VICTOR AND WEBSTER THOMAS PLAY TO 5-5 TIE
Feb 5, 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.
The Victor Central Blue Devils (8-6-1) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period before the Webster Thomas Titans (8-6-2) countered back for three as they finished in a 5-5 tie Tuesday night at Webster Ice Arena.
Despite being winless in its last three games (0-2-1), Victor Central had won four of its first five contests to start 2026, which began with a 5-3 and 3-1 victory over Portside and Webster Thomas.
The Titans, who are 8-6-2 on the campaign entering their last four games, are still aiming to end the campaign with double digits in wins for the third straight year. Webster Thomas has not completed that feat since posting five consecutive from 2008-09 to 2012-13.
AJ Bielecki (0+2) led all Blue Devils with a pair of points while Carson Decker, Oliver Kowal, Joey Hellinger, AJ Finocchario, and Eli Weingart all tallied one goal apiece. Jack Abbott, Robert Briggs, and Collin Schoeneman capped of the scoring by recording one assist.
Goaltender Kijo Smith (8-6-1) finished with 18 saves in his 15th appearance of the season for Victor Central.
Cam Hall tallied a game-high three points (2+1) for Webster Thomas while Nathan Scheirer (2+0) and Paul Aiden (1+1) each finished with a multi-point effort. Nic Crescimanni chipped in one assist while netminder Joey Simmons (5-4-2) stopped 27 of the 32 shots he faced in his 12th game of the season.
After a back and forth, fast-paced start to the opening period, Kowal kicked off the scoring with 11:29 remaining in the frame as he finished off a crossbar blast from Abbott.
While Webster Thomas upped its pressure to even the score, Decker capitalized on a redirection and rebound from Bielecki and Everett to double Victor Central’s lead at the 9:11 mark.
Nearly 90 seconds later, the Blue Devils made it a 3-0 score on Finocchario’s tally off Schoeneman’s shot.
While being outshot in the opening stanza, Webster Thomas stopped the three-goal run as Hall and Paul connected with 3:20 to make it a two-goal deficit going into the intermission break.
The Titans continued their pressure in the second period and got rewarded for their work by adding a pair to even the score at three with 10:55 left in the stanza on Hall and Scheirer’s goals, respectively.
After each of the teams were called for a roughing, Weingart deked his way around a Titans’ defender to regain Victor Central’s lead, which they carried into the break.
In the final period of play, both clubs were again for consequential penalties before Crescimmani helped Scheirer knot the score at four just five minutes into the frame.
The Titans rode the momentum before Scheirer almost completed the hat trick but Paul finished off a cross-crease feed from Hall to give Webster Thomas its first lead of the contest at the 9:34 mark.
Moments after making it a 5-4 score, the Titans were whistled for a pair of infractions and were down two skaters for 94 seconds. Thanks in part of a tremendous stick save by Simmons, both penalties were successfully cleared off to preserve the lead with just over four minutes left in regulation.
As luck would have it, Victor Central forced overtime as Hellinger sent a blind shot from Bielecki and Schoeneman at the 13:36 mark.
In the extra period, both teams used strong defense and goaltending, which included a potentially game-saving two-pad stop by Simmons, the game ended in a 5-5 tie.
Both teams received a Player of the Game for the tie with Webster Thomas’ Jackson Bernier and Victor Central’s Brennan Paski taking home the honors.
The Titans continue their season at Webster Ice Arena as they face rival and top-ranked Webster Schroeder on Satuday, Feb. 7 for a 2:00 p.m. showdown. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils take on Batavia Notre Dame United on Thursday, Feb. 5 at McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena for a 6:00 p.m. puck drop.