ONONDAGA COUNTY – Within a few games’ time the Baldwinsville ice hockey team should work out all of the mistakes and bad plays which mark any team’s early-season journey.
Whether that’s enough to eventually catch West Genesee atop the area Division I ranks is an entirely different matter.
It was just the Bees’ fortune that its originally scheduled season opener Dec. 6 against Cortland-Homer was postponed by winter weather, meaning that it had to deal with the Wildcats as it visited Lysander last Tuesday night.
From the outset it was all WG, who with its seasoned lineup and plenty of successful game action in the books did not let up until it had prevailed 9-1, one of the most lopsided scores in this long-time rivalry.
All the Wildcats had done in the first two weeks of the season was rout Mohawk Valley and then knock off reigning two-time state Division II champion Skaneateles and Syracuse to win its own Ice Breaker Tournament at Shove Park.
Here WG would jump out 4-0 on B’ville by the end of the first period, then keep adding to its margin until Mitch Burlingame broke up the shutout in the third period, the assist credited to Joe Toland.
Zach Bice and Chase Brooks faced 44 shots between them, with Brooks getting 24 saves and Bice 11 saves. Jacob Pensabene led the Wildcats with a three-goal hat trick and six others had single goals, with Christian Ball, Nick Meluni and Kaiden McBride earning two assists apiece.
Without much time to recover, B’ville had to face Fayetteville-Manlius Thursday night at Cicero Twin Rinks – and did not get on the board in this game, shut out 5-0 by the Hornets.
Most of the damage was done in a three-goal second period. Between them, Brooks and Bice had 22 saves, and none of B’ville’s 23 shots got past Hornets goalie Sean Lemarche as Will Sanzone led F-M’s attack with two goals and two assists.
Three times this week the Bees would get a chance to rebound, meeting CNY Fusion Monday at Fulton Arena before hosting Ontario Bay on Wednesday and going west to face Fairport on Saturday afternoon.
