At least for the time being, the Syracuse Cougars ice hockey team has gained an upper hand on West Genesee. Whether it stays that way until the end of the season remains an open question.
Yet no one could doubt the immense satisfaction the Cougars gained Friday night from going to Shove Park and, with a combination of timely offense and stout defense, beat the Wildcats 3-2.
There was no understating the game’s importance. Syracuse entered it no. 8 in the state Division I rankings with a 10-1 record. WG was 12-1 and sitting at no. 2 in the state rankings.
Since they play in separate divisions – the Cougars in the National Conference, the Wildcats in the American Conference – this was their only regular-season meeting, adding to the occasion.
The large and loud home crowd at Shove Park was happy in the first period. Pat McDonald twice put shots past Syracuse goalie Jake Polacek as Jay Considine, Dan Colabufo, Marshall Winn and Garrett Schnorr each picked up assists.
But C.J. Walsh got on the board for the Cougars, and did so again in the second period to forge a 2-2 tie, with Andrew Hodgens assisting on both goals.
Then Hugh White, who had scored just one goal all season, doubled that total late in the second period off a feed from Zach Delaney, and Syracuse was in front.
WG goalie Sammy Colabufo stopped things from there and finished with 23 saves. But throughout a tense third period, the Cougars kept turning away the Wildcats’ chances, Polacek superb as he ended up with 30 saves.
Each side had won by comfortable margins earlier in the week – WG smashing Watertown IHC 14-2 on Monday night, Syracuse handling Fulton 6-2 on Wednesday.
Against IHC, the Wildcats scored eight times in the first period alone and kept adding to the total from there. Five different players – McDonald, Schnorr, Marshall Winn, Ryan Washo and Dan Holzhauer – earned two goals apiece, McDonald and Washo each adding a pair of assists.
Dan Colabufo had a goal and five assists and Considine put up a goal and four assists, while Jack Birchler had a goal and two assists. John Bergan had the other goal as Chris Peer got two assists and single assists went to Timmy Winn, Andrew Schneid and Mike McGuigan.
Two nights later, at Meachem Rink, Syracuse prepared for its trip to Camillus by getting away from Fulton in the second period, scoring four times to build upon a 1-0 first-period edge.
Hodgens, with three assists, and Matt Eccles, with two goals, paced the attack. Matt Frye, Nathan Frye, Philip Zollo and Bryan O’Mara notched one goal apiece as Stephan Matro got two assists. Walsh also had an assist.
With the big win over West Genesee secure, the Cougars move on to games next Wednesday against Mohawk Valley and Friday at Cicero-North Syracuse as the Wildcats would go to the Twin Rinks Monday to face Fayetteville-Manlius and visit Ithaca on Friday.
