ONONDAGA COUNTY – One more time, the Christian Brothers Academy/Jamesville-DeWitt ice hockey took to its home ice at State Fair Coliseum, with the stated goal of reaching the Section III Division II semifinal round.
As the no. 4 seed, the Brothers had the last bye in an eight-team field where the top two seeds, Skaneateles and Cortland-Homer, went straight to the semifinals.
CBA/J-D avoided having to play a first-round game, so it had a chance to rest and watch as New Hartford (over Clinton) and Whitesboro (over Oswego) won their respective playoff openers.
Since the Spartans had the no. 5 seed and the Warriors the no. 6 seed, CBA/J-D, the no. 4 seed, would meet New Hartford in Friday’s quarterfinal round, and did just enough to hold off the Spartans 4-3.
The Brothers found itself tied, 1-1, going into the second period, where it kept New Hartford off the board and converted twice to go in front.
Led by Will Gall, who scored twice, the Spartans pulled back within one in the final period, but could not force overtime as each of Joe Salvador’s 24 saves proved important.
Taking 39 shots, CBA/J-D had four different players – Ty Parker, Joe Dotterer, Quinn Wimer and G.P. Giamartino – pick up the four goals. Giamartino also had an assist, joined in that column by Nate Vault, Alex Binsack, Finn Wheeler and Gavin Parks.
Now the Brothers would try and upend reigning state champion and top seed Skaneateles in Tuesday’s semifinal at Allyn Arena, the winner to get Cortland-Homer or Whitesboro in next Monday’s sectional final at Upstate Medical Arena.
Up in Division I, a 12-team field meant that Fayetteville-Manlius, holding the no. 7 seed, would have to play in the first round against no. 10 seed Fulton Tuesday at the Coliseum. The Hornets rallied to beat the Red Raiders 4-2, not taking the lead until the third period.
Colden Ives gave F-M an early 1-0 edge in the first period, with assists to Jonas Oesterle and Joey Leveroni, but Fulton tied it two minutes later and then went up 2-1 early in the second, Anthony Rescignano and Gavin Rodman netting goals and assisting on each other’s scoring plays.
Absorbing this, the Hornets pulled back even, 2-2, as Oesterle scored off Charlie Lorraine’s feed, and Ives returned to net the go-ahead goal with six minutes left in the second.
F-M’s defense controlled things from there, Chris Finger working his total to 32 saves and the Hornets withstanding all that Fulton threw at them before Leveroni converted an empty-net goal in the closing stages.
Now the Hornets would challenge no. 2 seed Baldwinsville in Thursday’s quarterfinals, trying to avenge a 3-0 loss to the Bees early in December – and getting really close to pulling it off before falling to the Bees in another 4-2 decision.
B’ville was without its leading scorer, Matt Carner, and it could not build upon an early goal by Brayden Penafeather-Stevenson as F-M kept it 1-0 through one period.
During the second, the Bees had a host of chances, but Finger turned them all away and Nico Capriotti put one past Patrick Morgan, the Hornets tied it, 1-1, where it stayed headed to the third period.
A quick early burst put B’ville ahead for good as Trevor Sutton and Matt Fawwaz scored seconds apart. F-M didn’t go away, though, cutting it to 3-2 on Jack Lalik’s goal, but not able to tie it as Keegan Lynch hit on an empty-net clincher with eight seconds to play.
Lalik assisted on Capriotti’s goal as Leveroni, Lorraine and Gavin Patnode also earned assists and Finger finished with 42 saves. F-M’s season concluded with an 8-13 record.
