CENTRAL NEW YORK – Just two games into a new season, the Baldwinsville ice hockey team went face-to-face with the side it knew it would have to conquer in order to rise to the top of the area Division I ranks.
They held the Ice Breaker Tournament last Tuesday and Wednesday at Shove Park in Camillus, and with their wins in the opening round, the Bees and West Genesee would square off in the championship round.
WG had to fight through a 2-0 win over Skaneateles in the first round, not getting on the board until the third period and only getting its second goal on an empty-netter in the final seconds.
By contrast, B’ville had faced Syracuse, one of the stronger Division I sides in recent years, but off to a rough start that the Bees reinforced by defeating the Cougars 7-1.
Quick out of the gate, B’ville led 3-0 after one period and did the same in the third period after a mid-game lull, taking 51 shots to Syracuse’s 10.
Brayden Penafeather-Stevenson and Tyler Machalek each scored twice, with Keegan Lynch and Garrett Sutton each earning one goal and one assist. Mitch Burlingame also converted as single assists went to Leo Vona, Fernando Moreno, Carter Little, Harrison Bragg and Nick Cary.
And this brought the Bees up against West Genesee, but it didn’t take long for the Wildcats to establish its superiority and it didn’t let up until it had handed B’ville a 6-1 defeat.
Just eight seconds were required for the Wildcats to go in front, Jared Jaeger getting the first goal and, on the ensuing face-off, Kyle Evanchak finding the net. Then Schneid made it 3-0 before the first period was over. Not stopping there, WG tacked on a second-period goal from Liam Burns, the only conversion from either side.
B’ville finally broke the Wildcats’ shutout streak when Lynch scored early in the third period. But Schneid answered a few minutes later and David Petrus converted, too.
Owen Zoanetti picked up two assists, while Petrus, Schneid, Ryan Considine and Will Shields also earned assists. WG goalie Luke Beck was superb in the net, stopping 24 of B’ville’s 25 shots, while Bees goalie Jon Schirmer had 20 saves.
These teams will meet again in January, but in the short term the Bees had to worry about Saturday’s trip to New Hartford for a non-league game against the Spartans.
It wasn’t easy, but B’ville won 4-3, the key ultimately turning out to be a first period where the visitors found its way to a 2-1 advantage. In each of the next two periods, the Bees gave up goals but answered them, this despite a large shot disparity.
B’ville took 52 shots to New Hartford’s 20. Michael Vetter was sensational in the net for the Spartans, recording 48 saves, but he could not keep everything out.
Four different Bees – Cary, Nolan Burlingame, Jamie Gipe and Trevor Sutton – earned the four goals, with Gipe joining Little, Brian Yager, Brady Garcia, Conner Bourque and Mitch Burlingame in the assist column.
Dan Paciello had two of New Hartford’s three goals, the other going to Gabe Syrotynski, who also had an assist. Liam Hughes had 17 saves in goal for the Bees.
