Since they play in separate divisions this winter, the West Genesee and Baldwinsville ice hockey teams, rivals for decades, would have just one regular-season encounter – and they made it a memorable one.
Trailing late in the second period, pushed more than in any of its previous seven games this season, the Wildcats edged the Bees 3-2 Tuesday night at Shove Park on Billy Fisher’s goal 44 seconds into overtime.
In most aspects, WG entered the game with advantages that ranged from playing on home ice to the fact that it had played nearly twice as many games a B’ville, who was 3-0-1.
In fact, the Bees had not played in 14 days since a 5-0 shutout of Rome Free Academy on Dec. 5, so there were plenty of questions about how the long layoff would affect them.
From the outset, though, B’ville skated right with the Wildcats, and didn’t get too discouraged when Dan Colabufo snapped in a wrist shot off Patrick McDonald’s face-off 4:37 into the first period.
Instead, the Bees picked up its pressure, forcing WG into a trio of penalties and out-shooting them 12-7 in that opening frame. The series of power plays did lead to a tying goal by Isaiah Pompo on an odd-angle shot from the left side with 1:06 left in the period.
Now playing with more confidence, the Bees took a 2-1 lead 4:47 into the second period when Tanner McCaffrey shot from the point and beat Aidan Procopio.
And the game got more physical as the period rolled on, with hard hits on every rush up the ice. Gradually, WG began to assert itself again, tying it, 2-2, with 2:01 left in the period when McDonald emerged from a net scramble to poke it past Jeremy Rappard.
A tense third period followed, with the Wildcats getting most of the chances, only to see Ben Dwyer, Brett Sabourin and the rest of B’ville’s defense continually make key stops, blocking pucks and steering other shots wide.
Then the Bees got its best chance to win it with 1:30 left in regulation. Parker Schroeder broke open, up the middle, and closed in on Procopio, only to skate too close and take a shot that Procopio smothered.
So it went to OT, but not for long. With B’ville’s defenders caught up the ice, Fisher skated in and pushed the puck past Rappard for the game-winner.
Prior to that, Rappard had 28 saves, three more than Procopio. Fisher had earned an assist earlier in the game, joining McDonald, Timmy Winn, Ryan Washo and Dan Holzhauer in the assist column.
Meanwhile, the Syracuse Cougars ice hockey team resumed action following a 12-day break of its own, traveling to Kennedy Arena, where it was in some difficulty against Mohawk Valley before a late surge produced a 4-2 win over the Raiders.
Helped by goals from Henry Froass and Hunter Mazur, Mohawk Valley tied Syracuse 2-2 through two periods. Only in the final period did the Cougars get the lead for good, overcoming 26 saves from Raiders goalie Michael Eastman.
Four different Syracuse players – Ryan Evanchak, Mack Etoll, Philip Zollo and Skariwate Papineau – had the four goals, with Zollo adding an assist. Zach Delaney had two assists as Jack Grooms also had an assist.
