Nevertheless, it was the same result as last year with Ellicottville on top, winning 5-1.

Ellicottville finished with the better regular-season record and that performance carried over to the playoffs for the No. 2 seed as it dominated play.

“Having the wind in the first half helped quite a bit,” Ellicottville head coach Matt Finn stated. “It helped the punts and goal kicks go a little farther and they had to go against the wind. The boys were really moving the ball well, which is good to see.”

North Collins’ best chances came at the beginning of each half, but as Ellicottville settled in, the North Collins’ time of possession went down drastically.

North Collins’ Scott Armbruster dribbles through the midfield while Ellicottville’s Cameron Mendell steps in to knock away the ball. P-J photo by Christian Storms

After several corners and crosses into the box off runs, Ellicottville finally broke through in the 19th minute. The initial ball into the box was intended for Owen Doherty, but he collided with North Collins goalie Daniel Downes going for the ball and that left Maddoxx Johnson to tap home an easy goal.

If not for Downes in net, North Collins’ deficit would have been much greater, but Ellicottville still managed a 3-0 lead at halftime.

“Daniel has been the guy all year long,” North Collins head coach Jay Walters said. “He had to deal with six or seven corner kicks, which had more to do with the wind in the first half. We’ve been real proud of him and real happy he’s kept us in a lot of games. We just couldn’t score more for him tonight.”

Also scoring was Aiden Harrington and then Sam Edwards.

North Collins started the second half with some more energy, but it would not turn the tide of the game.

Ellicottville’s pressure yielded two more goals, one each from Doherty and Cameron Mendell.

North Collins battled to the bitter end and it was rewarded for it when Matthew Warsaw ended the shutout by banging in a goal.

“We ran out of time,” Walters added. “We weren’t going to quit. That’s the one thing about this team, they don’t quit. As you saw at the end, they were trying real hard.”

Ellicottville’s victory will set up a unique situation where both teams competing in the sectional final are defending champions, with Maple Grove coming down from Class C where it made it all the way to the state final four.

“Maple Grove is going to be so tough,” Finn stated. “They’re very skilled, they’ve got some solid players up and down the line. We’ll do our best and try and do what we can to get ready for them.”