CENTRAL NEW YORK – When the Baldwinsville ice hockey team made its way back to Skaneateles for another appearance in the Duke Schneider Memorial Tournament, it did so having survived a December at the extremes.
There was the rough start where the Bees were outscored a combined 14-1 by West Genesee and Fayetteville-Manlius, followed by easy wins over CNY Fusion and Ontario Bay where it scored 11 goals an only allowed three.
After a 5-2 defeat to Fairport on Dec. 21 the Bees took another setback two days later at Lysander when it lost a wild 6-5 decision to Broome County.
B’ville led 4-3 through one period, only to be mostly contained the rest of the way, wasting an effort where Dan Hinman and Joe Toland each netted a pair of goals, Rylan MacCollum adding one goal and one assist. Rocco Weaver had two assists and Calvin Graham a single assist.
Off for a week, B’ville returned last Monday to face Whitesboro and, this time around, found the closing kick it lacked in previous games to prevail by a 4-2 margin.
They traded goals the first two periods, but the Bees broke out of the 2-2 tie by scoring twice in the final period while its defense held Whitesboro to 20 total shots.
Those four goals came from four different players – Weaver, Dom Purtell, Tyler Machalek and Owen Hawthorne. Alessio McGrane and A.J. McPheeters would also pick up assists.
Now it was on to Skaneateles, where in Friday night’s opening round the Bees faced Section VI’s Williamsville East, who proved why it was no. 4 in the latest state Division II rankings.
The Flames were dominant, especially when it scored four times in the second period to pull awaY, and eventually stoppED B’ville 7-0 as Skaneateles, the reigning two-time state Division II champions, beat Pelham 4-0 in the other opening-round game.
So it was the Bees against the Pelicans in Saturday’s consolation game, and while it proved far closer than the opening round B’ville took a 2-1 defeat and saw its overall record drop to 3-6.
They were scoreless until the second period, when Toland broke the Bees’ drought by converting off a feed from McPheeters. Pelham scored, too, and then broke a 1-1 tie in the third to overcome 21 saves from Zach Bice
It wouldn’t get easier this week, either, B’ville taking on undefeated Rome Free Academy Tuesday at Kennedy Arena before going north Thursday to face Watertown IHC.
