Sweet Home, East hockey play to 4-4 tie
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Williamsville East's Eric Esposito tries to poke the puck away from Sweet Home's Daryn Cavalier, who is winding up for a shot on the play. East and Sweet Home skated to a 4-4 tie last Thursday on the Amherst Pepsi Center Feature Rink. Photo by Joe Eberle Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

A tie score after a hockey game usually means play was even from both teams and that was exactly the case between the Sweet Home and Williamsville East Federation hockey teams last week.

Both schools resumed its rivalry by skating to a 4-4 tie last Thursday night on the Amherst Pepsi Center Feature Rink.

"The game could have gone either way," said East coach Mike Torrillo. "A tie is what the game deserved to be. Both teams played hard. There was good emotion and solid goaltending."

East and Sweet Home are each in the hunt for lead in Division II in the Section VI Western New York Varsity Hockey Federation.

Bishop Timon-St. Jude is the leader with 13 points followed by St. Francis (11 points), Kenmore East (10 points) and East and Sweet Home (eight points each).

Sweet Home's Adam Titanic tries to keep the puck away from Williamsville East's Austin Barnett. East and Sweet Home are among several teams battling for the top spot in Division II in the Section VI Western New York Varsity Hockey Federation.

The Sweet Home-East game changed hands several times. The first three goals came on the power play.

The Flames got on the board first when Tyler Durinka knocked in a rebound from Eric Bogart at 9:49 of the first period. Sweet Home's Chris Covel answered from Jim Cardinale and Mike Campise with 27 seconds remaining in the period.

Durinka put the Flames ahead at 11:28 of the second from Bogart and Colin Lucey but Sweet Home's Ryan Gutt, from Pat McMahon, tied it at 2-2 at the 7:16 mark.

The Panthers took the lead for the first time at 3:51 when Colin Cardinale scored from Jim Cardinale and Ryan Marko on a two-on-one play.

Bogart scored twice in the third, his second tally coming with 4:30 to play from Joey Cantafio and Dan Tyx, to tie the game at 4-4.

Bogart's first goal came from Eric Esposito at 7:38. Sweet Home's Mike Campise tied it two minutes later on the power play from Marko.

Sweet Home finished off the game on the power play but could not get another goal past East's Matt Bradley (26 saves). Sweet Home goalie Rob Castiglia made 24 stops.

"The best period for both teams was the third," said Sweet Home coach Dave Gerspach. "We had a lot of chances to win the game and just couldn't get it into the net. Covel had two good chances. Once, he shot it over the net. On another one, their goalie got a piece of it and it landed on top of the net."

East and Sweet Home each fared differently against Kenmore East later in the week.

The Flames won 4-2 on Saturday on the Feature Rink. Sweet Home lost 3-0 on Sunday at Buffalo State Sports Arena.

East dug itself a 2-0 hole in the second period before scoring the last four goals of the game. Matt Notaro started East's rally with 1:36 remaining from Tyx. It was Notaro's first varsity goal.

Bogart (Eric Esposito), Tyx, on a slap shot, and Lucey (Gary Styn, Max Fogel), on the power play, tallied goals in third for East.

"To score the final four goals was big," said Torrillo. "We could have gotten frustrated. I was proud of them."

East was outshot, 26-16, but Torrillo said 10 to 12 of his team's shots were good scoring chances.

Jay Hall recorded the win in net for the Flames, which avenged a 4-2 loss to Kenmore East on Dec. 29.

In Sweet Home's try against Kenmore East, Gerspach felt if his team had scored a goal, it would have relieved pressure.

"The puck wasn't going to go in for us that day," said Gerspach. "Their goalie made two big saves in the third, a glove save on Marko, and a stop on Jim Cardinale. Jim had his hands up the air thinking it was a goal."

Gerspach said Jim Cardinale was also denied on two breakaways in the second period.

Sean Walsh (James Schultz, Alex Silvia) and Chris Chapin (Schultz, Mark Arnone) scored in the first period for Kenmore East. Frank Briandi added an empty net goal with 1:21 left in the third.

Kenmore East outshot Sweet Home, 25-20.

East plays Timon at 7 p.m. on Thursday on the Olympic Rink, Orchard Park at 1 p.m. on Saturday on the Feature Rink and Amherst at 3 p.m. on Monday on the Feature Rink.

Sandwiched between the tie with East and the loss with Kenmore East was a 4-3 loss on Friday night against Section V's Churchville-Chili at Scottsville Ice Arena.

Sweet Home outshot Churchville-Chili, 36-17, and 16-8 in the third period but Churchville-Chili goalie Kyle Cavaerly was outstanding.

"It was probably the best goaltending performance we've faced all year," said Gerspach. "Marko should have had eight or nine points. He was stopped twice on two breakaways."

Scoreless after the first period, Rich Beaudet got Sweet Home on the scoreboard first on the power play from Marko and Colin Cardinale at 4:01 of the second. Twenty five seconds later, Marko scored from Gutt and Adam Titanic.

Garrett McMullen (Chris Rossignolo) cut Churchville-Chili's deficit to 2-1 at 5:53 of the second The two hooked up 15 seconds into the third on the power play. Chili's Jeff Langschwager (Ken Clar) and Rossignolo (McMullen) made it 4-2.

Marko scored on the power play from Beaudet with 21 seconds left in the game.

Sweet Home sophomore goalie Tommy Sciortino recorded 13 saves in his debut.

Gerspach considers his team's week of games not a success.

"We're playing good for parts of games but all areas have to get better," said Gerspach. "We've got to play better defensively and score more goals. When we get up on teams, we have to push the petal on the gas more, not let up on it."

Sweet Home plays Niagara Falls at 3 p.m. on Saturday on the Pepsi Center Olympic Rink and Lancaster at 1 p.m. on Monday on Pepsi Center NHL Rink No. 2.