Ever since their epochal 2019 Section III Division I championship game went into four overtimes, the West Genesee and Syracuse ice hockey teams awaited a chance to battle again.
Finally, the Wildcats and Cougars would reunite at Shove Park Wednesday night, with first place in Division I at stake and both sides playing their best hockey of the winter.
WG had faced Cicero-North Syracuse last Monday at Shove Park, a mere four days after holding off those same Northstars 3-2 when they had met at the Twin Rinks.
The rematch wasn’t as close, with the Wildcats bolting out to a 4-0 lead by the end of the first period and going on to a 7-1 victory, paced by James Schneid, who scored twice and added a pair of assists.
Andrew Schneid earned a goal and three assists, while Billy Fisher and Alex DeSantis both had one goal and one assist. Goals also went to Tom Shields and Joe McLaughlin as Ryan Considine got two assists. Liam Sexton, Joe Snyder and Max Hahn had one assist apiece.
A day later, hosting Liverpool, WG did get the shutout, limiting the Warriors to just seven shots all night while steadily building an early margin in a 3-0 victory.
All of the goals were in the first two periods, one each scored by Fisher, Anthony Felix and Jake Kopek. Assists went to McLaughlin, Keyes, Considine and Colton Rahner.
As that went on, at Meachem Rink Syracuse unloaded on Mohawk Valley, getting to double digits on the scoreboard in a 10-1 romp over the Raiders.
Kaleb Benedict set the pace with a three-goal hat trick, Steve Matro finding the net twice and adding an assist as Ryan Durand got four assists and Mike Madigan got two assists.
Two players, sophomore Colin Johnson and eighth-grader Brady Hubbard, earned their first varsity goals, joining Cam Walsh, Trevor Wright, Shemar Thomas and Brady Hubbard in that column as Walsh and Nelson Jones earned assists.
Still at Meachem on Thursday night, Syracuse faced Liverpool and had a breakout performance from its offense, especially Benedict and Durand, as it blasted the Warriors 11-1.
It was 5-1 after one period and 9-1 after two periods, Benedict a big part of all this as he amassed five goals and two assists, while Durand scored twice and got four assists.
Matro managed three assists as he joined Wright, Luke Dwyer and Trevor Cooke in the goal-scoring column. Nick Richards and Tommy Rioux had two assists apiece, with Jones and Walsh each getting one assist.
Then, on Friday night, WG had its final tune-up for the Syracuse showdown when it faced Rome Free Academy at Kennedy Arena.
Taking its first league blemish, the Wildcats tied the Black Knights 2-2, each side scoring once in the first two periods, but then going through the third period and overtime without breaking the deadlock.
Felix and James Schneid earned WG’s goals, with assists to fisher, Patrick Quinn and Andrew Schneid. For RFA, Jake Hall notched goal and assisted on the other, by Joey Gulla, with great work from goalie Lenny Dormio as he stopped 30 of the Wildcats’ 32 shots.
