A wait of two weeks has only added to the hype and anticipation for the ice hockey showdown between West Genesee and Syracuse.
They were supposed to play on Jan. 12 before weather interrupted those plans. Instead, this rematch of the 2017 Section III Division I final won by the Wildcats over the Cougars in overtime is set for Saturday night at 6:30 at Shove Park.
By then, Syracuse had finally dented the state Division I rankings at no. 15, though it was far behind WG, who still sat at no. 2 behind reigning state championWilliamsville North, who beat the Cougars in late November.
Determined not to overlook any foe leading up to Syracuse, the Wildcats took its 11-game win streak to Cicero Twin Rinks last Monday and used patience and pressure to defeat Fayetteville-Manlius 3-0.
All game long, WG kept the puck in the Hornets’ end, even when F-M gained four power plays. Most of the time, the Wildcats were frustrated because Hornets goalie James Kaffenberger was busy amassing 37 saves.
Still, once in each period, WG did get on the board, either with Patrick McDonald scoring twice or with Dan Colabufo finding the net. They also assisted on each other’s goals as Dan Holzhauer and John Bergan also picked up assists.
Two days later, the Wildcats were back at Shove Park, taking on Ithaca in a game pushed back 24 hours by weather. Given a brief chance to rest, WG returned to the ice with some energy and put together a 5-1 victory over the Little Red.
Over the course of the first two periods, WG steadily attacked and built a 4-0 advantage. Again, Colabufo was at the forefront, scoring twice to give him 26 goals for the season and adding an assist.
Holzhauer had a goal and two assists, with Ryan Washo getting one goal and one assist. Timmy Winn earned the other goal as McDonald earned two assists, while single assists went to John Galimi, Ryan Smith and Billy Fisher.
Defensively, the Wildcats again were effective, blanking Ithaca until Michael Sornberger’s third-period goal. But WG only allowed 14 shots, 13 of them stopped by Aiden Procopio.
Meanwhile, Syracuse entered the week 8-1-1 and sporting a seven-game win streak, but would have to wait to play again until Friday night, when it visited Allyn Arena to take on defending sectional Division II champion Skaneateles.
The Lakers had won eight in a row before taking a 2-0 defeat to Division I state no. 5-ranked Victor two nights earlier.
