Last year was a three-peat season for Mitch Major's Skaneateles hockey team. But a second-place finish for the third straight year wasn't exactly the hat trick he was hoping for. This year, the Lakers have their sights set on No. 1.
Glenn Gaston / Special to The Citizen
Skaneateles' Erik Stevens, left, and Auburn's Brad Murdoch battle for possession of the puck during a scrimmage on Friday, Nov. 16 in Skaneateles.
Skaneateles' Erik Stevens, left, and Auburn's Brad Murdoch battle for possession of the puck during a scrimmage on Friday, Nov. 16 in Skaneateles.
Not so fast.
Major, whose Lakers are off to a 1-1 start after a tournament in Buffalo over the weekend, understands the importance of setting goals - a league title is toward the top of the list - but he also doesn't want to get ahead of himself.
“Sometimes when you're too positive too early, you don't have anywhere to go,” Major said. “No one is in the great habits yet, and it's hard to be positive when you know they can be better.”
If last year's performance was any indication - a season in which the Lakers went 12-3 in Division II West (16-7 overall) - then yes, the Lakers can get even better.
Skaneateles' two most dangerous scorers return to the lineup in Keith Buehler and Tory Cole. Buehler, who had 25 goals and 29 assists in 23 games last year, will wear the captain's “C” as a junior.
“I think that the Keith Buehler you saw last year was great, but now that he's a captain, he can be a great player and great leader,” Major said of the standout center, who has scored twice in two games this year. “I think sometimes you can get caught up in your own little world, but he's looking out for younger players, stepping up and voicing his displeasure; at the same time he's supporting all the players. He wasn't as vocal last year and he's embraced that role.”
Buehler and Cole (18 goals, 8 assists last season and an alternate captain this year) will be relied upon to make an impact. But Major knows they won't be able to go it alone.
“They're the two guys we look to score goals,” he said. “In order for us to get over the hump and win a league championship, it's not all on their shoulders. We need some contributions from other forwards.”
Kaj Beck-Anderson is one of those forwards Major hopes will make his mark this season. The senior got off to a slow start a season ago before finishing strong, and Major is optimistic he'll see big things from No. 9. Major also expects senior Sean Morley and junior Patrick Emmer make some noise on the offensive end.
Patrolling the blue line will be co-captain Matt Wood and alternate Erik Stevens, both seniors.
“They're both hard-nosed players who just got off of football season,” Major said. “They're just two guys that mentally are tough, and when it comes to senior leadership - and more specifically defensemen - that's what you look for.”
They also have depth. During the tournament over the weekend, Wood (2 goals, 19 assists last year) and Stevens saw limited ice time and some young guns got a chance to impress their coach. Major liked what he saw, calling it a “bright future” for the Lakers if his young blue-liners continue to work hard and develop. For now, though, his top four consists of Wood and Stevens, with a trio of veterans vying for the final two spots: juniors Ryan Callahan and Lex Johnson and sophomore Zach Augustine.
Between the pipes will again be Alex Richichi, a sophomore who saw great success as a freshman last year.
“He exceeded his expectations as well as everybody's” Major said of the rookie's performance. “When a young player like that has success, they just expect it to happen again. Alex understands that it was really hard work last year. If he continues to do that, he's only going to improve.”
The Lakers host Clinton in their home opener Friday night on “Duke Schneider Night.” Skaneateles will honor the long-time assistant coach and team manager with a video of his final trip around the ice in the hearse to the bagpipes playing “Amazing Grace.” The scorer's booth will also be dedicated to Schneider.
AUBURN MAROONS
How do you replace a 37-goal scorer?
Mike Lowe hopes to do it with three solid lines.
“We didn't have enough people chipping in last year,” the Auburn hockey coach said a year after Matt Chadderdon dominated Division I West as a senior for the Maroons (8-4-2 league 13-8-3 overall). “If all you got to do is shut down one guy to win, it's too easy. If we get more guys chipping in, we'll be more effective offensively as a team. We're looking to have six, seven guys #) three scoring lines.”
With the lineup the Maroons boast this year, it wouldn't be surprising at all to see it happen.
With the likes of seniors Kevin Festa, Brendan Lewis and Sean Hogan mixed together with junior Reggie Townsend and sophomores Matt Festa, Brandon Morgan and Andrew Chadderdon - all of whom have varsity experience already - the Maroons will have a multi-dimensional offense that can produce from top to bottom.
In particular, the Maroons will need to lean on their upper classmen.
“In high school sports, without senior leadership, it's harder for a program to succeed,” Lowe said. “It's important that our seniors lead from the front. If they can do that, we'll have a successful season.”
Auburn (0-2) got off to a rocky start in its opening weekend, but there's no need to push the panic button. For starters, the Maroons played some top competition in Albany-CBA and Shenendehowa - a perennial top-five team in the state. Not to mention the Maroons did it without their top two defensemen and one of their top forwards. Kevin Festa and senior blue-liner Chris Clifford both missed the game with knee injuries, and sophomore defenseman J.T. Foltz was also absent from the lineup. That left four defensemen out of five who had never played a shift of defense on a varsity squad: three freshman and senior Scott Garrett, a forward who was converted to defense within the last week.
So to come out of the weekend with a 3-2 overtime loss and a 4-1 loss didn't have Lowe discouraged at all.
“Right now we're worried about getting better, and we did that over the weekend,” Lowe said. “Overall it was a good weekend.”
One of the things that stood out for Lowe was the team's play in the defensive zone. Lowe pointed specifically to the Shenendehowa game, a 4-1 loss. The Maroons trailed 3-1 after the first period, but were able to tighten up the play in their own end for the remainder; something Lowe said is essential to winning in a competitive league.
“That's the key - get everybody on the team thinking defense,” Lowe said. “If you can't get out of your own zone, you can't get into the offensive zone. We gave up goals early on, and we solved some of those issues. That's promising.”
It also helps having Tommy Trowell between the pipes. The junior was a second-team all-league selection last season, and Lowe anticipates another solid season from his netminder. His backup is returning keeper Steve Komanecky.
Auburn will be tested early and often, with the Maroons facing a tough non-league schedule that continues with Cazenovia Wednesday night. Auburn then kicks off league competition with a home game against Ithaca, the defending state champs.
Major, whose Lakers are off to a 1-1 start after a tournament in Buffalo over the weekend, understands the importance of setting goals - a league title is toward the top of the list - but he also doesn't want to get ahead of himself.
“Sometimes when you're too positive too early, you don't have anywhere to go,” Major said. “No one is in the great habits yet, and it's hard to be positive when you know they can be better.”
If last year's performance was any indication - a season in which the Lakers went 12-3 in Division II West (16-7 overall) - then yes, the Lakers can get even better.
Skaneateles' two most dangerous scorers return to the lineup in Keith Buehler and Tory Cole. Buehler, who had 25 goals and 29 assists in 23 games last year, will wear the captain's “C” as a junior.
“I think that the Keith Buehler you saw last year was great, but now that he's a captain, he can be a great player and great leader,” Major said of the standout center, who has scored twice in two games this year. “I think sometimes you can get caught up in your own little world, but he's looking out for younger players, stepping up and voicing his displeasure; at the same time he's supporting all the players. He wasn't as vocal last year and he's embraced that role.”
Buehler and Cole (18 goals, 8 assists last season and an alternate captain this year) will be relied upon to make an impact. But Major knows they won't be able to go it alone.
“They're the two guys we look to score goals,” he said. “In order for us to get over the hump and win a league championship, it's not all on their shoulders. We need some contributions from other forwards.”
Kaj Beck-Anderson is one of those forwards Major hopes will make his mark this season. The senior got off to a slow start a season ago before finishing strong, and Major is optimistic he'll see big things from No. 9. Major also expects senior Sean Morley and junior Patrick Emmer make some noise on the offensive end.
Patrolling the blue line will be co-captain Matt Wood and alternate Erik Stevens, both seniors.
“They're both hard-nosed players who just got off of football season,” Major said. “They're just two guys that mentally are tough, and when it comes to senior leadership - and more specifically defensemen - that's what you look for.”
They also have depth. During the tournament over the weekend, Wood (2 goals, 19 assists last year) and Stevens saw limited ice time and some young guns got a chance to impress their coach. Major liked what he saw, calling it a “bright future” for the Lakers if his young blue-liners continue to work hard and develop. For now, though, his top four consists of Wood and Stevens, with a trio of veterans vying for the final two spots: juniors Ryan Callahan and Lex Johnson and sophomore Zach Augustine.
Between the pipes will again be Alex Richichi, a sophomore who saw great success as a freshman last year.
“He exceeded his expectations as well as everybody's” Major said of the rookie's performance. “When a young player like that has success, they just expect it to happen again. Alex understands that it was really hard work last year. If he continues to do that, he's only going to improve.”
The Lakers host Clinton in their home opener Friday night on “Duke Schneider Night.” Skaneateles will honor the long-time assistant coach and team manager with a video of his final trip around the ice in the hearse to the bagpipes playing “Amazing Grace.” The scorer's booth will also be dedicated to Schneider.
AUBURN MAROONS
How do you replace a 37-goal scorer?
Mike Lowe hopes to do it with three solid lines.
“We didn't have enough people chipping in last year,” the Auburn hockey coach said a year after Matt Chadderdon dominated Division I West as a senior for the Maroons (8-4-2 league 13-8-3 overall). “If all you got to do is shut down one guy to win, it's too easy. If we get more guys chipping in, we'll be more effective offensively as a team. We're looking to have six, seven guys #) three scoring lines.”
With the lineup the Maroons boast this year, it wouldn't be surprising at all to see it happen.
With the likes of seniors Kevin Festa, Brendan Lewis and Sean Hogan mixed together with junior Reggie Townsend and sophomores Matt Festa, Brandon Morgan and Andrew Chadderdon - all of whom have varsity experience already - the Maroons will have a multi-dimensional offense that can produce from top to bottom.
In particular, the Maroons will need to lean on their upper classmen.
“In high school sports, without senior leadership, it's harder for a program to succeed,” Lowe said. “It's important that our seniors lead from the front. If they can do that, we'll have a successful season.”
Auburn (0-2) got off to a rocky start in its opening weekend, but there's no need to push the panic button. For starters, the Maroons played some top competition in Albany-CBA and Shenendehowa - a perennial top-five team in the state. Not to mention the Maroons did it without their top two defensemen and one of their top forwards. Kevin Festa and senior blue-liner Chris Clifford both missed the game with knee injuries, and sophomore defenseman J.T. Foltz was also absent from the lineup. That left four defensemen out of five who had never played a shift of defense on a varsity squad: three freshman and senior Scott Garrett, a forward who was converted to defense within the last week.
So to come out of the weekend with a 3-2 overtime loss and a 4-1 loss didn't have Lowe discouraged at all.
“Right now we're worried about getting better, and we did that over the weekend,” Lowe said. “Overall it was a good weekend.”
One of the things that stood out for Lowe was the team's play in the defensive zone. Lowe pointed specifically to the Shenendehowa game, a 4-1 loss. The Maroons trailed 3-1 after the first period, but were able to tighten up the play in their own end for the remainder; something Lowe said is essential to winning in a competitive league.
“That's the key - get everybody on the team thinking defense,” Lowe said. “If you can't get out of your own zone, you can't get into the offensive zone. We gave up goals early on, and we solved some of those issues. That's promising.”
It also helps having Tommy Trowell between the pipes. The junior was a second-team all-league selection last season, and Lowe anticipates another solid season from his netminder. His backup is returning keeper Steve Komanecky.
Auburn will be tested early and often, with the Maroons facing a tough non-league schedule that continues with Cazenovia Wednesday night. Auburn then kicks off league competition with a home game against Ithaca, the defending state champs.
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