How the Skaneateles girls, short of bodies, emerged to win a New York title

The Skeneateles girls celebrated their championship on the ice. ( Stephen J. Musso photo)

Skaneateles senior forward Lizzy Sachar remembers the heartbreak of losing the New York State Public High School Athletic Association regional championship to Williamsville in overtime as a freshman in 2019. She had the complete opposite reaction after this past season.

Sachar and the Lakers defeated Franklin Academy, 3-1, on Feb. 13 at SUNY Canton to win the program’s second regional championship. It was Skaneateles’ first title since the 2016-17 season.

“It was really a full-circle moment,” Sachar said. “When we lost our freshman year in overtime, that was not a good feeling. There are six of us who were on that team, so that was like half of our team that experienced that. I remember after losing that game thinking, ‘We’re going to win the state championship in our senior year,’ and that is what made it really special.”

“There was no better way to go out,” added senior forward Rebecca Cain, who along with her twin sister, Rachelle, will be playing in college at Potsdam.

“It was a great accomplishment and an unbelievable feeling to be the last team standing,” Skaneateles coach Andy Rozak said.

Skaneateles’ run to the title was special considering it played the majority of the season with only 11 skaters and one goalie. The Lakers also dealt with injuries and COVID-19 pauses that created long layoffs.

“It speaks volumes of the girls,” Rozak said. “They battled and played as hard as they could. They faced a lot of adversity throughout the year with such a short bench. They never complained and stayed positive. They kept moving forward every time. We took it one period and one game at a time, and then focused on the next game. We never tried to look too far ahead.”

“It was pretty tough, especially when kids were out with either sickness or injury, or just couldn’t make it to practice,” Rebecca Cain said. “Sometimes we would have nine girls at practice. Every game we played teams with twice the girls on their bench. We just had to grind it out. We put in a lot of work at practice and were prepared.”

Cain said having a small roster actually helped in the long run because it created tight bonds and improved the team chemistry.

“We didn’t have any cliques or drama,” she said. “We all communicated with each other. We had a lot of great energy throughout the whole season.”

“You spend five months with 10 to 11 girls, you become best friends and the chemistry builds, and it really did throughout the season,” added sophomore forward Scout Oudemool. “By the end of the season, we knew where each other was going to be and how to play with each other. We got to know each other one on one. When we were tired, we cheered each other up and managed to pull through.”

Skaneateles knew it was in for a potentially special season when it beat longtime rival Clinton for the first time in three years, 2-0, in the Section III final Feb. 2. Skaneateles’ only loss and tie of the season came against Clinton, a 3-2 defeat Jan. 3 and a 2-2 tie Jan. 26. The Lakers finished with a 14-1-1 record.

“We definitely gained some confidence after getting past Clinton,” Rozak said. “The girls were happy with that after not beating them for such a long time. Once we beat them, we knew that every team at states was going to be good. It was just trying to get up for another hard game.”

“We played like such a team and it was one of our greatest accomplishments of the entire season,” Rebecca Cain said.

“The second we beat them, I thought to myself, we may have a good shot here,” Oudemool said. “Beating Clinton helped that dream progress.”

That set up a grueling stretch where Skaneateles needed to win three times in a span of less than 48 hours to claim the state regional title that culminated with the win over Franklin Academy from Section VII, which was making its first trip to the finals in program history.

Skaneateles jumped out to a 1-0 lead at the seven-minute mark of the first period on a tally from Oudemool, her 21st of the season. She also finished the season with 28 assists.

“Every time she steps on the ice, she creates chances for herself and her linemates,” Rozak said. “She is a game changer.”

Two minutes later, senior forward Rachelle Cain scored, assisted by her sister Rebecca.

“It was pretty epic,” said Rebecca Cain on setting up her sister. “I feel like we have that chemistry out there, not with just being sisters but playing for a while and being team captains. It was awesome.”

Franklin cut the deficit to 2-1 when Vail St. Hilaire poked a shot through the net.

However, Skaneateles reclaimed the lead on a power-play goal in the second period by Rebecca Cain, assisted by Rachelle.

“They have been part of the program for five years,” Rozak said of the Cain sisters. “They are great leaders who always work hard in practice. They have a team-first attitude and were a huge part of our success.”

The two-goal cushion was too much for Franklin Academy as it could not get any more shots past Skaneateles junior goalie Isabelle Wells, who finished with 20 saves.

“She was great all year, but she really elevated her game in the postseason,” Rozak said.

Skaneateles’ marathon of playoff games began with a 5-2 win over Section I’s East Green Wave, from Scarsdale, in the quarterfinals on Feb. 11. East Green Wave reached the regional state tournament after beating the Rockland Rockies, 9-2, in the Section I title game on Feb. 5.

“That was one of our toughest games,” Rebecca Cain said. “They had 22 players and came in with a boatload of energy. We had 11 skaters and it was really tough, but we made it through.”

Rozak said his team was a little nervous going into the game and actually trailed 1-0. He said the goal seemed to settle the team down a bit as it took a 2-1 lead after the first period on goals from Sachar and Rachelle Cain.

“Our confidence grew as the game progressed,” Rozak said.

Each team scored in the second period with Skaneateles’ goal coming from Rachelle Cain. Rachelle Cain and Oudemool both scored in the third.

Wells made 18 saves.

The victory moved the Lakers into the semifinals against Kenmore/Grand Island from Section VI on Feb. 12, where they posted a 4-1 win.

Rebecca Cain put the Lakers ahead 1-0 in the first period, assisted by Oudemool. The turning point came in the second period when Skaneateles scored three goals to build a 4-0 lead. Oudemool scored her 20th of the season. Two more came from an unlikely player, Avery Ide, an eighth-grade defender, who scored her first career varsity goals.

Skaneateles held Kenmore/Grand Island to 14 shots. Seventh-grader Kiley Turnbull scored Kenmore/Grand Island’s lone goal with 46 seconds remaining in regulation.

Kenmore/Grand Island, making its first state final four appearance since 2016, was coming off a 4-3 win over three-time Section VI champion Williamsville in the Section VI final. It was an incredible season for Kenmore/Grand Island, which won one game and finished in last place the previous year in the Western New York Varsity Girls Ice Hockey Federation.

Franklin Academy, which reached the state regional playoffs for the first time after beating Plattsburgh, 2-1, in the Section VII final on Feb. 7, defeated Section X champion Potsdam, 3-1, in the regional semifinals on Feb. 12.

The Huskies’ Olivia Cook and St. Hilaire scored twice early in the second period.

Potsdam’s Kennedy Emerson cut the deficit to 2-1 with 3:10 left in the second period. Franklin Academy’s Lindsey Durant sealed the win with 44 seconds remaining in the third.

Potsdam reached the state tournament after beating Massena, 5-3, in the Section X final on Feb. 5.