Though it essentially wrapped up Division I regular-season championship honors, the West Genesee ice hockey team did not distance itself from the other post-season qualifiers.
Fresh from an 0-1-1 mark in two games against Ithaca, the Wildcats, attempting to get back into winning form last Tuesday night against Fayetteville-Manlius, instead had to settle for tie, this one ending 1-1.
That it was close wasn’t a big surprise, since WG had needed a third-period rally to upend the Hornets 2-1 in their first encounter Jan. 6 at Cicero Twin Rinks. The sequel, just like the original, would prove to be a hard-hitting affair.
In contrast to so many other WG games, though, it would not control the flow of play and get most of the scoring chances.
For nearly two periods, as it stayed 0-0, the Wildcats played an unusual amount of defense, standing up to F-M’s constant assaults. Evan Mazzoni did particularly well in the net, working his way to 28 saves, five more than Hornets counterpart Mike Poppleton.
Accustomed to low-scoring affairs, WG stayed patient and kept probing. Finally, with 1:04 left in the second period, Brady Fremont poked the puck past Poppleton as Zach Lewis got credit for the assist.
For a long time, that 1-0 margin looked like it would hold up. But with just 3:29 left in regulation, Billy Kent, from the right corner, passed to the net, where Mike Amidon shoved the puck home to tie it.
Twice — in the last minutes of regulation, then again in the five-minute overtime period — F-M committed penalties. Each times, the Wildcats could not push the winning goal home, and it would leave the ice with a single point.
WG will be back in action Thursday night at Oswego, against a team it beat 4-3 on Jan. 9 with a goal in the last seconds of regulation.
