Only a few members of this year’s Williamsville North team played Williamsville East three years ago, but the rivalry between the three Williamsville schools was as strong as ever at Northtown Center on Thursday night as the Flames hosted the Spartans and North came away with the 4-3 victory.
“It’s a big rivalry, obviously, with the Williamsville schools,” senior Zach Kurbiel said. “I didn’t get to play them freshman year. That was the last time we played them, but I knew it was a big game, and I knew coming into the game it was gonna be a big game even though we doesn’t know what they were like, but I thought it was a really good game.”
“We haven’t played them in a couple years,” said junior Adam Batz. “I know from older players that it’s always close games, and we’ve won the last couple times, but I thought they played pretty good today.”
Senior Jared Cummins is one of the few players on this year’s team who was on the varsity team his freshman year. North defeated East that year as well, but that season and this one, as well as Cummins’ role in each, couldn’t be more different.
“The last time I played this team was my freshman year,” Cummins said. “We didn’t have a great team that year and they were really good and we came out and we ended up beating them three to one, and to play them in my senior year and just to transition from sitting the bench then and now being a key role player here, just made it awesome.”
Cummins had two assists in Thursday’s game, but he quickly credited his linemates’ efforts as well.
“Our whole line did a great job moving the puck around tonight,” Cummins said. “I was able to get a few pucks out to [Daniel] Mosher in the slot and back to the point to [Anthony] Trigilio, but overall it was just a great game by my line.”
The first of Cummins’ assists came less than five minutes into the first period, when Batz put Cummins’ rebound in the net to give the Spartans an early 1-0 lead.
“Jared made a nice play,” Batz said. “He went down with the puck and got a nice shot, and I just buried the rebound.”
Anthony Trigilio and Daniel Mosher scored less than three minutes apart in the second period to add to North’s lead. Kurbiel assisted Trigilio’s goal, and Cummins picked up his second assist of the game on Mosher’s goal. Matt Jeffries also had an assist.
But East fought back, and less than a minute and a half later, Joe Mostowy scored, assisted by Mike Steffan, to cut the Spartans’ lead to 3-1.
North got it right back less than a minute earlier with a goal by Kurbiel, assisted by Derek Westbrook and Nick Tracy.
“I got a great breakout pass from my two wingers, and I came up on the defenseman and I cut in towards the net, and I put a backhand on and it went through the five hole,” Kurbiel said. “It was real good. If you can get a goal right after their goal, it really takes away their momentum and helps the team.”
But Kurbiel’s goal didn’t kill East’s momentum as much as he hoped it would. Sam Pastore scored 46 seconds later to again cut the deficit to two goals. Mike Krasinski and Alex Tzetzo assisted Pastore’s goal.
The Flames fought back even harder in the third, especially as time ran out. Mike Steffan scored with just 45 seconds left to cut North’s lead to 4-3, but it was too little, too late for the Flames. Had they had just a few more minutes, things might have been different.
“I’m thankful there wasn’t five more minutes left in the game,” Cummins said. “We were able to hang on though.”
As Cummins said, the Spartans held on for the 4-3 win. After defeating Williamsville South last week in a scrimmage, bragging rights in Williamsville belong to North.
“It’s great because we see these guys all the time at the rink and we practice here every day together on different rinks, and just the bragging rights in Williamsville,” Cummins said. “We beat South and now East. It just feels good.”
The Williamsville Cup is given to the Williamsville lacrosse team that wins the most games against the other two schools. North won the Williamsville Cup in exciting fashion last season. Did they do the same thing on Thursday night?
Cummins, who also plays lacrosse for North, laughed.
“Technically, the hockey version of the Williamsville Cup, yes,” he replied.
Thursday’s win extended North’s winning streak to five league games and eight games overall. Five straight league wins have the Spartans at 5-2 going into Saturday’s game against Hamburg, with the only two losses coming early in the year to Orchard Park and Canisius. Everything seems to be clicking for the Spartans, and it makes everything from practices to games that much more enjoyable.
“I’m proud of all the boys,” Kurbiel said. “We’ve been playing as a good team. Everyone’s been working for each other, and the puzzle pieces are coming together.”
“We’re playing pretty good right now, and I’d like to keep that going,” Batz said. “We’re on an eight-game streak right now, and we’re playing much different than we did at the beginning, and we’re looking forward to playing OP and Canisius again.”
“It’s huge,” Cummins said of the current streak. “It makes it more fun to go to practice every day. You go, you know you’re winning, you have more fun with it, and hopefully we can continue to win games.”