By the time the Cazenovia ice hockey team ventured to the Twin Rinks Sunday to face Cicero-North Syracuse, it was glad to find itself out of a cycle of tough Division II competition – yet it could not get back to the win column, falling 7-3 to the Northstars.
It was close for a while, the Lakers only trailing C-NS 4-3 after two periods. Dylan McCrink, Nate Morgan and Andrew Parkhurst earned goals, with Jacob Kumiega getting two assists. Chase Cross, Steve LaFever and R.J. Smith had one assist apiece.
Despite all this, and despite 26 saves from Cameron Dye, the Northstars got away with three unanswered goals in the final period. Logan Field had a part in each C-NS scoring play, earning a career-best six assists to go with his lone goal as Zach Matyasik and Josh Ludden each scored twice.
Before all this, the Lakers were 2-10 going into its Jan. 13 game against CBA/Jamesville-DeWitt at Onondaga Nation Arena, but could not get on the board in a 7-0 defeat to the Brothers.
Dye made 26 saves and kept things close for a while, but CBA/J-D got three goals in each of the last two periods, its well-balanced attack led by Connor Kinahan, with two goals and one assist, and Ben McCreary, who got three assists.
Things got tougher last Wednesday night at the Morrisville State IcePlex, where Cazenovia hosted Clinton and lost, 10-1, to the Warriors, who steadily built its total throughout the night and did not let up until Geoff Christensen scored late in the third period, assisted by Morgan and LaFever.
What starts with the game at C-NS concludes Saturday afternoon with a visit to the IcePlex from Ontario Bay. A win in that game means the Lakers go to the Section III playoffs as, at worst, the fourth-place finisher in the Division II National Conference.
