ONONDAGA COUNTY – In the long run, the West Genesee ice hockey team’s 2021 season would largely get defined by what it did in the first two weeks of March against all of its main rivals.
Within a span of 12 days, the Wildcats would face its top Division I antagonists and then, to close it out, twice challenge the mighty Skaneateles Lakers, once at Shove Park, then again at Allyn Arena two nights later.
All of this started with last Monday’s lone regular-season encounter with Baldwinsville. Traditionally a tight and physical affair, it played out that way again, but WG was up to it on both ends, defeating the Bees 3-0.
The Wildcats had started 5-0 before surrendering a late lead and dropping a 4-3 overtime decision to Fayetteville-Manlius on Feb. 26, and were not about to let B’ville upend them, too.
WG tightened up its defense and, throughout the game’s opening stages, frustrated B’ville any time the Bees had the puck. But it couldn’t score on the other end, either, and it remained scoreless deep into the second period.
As it turned out, when Jeremy Keyes scored midway through the second, he netted the game-winner, but even more important was the goal he recorded off a rebound a mere 14 seconds into the third period.
Now trailing 2-0, B’ville kept looking for a breakthrough, but none of its 21 shots got past Wildcats goalie David Myers as Ryan Stratton added an empty-net goal with 1:24 left. Ryan Kemp got a pair of assists, with single assists credited to Anthony Felix and Braeden McNeil.
Now came Wednesday night’s battle between WG and Syracuse, the first time these neighbors had battled since the Cougars beat the Wildcats in the 2020 sectional Division I final at the War Memorial.
Despite Syracuse’s solid 7-2 mark this winter, WG would reclaim control of this rivalry, too, taking charge late in the first period and, led by Keyes,
It didn’t take long for the Wildcats to get on the board as Will Schneid struck first, assisted by Felix, only to have Syracuse get even 1-1 three minutes later.
They were still that way when, with 2:56 left in the first period and the Cougars on a power play, Keyes took the puck on a breakaway and then put a shot past Syracuse goalie Evan Carter.
Then WG made it 3-1when Keyes scored again in the last minute of the period. Now with all the momentum, Keyes completed his hat trick early in the second period off a feed from Stratton.
Any doubts about the outcome were erased when Stratton scored early in the third peiod and Keyes, who assisted on that tally, netted his fourth goal less than three minutes later, assisted by Will Shields and Jared Jaeger.
Battling to the end, Syracuse did get a couple of late goals as Owen Mahar and Ethan Petty both finished with one goal and one assist, while Matt Gilmore had the other goal and Nelson Jones picked up an assist.
The night before, Syracuse had faced the same F-M side that had beaten West Genesee, but did not have the same result, clinically successful from start to finish as it put away the Hornets 5-1.
And the loss to the Wildcats did not discourage the Cougars too much because, on Friday, it roared back to form against Cortland-Homer, pulling away for an 8-3 victory over the Golden Eagles.
That same night, WG took apart Auburn 7-0, scoring all of its goals in the last two periods after a slow start as Keyes and Schneid led the way, each scoring twice, and the defense held the Maroons to just nine shots all night.
Jaeger and Ryan Kemp both had a goal and assist, with Joe Snyder also finding the net. Mike Bergan earned a pair of assists as Stratton, Will Shields, Cam Hovater and Kyle Evanchak also had assists.
