CENTRAL NEW YORK – One winter ago, it was the Skaneateles/West Genesee girls ice hockey team watching as Clinton grabbed the Section III championship from them and parlayed that into a state title.
Nothing of that sort was at stake in this abbreviated 2021 season, but the Lakers took a five-game win streak into its pair of showdowns with the Warriors to see who still held area supremacy.
In the first of these games Monday night at Allyn Arena, Skaneateles/WG had more opportunities, but still found itself on the wrong end of a 3-2 defeat.
Twice, the Lakers were able to convert, Lizzy Sachar netting each of the goals. Four different players – Scout Oudemool, Campbell Torrey, Lilly Marquardt and Rebecca Cain – picked up assists.
Everything else got turned back, though, as Clinton goalie Casey Clausen was superb, stopping 25 of the 27 shots Skaneateles/WG threw at her.
For her part, Isabelle Wells had 18 saves, with three Clinton players – Mia Lopata, Drew Kopek and Madison Dery – earning the Warriors’ three goals, Perri Cronk and Kelsey Fuller gaining assists.
These same two teams met again at Clinton Arena Thursday night, and here the Lakers were unable to get on the board in a 3-0 loss.
Skaneateles/WG took just 14 shots, all stopped by Clausen. Meanwhile, Wells had 24 saves, but Lopata netted two of the Warriors’ three goals and Alyssa Nardslico had the other, with Kopek, Cronk and Ella Grieco earning assists.
In between, Skaneateles/WG took on Oswego Wednesday night, and nearly saw that game get away before pulling out a 5-4 overtime victory over the Buccaneers.
Through two periods, the Lakers were up 4-2, with Rebecca Cain having a part in all four scoring plays. But Oswego caught up, having seen Mia Fierro, Alianna DiBlasi, Lily Hunter and Amelia Rastley each net goals.
Bucs goalie Nyah Dawson recorded 26 saves, but in the OT period Rebecca Cain had a part in the game-winner, her fifth point of the night as she finished with two goals and three assists.
Sachar and Torrey both picked up a pair of assists, too, with Rachelle Cain joining Torrey and Oudemool in the goal-scoring column and Molly Mahoney also earning an assist.
Overall, Skaneateles/WG went 6-2 in the eight games it faced. Torrey and Mahoney headed a small graduating class as the Lakers already are looking ahead to trying to topple Clinton in a full 2021-22 season.,
