As can often happen, the longer the wait for a big game, the more the anticipation grows for it.
Such was the case with the latest neighborhood ice hockey clash between Skaneateles and Auburn, who will meet Thursday night at Allyn Arena after winter weather forced a Jan. 12 postponement.
During the wait, the Maroons climbed to no. 2 in the state Division II rankings, even though it also took a 4-4 tie with no. 13-ranked Whitesboro.
That same night, the state no. 11-ranked Lakers hosted Clinton, finally playing its first home game of 2018, and though it started slow, Skaneateles still shut out the Warriors 3-0 for its eighth win in a row.
Clinton had plenty of opportunities throughout the game, but the Skaneateles defense, anchored by goaltender Chris Falso, stopped them all, giving the offense time to get on track.
The Lakers did not get on the board until the second period, but two tallies in that frame allowed it to gain control as Luke Lynn, Bauer Morrissey and Patrick Moore would all convert by game’s end. Owen Van Holtz and Matt Leveroni picked up assists.
A night later, Skaneateles faced state Division I no. 3-ranked Victor, a team it was supposed to face earlier in the month in the canceled Duke Schneider Memorial Tournament.
Victor proved that ranking was justified by ending the Lakers’ eight-game win streak with a 2-0 shutout. Both of the Blue Devils’ goals coming in the first period – one on a power play, the other on a delayed penalty.
For the rest of the game, Skaneateles gave chase, but found it difficult to make it through Victor’s stout defenses. Through two periods, the Lakers had just 13 shots, while Falso was keeping things close as he would record 24 saves overall.
All through the third period, the Lakers had good chances to climb back in it, whether it was Jimmy Liberatore’s open shot in front of the net off a pass from Morrissey that flew wide or a five-on-three power play that did not yield a shot.
With the win streak halted, on Friday night, it was another state-ranked Division I team, the Syracuse Cougars bringing its 8-1-1 record to Allyn Arena. And even with a fast Lakers start, the Cougars, led by Philip Zollo, took over and handed Skaneateles a 6-3 defeat.
Ryan Gick scored in the game’s opening minute, making sure this would not be a shutout like the Victor game. Yet the Cougars tied it, 1-1, by the end of the first period, and then bolted out in front to stay in the second period.
Skaneateles tried to keep up, cutting a 3-1 deficit in half on Lynn’s goal, but the Cougars restored the margin to 5-2 before Tyler Schneider’s third-period tally. Van Holtz and Gick earned assists, with Falso recording 28 saves.
No one could contain Zollo, though, as throughout the night the Syracuse forward punished the Lakers’ defense, finishing with a career-high four goals.
Ryan Eccles and Jack Grooms both helped out with three assists, as Eccles and Bryan O’Mara earned one goal apiece. O’Mara tacked on two assists as Hugh White had one assist.
The Auburn showdown was in the middle of a stretch of three games in four nights for the Lakers, who would host Oswego Tuesday and go to Fulton on Friday right after taking on the Maroons.
