PITTSFORD OUTLASTS PORTSIDE ROYALS IN HIGH SCORING AFFAIR

Dec 14, 2022

Over the next several weeks, the Rochester Americans will be front and center on the local high school hockey scene as part of a weekly series that will feature the latest news and notes, scores and stats of select Section V games around the Greater Rochester Area.

This week’s High School Game of the Week featured the Pittsford Panthers (4-1-1) tallying multiple goals in each period as they went on to post a 7-4 victory over the Portside Royals (3-2-0) Tuesday night at Bill Gray’s Iceplex.

Portside forwards Justin Pastorella (1+0), Sal Balbi (1+0) and Kevin Eckerd (1+0) joined defenseman Zachary Neu (1+0) as the goal-scorers while Frank Grad, Zachary Hines, Henry Schultz, Joseph Mallette, Liam McGrath, and Joseph Bagnato all registered one assist in the defeat.

Sophomore goaltender Danny Kucmerowski (2-2-0) made a season-high 36 saves but suffered his second loss of the campaign. The netminder came into the matchup winners of two straight and had stopped 42 of 44 shots he faced.

With a game-high two goals and four points, Pittsford’s forward Colin Norton lead all scorers.  Henok Hankinson (1+1), Drew Ricketts (0+2), Cole Mann (1+2), Will Masachi (1+1) and Brady McMahon (1+1) all produced a multi-point performance. Lucas Procious (1+0), Edward Wu (0+1), Bradley Pollard (0+1), and Steffan Fink (0+1) all found themselves on the scoresheet with an assist each.

Goaltender Aden Brown turned aside 28 of the 32 shots he faced to improve to 3-1-1 through his first five appearances of the season.

In the first period, Norton opened the scoring for Pittsford just 1:18 into the contest from Mann and Ricketts, however, Portside countered back six minutes later to even the score as Balbi buried a shot.

Shortly after Balbi’s marker from Grad and Hines, the Panthers responded back with a pair to take a 4-1 lead into the intermission as Norton and Masaschi each scored their second and first goals of the frame, respectively.

Following the break, the Panthers took a pair of penalties and were shorthanded by two skaters for 1:18, but thanks to timely saves from Brown, the score remained 4-1.

Pittsford used the momentum from the successful kills as Mann and Procious made it a 6-1 score.

Portside chipped into the deficit when Pastorella, Eckerd and Neu all beat Brown, but Pittford closed out the scoring as Hankinson and McMahon scored into an empty net.

The Portside Royals will look to get back in the win column as they return home to host Aquinas at Tuttle Ice Arena for a noon face-off on Saturday, Dec. 17 while Pittsford hosts Greece Storm at Bill Gray’s Iceplex on Thursday, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m.

The next game in the High School Game of the Week series pits Fairport battling Brighton on Jan. 10 at Rochester Ice Center.