Wherever the Fayetteville-Manlius ice hockey team finds itself once the Section III Division I playoffs roll around, it can carry the confidence of knowing it can beat quality opponents at home or on the road.
The latter was proven during last Tuesday night’s trip to Kennedy Arena, where the Hornets went up against Rome Free Academy and, combining timely goals with plenty of strong defense, beat the Black Knights 2-1.
RFA arrived at this game sporting a 13-3 record and was third in the Division I standings behind Syracuse and West Genesee. F-M, at 11-4-1, was safely in fifth place, but could move up.
Over the course of the first two periods, the Hornets’ defense constantly frustrated the Black Knights, every one of RFA’s shots turned away by F-M goaltender Brandon Heyman, who would finish the night with 26 saves.
Meanwhile, the Hornets had a similar number of opportunities, but managed to convert one of them in each period as Will Duncanson and Spencer Sasenbury got the goals, with Zack Bookman adding an assist.
Up 2-0 going to the third period, F-M saw its shutout broken by Jake Hall’s goal that pulled the Black Knights within one, but the Hornets turned back everything else, hanging on for one of its best wins of the season.
Two nights later, F-M’s game with Cazenovia at the Morrisville State IcePlex was postponed. But the Hornets did play Friday at Fulton and, despite a tremendous effort in the net by the Red Raiders’ Jadon Lee, F-M won 3-1.
It proved an active night for both defenses, Lee in particular proving great as he stopped 52 of the Hornets’ 55 shots, and Heyman was terrific, too, constantly under threat but amassing 34 saves.
Only Duncanson was able to solve Lee, twice finding the net as Bookman had one goal and one assist. Ben Hammond picked up a pair of assists and Caleb Erno got one assist.
These wins made up for a bitter defeat back on Jan. 25, where F-M lost 5-4 to Penfield (Section V) at Cicero Twin Rinks, unable to hold on to a 3-1 lead it built through two periods.
Bookman had two goals and one assist that night, with Duncanson getting two assists. John Manzi and Josh Kuchinski had one goal apiece, with Sasenbury adding an assist as Heyman earned 27 saves.
Back on the ice Friday night, CBA/Jamesville-DeWitt hosted Ithaca at Onondaga Nation Arena, and also would play tremendous defense in the course of defeating the Little Red 3-1.
A single goal in each period was more than enough, the Brothers getting in front 2-0 through two periods as Joe Salvador nearly got the shutout, turning away 29 of the 30 Ithaca shots he faced.
When CBA/J-D did convert, it spread around as the three goals came from three different players – Dylan Drury, Bailey Doust and Adam Louise. Not only that, but Simon Lesser, Tanner Burns and Ian Henderson picked up assists.
Following a Sunday game against Mohawk Valley, CBA/J-D (7-8-2) would take on Watertown IHC and Fulton this week to finish its regular season as F-M (13-4-1) looked to make up the Cazenovia game and also face Baldwinsville Tuesday at Lysander Arena.
