CENTRAL NEW YORK – Colder weather means the return of ice hockey – and in this area, it means seeing the best that New York State could offer, at least at the high school level.
Skaneateles and West Genesee again start out as defending Section III champions and the Lakers, in particular, seem to have no equals as two-time defending state Division II champions widely expected to go for a three-peat.
As if to further prove this point, Skaneateles took to the ice at Allyn Arena last Tuesday night and opened its season pounding CBA/Jamesville-DeWitt by a 6-1 margin.
No single scoring rush defined this game. Instead, the Lakers methodically built its margin, going up 2-0 after one period and doubling it to 4-0 by the third, where it finally surrennded a goal but scored twice more.
Luke Mizro was at the forefront throughout the night, netting three goals for a hat trick and adding an assist as Braedan Taggart converted twice to go with an assist.
The other goal went to Addison Taggart, while Tyler Calkins and Kaden Rutledge got two assists. Single assists went to Cole Palmer, Luke Bobbett, Jack Bobbett and Asher Kozub.
It was much the same when Skaneateles took on Cortland-Homer Friday afternoon, only here the opposition didn’t even get on the board as the Lakers got an 8-0 shutout of the Golden Eagles.
More than making up for a quiet start, the Lakers broke open a 1-0 game with five goals in the second period, and all the while Luke Bobbett kept making great passes, setting a new career mark with five assists.
Gaining his own hat trick, Palmer netted three goals and earned two assists. Mizro scored twice and earned one assist, with Rutledge, Luke Logan and Tye Kennedy also converting. Calkins and Braedan Taggart had single assists.
Back on Tuesday night, West Genesee, again defending the sectional Division I title this winter, began at Utica’s Nexus Center, where it blanked Mohawk Valley 6-0.
As it has shown many times before, the Wildcats can overwhelm an opponent with its depth. Five different players netted goals, with only Matt Schneid scoring twice.
Jonah Vormwold, Christian Ball, Carson Berg and Parker Berg also found the net. Schneid, Vormald and Ball were joined in the assist column by Riley McAloon, Hunter Cole, Chace Cogan, Nick Meluni, Jacob Pensabene, Jackson Pensabene and Mike Vetter. Luke Beck, in goal, stopped all 11 shots he faced.
Then on Tuesday night WG would take on Skaneateles in the opening round of the Wildcats’ Ice Breaker Tournament, a clash of champions which follows Syracuse taking on Fayetteville-Manlius.
The Cougars, which has several players from local high schools, opened last Friday against CBA/J-D and lost 3-2 in overtime after exchanges of goals in the first and third periods.
Nick Rayfield netted both of Syracuse’s goals, with Drew Schnedier and Jason Borte getting assists. Conor Rose, returning in goal, recorded 30 saves as CBA/J-D got goals from Griffin Filighera, Logan Novak and Ryan Hayden.
