NINE PLAYERS RECORDED MULTI-POINT EFFORTS AS PITTSFORD CRUISED TO VICTORY OVER PENFIELD
Feb 10, 2025By Ryan J. Harr
For the next several months the Rochester Americans will be front and center of the local high school hockey scene as part of a weekly series that features the latest news and notes, scores and stats of select Section V games around the Greater Rochester Area.
David Pollard (2+3) was one of the nine players to record a multi-point effort as the Pittsford Panthers (14-3-2) cruised to a 9-2 victory over Penfield Central Patriots (5-11-2) last Thursday night at Tim Horton IcePlex.
With the victory, the Panthers have posted an 8-0-1 mark in their last nine games while posting four shutouts and holding their opponents to one goal or less in eight contests since Jan. 17. Overall, Pittsford ranks second in points (30) in all Section V while being tied for second with 14 wins.
Over the last thirteen meetings between the two schools since the 2012-13 campaign, Pittsford now owns a 9-4-1 record while outscoring and outshooting Penfield 47-31 and 377-295, respectively. In each of the last five games, the winning team has scored at least four goals while the losing team had two or fewer goals.
Along with leading point-getter’s David Pollard’s five-point outing, Ethan Daley (0+2), Ryan Munzinger (0+2), and Steffan Finke (0+2) all plotted a pair of assists in the win. Keegan Ahern (2+1), Peter Yarovinsky (1+2), Charles Hezel (1+1), Ryan Schmalstitch (1+1), and Adam Pollard (1+1) finished with multi-point efforts. Max Erskine (1+0) and Luke Albano (0+1) concluded the scoring by contributing one point apiece.
Goaltender Wilson Szydlo improved to 3-1-1 on the season as he stopped 19 of the 21 shots he faced in his ninth appearance.
Mikayla Mrzywka (1+1) totaled two points for Penfield, who has posted a 3-9-0 mark, which includes four straight defeats, since the start of the new year. Thomas Obstarczyk (1+0), William Dorritie (0+1), and Angelo Latore (0+1) booked one point to wrap up the scoring. Netminder Delaney Rivero (1-6-1) made 24 saves in his eighth appearance of the season.
While outshooting Penfield Central 8-1 halfway through the opening period and having puck possession majority of the frame, Pittsford scored its only goal of the stanza as Albano set up Schmalstitch at the 13:44 mark.
The Panthers doubled their lead as David Pollard logged his first of two on the night from Finke and Yarovinsky scored with 10 minutes to play but the Patriots responded 67 seconds later as Obstarczyk netted a power-play marker from Latore and Mrzyska.
After successfully clearing off a pair of penalties, Pittsford used the momentum as Yarovinsky pushed the Panthers’ advantage to a 3-1 score late in the final minute from both Pollards.
Carrying a two-goal lead into the final frame, Adam Pollard on a rush scored before Ahern netted a pair of goals 15 seconds apart to make it a 5-1 score.
David Pollard, Hezel, and Erskine helped pad the lead before Mrzywka ended the seven-goal run in the final seconds of regulation for Penfield.
Pittsford will close out its campaign on Tuesday, Feb. 11 when they host St. Francis Preparatory at Tim Horton IcePlex for a 6:00 p.m. matchup. Meanwhile, Penfield will look to snap its losing-skid on Tuesday, Feb. 11 for a 5:00 p.m. contest at Webster Ice Arena in its second-to-last game of the season.