Thanks to its season-opening tournament victory in Queensbury over the Thanksgiving weekend, the Skaneateles boys ice hockey team came back home with even more confidence than it possessed when the season got underway.
That confidence only grew in the wake of last Wednesday night’s home opener against Fulton at Allyn Arena, where the Lakers again clamped down on the defensive side, earning its second shutout in three tries as it blanked the Red Raiders 4-0.
Any doubts about Skaneateles vanished in a first-period blitz where the Lakers overwhelmed Fulton with an all-out attack, taking 15 shots while surrendering just one.
That translated into a pair of goals and a 2-0 lead going to the second period. Somehow, Fulton kept Skaneateles off the board in that middle frame, mainly due to fine work from goaltender Brandon Ladd, who finished with 35 saves.
But the Lakers would tack on two insurance goals in the final period to get away. Tyler Strods led the attack, scoring twice and adding an assist, but he had plenty of help.
Jake Cooney’s hot start continued as he managed one goal and one assist. Patrick Major earned the other goal, while Jack Fabrizio and Mitchell Jones each got two assists. Matt Clymer also earned an assist.
Back on the road Friday, the Lakers visited Whitesboro, who had taken defending champion Oswego to overtime before absorbing a 3-2 defeat in its opener.
That game appeared to take something out of the Warriors, for when it started here, Skaneateles did everything it wanted, on both ends of the ice, in the first two periods on the way to yet another shutout, this one by an 8-0 margin.
By the time the first period was done, Skaneateles had matched its Fulton offensive output, building a 4-0 lead. Then it doubled that margin in the next 15 minutes, getting goals from seven different players along the way.
Only Cooney found the net twice, adding an assist, with Strods picking up three assists. Jones gained a goal and two assists, while Hill and Josh Kuhns each had one goal and one assist. Major, Fabrizio and Clymer also scored, with Tom Bronk and Owen Kuhns adding assists.
Skaneateles is back home, looking for five in a row, Wednesday night against CBA/J-D in its only game action this week. The girls ice hockey Lakers open its season Wednesday at Alexandria Bay.
