Put the Skaneateles boys ice hockey team in a championship-game setting, and even if there’s an alternative route to further action this season, there’s a good chance it will still bring its best effort – which is too much for most opponents to handle.
That hunger and aggression has resulted in a second consecutive Section III Division II title, earned Monday night at the Syracuse War Memorial where the undefeated, state no. 1-ranked Lakers jumped all over Whitesboro early and went on to defeat the Warriors 5-1.
These same two teams had gone to overtime 12 days earlier at Allyn Arena, and while Skaneateles pulled out that game 3-2, Whitesboro may have walked away from it believing that it could upend the reigning state champions.
Whatever each team believed, the game had no do-or-die stakes because both teams were guaranteed berths in the state tournament due to Section III having an at-large bid – something the Lakers used to its advantage to win the state championship in 2015.
But Skaneateles was in no mood to take anyone’s backdoor to glory, especially Charlie Russell, who helped put Whitesboro away early with three points in the first period.
The Lakers went in front 6:58 into the game when the Warriors turned the puck over to Russell, whose quick pass found Garrett Krieger, and Krieger ripped a wrist shot past Whitesboro goalie Cameron Manley.
A long series of Whitesboro chances were turned back and, at the 12:24 mark, Skaneateles generated a three-on-one breakaway. Charlie Major, with the puck on the left, one-timed it to Russell at the point and he converted.
As if that wasn’t enough, Russell returned with 25.4 seconds left in the period to convert the rebound of a shot by Krieger that Manley could not hang on to in a scrum in front of the net.
Skaneateles head coach Mitch Major said that nothing in the game plan was different than the last encounter with Whitesboro, just that his team executed better.
“We just stuck to what we do well, and we knew we would be okay,” he said.
Even a 3-0 margin didn’t make the Lakers content. Jack Henry poked in a rebound of a Cole Heintz shot 2:40 into the second period, and Skaneateles kept firing away, rarely letting Whitesboro establish any sort of consistent attack as it held the Warriors to 10 shots in those first two frames while taking 29.
Krieger put in his second goal of the night early in the third period to make it 5-0, although the Lakers not able to get the shutout as Andrew Manley scored for Whitesboro with 4:07 to play.
But it was still the Lakers’ fourth sectional title in five years, with Whitesboro having to settle for that at-large berth as it would travel to face Section I’s Rye in the regional round.
The win means that Skaneateles could end up taking two weekend trips to Buffalo. First, there’s Saturday’s regional final against Section VI champion Starpoint at Buffalo State College and, if it wins there, a return to the downtown HarborCenter for the March 14-15 state “Frozen Four”.
“It’s nice to win a sectional championship,” said Russell. “But we’re not satisfied.”
“Our confidence is high,” said Mitch Major. “But we know how quickly it can end, too.”
