Rebels Fall to Buffalo in New York Cup
The Albany Rebels could not hold on to the New York Cup on Saturday, losing to the Buffalo Fenians 2-13 (19 points) to 2-9 (15 points) at Cazenovia Park in Buffalo. The Rebels fought valiantly, but could not overcome missing some key players, a short bench and a four-point deficit to make up against a talented team.
Buffalo takes back the New York Cup after not participating in the competition last year, when Albany won it against Syracuse.
The Rebels went back and forth with the Fenians all game, helped along with goals scored by forward Chris Poggi (pictured right courtesy Buffalo GAA) and midfielder Ian Maher, and outstanding performances by Tom Caldwell and RC Helsing.
“Tom went to war for us,” said Rebels forward and selector Cillian Flavin. “He was ferocious.”
Helsing provided another standout defensive game, shutting down Buffalo’s go-to scorer, and limiting him to just one point.
“RC was phenomenal today,” Flavin said. “He had his man in his pocket all day. What a player.”
Scorers included Poggi (1 goal, 3 points), Maher (1 goal, 1 point), Flavin (2 points), Caldwell (1 point) and Joe Bradley (1 point).
Though the Rebels could not retain the New York Cup, there were many positives to take from the match on Saturday and from the entire competition this season.
“This was the first taste of a true New York Cup for a lot of the newer guys,” said Rebels co-head coach Ryan Moloney. “Obviously the end result was disappointing but the 2019 season overall has been great, so hopefully we can continue to build on that and be even stronger in 2020.”
Rebels Notes: The Albany Rebels have a 7-2 overall record this season … Three players have appeared in every match this season (Henry Best, Ryan Moloney and Chris Poggi) … Chris Poggi leads the Rebels in scoring with 51 points (13 goals, 12 points), a single season club record … Buffalo has won the New York Cup twice (2017 and 2019) while Albany won it once (2018).
New York Cup Standings
Team-Win-Loss-Draw
1) Buffalo-4-0-0
2) Albany-2-2-0
3) Syracuse-0-4-0