FAR WEST REGIONAL FOOTBALL PREVIEW WITH MARQUEL SLAUGHTER
Across the state, high school football sectional champions are preparing for regional battles this weekend, with the hopes of moving on to the state semifinal. The five champions from Section VI are headed to SUNY Brockport today and tomorrow for the Far West Regional Championships.
To break down each matchup between the champions from WNY and the Rochester area, I spoke with Marquel Slaughter, Sports Reporter for the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester.
SABRES BLANK THE KINGS IN GOALTENDING DUEL TO OPEN ROAD TRIP
Dealing with a handful of injuries, the Sabres got just one player back in the lineup on Wednesday night, as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen blanked the LA Kings 1-0 in his return.
Luukkonen was sorely missed for the last week, as Buffalo allowed nearly two goals per period since he was taken out with an injury. In Los Angeles, the Sabres played a sound game, getting in shot lanes and playing well positionally in their defensive zone, but in the few times when they allowed a good shot attempt, their goaltender was there to bail them out. Luukkonen ended the game with twenty-three saves and his first shutout of the season. It was the first shutout in his career that the Sabres offense didn’t score at least three goals. The only tally of the night came early in the third period, when Jason Zucker deflected a Rasmus Dahlin point shot on the power play. That was the 200th goal in Zucker’s fourteen-year NHL career.
With that power play marker, the Sabres have now scored a goal on the man advantage in seven straight games. After their eight-game scoreless spell to start the season, Buffalo’s Power Play has cashed in ten of the eleven games since. In fact, if you just look at their power play percentage since scoring their first of the year, Buffalo’s extra-man unit is scoring on 30% of their chances. If that was their rating for the full season, the Sabres would sit 5th in the NHL. Alas, they cannot erase the drought they had, but at least at this point, they are back to NHL-average with a 19% success rate on the PP. It’s worth noting that the penalty kill has also been terrific as of late, successfully killing all five penalties taken by Buffalo against the Kings. Yes, they need to stop taking so many penalties, but going back through their last seven games, the Sabres have killed off 24 of 27 shorthanded opportunities; that’s nearly a 90% success rate, which would also rank top three in the NHL.
Buffalo is back in action tonight, as they begin the dreaded back-to-back, something they’ve struggled with mightily this season. The Sabres are 0-5-1 in back-to-back situations so far, with four of those games coming against teams with a losing record. Tonight, the Blue and Gold are in Anaheim facing the 8-8-2 Ducks. While their record is just .500, don’t let that fool you; Anaheim has been playing very well, winning three straight and four of their last five games. In those last five games, the Ducks are scoring just below four goals per game. The good news for Buffalo is that, come gametime, Tage Thompson may be available to rejoin the team as the top-line center. Puck Drop from Anaheim tonight is at 10PM Eastern.
Tomorrow night, the Sabres take on another team that isn’t above .500, as they head to San Jose to close out their road trip with a meeting with the 6-11-5 Sharks. With an average age of 27 years old, the Sharks are the sixth youngest team in the league, but their youth is much less experienced than both the Sabres’ and the Ducks’ for that matter, who both have a younger average age. The Sharks are highlighted by the most recent first overall draft pick Macklin Celebrini, who sustained an injury in his NHL debut that kept him out of the lineup for a dozen games. Since he rejoined the group, the rookie has scored three goals in nine games. Puck drop from San Jose is slated for 8PM eastern on Saturday night.
MMA FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: ST. JOE’S VS CANISIUS
The Monsignor Martin Athletic Association football championship game is tomorrow, and it couldn’t be more of an anticipated matchup. The Canisius Crusaders host the St. Joe’s Marauders for the 102nd all time meeting between two of the country’s biggest high school rivals.
Canisius started the season 1-2, but after getting beaten by two out of state opponents, Canisius took a much shorter bus ride to St. Joe’s. The week four meeting was a whale of a football game, as the Marauders battled tooth and nail, blocking a field goal and picking off Canisius’ quarterback twice. That stellar defensive performance from St. Joe’s wasn’t enough to outshine the highlight-reel afternoon that Crusaders’ sophomore running back Elijah Kimble had. The state’s top sophomore running back rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns in the 24-17 come-from-behind win for Canisius. With the victory, the Crusaders took a 50-48-3 all-time series lead over their rivals.
Tomorrow, the Marauders have the opportunity to put together the most improbable two-game stretch Monsignor Martin Football has seen this century. In the semifinal last week, St. Joe’s defeated St. Francis for the first time since 2018, snapping a seven-game losing skid against the Red Raiders. Entering the Championship game, the Marauders haven’t beaten their archrival Crusaders since 2019, losing the last ten meetings, and 20 of the last 21 games against Canisius. The Crusaders are rolling as well, winners of seven straight, and Kimble is coming off a 300-yard, 4-Touchdown performance in their semifinal win over Bishop Timon.
Kickoff from Koessler Field at Stransky Athletic Complex in West Seneca is set for 12PM noon.
