They were deep into the third period of last Tuesday night’s Division II American Conference ice hockey showdown at Allyn Arena, To that point, Skaneateles was having its struggles with CBA/Jamesville-DeWitt, but still led by two goals.
Then Ben McCreary turned it all around.
With six minutes of individual brilliance, McCreary recorded a natural hat trick and, by doing so, helped the Brothers stun the state Division II no. 2-ranked Lakers 3-2, the first time all winter that any Section III Division II opponent had beaten Skaneateles.
It only added to what has turned into one of Section III’s best rivalries on the ice, which dates back to the Brothers’ state title run in 2013. Two years later, CBA/J-D won the sectional title – but the Lakers, as an at-large entry, got revenge in the state semifinals on that same Utica Memorial Auditorium ice and went on to win it all.
Now, just when it looked like Skaneateles had gained a permanent advantage, the Brothers rose up again.
The roots of it were planted early this season, on Dec. 9 at Onondaga Nation Arena. Skaneateles beat CBA/J-D 5-3, but the Brothers outplayed the Lakers for large portions of that game and were done in only by a 3-0 second-period spurt by the visitors.
Now, in Skaneateles, the Brothers’ most important objective was to make sure the Lakers’ 100-goal man, Raymond Falso, didn’t burn CBA/J-D the way he did with four goals and one assist in that earlier encounter.
And Falso was contained, held without a point for just the second time this season. Reggie Buell scored in the first period to put the Lakers up 1-0, but that was the only tally for either side in the first two periods.
Despite the thin margin, Skaneateles had most of the chances. That it stayed close was a tribute to the tremendous effort of goaltender Peyton Bowler, who would finish the night with 40 saves.
Yet with all that Bowler was doing, it wasn’t rewarded until the final minutes. Buell had scored again with 10:05 to play to double the Lakers’ lead to 2-0, and there was little indication things would turn around.
But McCreary began the turnaround with 6:22 left, converting to put the Brothers on the board. Suddenly energized, the Brothers’ pressure picked up and, with 1:54 to play, McCreary put another one past Skaneateles goalie Chris Falso to tie it, 2-2.
Instead of feeling content and playing for overtime, CBA/J-D continued to surge. With just 17 seconds left in regulation, McCreary again flashed open, took a pass from the corner by Kodi Dotterer and converted an unlikely game-winner.
This result lent a bit more urgency to the Lakers’ ensuing game at Clinton Friday night. Again, the potent Skaneateles attack was contained for large portions of the game, but this time the defense came through and Skaneateles beat the Warriors 4-1.
Clinton would have plenty of opportunities throughout the night, yet didn’t get on the board until the third period, when Drew Clarey scored. For the most part, the Lakers’ back line pushed away chances and, when that didn’t work, Zach Wilhoit was superb, stopping 25 of the 26 shots he faced.
Knowing that this lead wouldn’t melt away, Skaneateles could stay patient with its attack. Only leading 2-0 after two periods, the Lakers doubled its total in the last period as Falso returned to form with two goals and one assist, with Adam Lupo getting the other two goals. Buell managed three assists as Patrick Major and Ryan Gist earned one assist apiece.
The win pushed the Lakers’ overall record to 15-3, and with the Division I American Conference title wrapped up, it will face two more solid tests in the last week of the regular season, hosting Cortland-Homer on Tuesday and going to Whitesboro Thursday night to make up a game snowed out a month earlier.
