Bud Bakewell Bruins finish third in New York State

The Bud Bakewell Bruins was a win away from qualifying for nationals, finishing third in New York State. Members of the team, pictured from left, are: front row - Reno Masecchia, Jesse Ciffa, Kyle Turk, Ryan Wigdorski, Marc Mallare, Richard Brooks, Brenon Sarratori, Don Battista; second row - Mike Iannello, Michael Naples, Peter Gottfried, Veikko Mielonen, Allen Reilly, Kyle Gallivan, Franjo Tabar, David DiMaria; third row - coach Tom Mallare, head coach Don Battista, coach Pat Gallivan.

Despite several players missing from last year's roster, the Bud Bakewell Bruins Pee Wee Major, an underdog all season, was a win away from qualifying for nationals.

The Bruins not only qualified for the Tier II state finals with an 11-2-3 record but also went to New York City and beat top teams to finish third in New York State.

The Bruins opened play at the Chelsea Piers Sky Rink in Manhattan against the eventual No. 2 team, the Saratoga Blue Knights.

Saratoga opened the scoring, but Don Battista (Tonawanda) scored to make it 1-1 after the first period. Mike Naples scored early in the second from Battista and Kyle Gallivan (Tonawanda) to put the Bruins up 2-1. The Knights scored twice shortly after, and the Bruins never recovered.

Friday night's opposition was the East No. 1 team, the Westchester Vipers. The Bruins came out firing and took a 2-0 first-period lead. Gallivan opened the scoring on a feed from Naples. Reno Masecchia stole the puck and drilled one in for a 2-0 lead to close the first. Richard Brooks (Tonawanda) converted a turnover into a 3-0 Bruins' lead midway in the second period.

The Vipers scored a power-play goal, but Brenon Sarratori (Tonawanda) rifled a shot over the goalie's shoulder to shock the Vipers and give the Bruins a 4-1 lead. The Vipers tried furiously to get back in the game, scoring twice and outshooting the Bruins 27-5 over the final two periods, but Marc Mallare (Amherst) made several big saves to preserve a huge 4-3 win.

On Saturday afternoon, the Bruins and Camillus Cougars hooked up in a wide-open affair that saw both teams fire 32 shots on goal. Battista opened the scoring early, and just over a minute later, Veikko Mielonen scored on a nice feed from Masecchia.

Less than a minute after that, Naples tallied on a great three-way passing play with Battista and Gallivan to give the Bruins an early 3-0 lead. Camillus scored twice in the second, but Masecchia drilled one home from Mielonen and Franjo Tabar to make it 4-2 after two periods. Mike Iannello (Tonawanda), David DiMaria (Tonawanda), Tabar, Allen Reilly, Peter Gottfriend and Jesse Ciffa played strong defense and limited second chances.

Mallare stopped 30 shots and Gallivan scored midway through the third from Battista and Naples to give the Bruins a 5-2 victory.

A tie or win on Saturday night, against host NYC Cyclones, would send the Bruins to the semifinals. The Cyclones came out strong and scored the first goal, but Battista answered shortly after on a feed from Naples.

The Cyclones scored again, but Gallivan responded on a nice pass from Kyle Turk to end the first period tied 2-2. The Bruins took control in the second as Turk scored on a rebound of Masecchia's shot after a blast from the point by Peter Gottfried.

Late in the period, Battista scored again on a rebound of a DiMaria drive from the point for a 4-2 lead after two. The third period saw the Cyclones rally, outshooting the Bruins 18-5, but Mallare was again up to the task and shut down the Cyclones.

The Bruins, with a 3-1 record, qualified for the state semifinals against top seed, and old rival, Niagara. The Bruins and Purple Eagles have played many great games over the years, and this was no exception. Gallivan opened the scoring on a nice feed from Battista for a 1-0 lead. Niagara countered twice, the last coming with 45 seconds remaining in the first for a 2-1 lead.

An early goal in the second put Niagara up 3-1, but the Bruins refused to quit. They battled hard with some great forechecking and hits by Ryan Wigdorski, Sarratori, Mielonen, and Masecchia. It paid off, as Gallivan scored again on another assist from Battista, and the game was close at 3-2 after two periods. Mallare was strong again as the Bruins were outshot 25-8 after two periods.

The third period was a close struggle between the teams, but Niagara scored twice within a minute to provide the final margin of victory. The Bruins battled hard and came within one victory of reaching the national finals.

Offensively, Battista led the scoring with four goals and nine points. Gallivan had five goals and seven points, Masecchia added three goals and five points, Naples added four assists and five points, and Turk and Mielonen each had a goal and an assist. Di- Maria, Reilly, Tabar, Iannello, Gottfried and Ciffa were solid on defense. Mallare was outstanding in the tournament with 156 saves in the five games.