ONONDAGA COUNTY –
After a winter where both of them had mostly handled whatever competition was in front of them, the Skaneateles and West Genesee boys ice hockey teams twice got together in a 48-hour span to offer a proper climax to the 2021 season.
When it was done, the Lakers had completed yet another season without a blemish and had run its remarkable unbeaten streak to 58 games, but only after the Wildcats made them work hard for it and, in the latter of the two games Friday night, rescued a dramatic 3-3 tie.
That rematch at Allyn Arena was the last appearance for five Skaneateles seniors – Drew Henderson, Jacob French, Ben Clymer, Cole Kennedy and goaltender Adam Casper. Each of them had their parents on hand as the other Lakers players were allowed to have one spectator, too.
They saw a classic where Luke Renaud put Skaneateles in front 2:28 into the game, only to have Will Schneid answer for WG off a feed from James Schneid to get the Wildcats on the board.
A power-play goal by Charlie Major late in the first period put the Lakers back in front, yet that got answered, too, as Ryan Stratton pushed in a rebound at the end of a WG power play 1:11 into the second period.
For the third time, the Lakers went in front when Jack Weeks powered in a shot from the left point, and for a third time WG rallied to pull even, this time with Jeremy Keyes poking a rebound past Casper.
Throughout the third period and overtime, play turned physical as the game assumed a state championship-like intensity, neither side wanting to end up on the losing end.
Both the Wildcats and Lakers killed off power plays late in regulation and the five-minute OT period, and David Myers kept frustrating Skaneateles as the WG goaltender made a string of clutch stops, ultimately earning 23 saves.
Two nights earlier at Shove Park, Skaneateles prevailed 4-1 in a contest far closer most of the way than where it ended up.
WG was denied an immediate lead by Casper’s point-blank save in the opening minute, the best chance either side had in a scoreless first period.
Out-shot early, Skaneateles turned up its pressure and dominated the second period, taking 18 shots to the Wildcats’ three and grabbing the lead on Garrett Krieger’s hard shot from the left circle off a faceoff won by Connor Morrissey.
But when James Schneid capitalized on a Lakers turnover and scored with 35 seconds left in the period, WG had escaped the frame 1-1.
Now it was Skaneateles’ turn to clamp down, rarely letting the Wildcats get opportunities in the third period and killing a WG power play after Charlie Major netted the go-ahead goal with 8:38 to play.
Off a breakaway, Carter Corbett nabbed the all-important insurance tally with 2:34 left, and Clymer added an empty-net goal in the final seconds. Myers had 29 saves.
Before all this, WG faced Cortland-Homer at Allyn Arena (where the Golden Eagles had home games this winter), got a fight from the outset and had to work hard to salvage a 2-2 tie.
Keyes and Ryan Considine netted goals and assisted on each other’s scoring plays as James Schneid, back from injury, and Anthony Felix also got assists.
With that, the Wildcats led 2-1 going to the third period, but Cortland-Homer tied it and pressured hard to go in front, but WG salvaged the draw helped by Myers stopping 28 of the Golden Eagles’ 30 shots.
Also, the Syracuse Cougars completed a successful season with a 9-3 overall record, finishing last Thursday with a 4-0 shutout of the Oswego Buccaneers.
Evan Carter stopped all 15 shots he faced. Jamesson Bucktooth and Matt Gilmore each had a goal and two assists as Brady Hubbard and Nelson Jones both had one goal and one assist. Owen Mahar and Luke Dwyer also had assists.
