In its short history, the Skaneateles girls ice hockey team has reached some lofty standards, with a string of Section III championships and state titles earned in 2014 and 2017.
The Lakers nearly won it all in 2018-19, roaring to another sectional title and then getting to the state title game at Buffalo’s HarborCenter before an overtime defeat to Williamsville.
From that group, a strong senior class departed, including top scorer Megan Teachout and Sophia Burns, but with a large returning cast, coaches Andy Rozak and Fred Singer expected Skaneateles to stay strong.
But it proved a rough start, especially compared with seasons past.
In the Nov. 27 opener at Allyn Arena, the Lakers got shut out, 3-0, by visiting Salmon River, and three days later it was Beekmantown defeating Skaneateles 4-2.
Against Beekmantown, it was Campbell Torrey scoring twice in the first period to put the Lakers in front 2-1, with assists going to Grace Kush and Lizzy Sachar.
Ninth-grader Rose Kozub had a strong effort in the net, recording 29 saves, but Beekmantown got to her in the third period with a trio of unanswered goals to go in front.
After a week to work on things, Skaneateles took its first road trip of the season on Friday and Saturday, traveling to Massena and Potsdam.
The first part of it went well, with the Lakers using scoring outbursts in the second period to pull away from Massena and emerge with a 6-1 victory.
Then, against Potsdam, Sknaeateles looked for two in a row and got it, defeating the Sandstoners 4-2 in a contest where an early lead got away, but in the third period the Lakers broke out of a 2-2 tie by scoring twice.
A Barbuto led the way, getting a pair of goals. Torrey had one goal and one assists, with Ionna Christou also finding the net as Sachar, Sophie Powless and Rebecca Cain had one assist apiece. Evie Sheridan was terrific in the net, stopping 28 of Potsdam’s 30 shots.
And the Lakers are back home this week, meeting Alexandria Bay on Tuesday and Oswego on Thursday night.
