CICERO – For three long years, the Skaneateles girls ice hockey chased Clinton – and finally caught them when it really mattered.
With a pair of early goals and superb defense from start to finish, the Lakers beat the Warriors 2-0 Wednesday night at Cicero Twin Rinks to earn the Section III championship it last won back in 2019.
“We’ve gone through so much, and this means everything,” said junior captain Lizzy Sachar.
Sachar wasn’t just talking about the three years since Skaneateles last claimed a sectional title. She was also pointing out that this season has included a long list of canceled games and COVID-19 pauses that led to gaps of 11, 14 and 16 days between certain games.
Those long breaks, said goalie Isabelle Wells, “strengthened our bond” and allowed for plenty of practice time to make sure everything was sharp once the post-season rolled around.
Through it all, the Lakers fixated on finding a way to topple Clinton, something it was unable to do since the 2019 sectional title game. That included a pair of regular-season meetings this winter, one a 3-2 loss at Allyn Arena in December, the other a 2-2 tie at Clinton Arena a week before this sectional final.
In each of those games, a two-goal lead was squandered, one by each team. So no one on the Lakers felt safe even after the way it went out in front late in the first period.
Just past the 10-minute mark, Scout Oudemool was stopped on a breakaway by Warriors goalie Casey Clausen, but seconds later Oudemool passed it to Rebecca Cain, who put in the go-ahead goal.
Then, just 5.7 seconds before the period ended, the Lakers doubled the 1-0 margin when Sachar tipped home Rebecca Cain’s shot from an odd angle on the left side.
Though it would have plenty of opportunities the rest of the night, Skaneateles was unable to add to its lead – but thanks to its defense, it did not need to.
Whenever Clinton rushed, the Lakers’ back line, led by Rachelle Cain and Lilly Marquardt, got in front of pucks and prevented close-up looks. And when it did get to the net, sophomore goalie Belle Wells was there to stop them.
Wells turned back everything on this night, finishing with 26 saves, nine of them in the third period as the Warriors tried, in vain, to catch up. She said her whole focus was on preventing a Clinton goal and “I didn’t want to let that happen.”
Getting to the final did not prove difficult, Skaneateles romping past Oswego 7-1 in Monday’s sectional semifinal at Allyn Arena.
Having defeated the Buccaneers 3-1 and 6-0 in the regular season, the Lakers proved stingy again, only surrendering a second-period tally amid a decisive four-goal flurry after leading 1-0 through one.
Oudemool and Rebecca Cain both finished with two goals and one assist, with Sachar getting a goal and three assists. Rachelle Cain had a goal and two assists, with Marquardt also finding the net as Wells finished with 12 saves.
With the sectional championship in hand, Skaneateles can now turn its attention to next weekend’s state “Frozen Four” at SUNY-Canton, with the semifinals set for Feb. 12 and the final one day later.
