CENTRAL NEW YORK – As 2023 neared its end, the Skaneateles boys ice hockey team remained unbeaten, remained no. 2 in the state Division II rankings and were set to challenge no. 1 Pelham at its own Duke Schneider Memorial Tournament.
Moving to 8-0 on the season last Thursday night, the Lakers met Clinton at Allyn Arena and, once again, displayed an attack that was impossible to contain during a 7-3 win over the Comets.
Having outscored its previous four opponents by a combined 35-1 margin, Skaneateles would score three times in each of the first two periods against Clinton, building a 6-1 advantage.
What was more, it was spread around, with 11 different players getting at least one point and only Trevor Jensen scoring twice, adding an assist. Cole Palmer had two assists, with Andrew Falkenberg and Kaden Rutledge each earning a pair of asissts.
Andrew Gaglione and Casey Morrissey both finished with one goal and one assist. Sean Kerwick, Braedan Taggart and Cullen Heintz each scored, too, with single assists going to Jack Marquardt and Luke Mizro.
This happened on the same night as the Skaneateles girls ice hockey team went north to face Alexandria and, combining a fast start with first-rate defense, gained a 3-0 victory.
It was 2-0 by the end of the first period, and the Lakers controlled the flow of play throughout the night, only allowing six shots.
Finley Hogan, with a goal and assist, led a well-balanced attack where Cora Major and Lily Kennedy also picked up goals and Rylee Catalano added an assist.
Impressive as this was, what the Lakers did a day later against Potsdam was even better, Skaneateles reaching double digits on the way to a 10-1 romp over the Sandstoners.
This was a gradual effort, Skaneateles grabbing a 2-0 advantage through one period but then scoring four times in each of the next two frames led by Kennedy and her three-goal hat trick, along with Kendra Garlock and Makayla Barron both earning three assists.
Seven different Lakers had goals, with Hogan converting twice and Grace Marquardt getting a goal and two assists. Major, Josie Rioux and Evelyn McNally had matching totals of one goal and one assist as Sophia Browning converted, too, and single assists went to Catalano, Sakura Dotterer and Jessica Savage.
An up-and-down season for Syracuse continued last Thursday at Kennedy Arena, where Rome Free Academy, emerging as the top challenger to state champion West Genesee in Division I, rode exceptional special teams to shut out the Cougars 3-0.
They played through a scoreless first period and were still 0-0 when, midway through the second, a Syracuse power play backfired when RFA’s John Sharrino scored short-handed.
Seconds later and still a man down, the Black Knights made it 2-0 when Sharrino converted again. The Cougars were unable to recover, RFA adding a third goal on the power play from Jacob Bruno early in the third period.
