Just in time for the Section III playoffs, the Skaneateles boys ice hockey team climbed all the way to the top spot in the state Division II rankings.
A loss by St. Lawrence, the top-ranked team the previous week, allowed the Lakers to ascend from no. 2 to the top, but that would matter little unless it won twice in the sectional tournament to assure itself a shot a the state championship.
For 2015, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association revamped its state Division II tournament bracket to assure that no team had a bye straight into the semifinal round.
In order to make that happen, Section III was given two berths in the state tournament – one for its champion, the other for its runner-up. Thus, both of the sectional finalists, regardless of the result of this Saturday’s title game at Utica Memorial Auditorium, will see their seasons continue into March.
To take that first step toward glory, Skaneateles first had to skate past Oswego in last Friday’s sectional quarterfinal at Allyn Arena, a team it beat 5-1 at Crisafulli Rink on Jan. 20.
The playoff rematch proved even more lopsided as the Lakers, fueled by big nights from Patrick Major, Brendan Buell and Reece Eddy, pushed past the Buccaneers in a 6-0 shutout.
It didn’t take long for Skaneateles to start swarming Oswego’s net, breaking through on the scoreboard when Ben Russell scored early in the first period. Then, at the 10:34 mark, Jacob Patalino put it past the Bucs’ Sam Lafond to make it 2-0.
Barely two minutes after Patalino’s goal, Major entered the scoring column, helping Skaneateles take a 3-0 edge to the second period, where Major struck again to make it a four-goal margin.
Wanting the hat trick, Major got it when he sent the puck into the net just 0.5 seconds before the second-period horn, and just for good measure tacked on a fourth goal in the third period.
Through it all, Buell and Eddy kept making the well-timed passes that set up Major for his goals. Buell finished with four assists, while Eddy recorded three assists. Devin Callahan added a single assist.
Meanwhile, the Lakers’ defense was stingy, holding Oswego to 17 shots, all of which Bennett Morse stopped. Lafond, meanwhile, had 38 saves.
Just one more win gets Skaneateles into the state tournament – and it would involve beating Auburn in the sectional semifinals next Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at Allyn Arena. These rivals will clash one round earlier than they did in 2014 after the Maroons scored five first-period goals in a 6-2 opening-round rout over Cazenovia at the Morrisville State IcePlex.
Having already beaten Auburn twice (by 8-1 and 3-1 margins) in the regular season, Skaneateles would need to win a third time not just to get a state tournament berth, but also get back to Utica Memorial Auditorium, where it lost to the Maroons a year ago in the title game, and play in the final Feb. 28 against CBA/Jamesville-DeWitt or Whitesboro.
