Trevor Krzemien, St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute
Photo by Andrew Miller
Nothing says ice hockey season like bone-chilling wind chills and a regular dose of winter storms.
With that in mind, it’s definitely the height of hockey season in New York, from eastern Long Island, which saw as much as 30 inches of snowfall last week, to upstate New York, which is experiencing its usual deluge of snow and ice.
So sit back, relax, grab a hot chocolate, and take a look at some big upcoming games you will want to brave the elements to attend.
Williamsville North vs. St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute (Buffalo), Feb. 5This late night affair, set for a 9 p.m. opening faceoff, is a key one for both teams. St. Joseph (14-4) is alone at the top in Section 6 Division 1, with Williamsville North (9-5) is right behind.
Scarsdale vs. Suffern, Feb. 6When you think “Friday Night Lights” with these programs, you think hockey. This 7:15 p.m. contest features Scarsdale (14-0), off to the best start in program history, squaring off against the most successful program in Section 1 of late – the 2012 state champion Mounties. Scarsdale has a superb feeder/finisher in
James Nicholas. Suffern (8-4-1) has been lifted by the hot hand of
Justin Tiso.
Skaneateles vs. Christian Brothers Academy-Jamesville DeWitt, Feb. 6This is for first place in the American Conference, with both teams having one loss and one tie in league play. CBA-JD, which won the 2013 state championship, is off to a 13-1-2 start overall behind the red-hot scoring of Ryan Durkin. Skaneateles is 13-2-1. The teams skated to a 3-3 tie in their first meeting on Dec. 17 with Durkin, Peter Dziergas and Zach Taylor scoring for CBA-JD. Reggie Buell, Cullen McGlynn and James Motyl scored for Skaneateles. Both goalies – CBA-JD’s Gabe Vinal (37 saves) and Skaneateles’ Kyle Ochsner (20 saves) – were outstanding.
Canisius (Buffalo) vs. Williamsville North (Williamsville), Feb. 7A big week for Williamsville North wraps up with another big rivalry game against Canisius (11-4-1) in this 1 p.m. battle. Canisius is an experienced group with nine seniors and 11 juniors.
Auburn vs. Skaneateles, Feb. 10Skaneateles faces another huge test against an Auburn team that saw a nine-game win streak end in a 6-3 loss to Christian Brothers Academy-Jamesville DeWitt. Auburn has been lifted by the scoring of Kaiden Tubbert and goaltending of CJ Panek.
Beekmantown (Plattsburgh) vs. Lake Placid, Feb. 11Goaltender Ben Frederick has recorded five shutouts for Beekmantown, which is off to a 14-0 start and ranked No. 1 in the state in Division II. Lake Placid, No. 10 in the state rankings, has lost just once and will have the advantage of being on its home ice for this one at the Olympic Center.
Rye vs. Pelham Memorial, Feb. 11The Playland Ice Arena is one of the special venues for hockey in the Hudson Valley, which only adds to the luster of this 7:45 p.m. rivalry game. Rye has a new coach in Peter Thomas, a former player at Pace University who had been an assistant at Rye for 10 years. Pelham, guided by longtime coach Ed Witz, has a huge 6-3 win over Suffern to its credit.
Suffern vs. Mamaroneck, Feb. 13The Division 1 race in Section 1 more often than not seems to come down to these power-packed programs, so this 7:15 p.m. encounter at Suffern’s home ice of Sport-O-Rama should provide fans with a good barometer of how they stack up heading into the playoffs. A key factor will be whether Suffern's speedy forward
Michael Redgate is back from being sidelined by a leg injury.
St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute (Buffalo) vs. McQuaid Jesuit (Rochester), Feb. 14This clash of the titans comes at the end of the regular season but should have playoff intensity. McQuaid (14-1) junior forward Jack Duggan is a fantastic feeder and fun to watch.
West Seneca East vs. Kenmore East (Tonawanda), Feb. 15Kenmore East started this week with a 7-0-1 mark in its last eight games, rebounding nicely from an 0-3-2 start, led by forwards Cullen Smith and A.J. Marinelli plus defenseman Joey Spataro.
Multimedia news and sports editor and producer Joe Lombardi is director of media initiatives and managing editor of the DailyVoice.com, as well as the primary author of the most recent edition of "Lacrosse for Dummies." Follow Joe on Twitter @Joe_Lombardi or e-mail jlombardi@dailyvoice.com
