It’s difficult to beat a team three times in a season.

That sentiment rang true when third-seeded Niagara-Wheatfield battled second-seeded Orchard Park in the Section VI Large Schools boys Federation hockey semifinals Wednesday night (Feb. 24) at Northtown Center at Amherst.

The Quakers took down the Falcons twice in the regular season, but they needed to beat N-W a third time in order to dethrone the four-time defending sectional champions.

They didn’t.

Niagara-Wheatfield scored in the final four minutes of all three periods to defeat Orchard Park, 4-0, and advance to its seventh sectional championship game in the eight years of the program’s existence.

The Falcons got on the scoreboard first as Kasey Haseley found Nick Peters on an odd-man rush with 3:59 left in the first period. It is always important to strike first, but it had extra importance in this game as it was the first time Niagara-Wheatfield held a lead on the Quakers this season.

“I think that was big because we did lose to them twice,” Niagara-Wheatfield coach Rick Wrazin said. “In hockey everybody says it’s hard to beat a team three times so I think us getting the first goal was big. I think the boys needed something to believe in early in the game.”

Orchard Park did not fade away after the first goal, however, as it controlled a large portion of the second period. The Quakers outshot the Falcons, 9-4, in the second period, but another late goal swung the momentum back into Niagara-Wheatfield’s favor.

The Falcons’ leading scorer, Garrett Downie, the 2015 Section VI Large Schools championship game MVP, found Alex Bauer on a two-on-one with 1:48 left in the second period for a goal that proved to be a backbreaker for Orchard Park.

Niagara-Wheatfield managed just 15 shots, including two empty-net goals by Downie late in the game, but it scored when opportunities arose, while the Quakers peppered goaltender Dominick Tallarico all night but were not able to sneak one past him.

“It wasn’t necessarily the goals they were scoring on us, it was the fact that we couldn’t get one to go in,” Orchard Park coach Josh Dannecker said. “For us, had we been able to get one in we might have been able to build that momentum, but we were never able to get one by him. We put a lot of pressure on him.”

Tallarico stopped all 26 shots Orchard Park threw at him, while Downie notched a three-point night, including the insurance goal with 1:58 left after he blocked a shot from the point, picked up the puck and threw it into the empty net.

The win means Niagara-Wheatfield has a chance to win its fifth consecutive sectional championship and sixth overall since its first Fed season in 2009.

It also means that the Falcons will face top-seeded Williamsville North in the finals for the third year in a row and for the sixth time in eight years. The Spartans are no stranger to the spotlight, either, considering they will be making their ninth finals appearance in 10 years, but have just a 2-7 record.

“It doesn’t get old at all,” Wrazin said. “It’s exactly like we would want it. Kind of in our minds, that’s the way it’s supposed to be. That’s what the kids were looking forward to, that’s who they want to see, so here we go again.”

For Orchard Park, it may feel like a missed opportunity. With Niagara-Wheatfield having just a 10-10-1 record entering the game, the Quakers believed that this was the year that they could knock off the perennial powerhouse and advance to the first sectional championship game in program history.

In the end, it was not to be as Orchard Park, which went 4-3-1 against the top three teams in Division 1 during the regular season, fell short of the intended goal.

“It’s certainly disappointing,” Dannecker said. “We were able to beat some of the top teams, so coming into the game we certainly thought we had a good chance. It’s disappointing but in hockey it’s a one-game playoff and not a series; stuff like this happens.”

Thomas Held made 11 saves in goal for Orchard Park, which finishes 9-7-1.

Niagara-Wheatfield is scheduled to face Williamsville North in the championship game at 4 p.m. Monday (Feb. 29) at First Niagara Center.