The Shenendehowa hockey team spent a long Saturday night trying to earn an elusive berth in the state semifinals, but couldn’t quite pull it off.
Erich Haney notched the game-winning goal with 2:22 left in the third overtime to give Section III champion West Genesee a 3-2 victory over the Plainsmen in the Division I regional final at a jam-packed Shove Park in Camillus.
After a shot by forward Tim Besio bounced off Shen goalie Nathan Mellow, Haney was there for the rebound, sending the puck past Mellow to end the marathon.
We got it down to Timmy Besio in the corner, said Haney. `He took a good shot, hit the goalie and it came right off his pads. I just back-handed it right in.`
West Genesee head coach Frank Colabufo had plenty of praise for his opponent.
`Shen’s a great team,` said Colabuflo. `Fortunately, we got the bounce of the puck.`
Haney’s winning goal ended a scoring drought that lasted more than 50 minutes of ice time for the No. 2 state-ranked Wildcats.
The first period belonged to West Genesee as it tried to put things away early. Forward Ryan McConnell scored four minutes in on a highlight-reel play. McConnell stole the puck and skated down the ice with just one player to beat. He deked past the Plainsmen defender and ripped a shot top-self past Mellow to gain the early advantage.
Senior forward Conor Thompson added to the lead with 1:30 left in the opening period as he slashed down the left side and fired a shot high into the net. Junior defenseman Nate Halliwell assisted on both goals.
Shen came out fired up in the second period and tested West Genesee goaltender John Schlegel early and often. Schlegel remained flawless in the net until Plainsmen forward Adam Hitchko got his team on the board with a power play goal at the 9:16 mark.
Hitchko struck again for Shen barely three minutes into third period to tie the game at 2. That tie held up the rest of regulation, as Schlegel and Mellow took turns making superb saves.
Not only were the goalies solid, but each team’s defensive unit also continued to shine. Tim Bubnack and Ryan Michel were excellent for West Genesee, while Scott Brayden and Alec Pacheco led Shen’s back line. They also each finished with an assist.
`It’s always defense first with us,` Schlegel said. `We always make sure we do the right things and get our chances.
`The three overtimes, we were all exhausted, but the adrenaline was just pumping through us, and we knew that we had to bury our chances,` he added. `We were all confident that we would get it done.`
After two 7-minute, 30-second extra periods with no scoring, the teams went back to the locker room for a much-needed break as the ice was cleared one last time. According to state tournament rules, if neither team scores after four overtimes, then a shootout would occur.
The game was now into its fourth hour, and it was evident that fatigue was setting in on both sides. The first five minutes of the third overtime were sloppily yet evenly played until Haney ended the hard-fought and exhausting game with his 21st goal of the season.
Schlegel shined in the net for the Wildcats during a night where Shen took more than twice as many shots as West Genesee. He made 35 saves in all, while Mellow finished with 17 saves for the Plainsmen.“