CENTRAL NEW YORK – This was a week where the Baldwinsville ice hockey team had to get things right if it was serious about making any noise in the area Division I ranks – and it did, helped by a pair of comebacks.
Of the three games on the Bees’ slate just one was in league play, against Mohawk Valley last Thursday night at Three Rivers Athletic Complex, and it was in jeopardy for quite a while before the Bees made a spirited late-game comeback to earn a 5-4 victory over the Jugglers.
A pair of second-period goals by Mohawk Valley broke a 1-1 tie. Trailing 3-1 going to the third, B’ville sprang an all-out attack, catching up and overtaking the Jugglers with Mitch Burlingame at the forefront and Zach Bice working his total to 28 saves.
Burlingame completed his three-goal hat trick in this late charge, with Rocco Weaver getting a goal and two assists. Rylan MacCollum had the other goal, with Dom Derito, Dan Hinman and Alessio McGrane earning two assists apiece and single assists going to A.J. McPheeters and Joe Toland.
Tuning up for Mohawk Valley the Bees faced Auburn in a non-league game last Monday in Lysander and, for once, had a comfortable victory, though it required a late surge to put away the Maroons 5-1.
Ryan Maher’s goal helped Auburn stay close and only trail 2-1 through one period, and it stayed that way until the third as Maroons goalie Jonah Young frustrated B’ville on his way to 31 saves.
But in the final period the Bees wore Auburn’s defense down, leading to a trio of goals as, ultimately, five different players found the net for B’ville.
Leading the charge, Burlingame and Toland each had one goal and one assist, with Weaver getting two assists. MacCollum, Jake Dubois and Tom Rolfe also earned goals, with Hinman, Keegan Crowley and Owen Hawthorne joining the assist column. Chase Brooks stopped 21 of the 22 shots he faced in goal.
In the Southern Tier on Saturday B’ville faced Broome County, and just like it did with Mohawk Valley the Bees had to come from behind, this time going to overtime to pull it out in another 5-4 decision.
Broome seized an early advantage and still found itself in front 4-3 going to the third. Once more, though, the Bees had the closing kick, blanking Broome the rest of the way and tying it late in regulation before the OT game-winner.
Another road trip awaits Monday, the Bees going for its fourth win in a row against Cazenovia at Colgate University’s Alumni Arena before going north to face Watertown IHC Wednesday and hosting New Hartford on Saturday afternoon.