ONONDAGA COUNTY – Late in recent winter evenings, the Baldiwnsville ice hockey team has continued to amass victories, keeping itself planted atop the area Division I rankings.
With a showdown on home ice against defending sectional champion West Genesee looming at month’s end, the Bees did not want to trip up in any of the games leading up to it.
Back on Jan. 13, B’ville hosted Cazenovia in Lysander, and it turned into another tough, close battle that the Bees were able to pull out 2-0 over the Lakers.
From the outset, B’ville attacked the Lakers hard, taking 13 shots in the first period. Tucker Ives stopped 12 of them, only giving up Keegan Lynch’s goal midway through the frame.
On the other end, Cazenovia pressured, too, taking nine shots, but Jon Schirmer stopped all of them for the Bees and would remain stingy through a second period where neither side would convert.
Through much of the third period, the Lakers kept it 1-0, Ives working his total to 25 saves, yet his teammates were unable to nab the tying goal as B’ville doubled its margin in the late stages thanks to Nick Cary’s insurance goal.
Fernando Moreno and Jamie Gipe each got credit for assists, and B’ville only allowed 14 shots that Jon Shirmer was able to stop as he matched Nate Sotherden’s shutout from the Jan. 7 win at Skaneateles in the final of the Duke Schneider Tournament.
Back in league action last Wednesday night at the Twin Rinks, B’ville took on Cicero-North Syracuse and, doubling its production, was able to beat the Northstars 4-1 for its 11th consecutive win.
The Bees jumped out to a 2-0 advantage by the end of the first period, then absorbed Chase Mearon’s second-period tally and answered it, adding another insurance goal in the third.
Four different players – Moreno, Brayden Penafeather-Stevenson, Nolan Burlingame and Brady Garcia – netted those four goals, with Gipe, Garrett Sutton and Leo Vona joining Penafeather-Stevenson and Morenon in the assist column. Schrimer again was superb in the net, stopping 24 of the 25 shots he faced.
After last Saturday’s game with Fairport was postponed, the Bees would play just once this week, hosting Liverpool on Wednesday, its last game before the West Genesee clash.
