Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York • Page D4

Page 4D Sunday, May 13, 2012 LOCAL PROS NHL DemocratandChronicle.com Adriana powers Flash to opening win Zerboni said, after taking the lead. "I think if we can put together a 90-minute match without any weaknesses or times we take our foot off the pedal we can kill teams like 6-0, 7-0, 8-0," she said. JDIVERONi8DemocratandChronicle.com http: Awitter.comRocDevo The level of play wasn't as sharp as Women's Professional Soccer at least not compared to the Flash's standard. But no one expected that. While the WPSL Elite has plenty of pros, there aren't as many world-class players.

Even without the same star power on their side, the Flash expect to contend for another crown. Two-time WPSL champion FC Indiana (0-1) was basically the Haitian national team. Its coach, Shek Borkowski, also coaches Haiti. Adriana made it 1-0 by converting after a pass by midfielder Emily Van Eg-mond, 18, who played in last year's World Cup for Australia. Adriana's chest trap set up her 17-yard blast.

She added a penalty kick in the 11th minute after being taken down on a good chip in front by midfielder McCall Zerboni, one of four holdovers from last year's Flash. An other PK by Adriana, this time in the 86th minute after Angela Salem was sent to the turf, allowed her to equal her goal total last year in 11 matches. FC Indiana made it 2-1 in the 15th after a botched clear and then goalkeeper Brittany Cameron coming late off her line. Lovely Placide scored on what Lines called a "sloppy goal." But the goal that broke Indiana's spirit, making it 3-1, came in the 81st minute. Laura Heyboer boxed out keeper Jordan Clark near the goal line as they each went for Kim Bran-dao's header, and the rookie forward slammed it in.

"The coaches told me to get in front of the goalkeeper, be feisty, don't let her push me around," said Heyboer, Michigan State's all-time leading scorer. The Flash are far from a finished product, but they're off to a good start. They let up a bit Saturday, The Flash's Keara Thompson jumps over Indiana's Marie Louise Valeri in the first half at Sahlen's Stadium in Rochester on Saturday, carlos ortiz staff photographer reach Eastern finals JEFF DiVERONICA Staff writer Over the first 11 minutes of Saturday night's season opener, the Western New York Flash looked a lot like last year's championship team. They were smart, opportunistic and dominant in taking a two-goal lead. They even had a player who goes by only her first name doing the damage.

But it wasn't Brazilian superstar Marta. It was Adriana, a 25-year-old newcomer from Spain, whose hat trick powered the retooled Flash to a 4-1 win over FC Indiana in their Women's Premier Soccer League Elite match at Sahlen's Stadium. "She's a big piece of our puzzle," coach Aaran Lines said of Adriana, whom he tried to sign last year before she ended up with Sky Blue in WPS. "I've always thought she can score at any level." K-hawks Continued from Page 1D teal-clad rabble-rousers were living it up and took the place over as the Knighthawks dominated the second half and ended an eight-game losing streak to Rock. "It was nice to see a great turnout so a shout out to all those fans," said captain Pat McCready.

"To get that turnout from Rochester it was nice to see and they definitely helped us out tonight." There were heroes all around for Rochester. High schooler Johnny Powless had two goals and four assists, Cory Vitarel-li went 4-1, Mike Accursi and Cody Jamieson had two goals, Jarrett Davis had three assists, Walters went 2-2, and goalie Matt Vine made 51 saves. "We knew coming in here we had a big monkey on our back that we needed to kick out the door," said Accursi regarding Rochester not having won at ACC since 2008. "We played our systems for 60 minutes and we know if we do that we can win a lot of games. We came with a DIGITAL EXTRAS Go to marbles4ms.com.

For a video, goto youtube.com ROTH'S RADAR Baseball: Andy Pettitte pitches Sunday in the Bronx, hoping it goes better than it did a week ago in Rochester. Rochester LPGA: Defending champ Yani Tseng gets sneak peek at Locust Hill on Monday. NHL playoffs: Conference finals get under way. Eight wins down, 8 to go to win Cup. LUNCH WITH LEO Join Leo Roth for a live chat from noon to 1 p.m.

each Monday at You can also tweet your thoughts to him on Twitter. His handle is Oleoroth. ckets Call 423 WNY Flash 4, FC Indiana 1 Scoring: 1, Flash, Adriana (Emily Van Eg-mond) 4th minute; 2, Flash, Adriana (penalty kick) 11th; 3, Indiana, Lovely Placide (unassisted) 1 5th; 4, Flash, Laura Heyboer (Kim Brandao) 81 5, Flash, Adriana (PK) S5lh. Shots: Indiana 1, Flash 15. Corner kicks: Indiana 1, Flash 13.

Saves: Indiana 11, Flash 0. Fouls: Indiana 12, Flash 7. Yellow cards: Indiana 1 (Dolce 38; Marseille 51; Batard 74), Flash 0. Indiana lineup: goalie Jordan Clark; defenders Fiorda Charles, Kencia Marseille, Carmela Aristilde; midfielders Wisline Dolce, Lovely Placide, Nadia Valentine (Abby Skoda, 85), Dina Jean-Pierre (Felicia Liber-tin, 60); forwards Sophia Batard, Manou-cheka Pierre-Louis. Flash lineup: goalie Brittany Cameron; defenders Kim Brandao, Katherine Reynolds, Tori Huster, Alex Sahlen; midfielders McCall Zerboni, Emily Van Egmond, Katy Frierson (Angela Salem, 46); forwards Adriana Martin Santa ma ria (Donna-Kay Henry, 86), Stephanie Ochs (Jodi-Ann Robinson, 75), Keara Thompson (Laura Heyboer, 63).

Attendance: 1,304. Rangers IRA PODELL The Associated Press NEW YORK Brad Richards and Michael Del Zotto scored, Hen-rik Lundqvist made 22 saves, and the New York Rangers advanced to the Eastern Conference finals with a 2-1 victory in Game 7 over the Washington Capitals on Saturday night. Richards scored less than two minutes in, and Del Zotto doubled the lead in the third period to help the top-seeded Rangers improve to 5-0 in Game 7s at Madison Square Garden. That set up a matchup with the New Jersey Devils, the team the Rangers beat in the 1994 conference finals en route to their first Stanley Cup title in 54 years. That series will open Monday in New York.

New York and Washington alternated wins and losses from Game 1 on, and this one didn't colors work best Dad created a website. Three hundred pictures sold in the first three weeks. Orders came in from coast to coast. They've since come in from around the world. Meanwhile, something else wonderful rolled into the Grossman's lives, an affiliation with the Knighthawks, led by star forward Joe Walters, who has taken the boys under his wing.

Walters and teammates Joel White and Stephen Keogh have conducted practices for Connor's and Jackson's Penfield Youth Lacrosse teams. Walters, meanwhile, volunteered as a celebrity waiter at a pancake breakfast to celebrate the one year anniversary of Marbles4MS. The Grossman boys even got to take the ceremonial faceoff at the Knighthawks' final regular-season game when two large paintings done on canvas in the team's colors and signed by the players were auctioned off. the Bases with Spikes swagger that we needed to come with in order to win." It was immediately clear that Toronto goalie Nick Rose was not up to the task for Toronto as Jamieson beat him just 1:04 into the game, and it never got better for the Rock's midseason acquisition who had played so well to this point. The Rock pulled even at 2-2 on a goal by Bren-den Thenhaus, but Craig Point whistled one past Rose with .1 seconds left in the first quarter.

Walters scored on a drive to the crease for a 4-3 lead, and then Rose let in a horrific goal as Walters fired one from about 50 feet out to make it 5-4. Before the half ended Dylan Evans scored in transition, and Vitarelli pumped one home from the right wing to send Rochester into intermission with a 7-5 lead. Rose endured a meltdown early in the third as he gave up goals to Stephen Keogh, Accursi and Jamieson in the first 4:36 to increase Rochester's lead to 10-5. Rose took a seat on the bench for a few minutes, long enough to watch Pat Campbell give Roth Continued from Page 1D one day he asked his mom what would happen if he dipped 15 marbles in colorful paints, tossed them back in the box, and rolled them around? "She said, 'I don't know but let's Connor recalled. "She said it was beautiful even though it came out all brown.

She said when I grow up I can make a lot money with these pictures. I said, 'Good because I want to sell them for Thus was born "Mar-bles4MS," an international fundraising success story that in little more than a year has raised in excess of $45,000 to help find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis with more dough rolling in all the time. And with each painting sold 1,000 so far along with 7,000 greeting cards hope rises in two young boys this Mother's Day that they can "fix" their up yet another softie, this one by Davis way out on the left wing. Rochester entered the final quarter ahead 11-7, and if it could get worse for the Rock, Rose came back in and gave up three goals in the first 2:17, two by Johnny Powless, to blow it wide open. Toronto scored the final four goals of the game with its goalie pulled, but it mattered little.

"We're .500, 9-9 now," said coach Mike Hasen. "We'd like to finish above .500." If they do, they will be NLL champions. MAIORANAi8DemocratandChronicle.com Twitter.eomsalmaiorana Knighthawks 17, Toronto 13 Rochester 3 4 4 6 17 Toronto 2 3 2 6 13 Knighthawks: Joe Walters 2-2, Craig Point 1 -2, Pat McCready 0-1 Dylan Evans 1 -1, Cory Vitarelli 4-1, Brad Self 0-1, Mike Keogh 1-1, Scott Campbell 0-1, Jarrett Davis 1-3, Mike Accursi 2-1, Cody Jamieson 2-1, Johnny Powless 2-4. Rock: Jesse Gamble 1-0, Colin Doyle 3-2, Garrett Billings 1-6, Blaine Manning 0-1, Stephan Leblanc 1-3, Josh Sanderson 4-1, Brenden Thenhaus 1-2, Kasey Beirnes 2-0, Stephen Hoar 0-1. Shots on goal: Knighthawks 40, Rock 64.

Loose balls: Knighthawks 52 (Brad Self 7), Rock 94 (Sandy Chapman 11). Power plays: Knighthawks 2-for-3, Rock 0-for-2; Penalty minutes: Knighthawks 9, Rock 21 Goalie saves: Knighthawks, Matt Vine 51; Rock, Nick Rose 22, Pat Campbell 1. Att: 9,384. mom. "I hope so," said Jackson, who carries the title of production manager and keeps his little brother from using too many marbles and colors.

Annette Grossman, 43, suffers from MS. One of those sinister auto-immune disorders that attack the brain and spinal cord, leaving patients in pain and dealing with impaired motor skills, speech, eyesight and chronic fatigue. Approximately 400,000 people in the U.S., including 13,000 in Upstate New York, suffer from the disease and most are women. Even before his wife's diagnosis, Michael Grossman was all too familiar with MS. His sister and several cousins have the disease, as did an aunt who passed away from complications.

"It's on both sides of the family now," Michael said. "It can hit anybody at anytime." After his boys refined their marble art talents one marble at a time and only three to four Bar Post-Game Run come easy for the Rangers, who missed a chance to eliminate the Capitals in Game 6 on the road. Just 38 seconds after Del Zotto made it 2-0 at 10:05 of the third, Roman Hamrlik sent a shot off of New York forward Derek Stepan that fluttered past Lundqvist for his only blemish of the night. Braden Holtby played well in his second career Game 7, making 29 saves. It was yet another heart-breaker for the Capitals, who were looking to reach the conference finals for the third time.

Six of Washington's seven playoff losses were by one goal, and only one of its 14 games overall was decided by more than one. Both the Rangers and the Capitals reached the second round of this year's playoff with Game 7 wins. New York knocked out Ottawa, and Washington eliminated the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins. "It's a great cause," said Walters, the former Irondequoit and Maryland star. "The boys are great kids with big hearts and their artwork is actually really cool.

It's a conversation starter." Walters would know. He has a large piece done in the colors of the teams he has played for: Rochester purple and teal and Hamilton purple and orange. "It stands out and when you tell the story behind it, it raises awareness for MS," he said. And when professional athletes give freely of their time, it raises awareness of the positive impact they can have How too often their good deeds go unnoticed. In February, the Knighthawks made headlines when five players were arrested after a dustup in a TGI Friday's restaurant in Blooming-ton, Minn.

On the field, the team had to dust itself off time and again as the losses mounted. But the Knighthawks regrouped, made the Mittsy ji cscmcu But history isn't all on the Rangers' side. Since playoff expansion, no club has played 14 games in the first two rounds and went on to capture the Cup. New York played a very disciplined game, taking only one penalty for delay of game against Ruslan Fedotenko in the third period. The Rangers' power play did nothing on its two chances, but keeping Washington's man-advantage unit off the ice helped secure this win.

The Capitals tried to pull Holtby for an extra skater with 1:22 left in the game, but he had to scramble back to cover the vacated net before he ever got to the bench. He finally got off the ice, and the Capitals pressured in the Rangers' end. The puck was stuck in the corner when the final seconds ran out, and Lundqvist thrust both arms in the air as streamers poured down from the ceiling. playoffs, and were playing Saturday in Toronto for a spot in the NLL championship game "I can't say enough about the Knighthawks," said Michael Grossman, a busy dad who appreciates athletes who take the role of role model to heart. "I know they had some bad press this year but Joe Walters, wow, he's been absolutely amazing." As amazing as two boys raising thousands of dollars for MS, becoming national celebrities.

The experience has taken the Grossmans to charity events around Rochester and around the country, including an event in San Antonio hosted by the National MS Society. There, Connor told the story of the marble paintings before a large gathering and casually handed one of the guests, William Klesse, CEO of Valero Energy, a painting. "Mister, this painting will cost you $10,000," Connor blurted out. Klesse cut a check on the spot. And no, he hadn't lost his marbles.

TOYOTA A Ami ENJOY MOTHER'S DAY AT THE BALLPARK! TODAY 1:05 p.m. Empire State Yankees vs. Durham (Rays) Mother's Day Celebration including spa services for moms in attendance, pres. by Gildan All mothers and their children are invited to the outfield after the game to play catch! Baseballs will NOT be provided. Giveaway (1st 200 Moms), pres.

by Kittelberger Florist Knot Hole Kid's Club Game (Knot Hole members receive reduced admission to this and all Knot Hole games), pres. by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and Messenger Post Media. Grill WING Baseball Month in Rochester! iHirifflHiBHWII.