LYSANDER – Eight years removed from its last Section III Division I championship, the Baldwinsville ice hockey team will need to conquer its most visible and obvious rival one more time to end that drought.
On Monday night at Upstate Medical University Arena at the War Memorial, it is the Bees against West Genesee again in the sectional final, each side having won once in their regular-season encounters.
Ever since falling to the Wildcats on Nov. 30, B’ville had not lost – a 19-game unbeaten run that continued Thursday afternoon when it topped Cicero-North Syracuse 4-0 in the sectional semifinal at Lysander.
Entering the game, the Northstars carried its own modest hot streak, having won five in a row, including an impressive 7-2 win over Rome Free Academy in the sectional quarterfinals on Feb. 16.
However, when these teams met Jan. 18 at the Twin Rinks, B’ville had won 4-1, and from the outset in this playoff rematch leaned again on the strengths that had guided the Bees throughout the winter.
That started with defense, a unit anchored by goaltender Jon Schirmer but including Garrett Sutton, Trevor Sutton, Leonardo Vona and other back-line players who turned away most of what C-NS tried to establish.
What helped in their cause was seeing the Bees grab a 2-0 lead by the end of the first period. Working with a lead, the defense continued to play at a high level, limiting the Northstars to 18 shots, all stopped by Schirmer.
Meanwhile, B’ville doubled its margin and, again, spread the production around, the attack anchored by Keegan Lynch, who got a goal and two assists.
Brayden Penafeather-Stevenson, Harrison Bragg and Nolan Burlingame also got goals, with Jake Gipe getting two assists as Nick Cary and Jamie Gipe also earned assists.
Ironically, West Genesee beat Syracuse in the other semifinal by that same 4-0 margin, only adding to the anticipation for the championship game between the two sides that have dominated area large-school ice hockey all winter.
