Never mind the long road trip or the hostile setting – the Hamilton ice hockey team was about to move in front and inch closer to a Section III Division I championship.
The no. 6 seed Emerald Knights were tied with Cicero-North Syracuse in last Friday night’s opening-round game at Cicero Twin Rinks, having erased a two-goal deficit, and were on the power play late in the third period, ready to put the Northstars away.
But one mistake, and one successful rush, from the other side turned the whole story around – and ultimately led to Hamilton’s 4-2 defeat, and the end of a wonderful season.
CNS was a formidable foe to consider because, when the two teams had first met Dec. 17 at Colgate’s Starr Rink, the Emerald Knights had taken a painful 6-1 defeat.
Two months later, it started out in the same general direction as Matt Fiume’s goal pushed the Northstars in front 1-0. But that would be the only goal for either side in the opening half of the contest as Hamilton goalie Brady Carroll kept making big stops to keep his side close.
Late in the second period, the action picked up. Eric Hamilton beat Carroll to put the Northstars ahead 2-0, but on the ensuing face-off Hamilton’s Kam Mikula charged in and ripped a slap shot past CNS goalie Zach Hall, getting the Emerald Knights on the board.
Then Alex Brink, Hamilton’s 50-goal man who had met with all kinds of frustration in the early going, pushed a shot past Hall early in the third period, tying it 2-2 and setting up the wild finish.
With less than five minutes left, the Emerald Knights got the power play. But a sloppy pass up the middle allowed CNS’s Brian Hamilton to charge to the net. Carroll blocked his shot – but Eric Hamilton jumped in and beat Carroll with the
rebound.
Instead of a chance to move ahead, the Emerald Knights were down 3-2, and it could not pull back even as, late in regulation, Matt Kennedy converted an insurance goal.
CNS advanced to face Rome Free Academy in the Division I semifinals, while Hamilton completed its campaign at 13-7-1.
