LYSANDER – Start to finish, it has not proven a smooth ride for the Baldwinsville ice hockey team as it works its way toward this week’s start of the Section III Division I playoffs.

A clear indication of this turbulence was last Tuesday’s game against visiting Syracuse, where a slow start ultimately doomed the Bees in a 3-1 defeat to the Cougars.

Back on Nov. 29 at Shove Park, B’ville defeated Syracuse 4-2, and the Cougars were 4-15 coming into the rematch, but had played far better in the previous month of the season with close defeats and a win at Cicero-North Syracuse.

But if the Bees were aware of this improvement, it didn’t show in the first period, Syracuse bolting out to a 2-0 advantage – all it would need, as it turned out.

Throughout the game, the Bees had consistent pressure, yet constantly got turned back as Cougars goaltender Conor Rose stopped 26 of 27 shots.

Only Rocco Weaver’s second-period goal broke up Rose’s shutout, Conner Bourque getting the assist. That cut Syracuse’s lead to 2-1, but it blanked B’ville the rest of the way and tacked on a late insurance goal.

Nick Rayfield, Ryan Victoriano and Owen Etoll each found the net for the Cougars, with assists going to Will Glass, Drew Schneider, Gaho Shenandoah and Patrick Sheridan.

Home again Thursday night for the regular-season finale against Section V’s Fairport, the Bees again found itself in a tight, competitive contest and, again, found itself on the wrong end of a decision, falling 5-4 in overtime.

All game long, the two sides went back and forth, but B’ville, trailing 4-2 late in the third period, was able to score twice in the last three minutes with an extra attacker and an empty net.

But Fairport managed the OT game-winner, leaving the Bees at 9-11 heading into the sectional tournament, where as the no. 9 seed it meets no. 8 seed Fayetteville-Manlius in Tuesday night’s opening round at Cicero Twin Rinks.