CENTRAL NEW YORK – Post-season has arrived for the Fayetteville-Manlius and Christian Brothers Academy/Jamesville-DeWitt ice hockey teams, with immense challenges straight ahead.
In the Hornets’ case, it will have to go through an opening-round game Tuesday against Liverpool in order to reach the quarterfinals where the top five seeds – Baldwinsville, West Genesee, Syracuse, Cicero-North Syracuse and Rome Free Academy – await.
This was despite the fact that F-M closed the regular season well last Tuesday night by going to Utica’s brand-new Nexus Center and earning a 4-1 victory over Mohawk Valley.
All of the real damage was done in the first period, F-M bolting out 3-0 in those first 17 minutes led by Noah Chen, who would record a pair of goals.
Drew Mayne and Greg Manzi both had one goal and one assist, while Brady Moore, Mike LaDuke, Tyler Mayne and Brian Tonkovich had one assist apiece. Chris Finger was superb in goal, stopping 37 of the Jugglers’ 38 shots, only surrendering a third-period goal to Lucas Cornish.
CBA/J-D, so strong earlier in the season, continued to have ups and downs late in the regular season, reflected by last Tuesday’s 6-2 loss to Ithaca at Onondaga Nation Arena.
Quinn Wimer and Logan Novak scored and assisted on each other’ goals in the first two periods, but the Little Red built a 5-2 margin, overcoming Ben Lovell’s 22 saves.
Now needing a victory to restore some of its confidence, CBA/-J-D achieved it last Thursday against Whitesboro, controlling the game’ early and late stages while defeating the Warriors 7-2.
The Brothers jumped out 2-0 and, more importantly, was able to match Whitesboro when Tyler Stivali and Memphis Ferguson put up second-period goals.
Then, from a 4-2 advantage, CBA/J-D ran away late, aided by its depth. Seven different players got those seven goals, with Wimer, Novak, Ryan Hayden, Gavin Dunford and Will Sharlow each finishing with one goal and one assist.
Finn Wheeler came up with two assists, while Griffon Filighera and Nate Vault also converted. Joe Dotterer, Jack Dement, Denver Qiao, Charlie Letourneau and James Stanton all earned assists, too.
Even better was the way the Brothers played Friday against Clinton at Meachem Rink, dominating from start to finish and blanking the Warriors 7-0.
No less than 14 CBA/J-D players got at least one point on this night, with only Stanton scoring twice and Wimer picking up three assists as Lovell stopped all 18 shots he faced.
Wheeler, Filighera, Gavin Parks and Ben Bristol-Murray each had one goal and one assist. Kyle Gaffney also converted as assists went to Dotterer, Sharlow, Qiao, Hayden Novak, Alex Binsack and Jacob Dubrey.
As the no. 3 seed in an eight-team stepladder playoff format, CBA/J-D had a first-round bye, as did no. 4 seed Clinton. The Brothers will host a second-round game in Nedrow, hoping to reach the semifinals, where no. 1 seed Skaneateles and no. 2 seed Cortland-Homer await.
