A close game, a hostile setting, multiple overtimes – yes, the Section III Division II final for the CBA/Jamesville-DeWitt ice hockey carried a very familiar ring to it.
Except for the part of winning in the end, that is.
With a chance to return to Utica Memorial Auditorium for the sectional title game, the Brothers, instead, suffered a 3-2 defeat to Auburn in last Tuesday’s Division II semifinal at Casey Park when Nick Orlando stuffed home the game-winner 1:16 into the second overtime period.
Thus ended what CBA/J-D had hoped would be a post-season run similar to its 2013 state championship string which did not include a single victory on home ice.
A 4-1 win over New Hartford in the opening round on Feb. 15 was a nice start, but it would really get interesting if CBA/J-D managed to go to Auburn (where it won in the quarterfinals a year ago) and beat a team it lost to twice in the regular season.
Having scored just once in those games (a 2-0 loss Dec. 10 at Casey Rink, and a 2-1 loss Jan. 24 at Onondaga Nation Arena), the Brothers found itself again kept off the board in the first period here, falling behind 1-0 when Dan Entenmann’s wrist shot zipped past Tim Decker less than three minute into the contest.
Things turned around early in the second period. In the span of barely more than a minute, Pete Dziergas and Ryan Durkin notched back-to-back goals, and the Brothers led 2-1. Kyle Barker picked up an assist.
But a string of penalties slowed CBA/J-D’s momentum, and Auburn used one of those power plays to tie it, 2-2, at the 8:59 mark, Brian Franceschelli converting off passes from Entenmann and Billy Farrington.
And it would stay 2-2 for a while. Midway through the third period, a puck in Auburn’s end bounced toward the net, and nearly in, but Maroons goalie Brendan Entenmann pounced on it before CBA/J-D could.
Though the Brothers had the majority of shots in that period, regulation ended in a 2-2 tie. So did the first overtime period, where Durkin got a breakaway chance to end it, but Brendan Entenmann turned him away, one of 31 saves on the night.
Decker, for his part, had a quieter evening, only making 18 saves, but as the game went into the second OT, he, and every other CBA/J-D partisan, recalled how the Brothers had used multiple OT’s to knock off Skaneateles in this same round a year ago.
Auburn wanted a different ending, though. And early in the second OT, Sean Lattimore shot at the net, and saw the puck bounce off two players (one from each side) before it caromed to Orlando, who was charging at the net. Before Decker could react in time, Orlando pushed the puck past him to end the night.
