The Niagara-Wheatfield hockey program has had an incredible run, capturing its fourth straight Section VI Large School championship Monday.

But over that stretch, one major issue seemed the keep the Falcons from an extended run through the state tournament: they couldn’t win outside of Western New York.

N-W got that monkey off its back this season, winning a pair of games over winter break in a tournament held at Suffern, just outside of New York City.

The Falcons will put their new out-of-town ability to the test at 8:15 tonight at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where they’ll take on Section V champion McQuaid in the Division I regionals.

If Wheatfield can win, it would be its eighth straight.

“For us, we need to go out and play the way we can play,” said N-W coach Rick Wrazin.

“If we can play the right way, we’d like to see other teams adjust to us instead of the other way around.”

McQuaid is a private school Wrazin compares to St. Joe’s and Canisius locally.

Unlike Section VI, Rochester-area private schools are allowed to compete in the Section V playoffs and for New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships.

N-W went 1-3 against Canisius and St. Joe’s during the regular season, with two of those losses coming by only one goal. The Falcons handled Joe’s in their lone win, cruising by a score of 5-1.

The Knights, who won the state championship in 2005, entered the playoffs at 15-2.

“They’re a good team,” Wrazin said. “From what I understand they’re pretty physical and have pretty good first line.”

That style of play could clash with N-W, which prefers to play a speedy game in transition.

Luckily, the Falcons have been playing some of their best hockey of the season during their current streak.

“We’ve been more consistent our last five games,” Wrazin said. “We’re in a good place in the way we’re playing.”

N-W has advanced out of regionals twice in the past three years, though both of those games took place at home in Section VI.

Follow Niagara Gazette sports reporter Mike Meiler on Twitter @mikemeiler for updates on your local teams.