2018-05-25 - Top Seeded Fairport defeated fourth seeded Pittsford 8-5 in the first of the two double header Semi-Final matchups. The Red Raiders took off in the second quarter and the Panthers couldn’t keep pace. Fairport moves on to the Finals for the second consecutive time. The last time that Fairport won the big game was in 2014.
The Red Raiders won the opening draw and took first try on offense. After three minutes, the Panthers took the ball upfield for their first attempt at the goal. Over the next six minutes the Panthers had half a dozen shots that were saved (or missed the cage). The first goal of the game was scored with 3:37 remaining during that first possession. Ryan Dumont scored the first of his (2g-1a) from the crease off a high feed from Sonny Imburgia. The Red Raiders won the next draw and scored their first goal on only the 3rd total possession of the game. Klay Stuver (3g-1a) scored off a feed from Colin Peers from the high crease. The second Panther goal was scored off a fast-break. Jake Robinson grabbed the loose ball on his defensive end and cleared the ball up to John Mozrall for the goal. Time continued to go downhill, with 0:33 remaining, Fairport called timeout and setup the last opportunity. With 0:05 remaining on the clock, Spencer Bell scored off an underhand shot from the midrange to tie the game for the second and final time. The first quarter ended tied at 2-2.
Fairport came out in the second quarter and scored three unanswered goals to go up 5-2 and although the Panthers kept it close, they couldn’t keep up. Fairport’s first goal of the quarter was by Reese Burek off his own fast-break. He grabbed the loose ball on the defensive restraining line and cleared it all the way upfield. He finished with an underhand shot from the restraining line. Just under a minute later, they scored again when Bell fed the ball to Stuver with his defenseman out of position. Stuver cut towards the defenseman as he attempted to come back into position and caught him on the wrong foot. He sailed passed the defense and scored into the upper corner. The third Red Raider goal was scored with a high cross around 8 meters out. The ball came from Brennan Maloney on the right side to a midrange Bell on the left side. With 7:19 remaining, Fairport led 5-2. Pittsford came back in the final six minutes to pull within a single goal. The first goal was scored by Imburgia with a feed from behind the cage by Dumont. With time expiring, Pittsford scored their fourth goal. Dumont scored his second goal. He scored at the left side of the crease during a falling back-handed shot. The feed came during a quick break from Mozrall. Fairport held the one goal lead going into the second half.
The third quarter was back and forth opportunities without much scoring. The Red Raiders scored the only goal of the quarter with Bell scoring off an outside shot (assisted by Steven Bastian). The third quarter finished with Fairport leading 6-4. The Red Raiders kept up the pressure in the fourth quarter and scored the opening goal. Burek scored with a hard shot the upper corner. The Red Raiders won the ensuing faceoff and took another 90 seconds off the clock before Stuver scored with a midrange shot from the right side. Bell fed the ball to Stuver with an underhanded shovel pass. With 9:08 remaining, the Red Raiders led 8-4. Pittsford’s final goal was scored with 3:13 remaining. John Avery scored on a single dodge from the top right. Fairport won the next face. Fairport called a timeout just under the 2 minute warning. However, coming out of the time out, the Panthers forced them out of the box and got another attempt on offense. They cleared the ball up field and ended up in a man-up situation. However, the Panthers could not convert. The ball continued to be cleared up and down the field with neither team settling into an offense and neither team able to score. The Panthers had a number of late attempts at the cage, but couldn’t get any shots off on the cage. In the final play, the Panthers had the ball on offense, but the Red Raider defense shut them down.
The Red Raiders won the opening draw and took first try on offense. After three minutes, the Panthers took the ball upfield for their first attempt at the goal. Over the next six minutes the Panthers had half a dozen shots that were saved (or missed the cage). The first goal of the game was scored with 3:37 remaining during that first possession. Ryan Dumont scored the first of his (2g-1a) from the crease off a high feed from Sonny Imburgia. The Red Raiders won the next draw and scored their first goal on only the 3rd total possession of the game. Klay Stuver (3g-1a) scored off a feed from Colin Peers from the high crease. The second Panther goal was scored off a fast-break. Jake Robinson grabbed the loose ball on his defensive end and cleared the ball up to John Mozrall for the goal. Time continued to go downhill, with 0:33 remaining, Fairport called timeout and setup the last opportunity. With 0:05 remaining on the clock, Spencer Bell scored off an underhand shot from the midrange to tie the game for the second and final time. The first quarter ended tied at 2-2.
The third quarter was back and forth opportunities without much scoring. The Red Raiders scored the only goal of the quarter with Bell scoring off an outside shot (assisted by Steven Bastian). The third quarter finished with Fairport leading 6-4. The Red Raiders kept up the pressure in the fourth quarter and scored the opening goal. Burek scored with a hard shot the upper corner. The Red Raiders won the ensuing faceoff and took another 90 seconds off the clock before Stuver scored with a midrange shot from the right side. Bell fed the ball to Stuver with an underhanded shovel pass. With 9:08 remaining, the Red Raiders led 8-4. Pittsford’s final goal was scored with 3:13 remaining. John Avery scored on a single dodge from the top right. Fairport won the next face. Fairport called a timeout just under the 2 minute warning. However, coming out of the time out, the Panthers forced them out of the box and got another attempt on offense. They cleared the ball up field and ended up in a man-up situation. However, the Panthers could not convert. The ball continued to be cleared up and down the field with neither team settling into an offense and neither team able to score. The Panthers had a number of late attempts at the cage, but couldn’t get any shots off on the cage. In the final play, the Panthers had the ball on offense, but the Red Raider defense shut them down.