Victor advanced to their third straight State Finals with an 11-5 win over Vestal (Section IV).  The Blue Devils are the two-time defending State Champions and are looking for their third straight win.  Victor will face Yorktown (Section I). The Huskers defeated Garden City 5-4 in double overtime to advance.  Yorktown also returns to the State Finals (they lost 9-6 to JD last season).  Victor came out of the gate strong and scored the first five goals to lead 5-0 with 4:50 remaining in the opening quarter.

The first four goals for the Blue Devils were all assisted goals.  Sam Lambert assisted Connor Keenan to open the scoring off a broken clear.  Less than a minute later and Mitchell Cain assisted Zach Estabrooks on an inside feed to the crease.  Cain scored the next goal with an outside shot (assisted by Lambert) Keenan fed Alexander Mabbett for the fourth Blue Devil goal.  Victor’s fifth goal of the game was scored after a second broken clear with Alex Hernandez pushing to the opening goal before Vestal’s Luke Barney could get back in position between the pipes.  The Golden Bears scored their first goal with a straight drive at the cage by Brandon Bender with 0:45 remaining in the first quarter.  Victor led 5-1 after 12 minutes.

In the second quarter, Victor added the only goal during a man-down fast-break.  The Blue Devil’s pushed the ball upfield, despite being man-down.  Joey Pezzimenti scored off a feed from Kyler Roth.  The Blue Devils led 6-1 at the half.  They continued their press into the third quarter and scored another two goals before the Golden Bears scored their second.  Estabrooks scored off an outside shot and Pezzimenti assisted Clark Andre from behind the cage.  Vestal scored the final goal of the quarter with a sweep along to the top of the restraining area by Quinn Webster.  Victor led 8-2 after three quarers.

In the fourth quarter, both teams added three goals.  Vestal scored first with JT Stirpe driving from behind the cage.  Victor responded with three more goals.  Keenan scored off a loose ball on the crease.  Lambert assisted Estabrooks from behind and Andrew Russell scored unassisted with an inside dodge from the crease.  The final Blue Devil goal was scored with 6:40 remaining and they held their largest lead of the game (11-3).  The Golden Bears scored the final two goals.  Matt Thrasher scored on a man-up outside shot and Webster scored his second with a mid-range shot on back-up goalie Jeremy Schopinsky.  Schopinsky recorded 2 saves for the Blue Devils.  Starter, Chayse Ierlan recorded 9 saves, including six in the second quarter to hold the Golden Bears scoreless through the entire quarter.