Just as it had done in seasons past, the Cazenovia boys lacrosse team hid nothing from its 2017 schedule, populating it with plenty of tough games against top-flight opponents in order to get tougher for the rest of the journey.
But with so many new faces in the lineup and an attack that needs any kind of boost, the Lakers having to face strong defensive units could produce some discouraging results, such as last Tuesday night’s 5-1 defeat to West Genesee at Mike Messere Field.
Attempting to regain its dynastic power after a rare early exit in the Section III Class A playoffs a season ago, the Wildcats had beaten Penfield in its April 1 opener and, here, kept Cazenovia off the board most of the night.
Still, the Lakers controlled the game’s tempo and didn’t let things get out of hand thanks to its own fine defense, only surrendering a single goal in each of the first three quarters, though never able to get the spurt it needed and seeing Wildcats netminder Luke Staudt stop 11 of the 12 shots he faced.
Instead, John Williams’ fourth-quarter tally, assisted by Alex Nowak, broke up the shutout, but nothing else. R.J. Smith had seven saves as, on WG’s side, only Ryan Sheehan scored twice, with Jay Considine and Max Rosa each getting one goal and one assist.
Things got better Thursday against Chittenango, who provided scant resistance against a Cazenovia side that waded through the rain and wind to prevail 15-2, steadily gaining a 6-1 margin by halftime and then outscoring the Bears 6-1 in the third quarter to get clear.
Thomas Bragg, bottled up against West Genesee, rebounded with six goals and two assists. Nowak found the net four times, with Williams getting three goals and one assist. Matt McLaughlin got one goal and one assist as Will Shephard also scored.
Smith, effective in the net throughout the night, got nine saves as, for Chittenango, Carter Laramee and Bill Demand’s goals prevented a shutout, while Karl Farber and Cooper Young earned assists.
Chittenango had lost its season opener 18-6 to Westhill last Monday night. Every time the Warriors had the ball in the first quarter, it seemed to end up in the net, a blitz that didn’t end until Westhill enjoyed an 11-2 lead. That margin got to 16-3 by halftime, allowing the reserves to see plenty of second-half action.
Casey Rogers, gaining six goals and one assist, was just one part of the attack. Luke McAnaney had two goals and four assists, with Charlie Bolesh and Jack Grooms each scoring three times. Jack Miller added two goals as Braeden Elmer had a goal and two assists.
Meanwhile, the Bears’ attack could only find modest success. Seth Spurgeon had one goal and one assist, with Farber, Ryan Pitt, Christian Cerio and Grant Czarnecki taking turns earning goals.
Things turned tough again for Cazenovia when it went to Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium to face Baldwinsville Saturday night. Here, a slow start proved costly for the Lakers in a 10-5 defeat to the Bears.
B’ville jumped out to a 4-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. Though the Lakers recovered enough to stop the margin from getting bigger, it was still 7-3 at halftime, and any attempt to come back got thwarted when Cazenovia was kept off the board in the third period, too.
Bragg and Williams still managed two goals apiece, with Nowak also finding the net. Brice Basic and Chris Becker earned assists. Smith made 10 saves as, for the Bees, Pete Fiorini had a goal and four assists, with Ryan Gebhardt, Austin Bolton and Cole Peters each scoring twice.
Earlier that day, Chittenango lost, 15-5, to Marcellus, the Bears also unable to get on the board until the second quarter, by which point the Mustangs already had a comfortable lead as Matt Connell (four goals) and Gabe VanOrder (three goals, three assists) led the charge.
On Chittenango’s side, Eddie Houle had a part in all but one of his team’s scoring plays, netting two goals and two assists. Demand, Farber and Keith Spurgeon earned the other goals, with Farber contributing an assists. In goal, Cory Fredericks and Carson Maciag combined for 16 saves.
