Another season, and another Section III Division I ice hockey semifinal between Syracuse and Baldwinsville at Meachem Rink that would get settled in overtime.
But this was 2017, not 2016, and this time around the Cougars got the best of it when Andrew Hodgens stuffed a rebound past Bees goalie Alex Rose just one minute, 25 seconds into OT to give Syracuse a 3-2 victory.
While that was going on, at Shove Park defending champion West Genesee had a far easier time of it during its Division I semifinal against Rome Free Academy, taking charge in the transition from the first to the second periods and blanking the Black Knights 8-0.
So on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. at the Onondaga County War Memorial, it’s the Wildcats against the Cougars with the sectional title at stake. Syracuse won their lone regular-season meeting 3-2 on Jan. 13 in Camillus.
There nearly wasn’t a rematch. Twice in the third period, the Cougars trailed Baldwinsville, who was the only team to beat Syracuse this season, doing so 4-3 early in December.
Both times, though, the Cougars’ relentless pressure led to chances and shots that Rose, who otherwise was sensational, could not gather in, allowing for rebounds that Bryan O’Mara converted into goals.
O’Mara’s first conversion came with 9:38 left in regulation, with B’ville nursing a 1-0 lead thanks to Zach Perez’s goal early in the second period. Perez had raced from his end down the left side and then deposited a back-handed wrist shot into the top right corner of the net.
Even with the score 1-1, B’ville wasn’t done. On a rare Bees breakaway with 6:16 to play, Chris Speelman was pulled down short of the net, and a penalty shot was rewarded. Slowly skating in, Speelman drew out Syracuse goalie Jake Polacek before delivering a perfectly-timed wrist shot past Polacek.
That Bees lead lasted less than two minutes. Resuming its attack, Syracuse again saw a long shot fly loose from Rose’s grasp, allowing O’Mara to convert a second tying goal in this period.
Going into overtime, the Cougars maintained the momentum and staged another all-out push, keeping the puck in the Bees’ end. Then it won when Matt Eccles’ hard shot from the point landed off Rose’s pads and Hodgens, situated inches away, put in the decisive rebound.
By the time this happened, West Genesee was well on its way to yet another sectional final, having put away Rome Free Academy with a well-timed barrage.
It was still 0-0 when, in the last two minutes of the first period, the Wildcats scored twice, once at even strength, then on the power play. Then WG made it 3-0 in the opening minute of the second period.
Four more goals followed in that period, extending the margin to 7-0 by the second intermission, and from there it was just a matter of the Wildcats making sure everyone was healthy for the title game ahead as it took 52 shots to RFA’s 13, a four-to-one margin.
Jay Considine paced WG and earned a three-goal hat trick. Dan Colabufo scored twice, with single goals going to Garrett Schnorr, Chris Peer and Jack Anderson. Pat McDonald picked up three assists and Ryan Smith contributed two assists.
