NEDROW – As it fully expected to do in the wake of an undefeated regular season, the Skaneateles girls ice hockey team stormed its way to the Section III championship.
It just took a lot longer than originally planned, and storms of the winter variety had much to do with it.
When the Lakers put away Clinton 3-0 in Tuesday afternoon’s title game, it was at Onondaga Nation Arena a full five days and three location shifts after it was supposed to be played.
Back on Feb. 13, Skaneateles was to meet Clinton at Cicero Twin Rinks. Then the first of many winter snows forced a postponement until Monday night at the tail end of the holiday weekend, on the Lakers’ home ice at Allyn Arena.
When sectional officials decided that it would be better not to have any team play a sectional final on home ice, the venue changed to Oswego’s Crisafulli Rink – but that turned into a moot point when even heavier winter snows meant yet another delay.
Finally the snow stopped long enough for the Lakers and Comets to get to Nedrow, where Clinton hoped to have a different result after three different regular-season meetings where Skaneateles won by a combined 8-1 margin.
Yet right from the opening face-off it was evident that much of the game would take place in Clinton’s end, Skaneateles applying all sorts of pressure on Comets goaltender Emily Payne and converting early in the first period with Lily Kennedy’s goal.
Payne did everything in her considerable power to keep Cilnton within range, eventually amassing 46 saves. Yet her defensive teammates rarely were able to clear the puck, meaning Skaneateles could afford to stay quite patient.
Late in the second Kennedy aimed for her second goal and, off yet another Payne stop, Grace Marquardt swooped in to convert the rebound and make it 2-0. Now with a cushion, the Lakers would get a clinching goal from Liz Schneid in the final period, with Kendra Garlock and Genevieve Smart earning assists.
