When the Cazenovia field hockey team was beaten in the 2005 Section III Class B championship game, most of the current Lakers were still young girls.
As those girls grew up, learned the game and made their way into the Cazenovia program, all they ever knew was seeing the varsity Lakers celebrate a sectional championship, year after year.
So the disappointment and heartache felt Sunday night as Cazenovia lost 2-1 in overtime to Holland Patent in the sectional Class C final at Fayetteville-Manlius was deep, with most of the players fighting back tears.
But head coach Lorraine Scheftic said that the pain of defeat won’t linger. “It will hurt for a couple of days,” said Scheftic. “But in time, it will feel better.”
That the Lakers managed to earn 11 consecutive sectional titles was amazing enough. It meant that, for more than a decade, Cazenovia managed to avert all of the traps and possible upsets a sectional tournament could provide, more than a full season’s worth of games without ever getting toppled.
Quite often, Holland Patent was on the receiving end of Cazenovia’s championship efforts, six times falling to the Lakers in title games. It only figured that the sectional streak, started in 2006 with an OT win over the Golden Knights in the Class B final, was ended in a game that went beyond regulation.
Cazenovia entered the sectional playoffs not just protecting its long championship run, but also holding a 12-game win streak that dated back to mid-September.
However, 10 days had passed since the end of the regular season, and even while it got some much-needed rest, the Lakers may have seen its momentum slowed as Holland Patent, the no. 4 seed, beat Canastota 4-0 in the opening round.
When Cazenovia could not convert on three consecutive penalty corners in the opening minutes, the tone was set. In all, the Lakers forced nine penalty corners but got few good shots against a packed-in Golden Knights defense that broke up all kinds of passes.
Even more important was the way HP counter-attacked whenever it could find open space. That led to the first goal when a fast break led to a net scramble and Emily Mierek poking it past Shea Flannery at the 11:40 mark.
A tying goal seconds later was disallowed, and it remained 1-0 deep into the second half, though the Lakers’ pressure increased.
Not until Zoe Shephard slalomed through the HP defense from the left side and put a shot between the pads of Golden Knights goalie Ella Buchanan with 11:07 left would the Lakers convert, and even then HP nearly got the lead back two minutes later, only to see McKenna Williams’ fast-break goal disallowed.
All through the rest of regulation, the Lakers had plenty of chances to win it, including two penalty corners in the last seconds that led to point-blank shots Buchanan kicked away.
The seven-on-seven OT format was something Cazenovia had excelled in all season, and Katie Ammann got an early chance to end it, only to see Buchanan stop her.
Right after a full-field charge by Shephard was stopped in the Golden Knights’ end, HP went the other way. Williams, denied before, made it past the Lakers’ defenders and, 3:37 into OT, put the ball past Flannery for the game-winner.
Just like that, a long and historic run by Cazenovia was at an end, but the Lakers are primed to bounce back in 2018. Even with Shephard, Mikaylee Whalen and Molly LaHart graduating, the return of the rest of the lineup, combined with a hunger not felt in a long time, should make the Lakers a threat to start another string of titles.
