Recent years have produced all sorts of memorable ice hockey encounters between Skaneateles and Oswego, and Wednesday night’s clash at Allyn Arena added to that ledger.
Trailing by two goals, the Lakers came back to tie it and appeared ready to go in front – but instead, the Buccaneers used a well-timed breakaway goal late in regulation to move back in front for good, eventually beating Skaneateles 4-2.
Since the Lakers and Bucs now play in separate Division II leagues (Skaneateles in the American Conference, Oswego in the National Conference), this marked the only regular-season encounter between the traditional ice powers.
And it was also the Bucs’ season opener, while Skaneateles came into the game riding the momentum of its first-place finish in the Queensbury Tournament during Thanksgiving weekend.
Yet after the Lakers controlled the early flow of play, the first period settled into a stalemate where both sides made lots of runs up and down the ice, but produced few real scoring chances.
Then, in a span of 16 seconds, everything changed.
At the 10:54 mark, Sean Mooney, off feeds from Zach Zerrahn and Jake Oleyourryk, beat Lakers sophomore goalie Kyle Oschner to put the Bucs up 1-0.
Before Skaneateles could regroup, Oswego zoomed into the defensive zone again, and Josh Wallace, taking a quick pass from Anthony Donabella, put in a second goal at the 11:10 mark.
That sudden burst left the Lakers trailing, 2-0, and the shock from it lingered deep into the second period as Skaneateles struggled for a long time to organize any sort of attack.
But the Lakers, perhaps remembering that it erased an early deficit to beat Glens Falls in the first round of the Queensbury Tournament, started to find its rhythm just as the second period ended, and Patrick Major found the net with 47.4 seconds as Sam Clymer earned the assist.
Though still trailing 2-1, Skaneateles took all the momentum into the third period and continued its all-out push, which paid off when Major created a three-on-one break that Raymond Falso cashed in for the tying goal with 10:29 left.
Roaring with confidence, the Lakers spent the next four minutes peppering the Bucs’ net, getting lots of open shots, but getting stopped every time as Oswego goalie Ray Donovan worked his total to 20 saves.
Finally, the Bucs cleared it out, and suddenly Nate Schultzkie burst into the Lakers’ end, beating a defender and then forcing a shot past Oschner with 6:25 to play.
Going against the flow of play, that breakaway goal left Skaneateles in catch-up mode again, but its chances got sidetracked by a boarding penalty in the waning minutes, and before it could get the extra attacker, Hunter Izyk put in an empty-net goal with 29 seconds left to clinch Oswego’s victory.
Two nights later, Skaneateles not only stepped out of league play to take on Salmon River, it also went back in time, playing a rare home game at the old Austin Park Ice Pavilion.
Not only was it nostalgic, it was also a terrific game, the two sides going back and forth all night long and ultimately settling nothing in a 3-3 tie.
Each of the three periods of regulation was the same. One side would score, and then the other would find the net – nothing more, nothing less. They would also have the same total in the overtime period, as neither side was able to win it.
Falso carried the Lakers’ attack, as he scored twice and assisted on the other goal, by Matt Benson. Major, Owen Kuhns, Reece Eddy and Briggs Carter each had one assist as Jarrett McDonald played most of the game in the net, recording 21 saves.
Skaneateles headed back to the more modern setting of Allyn Arena Tuesday night to face Division II newcomer Cortland-Homer before paying a Friday-night visit to Whitesboro.
