Overtime ouster: McQuaid loses to Orchard Park in state semifinals

BUFFALO — Third period excellence was McQuaid's defining trait this postseason, but that trend took a turn for the worst in the NYSPHSAA Division I semifinal.

That the Knights had outclassed its previous four opponents in third periods mattered little to Orchard Park. The Section VI champion scored with under two minutes left, then again in overtime to eliminate McQuaid, 3-2, on the doorstep of the state championship.

A sour and unexpected end to an otherwise magnificent season.

"They competed for each other and bought in to what we ask them to do, which was to respect each other and everybody they're working with," Knights coach Joe Dugan said. "All you can say is, 'Thank you.'"

Thanks are especially due to McQuaid's freshman goaltender, Anthony Gonzalez, whose performance Dugan called, "outstanding."

Gonzalez finished with 38 saves. His upstanding performance was emblematic of the Knights' playoff run, chock full of freshmen and sophomores contributing in major ways.

While there's no guarantee McQuaid returns to the state tournament in 2024-25, that youth suggests favorable odds.

"The young guys don't have that success without the leadership from our seniors," Dugan said. "All the respect to the other teams that are competing. Every game is a challenge and every time the puck is in play, it's another opportunity to compete."

Special teams woes for McQuaid

Liam Palmer and Danny Wehle scored goals in the first two periods to provide McQuaid a 2-1 lead, and the Knights had multiple opportunities in the third to extend that lead.

Orchard Park was called for three penalties in the first six-plus minutes of the third, two of which coincided for a brief 5-on-3 power play for McQuaid.

All three power plays were for naught. The Knights struggled to sustain zone time on the first two chances, and couldn't solve Orchard Park goalie Brayden Hearn despite several scoring chances on the third man-advantage.

"I didn't like our execution on our first two power plays. We started to generate chances on the third, but just didn't get a bounce," Dugan said. "Games like this, games that are do-or-die, you need that bounce. Execution-wise, we could've done a better job. We had our looks, it just didn't go in."

The Quakers pulled their goalie for the extra attacker with less than two minutes left, and within 30 seconds tied the score on Brady Ciano's second goal of the game.

Orchard Park was then awarded a power play midway through overtime, and Ciano cashed in to end the game.

Under review

McQuaid appeared to lose its 2-1 lead in the second period when Orchard Park jammed the puck across the goal line during a scrum in front of the Knights' net.

The official in position initially waved off the goal, but looked to video review for confirmation. After a second look, the initial call stood as the sequence had been blown dead.

The NYSPHSAA originally approved video review for hockey in 2018, and utilizes the tool for scoring plays and clock management. It's application, though, has been questionable at times — during Section III's hockey championships in late February, the review system malfunctioned and potentially cost the eventual losing team a goal.

By the numbers

9 — McQuaid's goal total in third periods during its five playoff games. That doesn't include the Knights' overtime goal against Penfield in the Section V semifinals.

.930 — Gonzalez's save percentage in five postseason games, which included only 10 goals against. His 38 saves on Saturday were a season-high.

10 — The amount of seniors McQuaid loses to graduation. That includes Palmer, who finished with 24 points during the regular season and added two goals in tournament play.

This article originally appeared on MPNnow: McQuaid vs Orchard Park hockey score: Top moments of OT thriller