Even as the Cazenovia ice hockey team started to put in goals on a consistent basis, it continued to allow them at a rate far too alarming – and damaging – to make headway in the Division II National Conference.
The Lakers, who had started the season 1-3 in a quartet of road games, finally had its home opener last Tuesday night, welcoming New Hartford to the Morrisville State IcePlex, but soon finding itself in another futile chase during a 9-4 defeat to the Spartans.
Things fell apart in the second period. Cazenovia only trailed by a 2-1 margin, but New Hartford put together a five-goal outburst in that second frame and ultimately had 12 different players earn at least one point, with Frank Mondi (two goals, three assists) leading the effort.
This negated Cazenovia’s own three-goal effort in that second period, by the end of which Chase Cross had scored twice, with Nate Morgan getting a goal and two assists. Trey Schug scored, too, as Dylan McCrink, Andrew Parkhurst and Vincent Paglia had one assist apiece.
All of this left Cazenovia trailing 7-4 going to the final period, but a pair of insurance goals, plus the efforts of goalie Liam Ronan, who had 21 saves (eight more than Lakers counterpart Cameron Dye), allowed the Spartans to pull further away.
On Saturday afternoon, Cazenovia would take on Auburn at Colgate University’s brand-new Class of 1965 Arena, but the background didn’t change the Lakers’ trajectory that much as it fell to the Maroons 7-1.
Much of the damage was rendered in the first two periods, Auburn racing out to a 6-0 lead by scoring three times in each frame, led by John Malandruccolo, who had three goal and one assist, and Jake Morin, who got two goals and three assists.
Cazenovia was shut out until the third period, when Cross again found the net, assisted by Andrew Parkhurst and Geoff Christensen. Otherwise, it got nothing past Maroons goalie Jack Kalabanka, who finished with 18 saves.
Back at the IcePlex Monday night, Cazenovia would look to break its skid against Cortland-Homer, its only game this week before playing three times in four days during the holiday break, including Cortland-Homer’s tournament on Dec. 29 and 30.
