At least to a small degree, all the pressure is off the Skaneateles boys ice hockey team when it travels to the Syracuse War Memorial for Monday night’s Section III Division II championship game against Whitesboro.

While the Lakers still want to defend its sectional title, it does not have to win that game to keep its season alive.

This winter, the New York State Public High School Athletic Assocition tournament would have an at-large bid for the team that finished second in Section III.

Thus, whoever doesn’t win between Skaneateles and Whitesboro will head downstate to face the Section I champions in Saturday’s regional round as the victor will go to Buffalo to face the Section VI champion.

All of this followed Wednesday night’s sectional semifinals at Allyn Arena, where the undefeated, state no. 1-ranked Lakers clinched its state tournament berth by blanking Cortland-Homer 4-0.

While it was a rematch of the 2019 sectional final, what was more relevant was that Skaneateles had defeated the Golden Eagles in a pair of 5-1 decisions during the regular season.

And while the margin stayed the same, this time the Lakers kept Cortland-Homer off the board, the defense limiting the Golden Eagles to 18 shots, all stopped by Adam Casper.

Meanwhile, the vaunted Sknaeateles attack was steady and consistent, getting at least one goal in each period while accumulating 46 shots on Cortland-Homer netminder Garret Clark.

Charlie Russell scored twice and added an assist, while Charlie Major had a goal and two assists. Garrett Krieger got one goal and one assist as Jack Henry and Cam Lowe also got assists.

A night earlier, state no. 4-ranked Whitesboro beat Clinton 3-1 in the other semifinal. Now it will try to avenge two regular-season defeat to Skaneateles, including a 3-2 overtime decision on Feb. 19.