CANTON – Small in numbers but full of talent, desire and determination, the Skaneateles girls ice hockey team survived everything the 2021-22 season threw at them to reach the heights.
Whether it was injuries, COVID-19 infections and pauses or a long-time local nemesis in Clinton it hadn’t defeated in three years, the Lakers conquered, and didn’t stop until it had the New York State regional championship in its possession.
Perhaps it was only fitting that the coronation took place at SUNY-Canton, at the same rink where Skaneateles, whose team is combined with West Genesee, won its other outright state regional title in 2017.
Even more fitting was the fact that, instead of a “Frozen Four” as in seasons past, the Lakers, in a field of five, had to win three times in a span of less than 48 hours, a test of both skill and endurance for a roster that had just 14 players.
But Skaneateles never trailed in any of the three games, including Sunday’s final, where a fast start against Section VII’s Franklin Academy translated into a 3-1 victory that capped a dominant weekend where it never trailed in 135 minutes of ice time.
Near the midway point of the first period, the Lakers went in front as freshman Scout Oudemool, the team’s leading goal-scorer, converted off a feed from Rachelle Cain, her 21st of the season.
Two minutes later it was 2-0, this time with Rachelle Cain getting the goal and her sister, Rebecca Cain, earning the assist, seeming to put the Lakers in immediate control.
To its credit, Franklin, who had never faced Skaneateles before, cut the margin to 2-1 before the first period ended, assuring that the Lakers would not in any way feel comfortable or content.
Sure enough, when it got a power play in the second period, the Lakers reclaimed its two-goal margin as the Cain sisters connected again, Rebecca with the goal and Rachelle with the assist.
Even the score didn’t reflect just how much Skaneateles was swarming the Franklin net, taking 31 shots to the opposition’s 11 in those first two periods.
But even with that kind of control, the Lakers’ defense made sure it stayed out in front during the final period, getting in front of pucks and thwarting each of Franklin’s futile rushes until time ran out and a state title could be celebrated.
It helped, in preparing for this weekend, that the Lakers had more than a week to recuperate after ending its three-year skid against Clinton when it beat the Warriors 2-0 in the Feb. 2 sectional final at Cicero Twin Rinks.
So Skaneateles was well-rested and ready when it began the state regional tournament last Friday against Section I’s East Green Wave, from Westchester County, and roared to a 5-2 victory.
Lizzy Sachar and Rachelle Cain put in first-period goals as Skaneateles took a 2-1 lead. A second-period exchange followed, Rebecca Cain converting to keep her side in front.
East Green Wave could not pull even, though, and with Oudemool and Rachelle Cain converting into the empty net as time wound down, Skaneateles advanced to the semifinal round on Saturday night. Sachar and Lilly Marquardt each got one assist as Belle Wells recorded 20 saves.
Waiting was Section VI champion Kenmore/Grand Island, from Buffalo’s northern suburbs. But even though K/GI was well-rested, the confident Lakers would nearly shut them out, eventually prevailing 4-1.
An otherwise quiet first period saw Skaneateles again go out in front, this time with Rachelle Cain finding the net and Oudemool getting the assist.
What followed was a second-period scoring blitz that decided the contest, with most of the production coming from an unlikely source.
Oudemool struck for her 20th goal of the season, but then Avery Ide, an eighth-grade defender who had not scored a goal all season, shocked Kenmore/Grand Island by converting twice. Sachar got two assists, with Oudemool, Marquardt and Rachelle Cain getting one assist apiece.
This 4-0 advantage proved too much to overcome as the Lakers’ defense held Kenmore/Grand Island to just 14 shots, 13 of which Wells stopped before surrendering a last-minute goal.
