonia regained the lead for good by exploding for a decisive 18-0 scoring surge.

Trailing 15-7 after one period and 18-15 at the half, Newfane rallied into a 22-22 tie on a basket by Paige Emborsky before taking what proved to be a brief 26-22 lead.

Medina’s Je’ne Brown goes up for a shot as Nadara Odell and Olivia Thompson defend for Dunkirk.

The Roy-Hart/Barker/ Medina Western New York champion club hockey team will complete its inaugural season this weekend by competing in the New York State Club Championship in Jamestown.

Roy-Hart/Barker/Medina, which is seeded No.1 for the Niagara Frontier region, will meet Rockville Centre at 2 p.m. on Friday.  On Saturday, they will play Wantaugh/Seaford at 11 a.m. and Manhasset at 5:30 p.m.

Saturday’s games will eliminate two of the six teams in the tournament field which also includes Jamestown/Southwestern/Maple Grove and Iroquois/Alden.

On Sunday, the semifinals at noon will have the highest surviving seed playing the lowest, and the two in the middle playing each other.

The two winners will play then play in the state championship game at 5:30 p.m.

Roy-Hart/Barker/Medina advanced to the state tourney as this region’s No. 1 seed by capturing the WNY Mixed Schools Division playoff championship last Friday with a victory 4-1 over Jamestown/Southwestern/Maple Grove.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Jalin Cooper puts up a shot over Olean’s Jack Dwaileebe during the Mustangs loss to the Huskies in the Class B1 semifinal this evening at Buffalo State College. Cooper scored 18 on the night to become the Mustangs single season scoring leader with 468 points.

Unable to rebound from a disastrous opening period, No. 3 seed Medina dropped a 59-45 decision to No. 2 Olean in the semifinal round of Section VI Class B1 boys basketball tournament this evening at Buffalo State College.

Mike Schmidt poured in a game high 26 points, including 11 in the decisive opening stanza, to set the pace for Olean as Matt Droney added 10 and Josh Bihler and Alex Weakfall 9 each.

Medina’s Nate Sherman puts up a shot as Olean’s Matt Droney tries to block.

Jalin Cooper led Medina with 18 to become the Mustangs all-time single season scoring leader. He hit a three to close the third period to break the old record of 458 which he shared with Jim Snyder (1987-89 seasons). He finishes the season with 468 points. He also finishes his career with a school record of 1,383 points.

Brian Fry added 11 for the Mustangs as Izaiah Rhim had 8, Mason Lewis and Nate Sherman 3 and Tyler Chinn 2.

Plagued by a costly combination of 7 turnovers and 0 for 12 shooting from the field, Medina fell behind 18-0 at the outset and never recovered. The Mustangs avoided a shutout quarter as Cooper hit a three at the buzzer.

Threes by Lewis and Fry, along with a jumper by Cooper, did pull Medina back to within nine, 20-11 midway through the second quarter but the Mustangs would get no closer.

Olean closed the period with an 8-3 run, including four by Droney, to move back out to a 14 point, 28-14, advantage at the half.

The Huskies extended the lead to as much as 21, 41-20, with 3:30 to go in the third period after a 9-0 run including a 3 and a 2 by Weakfall.

Threes by Rhim and Cooper did keep Medina within 12, 45-33, at the three-quarter mark but Olean wasted no time in putting the lead back up to 17, 50-33, at the outset of the final period as Droney had a layup and a rebound bucket. The Huskies went on to lead by as much as 20, 57-37, with 3:20 to go in the contest.

Improving to 21-1, Olean next faces No. 4 Newfane for the B1 title at 1:45 p.m. Saturday at Buffalo State.

Medina finishes the season at 11-11.

Medina’s Izaiah Rhim looks to drive by Olean’s Matt Droney.

The Niagara-Orleans League will have at least one team in the Section VI boys basketball finals as No. 4 seed Newfane nipped No. 1 Lackawanna 54-53 in a Class B1 semifinal Tuesday evening at Buffalo State Colege.

The Panthers will now face the winner of tonight’s No. 3 Medina vs. No. 2 Olean semi (8:15 p.m. at Buffalo St.) in the B1 championship game at 1:45 p.m. Saturday also at Buffalo St.

Newfane, which held a 10 point, 51-41, lead heading into the final period, survived a late scoring drought to emerge with the narrow one point victory over the Steelers.

Kyle DeVoogel scored 20 and Max Weber 14 to lead Newfane.  A three by Weber with over four minutes to go provided the Panthers only points of the final period and proved to be the game winning shot.

Girls Basketball
No. 10 seed Medina will face No. 11 Dunkirk in the Class B1 semifinals at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Kenmore West High School. The victor will face the winner of the No. 5 Fredonia vs. No. 1 Newfane semi in the title contest at noon on Sunday at Buffalo State.