Pittsford dominated the second half and defeated Baldwinsville (Section III) 11-8 to advance to the Class A State Finals.  The Panthers will face Ward Melville on Saturday at 10:00 AM at St. John Fisher after they defeated Lakeland-Panas 9-6.  Colby Barker led in scoring with 5g-1a for Pittsford and was a force on the field.  For the Bees, Matthew Dickman and Peter Fiorini each finished with 2g.

The difference in halves could not have been more apparent.  Both teams played a strong first half with the score finishing at 6-6.  The game was evenly matched with both teams making strong offensive showings and standup defensive plays. 

Baldwinsville goalie Frank Delia recorded 5 saves in the first half and made a couple point blank stops.  Pittsford’s Gavin Catalano recorded 3 of his 4 saves in the first half.  The Bees led for the entire first half and controlled the pace.  In the second half, Baldwinsville looked almost like a different team.  They had trouble hitting the cage and their defense failed to continue to stop the Panther’s offense.  The Panthers scored on all five shots in the second half, including three outside shots past the zone defense to take their first lead halfway through the third quarter. 

Baldwinsville started off the game with the first goal with 10:18 remaining.  Cole Peters scored with a sweep down the right alley.  Two minutes later the Panthers tied the game for the first of four times.  Brennan Monney (2g-3a) scored a fast-break goal.  The play began with Ryan Walpole grabbing a ground ball on the defensive area.  The ball was quick cleared upfield and John Mozrall assisted Monney for the first Panther goal.  Baldwinsville responded with two quick goals within 30 seconds.  The first was off a loose ball on the crease by Matthew Dickman.  The second began with a loose ball ground ball by Brandon Mimas about 8 meters above the crease.  Mimas dumped the ball to Ryan Gebhardt closer to the crease who finished into the back of the net.  Pittsford kept the game close with an outside shot by Barker with 4:14 remaining.  The final first quarter goal was scored by Baldwinsville with 0:11 remaining. Peters drove down the left side of the restraining area and found Dickman open cutting perpendicular across the crease.  Dickman caught the ball as he fell and finished into the back of the net.  The Bees led 4-2 at the end of the first quarter.

The Panthers began coming back in the second quarter, but could not take a lead.  They outscored the Bees 4-2 in the second quarter to tie the game at 6-6 at halftime.  Baldwinsville’s Peter Fiorini scored the first of his 2g with an outside shot from the right side.  Trailing by 3, Pittsford scored three unanswered to tie the game for second time at 5-5.  Mooney scored his second off a feed from John Mozrall.  Mooney caught the ball as he passed the cage and finished behind the back in an impressive shot.  Two minutes later, Mozrall scored with an inside feed from the top of the restraining line by Sonny Imburgia.  The tying goal was scored by Barker in extra-man offense with an outside shot.  The Bees scored their second goal of the quarter on fast-break with Mimas scoring on a shot from the right flat.  Pittsford tied the game again with a dodge down the middle of the field by Jeremy Jacob.  The score was tied 6-6 at the half.

In the second half, Pittsford continued their high-end performance while Baldwinsville had difficulty keeping up the pressure in the second half.  The Bees missed the cage on multiple shots (they only had 3 shots on cage in the entire 24 minutes).  Defensively, they also had issues stopping the outside shot by Pittsford.  Pittsford scored on all five shots on cage in the second half.  Baldwinsville scored the first goal of the half with Fiorini scoring off a drive down the right side.  The Panthers scored the next three goals to end the quarter and take their first lead in the game.  All three goals were scored on high outside shots.  The first two by Barker and the third by Jake Belias.  The Panthers led 9-7 after three quarters.   The fourth was similar with Baldwinsville scoring the first goal and Pittsford responding.  The Bees scored with three quick passes ending in Austin Bolton assisting Spencer Wirtheim. 

Pittsford scored two more goals and took major chunks off the clock when on offense in the fourth quarter.  Barker scored his fifth and Sonny Imburgia scored his lone goal.  The Panthers were forced to “keep it in” multiple times throughout the final quarter, as they slowed the pace and did not allow Baldwinsville chances with the ball.  The final three minutes had multiple penalties against Baldwinsville as they attempted to get the ball back on offense.  At the face-off for Pittsford, Patrick Sullivan finished 16/22 and was a key factor in keeping Pittsford in possession of the ball.  The Panthers move on the Finals for the first time in program history and will face Ward Melville at 10:00 on Saturday at St. John Fisher College.