St. Francis handed Timon its first loss of the season on Sunday evening, and less than 24 hours later, the Red Raiders were back at it with a game against Amherst, once again at the HarborCenter in downtown Buffalo. Even after the 10-0 win over Amherst Monday night, Sunday’s 2-1 win over Timon was still fresh in the players’ minds.
It had been a few years since St. Francis had been able to beat Timon, and the Red Raiders were certainly the underdogs as a 1-2 Division 3 team facing off against an undefeated Division 2 team in Timon.
“A lot of people look down on us, and it was a big game, a big rivalry between us,” St. Francis’ Jay Oldacre said. “And we came to play. Really jumped on ’em in the second and third. We didn’t really play good in the first, kind of, because we were getting into it, and then after that we kind of just took it away from them in the third period.”
“That was a really big win for us as a team and as a school,” said Adam Gier. “Definitely a big rivalry there. Our goaltender (Dylan McDonald) really played fantastic, and a lot of credit to the team — it was a whole team effort. Everyone fought hard. Timon’s a really good team for sure. They got a lot of talented players this year, as they do every year, and so we were kind of the underdog going in for sure, and so it’s definitely special to get those kind of wins.”
“That definitely felt really good, especially since they’re undefeated,” said Joe Krasinski. “They were talking a little smack, so it felt good to beat them, especially since they’re a Monsignor Martin rival.”
The Red Raiders carried the momentum from yesterday’s win over the Timon Tigers into Monday night’s game against the Amherst Tigers and came out strong once again.
“Just ride the emotions,” Oldacre said. “We beat Timon. Hasn’t happened in a long time, since probably like 2012 or something like that. Just ride it in, and boys kept playing well, so good team victory.”
“We were feeling good with a big win against Timon, big win against a rival,” Gier said. “We were coming in against Amherst, just did the same thing we did — kept working hard. A great goaltending performance by Eric Piotrowski, and that kind of stuff is definitely good to build on.”
“We just needed to keep up that intensity to go into today,” Krasinski said. “Treat every opponent the same and play everyone the same way and hopefully get the W.”
The Red Raiders didn’t score as early as they would have liked in either the first or second period, with both goals coming more than nine minutes on. But they knew what needed to be done, and they were patient and never lost their confidence.
“We’re on the bench and nothing’s really going in,” Gier explained. “We’re getting chances for sure, but everyone’s just saying, ‘We’re gonna get it. We’re gonna get it. Keep trying.’ And the effort was there the entire time, and guys were still working hard, still fighting, and that was what really broke through, is that we kept the same attitude. We didn’t get down on ourselves and just kept grinding through it until the goals started coming.”
Part of St. Francis’ difficulty scoring had to do with Amherst goaltender Zach Clor, who played all but the last four-and-a-half minutes of the third period. Although he allowed six goals in that time, he also had 30 saves and stopped quite a few St. Francis chances.
Oldacre scored the Red Raiders’ sixth goal 3:53 into the third period. He’d had trouble putting one away in the first two periods, but he finally did in the third and finished the night with a goal and two assists.
“I was struggling in the first and second, couldn’t buy one,” Oldacre said. “And then the puck kinda just squirted out to me. Regrouped, walked across, and then took a shot and it went in.”
The game ended with a running clock as St. Francis scored again and again, ending the game with 10 goals scored by 10 different players. Gier was credited with a goal late in the third on a shot where he wasn’t sure he actually touched the puck. But as Oldacre pointed out, the 10 goals scored will play into the playoff seedings this year, with goal differential an important factor.
“As hockey players, sometimes we get feelings like, blood in the water, like a shark,” Oldacre explained. “We jump all over it. Boys were feeling really good about how we were playing, and we kind of knew the game was over, but we gotta keep pouring it on because at the end of the year, goal differential comes into play, so that’s why we just kept pouring it on.”
Gier was gracious toward Amherst as he explained that even defeating a team that hasn’t won a game yet this season felt good and added even more momentum moving forward.
“It’s big against any team,” Gier said. “Obviously it gets a little out of hand there at the end, but obviously Amherst, they’re still playing hard and stuff. They have a good team; a lot of character on that team for sure. But it’s good to get wins no matter who you’re playing against, and it’s fun to come together as a team and build on our progression against Timon and then build up from there.”
St. Francis’ next game features another Monsignor Martin match up as the Red Raiders are scheduled to face Canisius Sunday at 3 pm at Buffalo State College. It’s another rival game that the Red Raiders excited for, and they’ll spend the rest of this week preparing.
“Next game, Canisius,” Oldacre said. “We’re feeling pretty confident, but it will be a battle. Gonna be a tough game. We have a big rivalry. Can’t wait. Sunday. Gotta come to work. Practices tomorrow and Wednesday, and then gear up for Canisius. Do all the right things; don’t go too wild on New Years.”