Three third-period goals power Wheatfield to semifinal win over Clarence

Rick Wrazin has been waiting much of the season to see his team play to the level now expected out of a Niagara Wheatfield hockey squad. With a third straight appearance in the WNY Federation final on the line, the Falcons came through with a final two periods worthy of those expectations. 

Wheatfield broke a 1-1 tie going into the third period, by scoring three goals to put a stamp on a 4-1 victory over Clarence in the large school semifinals Tuesday (Feb. 18) at Northtown Center in Amherst.

Wrazin believes that the difference was his team tightening up in its own end and not allowing many scoring chances, after the first period. He also acknowledged that the Falcons had experience on their side, with 15 returning players from last season.

“I thought in the second, we really picked it up and started playing our game more,” the Wheatfield head coach said. ‘I thought we really controlled the second and third periods. We knew with the way the league was set up, we weren’t going to play anyone soft on the way in. Clarence is a good hockey team.”

The win sets up a rematch of the 2012 large school final between Wheatfield and Williamsville North, on Monday, Feb. 25 at First Niagara Center. It also provides the defending state semifinalist Falcons a chance to maintain a WNY Federation title they’ve won the past two years. North was the large school champion in 2010 and 2011. This will be the fourth time the teams meet in the final since 2009.

“To win again, we’d send a message to all of the schools around the state,” said Wheatfield forward Andrew Connelly, who scored the game-winning goal early in the third period. “We want North again; it would make it so sweet if we beat them. We want them; we don’t want anyone else.”

Clarence came out humming, taking a 1-0 lead behind a Josh Slowinski power play goal, assisted by defensive leader Max Zwierlan, in the first period, but that play became more and more difficult to sustain as the game went along. 

Minus 13 seniors from last year’s team, which lost to Wheatfield in the championship game, the Red Devils were a thin team this season. Clarence also played without one of its defensive stalwarts in Alex Gay, who’s been nursing a broken collarbone.

“[Wheatfield] is an awfully good team and they have more depth,” said Clarence head coach Rich Brooks, whose fifth-seeded team opened the playoffs with a win over No. 4 Lancaster. “To be even 1-1 going into the third is a great accomplishment. We lost 13 seniors from last year, so none of our guys expected to be in the semifinals. So, they’re proud of what they did.”

Wheatfield received goals from four different players. Troy Pulli scored on the power play with a rocket shot from the point five minutes into the second period to even the score as the Falcons began to take over the game.

Third-period tallies were added by Connelly, who skated into the slot and powered a wrister by Clarence goalie Jack Niesyty less than two minutes into the period, before Matt Paonessa and Justin Durkee put the game away with goals in the final two minutes. Durkee’s was an empty-netter. Paonessa and Durkee also each added an assist, while the helpers on the game-winner went to Dakota Becker and Alex Bauer.

Slowinski had a chance to give Clarence a two-goal lead shortly after his goal in the first period, taking off on a short-handed breakaway, but he was denied by Wheatfield goalie Nate Sommers, who finished with 18 saves. Niesyty stopped 23 shots for Clarence.

“It feels awesome [to have the game-winning goal], but as long as my team wins, that’s all I care about,” Connelly said. “We got that [second] goal and then I think we got the momentum and got some more goals and made some good things happen. It was a good win and now we’ve got to move on.”

Wheatfield is also as healthy as it’s been since starting the season with a 4-0 league record. The Falcons were still able to finish 8-5-3 in league play and as the second seed among public large schools, despite injuries to some of their top players.

Wrazin admitted his team has its work cut out for it, facing a North squad the Falcons lost to twice in the regular season by a combined 8-2 mark. 

“I think there’s a little bit of tradition and pride here,” Wrazin said. “They kind of feel like they belong now…Attitude-wise, they come in thinking this is what we want and we’re going to come in here and do it.”