Phil Gurbacki nets two for Saints

Churchville-Chili Hockey Captain Phil Gurbacki scored two goals and Jeremy Rossignolo made 23 saves to lead the Saints to a 4-1 high school hockey victory over Geneva/DeSales in their season opener November 23 .

The Saints took a 1-0 lead with just :36 left in the opening period when Tim Barnard knocked home the rebound from EJ Coyne’s shot. After Geneva/DeSales tied the game with the only goal in the second period, Gurbacki scored twice just 1:13 apart in the third period.

The first came when he took a face-off in the offensive zone, snaked through a defender and shot the puck toward the goal where it was deflected by a defenseman into the net giving the Saints a 2-1 lead. The second goal came after Brian Sarubbi rushed in from center ice to keep the puck in the zone and passed to Jason VanAernum. Gurbacki pounced on the rebound of his shot giving the Saints a two-goal cushion. Four minutes later, Kyle Bihrle shot the puck inside the far post off a face-off making the final score 4-1.

Rossignolo made 10 saves in the third period and 23 overall for the win in net. "We have four lines I feel comfortable with," said head coach Jim Jackson after the Saints won their opener for the third time in their six-year history. "We had good balance and, after their goal in the second period, I thought we did a much better job with discipline and staying within our game plan."