While the Cazenovia ice hockey team was locked into its fourth-place spot in the Division II National Conference, it still had a say in who would finish on top – but ended up far removed from the spoiler role.
The Lakers met Oswego last Tuesday night at the Morrisville State IcePlex, with the Buccaneers still fighting to get past New Hartford and clinch the regular-season league title.
As it turned out, Cazenovia could not slow Oswego down, taking a 5-2 defeat as all of the offense took place in the first two periods.
Trailing 1-0, the Lakers tied it late in the first period on Collin McGaugh’s goal, assisted by Matt McGaugh, only to have the Bucs answer a minute later with a goal that put them ahead for good.
Sparked by that tally, Oswego added three more goals in the second period, Cazenovia only able to answer with Jake Stowell’s goal, fed by Billy Rankin. From there, the Bucs shut the Lakers out and preserved its three-goal margin.
Two nights later, the Lakers closed out the regular season against CBA/Jamesville-DeWitt, who was far removed from the side that won the state Division II championship a season ago, as evidenced by an 8-2 loss to Ithaca earlier in the week.
Yet even though it was Senior Night for the quartet of Rankin, goalie Mario Benedetti, Trevor Cross and Luca Kraemer, the Lakers could not get things put together as the Brothers, angry with what happened against Ithaca, broke open a close game in the third period to beat Cazenovia 6-3.
Rankin, right after the Senior Night ceremonies, got the Lakers on the board just 22 seconds into the game, Will McCrink earning the assist.. That lead lasted until late in the first period, when CBA/J-D found the net twice and went out in front, 2-1.
Early in the second period, Brendan Whalen tied it, 2-2, off feeds from Colin McGaugh and and Matt McGaugh, and the Lakers looked to be in fine shape when, at the 10-minute mark of the period, Whalen scored again, Alex Hunt earning the assist.
Yet CBA/J-D didn’t get fazed, instead tying it 3-3 before the period ended, and then going in front for good barely a minute into the final period.
Two more goals followed, and the Lakers closed out the regular season with a 5-12-2 mark, bound for a first-round Section III playoff game at Auburn this Thursday at 6 p.m.
