Sports

Pelicans on the Way to State Championships

The Pelham Pelicans stamp their ticket to the NYS Championship in Utica next weekend with a 7-1 victory over Burke Catholic.

The Pelicans took their winning ways to new heights Saturday afternoon at the Ice Hutch, dominating the over-matched Burke Catholic School Eagles from Goshen, who faced the Pelicans two years ago in Utica for the State Semifinals.  From the time the first puck dropped at the beginning of the game, it was all Pelham, en route to a decisive 7-1 victory over the Eagles and setting their sights on upstate New York for the State Semifinals next weekend.

“The level of play is going to dramatically change up in Utica,” head coach Ed Witz said after the game. “The schedule we played really helped up this season by going upstate, playing teams like Massena. And  if you're going to be successful, you have to be able to win close games and not be affected by all the stress and anxiety that goes along with it.”

The Pelicans began attacking the net early in the game, with their first goal coming at 2:39 in the first by forward Shea Danny.  From there, the Eagles problems just seemed to multiply as Pelham controlled the puck for almost the entire first period in the Eagles' zone, outshooting them 25-6 in the first period alone.

The second period began much the way the first ended, with Pelham relentlessly attacking the Burke net. Twnety-four seconds into the period, Colin Reilly found the net, making it a 3-0 game, and the Pelicans were far from done.

A goal by forward Will MacInnis and then another by Tristan Weeks made the game virtually out of reach for Burke with the score 5-1 at the end of the second period.

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It appeared that the Pelicans were on a power play the entire game, as they were consistently able to take their time, set up scoring opportunities and always had a man on the puck.

Goaltender and possible team MVP Josh Borofsky put on a clinic in glove work in the third period, when he saved 15 shots, while Pelham tacked on two more goals to make it a 7-1 final, much to the delight of the capacity crowd that filled the Ice Hutch.

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"I want just want my guys to go out, play hard, work hard and we will have as good a chance as anyone in the tournament," said Witz, who was grinning ear to ear at having another opportunity in his 25-year coaching tenure to take home a state championship.

"We're more experienced now than we were at the beginning of the season, younger guys know they can play at this level,” said Shea Danny, who scored the team's first goal of the night.  

Danny and a handful of other juniors on the team played as freshmen in the 2009 semifinals in Utica and are excited to once again represent Pelham Memorial High School.

The Pelicans next game is in Utica at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 12, with their opponent is to be determined in the coming days. 


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