As many wins as it can get against other top Division I programs, the Fayetteville-Manlius ice hockey program knows that it’s one program in particular that protects the summit.
West Genesee, the five-time defending sectional champions, ventured to Cicero Twin Rinks to face the Hornets last Wednesday night, and it turned into a tough, physical battle not decided until the last second as F-M lost to the Wildcats 3-1.
What it demonstrated was that, even in a supposedly “down” year with just two seniors on its roster, WG is still difficult to beat.
F-M did try, though, mostly making it through an uneven first period without serious damage. But back-to-back Hornets penalties set up a five-on-three situation that the Wildcats’ Robby Michel capitalized on with a goal at the 5:36 mark.
Trailing 1-0 going to the second period, F-M picked up its attack, only to find more frustration against the Wildcats’ sound, disciplined defenses. And the task got taller at the 10:11 mark when WG’s Aaron Jones fluttered a shot past Ben Napierala’s left shoulder to make it 2-0.
Napierala would allow nothing more. He stopped 25 of the 27 shots he faced, rarely letting the Wildcats pounce on any rebounds as he often smothered the puck to set up face-offs.
That kept F-M in it, and with 11:21 to play Mateo Capriotti’s wrist shot from the left side zipped past WG goaltender Henry Burns and cut the Hornets’ deficit in half.
Right to the last minute, the Hornets put on pressure, pulling Napierala for an extra attacker. Burns got one more big save, though, and Jones tacked on an empty-net goal with 19.7 seconds left to stretch out the final margin.
F-M got back in form Friday night, against the newly formed Syracuse Cougars, where this time it got the quick start it needed for an eventual 3-1 victory.
Anthony Angello was back in top form, taking part in both goals as F-M grabbed a quick 2-0 lead. The Hornets only managed one more goal the rest of the night, but its defense stymied Syracuse until Collin Thompson’s third-period tally.
All told, Angello earned one goal and two assists. Trevor Chase also had two assists as Capriotti and Matt McDonough scored off of Angello’s feeds. Erik Badger played well in his turn in the net, stopping 33 of 34 shots he faced.
While it has given everyone a tough battle, the CBA/J-D ice hockey team has remained stymied in their ability to get victories against tough Division II opposition.
Such was the case again in last Tuesday’s game at Onondaga Nation Arena, where the Brothers again got close, and again got turned away in a 2-1 loss to the Maroons.
Neither team would score until the second period, when Auburn grabbed a 1-0 edge. Then CBA/J-D got on the board as Pete Dziergas scored off passes from Lucas Relkin and Jed Raby, but the Maroons converted, too, to hang on.
In the net, Tim Decker recorded 14 saves. CBA/J-D had the vast majority of scoring opportunities in this game, but Auburn goaltender Jeff Gardner turned back 34 of 35 shots.
That skid ended Friday night, at Fulton, where the Brothers overcame a terrible start to dominate the last two periods and score five unanswered goals as it beat the Red Raiders 6-3.
CBA/J-D is home all of this week, playing Whitesboro and Clinton. F-M plays Liverpool on Tuesday before a Saturday visit to Cortland-Homer.
