Perhaps in ice hockey championship games, just like in movies, it’s difficult for sequels to match the original, especially if the first one went four overtimes and produced an eventual state champion.
And Monday night’s Section III Division I final at the Syracuse War Memorial didn’t follow the same long path of that epic from 12 months before, but Syracuse did not mind because, once again, it kept the title from West Genesee.
Controlling the game’s flow from start to finish and getting timely defense when it was needed, the Cougars defeated the Wildcats 3-0, earning its third consecutive sectional crown.
“We were ready,” said Syracuse head coach Neal Purcell, noting how tough late-season games against the likes of Masssena, plus its close 3-2 sectional semifinal win over Baldwinsville, prepared his team well for this night as it took 31 shots to WG’s 14.
Still, little suggested that this game would get lopsided in either direction. Not only was there the epochal 2019 sectional final to consider, but also the 1-1 tie the two teams had on Jan. 22 at Shove Park.
And the first period didn’t change those calculations. Syracuse attacked hard at the outset, and though WG settled into the game and even got a pair of power-play opportunities, it could not convert.
That it stayed 0-0 was largely due to Wildcats goaltender David Myers, who made point-blank stops on Cameron Walsh in the opening minute and also robbed Kaleb Benedict on a short-handed opportunity.
With that first goal all-important, the Cougars picked up the pressure throughout the second period, and remained patient as Myers accumulated 22 saves – but finally broke through at the 12:10 mark, Benedict one-timing a pass from Ryan Durand home for his 33rd goal and Durand’s 32nd assist of the winter.
Even bigger was what took place in the last minute of the period. To that point, Syracuse goalie Evan Carter had rarely faced many tough chances, but got one when a Cougars turnover left WG’s James Schneid right in front of the net.
Schneid made the proper move, faking left and shooting inside the right post. But he didn’t lift the puck and, those Carter was out of position, he somehow sprawled with his left pad and kept the puck from crossing the goal line.
Carter, who did not start the sectional semifinal against B’ville (Alex Moreno got the nod for that game), said he did not feel where the puck was, but the crowd’s noise confirmed that he had prevented the Wildcats from a crucial tying tally.
Officials checked the replay system the Syracuse Crunch provides at the War Memorial and upheld the save, keeping the game 1-0, and Benedict said that stop gave his side even more momentum heading to the third period.
After getting denied on three different power plays, the Cougars got a cushion when Stephan Matro ripped in a wrist shot with 6:45 to play, his 20th goal of the season as Nelson Jones earned the assist. Benedict returned to add an empty-net goal with 23 seconds left.
“We came out hard from the start and got the job done,” said Durand.
Now Syracuse will return to defend its state Division I title, traveling to Rochester Institute of Technology’s Gene Polisseni Center to face Section V champion Victor in Saturday’s regional final, which faces off at 5 p.m.
