Firmly entrenched in second place behind New Hartford in the Division II National Conference, the Cazenovia ice hockey team was finding life outside of league play, and away from the Morrisville State IcePlex, far more difficult and challenging.
What started on Dec. 23 with a 6-0 defeat at Cicero-North Syracuse continued three days later in the opening round of the Cortland-Homer Tournament, when the host Golden Eagles, propelled by a big second period, beat the Lakers 5-2.
Through one period, it was 0-0, but Cortland-Homer decisively broke the game open by scoring four times in the next 15 minute, with Danny Turck earning a three-goal hat trick to lead the Golden Eagles.
Other than Jake Stowell, who scored one goal and assisted on the other, by R.J. Smith, Cazenovia stayed quiet on the offensive end, turned back by Cortland-Homer goalie Tyler Wallace, who stopped 26 of the 28 shots he faced. Ryan McCann, seeing his turn in net for the Lakers, made 35 saves.
A day later, in the consolation game against Ontario Bay, the Lakers tried to break its brief skid, and did so, but had to work into overtime to turn back the Storm and pull out a 5-4 victory.
During a back-and-forth first period, goals by Alex Hunt, Brendan Whalen and Adam Race gave Cazenovia a 3-1 lead. But Ontario Bay roared back and, led by Seth Lallier’s pair of goals, pulled in front, 4-3, by the end of the second period.
Only then did the Lakers’ defense settle down, Cameron Fry blanking the Storm in the third period on his way to 31 saves overall.
And it was Graham Demo netting the tying goal, setting up an OT period that only lasted 44 seconds before Whalen put home the game-winner past Ontario Bay goalie Alex Parshall. Whalen also had an assist, joining a group that included Stowell, Smith, Steve LaFever, Colin McGaugh and Nate Wendel.
Originally, Cazenovia was set to return home to the Morrisville State IcePlex on Friday to face Mohawk Valley, but that game was moved to Feb. 14.
Instead, the Lakers met Hilton (Section V) on Saturday at Colgate University’s Starr Rink, and played well for two periods before everything fell apart in a 7-2 defeat to the Cadets.
Hilton grabbed a 1-0 lead before Stowell tied it with 1:52 left in the first period. Then, midway through the second period, Adam Race broke free and put home the go-ahead goal, Cazenovia maintaining that 2-1 edge until the third period. McGaugh, Jake Lewis and Lucas Bonavita all had earned assists on those goals.
But the moment the Cadets tied it early in that last frame, the Lakers’ defense broke down, as an all-out Hilton flurry led to six unanswered goals, overriding the 37 saves McCann put up before Fry replaced him late in the game.
With that loss, Cazenovia fell to 4-5 on the season. It returns to the IcePlex Tuesday to face Whitesboro before a non-league game Saturday against visiting Shaker-Colonie.
