Through the winter, the Solvay ice hockey team could take a small comfort in the knowledge that it scored more goals – three – on West Genesee than anyone else this season.
But the Wildcats remembered that, too, and when the two neighbors met again Wednesday night at Shove Park, the Bearcats would not get on the board, serving as WG’s latest shutout victim in a 6-0 decision.
Their first game had taken place Dec. 23 at Allyn Arena in Skaneateles, the Bearcats’ home ice. Solvay was within a goal midway through the contest and pushed the Wildcats all the way to the end in that 6-3 game, a bad night for the normally stingy group of WG defenders.
R.J. Tinklepaugh, Robbie Michel, Matt Schattner and the rest of the Wildcats’ back line made sure the rematch did not carry similar concerns. Right from the opening face-off, they cut off most of Solvay’s attacks, and only allowed a handful of chances in each period. Jake Pelton, when threatened, stopped all 13 shots he faced.
As for WG’s attack, it has grown into a steady force, more consistent in its ability to put together sustained, decisive scoring runs, as it did here by putting the Bearcats in a 3-0 hole by the end of the first period.
In particular, Shawn Lynch starred on this night. The senior forward had two goals backed it up with three assists, proving a nightmare for Solvay goalie Ryan Bonk, despite Bonk’s 30-save effort.
Michel, to add to his defensive prowess, also found the net twice, adding a single assist. Jon Lauer and Jimmy Pelton earned one goal apiece as Lauer joined Schattner, Tinklepaugh, Jimmy Sauda, Jason Keyes and Nick Mellen with assists.
Not stopping there, the Wildcats ventured to Cortland/Homer Friday and, with a 4-0 shutout of the Golden Eagles, earned its 10th shutout of the season.
Again, Lynch set the tone, scoring twice and adding an assist as Michel put up a goal and two assists to augment his usual fine work on the defensive end. Pelton had the other goal, while Lauer, Schattner and David Procopio had one assist apiece.
Solvay quickly recovered from its struggles at Shove Park on that same night, unleashing all sorts of offense against Liverpool in a 7-2 romp at the Warriors’ new home ice in Lysander.
In the second regular-season encounter between the one-time co-tenants of State Fair Coliseum, the Bearcats struck with Tyler O’Mara and David Graf each finding the net twice. David Lilly and Travis Hyde scored, too, as Bonk and Jim Albright combined for 20 saves.
Having improved to 10-5 on the season, Solvay would be back in Allyn Arena Monday to face Fayetteville-Manlius before a Friday trip to Meachem Rink to face Corcoran. WG took its own trip to Meachem to face Corcoran Wednesday before returning home and meeting Liverpool on Friday.
