West Genesee hockey charges into showdown with RFA
Jan 17, 2025
CENTRAL NEW YORK – Ever since the West Genesee ice hockey team left the War Memorial last winter still holding the Section III Division I championship Rome Free Academy has waited for another shot at them.
And it comes Tuesday night at Kennedy Arena, the 12-0 Black Knights determined to get even with the 12-0-1, state no. 1- ranked Wildcats in front of is home fans.
WG had what amounted to a pair of tune-ups in the week before the RFA game, starting Monday when it blasted Section IV’s Broome County in a 9-1 romp in Binghamton while, that same night, the Black Knights routed CNY Fusion 8-1.
After a relatively quiet opening period the Wildcats broke out for four goals in each of the last two periods as Jonah Vormwold, Jacob Pensabene and Greg Wood each scored twice, Vormwold running his season total to 22 and Pensabene adding two assists.
Christian Ball got a goal and two assists, with Riley McAloon and Jackson Pensabene also earning goals. Luke Alfieri and Logan Dewaters joined Jacob Pensabene with two assists. Brayden Carvel, Parker Berg, Ryan Long, Matt Schneid, Nick Meluni and Mike Vetter also got assists.
It was much the same when WG returned to Shove Park Thursday night and put away Mohawk Valley 7-1, the only difference a far better start as the Wildcats scored three times in each of the first two periods.
Vormwold landed two goals and two assists, with Jacob Pensabene delivering four assists. Ball, Schneid, Meluni, Dewaters and Parker Berg each took turns landing goals, with Carvel, Kaiden McBride, Evan Zoanetti, Jackson Pensabene and Carson Berg joining Ball in the assist column.
Again, RFA put together its own lopsided win on Thursday, 10-3 over Ontario Bay.
Meanwhile, Skaneateles charged back to the top of the state Division II rankings last week, then cemented this status with a pair of dominant shutout victories.
It started at Onondaga Nation Arena Tuesday night when the Lakers met CBA/Jamesville-DeWitt. Despite the Brothers’ 6-3-2 record, it was overwhelmed by the Lakers’ most comprehensive performance of the season which resulted in an 8-0 win, the team’s eighth win in a row.
Patient at the outset, Skaneateles only led 1-0 through one period but put things away with a four-goal second-period outburst while tacking on even more in the game’s late stages.
Cole Palmer led this charge, setting a new career mark by pouring in four goals as Luke Bobbett dished out four assists and Luke Logan earned three assists.
Kaden Rutledge scored twice, with Luke Mizro getting a goal and two assists. Nate Orsen had the other goal, single assists going to Sutton Paro, Tyler Calkins, Asher Kozub and Deakin Redding.
When the Route 20 rivalry with Auburn resumed Thursday night at Casey Park it nearly resulted in an identical result, Sknaeateles putting away the Maroons 7-0.
Charging out to a 6-0 advantage through two periods, the Lakers were well-balanced, Palmer leading the way with two goals and two assists as Luke Bobbett scored twice and also contributed an assist.
Tye Kennedy had a goal and two assists, with Mizro and Braedan Taggart each getting one goal and one assist. Rutledge, Kozub, Jack Bobbett and Luke Logan also earned assists.