For the second time in as many weeks, the Baldwinsville ice hockey team had to deal with games on consecutive days, but it handled it well on both occasions.
Having swept to a first-place finish in the Nov. 30-Dec. 1 Bobby Conklin Memorial Tournament, the Bees resumed its season last Thursday against Liverpool, with whom it shares the Lysander Ice Arena facility.
This was, for a long while, a close, low-scoring and tense affair, but in the third period the Warriors got overwhelmed, its effort resulting in a 5-2 defeat to the Bees.
Liverpool had started its 1-2-1, coming off a trip the previous weekend where it had lost, 5-4, to Canton but then had defeated Potsdam 4-2 for its first win of the season..
Here, it stayed scoreless in the first period despite the Bees having most of the chances. Then they traded goals in the second period, Connor Boland again converting on Liverpool’s side after he had a hat trick against Potsdam.
So it was 1-1 going to the third, and it was here that the Bees, led by Christian Treichler (two goals) and Mike Marsallo (one goal, two assists) did most of its damage, overcoming the combined 33 saves from Gavin Buza and James Welch and a second Boland goal.
Again, the Bees’ attack was diverse and deep. Braden Lynch and Luke Hoskin joined Marsallo with single goals as Alex Pompo and Parker Schroeder each got two assists. Single assists went to Jamey Natoli and Casey Scott. Tom Blais finished with 14 saves.
Since the B’ville-Liverpool game was delayed two nights, the Bees had no time to rest before traveling to Morrisville State IcePlex on Friday to face winless Cazenovia.
Here, it wasn’t as stressful, B’ville blanking the Lakers 4-0 as four different players – Schroeder, Hoskin, Cam Sweeney and Mike Carni – earned those four goals, with Lynch, Pompo, Matt Speelman, Tyler DeRito and Quinn Sweeney each getting an assist.
All of this sets up Wednesday night’s showdown with Syracuse (5-0), the first time these two have met since the Cougars beat B’ville in last winter’s sectional final at the War Memorial. The Bees then travel to Ithaca Saturday night.
