Home or away, familiar ground or hostile surroundings, the West Genesee ice hockey team has acted the same this winter – it has won, over and over.
The Wildcats, undefeated and atop the state Division I rankings, put a stranglehold on the league regular-season championship Friday night when it visited Lysander Arena to face second-place Baldwinsville.
Getting strong contributions from supporting players on the attack, plus its usual lockdown defense, WG recorded a 4-0 shutout, improving its record to 14-0.
And of those 14 wins, eight have been shutouts, including both games against B’ville. The first meeting, Dec. 1 at Shove park, was a 6-0 decision where Casey Schattner and Zach Lewis both scored twice and Anthony Militello stopped all 16 shots the Bees put on him.
The rematch in Lysander was supposed to be more difficult. Not only had B’ville vastly improved in the five and a half weeks since the first meeting (recording five shutouts of its own), it was honoring head coach Mark Lloyd for 25 years of service, adding to the emotions of the night.
The teams were physical right from the start. Anyone with the puck was going to be a target for abuse, and it decreased the shot total on both ends.
Still, WG fought into a 1-0 lead, then added another goal in the second period. That was enough offense, but the Wildcats tacked on two more goals in the final period, just to be sure.
Instead of top scorers Zach Lewis, Erich Haney and Ryan Michel converting, it was Schattner hurting B’ville again, scoring twice, and Nick Holzhauer stepping up as he got the other two goals.
Shawn Lynch picked up two assists as Michel and Lewis settled for single assists. Meanwhile, Michel and Bubnack once again anchored a back line that produced a shutout of B’ville. Anthony Militello had 15 saves for his eighth shutout of the season.
WG goes for 15 in a row Tuesday against Cicero-North Syracuse on Tuesday before hosting Liverpool Friday night.