Team X tops the Aces; 535’s stay on top

by Rich Gurbacki
Grand Island Dispatch, December 1, 2006

Youth sports are by their very nature multi-faceted. Winning is one of those facets, but only one of many. Improvement of physical skills, understanding the concept of team and enjoyment of the game are just a few of those facets. But lessons learned through sports might be the most important of them all. The Black Aces entered last Saturday’s regular season game against Team X undefeated and at the top of the Buffalo In-line Hockey Group’s Major Division. Team X entered last Saturday’s regular season game searching for their first win of the season.

The last time these two teams met, the Aces came away with a lopsided shutout victory, and they had little reason to think this game would be different ... that is until the puck dropped.

Drawing on inspiration from somewhere, Team X played as well as a team can play, controlling the puck, dominating play and opening up a 2-0 advantage at the end of the first period. The second period was no different, and at the end of the frame Team X found themselves up 5-0 with Taylor Setlock (Tonawanda) and Calvin Waley (Cheektowaga) scoring twice and Timmy Doyle (Tonawanda) adding the other goal.

The Aces came roaring to life in the third when John Lyons (Amherst) scored with only 1:13 gone in the period. The league’s leading scorer, Grand Islands’s David Campuzano, scored 33 seconds later to make it 5-2, and only four minutes into the period Campuzano scored again to bring the Aces to 5-3. Waley, however, finished his hat trick to make the score 6-3 before Cheektowaga’s Doug Smith made it 6-4 and Lyons closed the gap to 6-5.

With about a minute to play Campuzano found himself alone to the left of the net with a wide open corner to shoot at, but the puck stood up, causing him to shoot high. A great win for the X men and a great lesson learned for the Aces.

In other major division play, The Storm rode Justin Banaszak’s (Cheektowaga) seven goals to an 11-4 triumph over the Red Raiders. Evan Dressel (Amherst) Jim Krolikowski (Lancaster), Aiden Abraszek (Amherst), Tyler Anderson (Tonawanda) and Phil Mayer (Amherst) led the Junior division leaders, the 535’s, to a 5-1 win over the Hurricanes. The Blue Flames, led by Zac Carslisle (Tonawanda) and Andy Probst (Amherst), beat the Hurricanes, who played their second game of the day. Greg Newman (Tonawanda) tallied twice for the Canes.