One good aspect of the CBA/Jamesville-DeWitt ice hockey team’s shocking run to the 2012-13 state Division II championship was the way it set things up for the future.
Many of the key players on that team were freshmen and sophomores. Consequently, they would have at least two more seasons to author championship narratives.
Attempting to repeat as state and sectional champions a season ago, the magic ran out when the Brothers lost in the semifinals to Auburn – and then watched as the Maroons made it all the way to the state semifinals.
Motivated both by what it had done before – and what it didn’t do in 2013-14 – CBA/J-D enters this winter with nothing less than championships in mind, and for good reason.
Most of the Brothers’ top skill players from a season ago are back, led Section III Division II American Conference first-team All-Stars Ryan Durkin and Sam Mueller.
With that talent on hand, CBA/J-D took a bold first step into its new campaign Friday afternoon at its home rink, Onondaga Nation Arena in Nedrow, by scoring seven goals in the first two periods and quickly putting away Liverpool 8-2.
It didn’t take long for the Brothers to get on the board, thanks to Ben McCreary taking advantage of a Warriors turnover and scoring in the opening minutes. Then, strong passes led to goals from Durin and Lucas Relkin, and Kyle Barker’s breakaway tally made it 4-0 by the end of the first period.
Mueller joined in the fun during the second period, finding the net twice, while Connor Flanagan also scored. That helped make it 7-0, and perhaps surprised by the margin, CBA/J-D eased up a bit in the third period, allowing Bobby Welch and Connor Tifft to score for Liverpool.
Still, McCreary earned his second goal in those latter stages, joining Mueller as they earned one assist apiece. Relkin, Barker, Grayson Burns, Zach Taylor, Pete Dziergas and Jamie St. Amour also found their way to the assist column. Combined, CBA/J-D’s pair of goalies, Peyton Bowler and Gabe Vinal, combined to stop 21 of 23 Liverpool shots.
Amid a tough Division II American Conference, the Brothers begin league play at Whitesboro and then host Cazenovia on Friday night. Both games start at 7 p.m.
