Irondequoit pulled off a hard-fought 6-5 victory over Hilton in the Section V quarterfinal matchup. Hilton got off to a strong start, scoring two goals in the first quarter through Gianluca Auriuso and Kyle Taddeo. Irondequoit responded in the second, with Cooper Moore and Dylan Carey finding the net to level the score at two. Hilton regained the lead before halftime thanks to Braydon Pike, but Irondequoit continued to battle back, setting up a tense final quarter.

The fourth quarter saw a back-and-forth exchange as Ryan Avery tied the game for Irondequoit, only for Taddeo to put Hilton back ahead moments later. Irondequoit’s Colin Giudice then equalized before Moore gave them their first lead of the game with under five minutes to play. Auriuso forced overtime with a late goal for Hilton, but Giudice struck again in the extra period, securing the win with an assist from Hank Velepec.

Junior attackman Giudice led Irondequoit with two goals, while Moore also netted twice. Hilton’s top scorer was Auriuso, who finished with two goals and one assist. In goal, Irondequoit’s senior Sven Habitzreuther made 17 saves with a 77 percent save rate, surpassing 400 career saves. Hilton’s freshman Brendan Maxwell recorded 13 saves with a 68 percent save rate.     [ Story and BOX ]