Nearly a year had passed since the Skaneateles girls ice hockey team had gone to Ithaca and made its stirring comeback to repeat as Section III champions.
And it still remains close between these two sides, though in last Monday’s game at Allyn Arena, it was the Little Red that got the best of the encounter, edging the Lakers 1-0.
Going into the game, Skaneateles was 10-1, its lone defeat coming at Malone in a 3-2 decision on Dec. 15. Since then, the Lakers had won four in a row.
Ithaca arrived with a modest 7-4-2 record, but payback in mind. It remembered how, in that 2018 sectional final, Megan Teachout’s hat trick had helped the Lakers overcome 2-0 and 3-2 deficits, and how Genevieve Morrow’s goal in OT had won it for Skaneateles.
From the outset, the two sides (who were making up a Jan. 9 snow postponement) were strong on defense. The Lakers and Little Red both had power-play opportunities, but did not convert them.
Gradually, Skaneateles picked up its pressure. Teachout and her fellow Lakers forwards had all kinds of chances to go in front, yet got nothing past Ithaca goalie Hannah Brennan, who amassed 24 saves through two periods.
Thus, it was still 1-0 when, on a rare Little Red attack 2:50 into the third period, Kelly Goodrow put one past Evie Sheridan, the only goal Sheridan allowed on her way to 18 saves for the night.
Still, with more than 14 minutes left, Skaneateles had ample time to get even. Teachout’s best chance came midway through the period with a shot that rammed off the post, and with a power play and an empty net in the final minutes, the Lakers were six-on-four, yet again were kept out.
With a few days to absorb this defeat, Skaneateles went on the road Friday, starting a stretch where it was scheduled to play three times in four days against Beekmantown, Plattsburgh and Potsdam.
The Lakers won the first of those games, topping Beekmantown 7-3 in a game that was close most of the way, but then had Skaneateles get clear by scoring three unanswered goals in the third period.
Teachout scored twice, tacking on three assists as Ioanna Christou and Lizzy Sachar each got one goal and one assist. Heather Tanzella and Grace Kush had the other goals, with Sheridan and Rose Kozub sharing duties in goal and getting 25 saves between them.
All of this led up to the final week of the regular season, which features a home battle with Alexandria Bay Wednesday and, one night later, a rematch with Ithaca.
