When the Skaneateles boys ice hockey team got started last Friday against Williamsville South in the Duke Schneider Memorial Tournament at Allyn Arena, it concluded a two-week holiday hiatus.
Given the length of that break, plus the fact that so many other teams played multiple games during that time frame, Lakers fans had two possibilities to consider once play resumed.
Either Skaneateles was going to show lots of rust, or it was going to show lots of fresh eagerness and resume the high level of play that had brought them a 6-0-1 start and the no. 2 state Division II rankings, trailing only Williamsville East and one spot ahead of CBA/Jamesville-DeWitt.
It turned out to be the latter.
That first game after the 14-day layoff, against Williamsville South (Section VI), quickly turned into an exhibition of the Lakers’ vast skills as it had double-digit goals by the end of the second period and took out the Billies 11-0.
Attacking from the outset, the well-rested Lakers waited for a breakthrough, and got it with James Motyl’s goal midway through the first period. Once that went in, three more goals quickly followed before intermission, and that was just a warm-up.
Skaneateles buried Williamsville South with six more goals in the second period to make it 1-0, and by the time it was all done Motyl had a three-goal hat trick, as did Patrick Major, who added a pair of assists to go with his three goals.
Raymond Falso had two goals and two assists, with Ben Russell contributing two goals and one assist. Reece Eddy had a career-best four assists as Owen Kuhns got two assists and single assists went to Matt Benson, Jacob Patalino and Matt Leveroni. In goal, Bennett Morse didn’t have to do much work, but stopped all 13 shots he faced for the shutout.
In the final on Saturday afternoon, Skaneateles faced Pelham (Section I), from Westchester County, who had beaten Potsdam in the other opening-round game.
Against the Pelicans, the game was a total contrast to what happened the night before – but it had the same happy result for the Lakers, who held on for a 2-1 victory and the first-place trophy.
It was still 0-0 going to the second period, when all of the offense was accounted for, an exchange that began with Devin Callahan’s goal.
Pelham answered, but then Kuhns, eventually named the tournament MVP, used a gorgeous move to put Skaneateles back in front. Major assisted on both goals, with Russell also getting an assist.
That would hold up the rest of the way as Kuhns and the Lakers’ defenders, working in a way it didn’t have to against Williamsville Tough, kept the Pelicans from tying it again as Kyle Oschner and Jarrett McDonald, splitting time in goal, had 19 total saves.
Still undefeated at 7-0-1, Skaneateles would play just once this week, visiting Ontario Bay on Tuesday, a full eight days before a Jan. 14 showdown with Division II National Conference leader New Hartford on the Spartans’ home ice.
