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JESSICA FINCH Associate Editor

+ WHAT MATTERS IN THE END - Many of us were silenced during the overtime period of the Sabres game on Saturday when Ottawa scored, ending the Sabres dreams of winning the Stanley Cup in 2007. But

we picked ourselves up and went on with our Saturdays. That evening I was back to watching hockey, as painful as it was, at the Wheatfield Blades Hockey rink to watch my friend Sean compete for the Summit Cup - an annual tradition for him and his colleagues. When the second period ended I walked over to the other rink to watch a group warm up for a game of pick-up. A player, known only to me as No. 77, had quite a fan base as his young son cheered his every move, pointing his dad out to all the young boys around him. As No. 77 shot pucks at an empty net the boy jumped with excitement when one went in. "That's my dad .... my dad scored a goal," the boy said with great enthusiasm for his hero. Even when one of the boys pointed out there was no goalie the son couldn't have cared less. It was the next observation from the boy that cracked a smile on my face. When No. 77 missed the net and hit the glass the boy exclaimed, "Oh, my dad hit the window .... he hit the window."

It was hockey in its truest form with a fan who was more than happy just watching his dad skate on the ice, even if there was nothing at stake. As far as my friend's quest for the Summit Cup his team fell one goal short. Maybe both teams can take the cup next year.

+ AMHERST ART - The Amherst Central School District art department will present a student art exhibit entitled "Best of Amherst" at the Burchfield-Penney Art Center on the third floor of Rockwell Hall, 1300 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo. The exhibit will showcase work of kindergarten through grade 12 students from Smallwood and Windermere Elementary schools and Amherst Middle and High schools. The artwork will include ceramics, collage, pastels, paints and photography. An opening reception will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 3. The show will run May 27- June 20.

+ BUCKLE UP NY - The State Thruway Authority and State Police Troop T have launched the statewide seat -belt enforcement initiative, "Buckle Up New York." The 14-day campaign will continue through Sunday, June 3. Troop T, along with law enforcement across New York will staff safety-restraint checkpoints and patrol the 641-mile Thruway ensuring seat-belt compliance. Troop T issued 2,305 tickets to motorists not wearing seat belts while traveling the Thruway during last year's campaign. Drivers and front-seat passengers who are 16 years of age and older may be fined up to $50 for failing to buckle up. Drivers who fail to have children properly secured may be fined $100 and receive three points on their license. State law requires that all front-seat occupants must be properly secured, regardless of age; all rear-seat passengers younger than 16 must be properly secured; children younger than 4 must be restrained in a federally approved child- safety seat; children younger than 4, but weighing more than 40 pounds, may be secured in a booster seat with a lap/shoulder safety belt; children ages 4-6 must be restrained in an appropriate child-safety seat or booster seat, one for which the child meets the height and weight recommendations of the seat manufacturer. Children in this age group who are more than 4' 9" tall are exempt from this requirement.