With that single overtime defeat to New Hartford on Jan. 14, the Skaneateles boys ice hockey team fell from no. 2 to no. 7 in the state Division II rankings, a fall that did not sit well.
That was especially the case since Skaneateles rebounded with back-to-back wins over Cazenovia and Cortland-Homer, while New Hartford, placed above them in the no. 6 spot, promptly took a home loss to sub-.500 archrival Whitesboro.
Rankings aside, the Lakers had a pair of interesting road tests to get through last week, starting last Tuesday with a visit to Crisafulli Rink, better known as “The Fort”, to face Oswego as part of a girls/boys doubleheader.
After the girls won (see separate story), the boys had its turn, and despite a slow start, the depth and firepower of Skaneateles proved too much for the Buccaneers in an impressive 5-1 victory.
They were still 0-0 going into the second period, but then Skaneateles broke through with a pair of goals to counter Oswego’s lone tally from Noah Lee. Then it ran away in the final period by finding the net three times, with the Bucs shut out.
Five different players – Raymond Falso, Reece Eddy, Patrick Major, Reggie Buell and James Motyl – had the five Skaneateles goals, with all but Eddy also earning an assist. Cullen McGlynn, Owen Kuhns and Jacob Patalino had assists, too, as Kyle Oschner and Jarrett McDonald, sharing the duties in goal, made 18 saves between them.
A tough non-league game awaited the Lakers Thursday night when it went to Meachem Rink to face the Syracuse Cougars, who sat at no. 5 in the latest sate Division I rankings.
And for a long while, it looked like Skaneateles would prevail – but late-game mistakes, and some clutch play from the Cougars, led to a 3-2 defeat.
Rarely during the season had the Lakers faced the kind of constant pressure Syracuse threw at them, but it proved that it could meet that challenge, especially in goal, where Bennett Morse proved that he could withstand heavy barrages and keep the puck out of the net.
Skaneateles went in front, 1-0, midway through the first period on a deft pass from Ben Russell that Buell took and deposited in the net, and it stayed that way the rest of the frame despite all kinds of Syracuse chances to even it up.
Not until the 7:02 mark of the second period did the Cougars break through, and that required Colby Skrupa to tip in a shot from Sean Eccles. That 1-1 tie lasted less than six minutes before McGlynn put the Lakers back in front on the power play, assisted by Buell and Devin Callahan.
Deep into the third period, Skaneateles clung to that one-goal advantage, Morse continuing to excel in the net as he ran his save total to 30, the most any Laker goalie has recorded this winter.
Yet that pressure led Skaneateles to commit a pair of ill-timed penalties, and Syracuse made them pay for it. Skrupa beat Morse for the tying goal with 5:54 left, and another power play late in regulation led to Matt Eccles putting home a backhand shot with 1:47 to play.
Skaneateles could not answer, and fell to 10-2-1 on the season. Another busy week awaits the Lakers as it visits Ontario Bay before hosting Ithaca and Cortland-Homer.
