A BACK BACK-AND-FORTH CONTEST ENDS IN A 6-6 TIE BETWEEN BRAVES AND EAGLES
Jan 7, 2026For the next several months, the Rochester Americans will be front and center of the local high school hockey scene as part of a weekly series that features the latest news and notes, scores and stats of select Section V games around the Greater Rochester Area.
In a back-and-forth contest on Tuesday night at Lakeshore, the Canandaigua Academy Braves (3-7-1) and Irondequoit Eagles (5-3-2) went stride-for-stride as they finished for a 6-6 tie.
With the tie, the Eagles, who went 9-10-1 during the 2024-25 campaign for its first multiple win season since the 2020-21 slate, begin the season with a 5-3-2 mark in 2025-26 Whereas Canandaigua Academy has won two of its last four games after logging a 1-6-0 start to the slate for a 3-7-1 mark overall. The Braves remain the only team in Section V still searching for their first road victory as they show a 0-4-1 record.
Hunter Weisbeck (0+4) tallied a game-high four points while Dylan Carey (3+0), who was named Player of the Game and Douglas Velepec (2+0) both notched multi-goal efforts for Irondequoit. A.J. Tuff (1+0), Henry Velepec (0+1), T.J. Mayer (0+1), and Landon Bryan (0+1) all registered a point. Goaltender Will Napierala (0-0-1) made his second appearance of the season, finishing with 16 saves on 22 shots.
Gavin Nemitz, Dominic Holmes, and Arthur Fuller, all who entered the game leading all Braves in scoring, finished the game with a pair of goals and one assist. Jack Williamson (0+2) added two helpers while Teron Bacon, Zachary Hoffman, and Josh McWilliams all had one apiece. Goaltender Matthew Ulrich (3-7-1), who has started each of the first 11 games for Canandaigua Academy, made 40-plus saves for the fourth time in his last five appearances. The netminder, who also added an assist, was named the team’s Player of the Game.
Moments into the contest, the two clubs traded goals just 16 seconds apart as Bacon finished off Holmes’ feed less than a minute into a powerplay before Douglas Velepec evened the score on Weisbeck’s pass.
Despite Irondequoit going into the intermission break with a 13-5 shot-advantage, the two teams were tied at one after the first period.
Tuff gave the Eagles their first lead of the contest as he was setup on a cross-crease pass from Mayer and Henry Velepec with 10:35 left in the middle stanza, however the Braves flipped the deficit into a lead.
Holmes earned his first of two points in less than 15 seconds as he setup Fuller before the two combined on the ensuing shift alongside Williamson to make it a 3-2 for Canandaigua Academy with just under eight minutes to play.
Prior to the completion of the second period, Bryan dished a power-play feed to allow Carey to go bar down and even the score at three.
Immediately after the opening faceoff to start the final period of regulation, Irondequoit continued the quick approach as Carey scored just 10 seconds into the frame from McLaughlin and Weisbeck.
After making a 4-3 score, the Eagles doubled their lead as Douglas Velepec stuffed in a loose rebound from Weisbeck at the 19 second mark.
The Braves did not seem to panic after trailing by a pair as Veeck and Nemitz both scored to make it a 5-5 game with just over eight minutes to play.
While Fuller provided a go-ahead score with 2:49 on the third-period clock, Carey answered the tally to ultimately send the game to the overtime period as the game was deadlocked at six.
Both teams had chances in the extra-frame and despite the Eagles outshooting the Braves 7-1 while also gaining a power play, the game ended in a 6-6 tie.
Canandaigua Academy will host Churchville-Chili on Friday, Jan. 9 for a 7:00 p.m. contest at Greater Canandaigua Civic Center while Irondequoit welcomes Victor Central to Lakeshore on Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 7:00 p.m.