So much can change in a single season. Just ask the CBA/Jamesville-DeWitt ice hockey team.
One year ago, the Brothers were Section III Division II champions, owning a strange sort of bragging rights over Skaneateles, whom it beat in the sectional finals, only to see the Lakers parlay an at-large berth into a state title, doing it partially at CBA/J-D’s expense when the Lakers prevailed in the state semifinal at Utica Auditorium.
Now, though, the two sides stand in different places. True, the Brothers are going back to the post-season, but as a decided underdog, especially against the Lakers, who clinched the American Conference regular-season title with another 4-0 victory over CBA/J-D last Tuesday night at Onondaga Nation Arena.
Arriving with a 13-2-2 mark and no. 2 state ranking, Skaneateles also carried confidence from its previous encounter with the Brothers, having claimed that game by that same 4-0 margin on Dec. 11 at Allyn Arena.
Nearly two months later, CBA/J-D had just ripped past state-ranked New Hartford 5-1 and was playing its best hockey of the season – and none of that mattered against a Skaneateles side that forced the issue early and got well-timed goals from its top line all night.
Late in the first period, it was still 0-0, CBA/J-D having taken four shot to the Lakers’ six. But then Skaneateles struck with 3:37 left in that period as Raymond Falso, the team’s leading scorer, found the net, assisted by line mates Reggie Buell and Reece Eddy.
Then it was Eddy’s turn with 1:15 left in the period, Buell again earning the assist, making it 2-0 going into intermission, but the Lakers weren’t done with late-period heroics.
Much of the second period was quiet, too, CBA/J-D unable to convert on an early power play. But just when it looked like that two-goal margin would hold, Eddy returned and, with 29 seconds left, got his second goal, again with Buell assisting, along with Falso.
Fittingly, the last Skaneateles goal didn’t come until the last minute of the third period, Falso scoring a second time. In defeat, Peyton Bowler made 28 saves, but none of the Brothers’ 16 shots got past Lakers goalie Kyle Oschner, who also had the shutout the first time the two teams played.
All that CBA/J-D could do was try and regroup in time for Thursday’s visit to the McDonald Sports Complex to face Cortland-Homer. And it did so, saving most of its good work for a single period of action that led to a 4-1 victory over the Golden Eagles.
Going into the second period, the Brothers were tied, 1-1, with Cortland-Homer, but it proceeded to pour in three unanswered goals during this frame and, with its defense, quieted the Golden Eagles, Bowler only having to make 13 saves.
Grayson Burns, with three assists, led this mid-game push. Tanner Coleman, Ryan McGuire and Connor Flanagan all took turns netting goals, with Jack Austin, Lynch Raby, Ben McCreary and Doug DeMarche each getting single assists.
Back at Nedrow Saturday afternoon, CBA/J-D took on 13-4 Auburn, but never got on the board in a 3-0 defeat to the Maroons, who took sole possession of first place in the National Conference with the shutout.
Fayetteville-Manlius joined its Twin Rinks co-tenants, Cicero-North Syracuse, for the annual “Pink at the Rink” event to help raise money and awareness for the fight against breast cancer.
And the game was quite good, too, ending in a 3-3 tie as the Hornets could not quite avenge its 4-3 overtime defeat to the Northstars back on Dec. 18.
Momentum swung back and forth all night long. F-M led, 1-0, after one period, only to see the Northstars pull even, 2-2, by the end of the second period. Then the Hornets reclaimed the lead in the third period but, again, C-NS rallied, netting the tying goal with less than two minutes left in regulation.
A five-minute overtime period ended without resolution as Karl Farber, Trevor Pokines and Will Healy picked up F-M’s goals. Pokines also had an assist, joined in that column by Tommy Ryu, Ben Hammond and Garrett Zogby. Hornets goalie James Kaffenberger had 23 saves as Zach Matyasik, Josh Ludden and Brendan Villnave picked up C-NS’s goals and Jack Doren stopped 35 of the 38 shots he faced.
Still at home Friday night, F-M faced Watertown IHC and did get a win this time around, shutting out the Cavaliers 2-0 as it got a goal in each of the first two periods and saw Kaffenberger turn back each of the 17 shots IHC threw at him. Pokines and Ben Hammond had the goals, with Ryu, Farber and Zack Wisby getting one assist apiece.
F-M would end its regular season at home against the Division I National Conference regular-season champion Syracuse Cougars on Tuesday night as CBA/J-D went to Oswego that same night and then, on Friday, visited Ithaca.
