BATAVIA – Batavia/Notre Dame United hockey celebrated Batavia’s first-ever sectional championship group earlier than its 8-5 loss to McQuaid on Saturday. The 1987 squad was the primary Blue Devils hockey group to say a Part V Hockey title and it honored its thirty fifth anniversary simply days after its beloved head coach, Ron Setzer, handed away. Throughout a pre-game ceremony devoted to the group and its chief, there was not a dry eye in the home.
“It was actually emotional, particularly for the blokes, dropping coach Setzer,” stated B/ND United assistant coach John Kirkwood. “The timing was good however it was additionally unhealthy. Having him cross just a few days earlier than was onerous for the blokes. But when there was a spot everybody needed to be, it was the highway, listening to the nationwide anthem. It was therapeutic.”
The night time earlier than the sport, a number of members of the ’87 group gathered at Eli Fish Brewing Firm on Most important St. to reminisce concerning the good outdated days.
“We had blissful hour at Steve Pies’ home after which went to Eli Fish’s — it was actually cool,” Kirkwood stated. “In Pies’ basement, he has all of the memorabilia of that 80s crew, so we seemed on the pictures of the blokes once they had been younger. It was actually cool. A few of the guys got here an extended solution to be there. Coach Setzer’s son Mike got here from Arizona. At Eli’s, I had a flash drive and we had the division championship sport, and the video games to comply with on the TVs. It was a grand outdated time.”
Feelings had been excessive as United ready to face a gifted McQuaid group and B/ND was unable to trip the wave these feelings created, falling to the Jesuit Knights by a three-goal margin.
McQuaid began the sport sizzling, scoring three targets within the first eight minutes and by no means seemed again. Jameson Motyka, Brady Johnson, Ronin Hofmaster and Orian Lama accounted for United’s scoring, with Johnson main the way in which with a variety of tallies to go along with an help. Motyka contributed three assists.
“I am very happy with the trouble, the grit and the physicality we performed with,” United head coach Marc Staley stated after the loss. “The children by no means give up despite the fact that we went down early. We fought again onerous. Not the consequence we needed, however we did a whole lot of good issues tonight. Positively a sport we’ll construct on.”
McQuaid is now 14-1 and the No. 2-ranked Class A group in New York State. United falls to 10-4.
“We’ve six video games left – three at dwelling and three away,” Staley added. “We have to begin constructing some momentum heading into sectional play. These video games make us higher.”
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