SKANEATELES – A clash between the two reigning Section III ice hockey champions brought a lively end to the second week of the abbreviated 2021 season.
Skaneateles, undefeated in five games, met up against Syracuse at Allyn Arena and once more dominated on both sides of the ice, blanking the Cougars 8-0 for its fourth consecutive shutout.
A relatively quiet first period only saw the Lakers inch in front on Jacob French’s goal, but the 1-0 margin would change in a hurry when Skaneateles found the net five times in a decisive second period.
By the time the night was done, French had scored again, while Garrett Krieger had accumulated two goals and two assists as Charlie Major got a goal and three assists.
Mike Blowers, Drew Henderson and Drew Jensen also converted, with Colin Morrissey getting two assists. Single assists went to Luke Renaud, Henry Major and Jack Weeks.
Like they had done in previous games, the Lakers’ defense excelled, too, quieting Syracuse’s forwards as Adam Casper turned back all 18 shots he faced.
Just one day earlier, Skaneateles was challenged by Baldwinsville, off to its own 3-1 start that included a 3-2 win over Syracuse earlier in the week at Three Rivers Athletic Complex.
But the Lakers shut down the Bees 5-0, so effective with its possessions that B’ville managed only 12 shots all night.
Krieger paced a steady Skaneateles attack, notching three goals for his second hat trick of the week and adding an assist as Henderson and Charlie Major both got three assists. Renaud and Morrissey had the other goals.
And that was on the heels of last Monday’s 14-0 romp Skaneateles engineered against Liverpool, which included six-goal outbursts in each of the first two periods.
Krieger and Charlie Major both set single-game career marks for points, Krieger earning three goals and five assists and Major getting four assists to go with his hat trick. By doing so, both players topped the 100-point mark for their careers.
Renaud’s four goals gave him eight for the season, while Blowers, Jack Buff, Carter Corbett and Curran McGowan also took turns finding the net. Henderson got two assists and Henry Major had three assists.
As if all these shutouts weren’t enough, Skaneateles made it six shutouts in a row Sunday, easily handling Ontario Bay in a 10-0 decision.
Syracuse had gone through a lively stretch, starting Feb. 13 with its 3-2 win over Chrisitan Brothers Academy/Jamesville-DeWitt at State Fair Coliseum.
It was 0-0 when, in the second period, Luke Dwyer, Brady Hubbard and Nelson Jones netted goals to give the Cougars a 3-0 lead. Jameson Bucktooth earned a pair of assists.
That margin was needed, since Kodi Dotterer scored twice for CBA/J-D in the third period to cut the margin to one, but Syracuse held on, helped by 18 saves from Evan Carter.
Two nights later, in Lysander, the 2-0 Cougars met up with B’ville. Once again, the first period went without a goal on either side. But it was the Bees that grabbed the second-period initiative, going up 2-0 on goals by Sam Ciappa and Alex Pompo just 22 seconds apart.
Syracuse cut the margin to 2-1, but Pompo struck again with 1:23 left in the period. And that proved the game-winner as the Cougars again moved within one in the final period, but could not force overtime.
Yet another mid-game surge keyed Syracuse’s 4-2 win over Auburn last Wednesday afternoon as it netted three goals in the second period to overcome an early 1-0 Maroons advantage.
Bucktooth and Jones both finished with a goal and three assists, leading the attack. Matt Gilmore earned two goals, with Owen Mahar gaining two assists.
