Just about everyone in Meachem Rink may have considered the same thing early in the third period of last Tuesday night’s ice hockey game between Baldwinsville and Syracuse.
Once again, the game was close in the latter stages, and the Bees remembered that it had prevailed, 4-3, in such circumstances against the Cougars earlier this month in the finals of the Bobby Conklin Memorial Tournament, winning it on Ryan Gebhardt’s last-second goal.
Only in this case, Syracuse wasn’t interested in a sequel of its lone defeat of the season. Instead, it quickly restored a comfortable margin and went on to beat B’ville 5-2, improving its mark to 5-1 in the process.
Despite their similar records going into the game, it was B’ville sitting at no. 11 in the latest state Division I rankings and Syracuse unranked despite scoring 10 or more goals in each of its four victories in December.
Motivated by its perceived lack of respect outside local circles, plus the result of the first meeting with B’ville, the Cougars would keep the Bees pinned in its own end for most of the first period, not only controlling the puck, but exhibiting a physical style that led to even more possession time.
Twice, that pressure led to goals. At the 5:54 mark, a won face-off just outside the blue line led to an attack and a goal from Matt Goddard, assisted by Matt Frye. Less than five minutes later, Syracuse doubled the lead to 2-0 when Nate Frye, off a pass from Ryan Durand, wrapped around the net and put it past B’ville goalie Alex Rose.
The Cougars threatened to blow it open in the second period, forcing the Bees into a series of penalties. Yet only once did Syracuse convert, on a great series of passes leading to Philip Zollo finding C.J. Walsh at the left side of the net for the goal.
Trailing 3-0, B’ville began to fight back a minute after Walsh’s goal when Josh Perez converted. Then, 30 seconds into the third period, Tanner McCaffrey poured in a rebound goal, and the Cougars’ margin was down to one, with a lot of time to play.
Just as quickly, though, B’ville threw away its momentum with a penalty that Matt Eccles turned into a goal when his wrist shot from the point found the net with 12:07 left. From there, the Cougars went back to its puck-control strategy that worked so well in the early going.
Bryan O’Mara added an empty-net goal in the final minute, about the only time anything came easy against Rose, who amassed 46 saves on the night. He prove far busier than Syracuse counterpart Jack Klawitter, who only had 17 saves.
A game Friday night against Mohawk Valley at Rome’s Kennedy Arena will send B’ville into the holiday break, where it hosts Auburn on Tuesday and ventures north to face Watertown IHC two days later to wrap up the 2016 portion of its schedule.
