by Janet Schultz, NYHOL
Photos by Janet© and property of NYHOL. For copies please email Janet@nyhockeyonline.com
St. Mary’s of Lancaster opened their 2025-26 season with a 4-2 victory over Monsignor Martin on home ice. They ended in fifth place in the WNYGVIH Federation league and a #1 seed for the playoffs. St. Mary’s and Monsignor Martin are not allowed to play in the WNYGVIH Sectional playoffs, so a separate Championship was set up for the two Private School teams. Thus, always it will be St. Mary’s and Monsignor Martin, each one battling for that #1 seed. St. Mary’s had a 10 win; 6 loss season and Monsignor Martin 2 wins, 12 losses and 2 ties.
The teams took to the ice Monday night at Buffalo State University (College) Arena. In goal for St. Mary’s was Betsy Accurso and for Monsignor Martin, Grace Elliott. Both goalies have seen lots of action this year with Accurso playing 718 minutes and Elliott facing 202 shots.
St. Mary’s Shea Hall got on the boards first, an unassisted goal just under four minutes into the first period. Avery Szczesek dropped in her first two of the night and first period ended 3-0 in favor of St. Mary’s Meghan Donnelly had the assists on both Szczesek’s goals.
No scoring in the second period with St Mary’s having 11 shots-on-goal and Monsignor Martin with three.
Monsignor Martin’s Ellie Black opened the scoring for Monsignor Martin almost two minutes in, on an assist by Isabella Kosich. It proved to be the only MonMar goal of the night. St. Mary’s answers back with three more goals. Sophia Quinn gets one, assisted by Lauren Gilano and Olivia Salamone; a third goal by Szczesek for her hat trick, short-handed; assisted by Hall and the final one by Brynn Karan, assisted by Szczesek.
The game ends 6-1 with Accurso stopping 11 of 12 and Elliott stopping 45 of 51.
