Wildcats Swat Bees 17-6

The West Genesee Wildcats continued their winning ways on Friday April 15th with a thorough 17-6 beating of the host Baldwinsville Bees behind senior attacker David Osier's 5 goal, 4 assist evening. It took just twenty seconds for all present to see the Wildcat machine was starting out fast as senior middie Brian Griffin flipped the opening faceoff out in front of himself and charged up field. Griffin quickly found senior attack David Osier who in turn hit a streaking Mark Cometti on the left hand side of the cage who bounced in a left hander for an almost instant 1-0 lead.

Stringing together the best quarter of play on both sides of the ball to start a game this season, the Wildcats poured in a goal a minute within the first 6 minutes to pounce on the shell-shocked Bees. Things could have been a bit different for the Bees as off the ensuing faceoff they intercepted a Genny pass deep in the Wildcat defensive zone with net minder Danny McKeon a mile out of the cage. Instead the all too perfect opportunity to even the score ended up with the Bees shot blasting into the side rather the back of the net and from there the 'Cats never looked back. The resulting fast break saw Dave Osier tally his first goal which took the air out of the Bees and put the 'Cats up 2-0. Osier notched his second at the 7:45 mark as senior attacker Jeff Ryan working from behind, found him coming around to the left front of the goal. Osier threw a few moves on his defender before launching a leaping over handed bounce shot that that extended the lead to 3. Twenty seconds later Ryan again dished one up as he found senior attacker Tim Spillett straight out where he quickly flicked a shot over the left shoulder of goalie Andy Lamb to make the score 4-0.

At the 6:13 mark Junior Kevin Courtney took a pass and from 15 yards out put a shot on a clothesline that ripped the top right corner of the net. Right off the ensuing face off which Griffin dominated throughout the day the 'Cats struck with trademark precision. In a matter of seconds Griffin passed to Osier, who in turn passed to Spillett who then found Ryan all alone and Lamb out of position to bump the lead to 6-0. It took the Bees until the 2:13 mark before they even got off their second shot of the day as the Wildcat defensive unit again was playing stellar, keeping the Bees at bay and at least 20 yards away from McKeon. With junior defender Jaren Woepple wielding his lax stick like an artist and his paintbrush, with stroke after stroke he has the ability to create a masterpiece where most every Bee offensive advancement was baited to behind the cage and taken away like candy by the Cat long sticks. Spillett closed out the first with his second when taking a feed from Osier off a fast break pushed the lead to 7-0.

Whatever B'ville coach Pete Fiorini said between periods seemed to have had an impact on the Bees as they played a much more inspired game from this point forward. Thirty seconds in B'ville struck when Jamie Dodge tucked shot just under the crossbar over Danny McKeon's left shoulder to finally get on the board. Senior Tim Griffin helped the 'Cats cause when Spillett saw him streaking in from straight out and hit him before dumping in a point blank shot. At the 9:53 mark Osier again served up an assist when he hit Jeff Ryan who launched a quick right handed marker to extend the lead to 9-1. Soon after Osier came streaking in dodging left and right and launched a shot that popped up off the crossbar which he tracked down behind the cage. Quickly Osier turned and fired a pass to senior middie Andrew Vecchio who in turn fired in what turned out to be the last Wildcat goal of the half. With 2:11 remaining the Bees helped by Genny miscues finally cracked the Genny "D" as Boltus got his first when he scooped up a loose ball and tossed it over McKeons shoulder for the second Bee goal which was followed by a goal by Jake Murphy to end the half 10-3.

The Bees started the scoring in the fourth when Kevin Kaval tallied to cut the lead to 6. It took almost half the quarter until the 'Cats got on the board when Jeff Ryan quick sticked in a Tim Spillett feed for the 11th goal for the 'Cats. Boltus again struck paydirt for the Bees when he tossed in a quick shot from point blank range to make the score 11-5. Tim Griffin again tallied as he came in untouched from 30 yards out with a running shot, pushing a left hander past backup goaltender Ryan Doyle to make the score 12-5. Senior netminder Danny McKeon stepped up big time making four key saves over a four minute span and through two separate man-up situations for B'ville to thwart any further advancement by the Bees. With 1:10 remaining and the 'Cats on a off a fast break, Jeff Ryan was slashed just before lobbing a pass to Osier who was camped out on the side of the cage where he got his 4th marker of the game.

The Wildcats made the Bees pay dearly as a during a scrum for the ball a B'ville defender flipped the ball back into play...and into the stick of Jeff Ryan who spun and found Osier wide open who dumped the ball in for a 14-5 advantage. Off sophomore Collin Donahue's shot that glanced off the cross bar, Osier had a highlight reel type move as he scooped up the missed shot , spun and closed on the cage where with a one-handed under handed pinwheel shot rocked the back of the net for a 15-5 Genny lead. Again off the ensuing face off, won and advanced this time by Kevin Courtney, he tore though his defenders right up the gut and while closing fell to his knees and unleashed a shot that put the "Cats up 16 -5 with 6:44 remaining in the game. B'ville tallied one more time this day on a man-up goal on Genny goalie Jeff Cleland by Greg Gibbons to make the score 16-6. The final Wildcat score came in yet another man-down situation for the 'Cats when senior defensemen Jon Kuechler picked up a loose ball and jetted upfield where junior attacker Sean Griffin stood unaccompanied to the left of Ryan Doyle. Kuechler zipped the pass to Griffin who quickly struck seconds before the final horn sounded. The victory was the Wildcats 7th win of the season and 16th straight win dating back to last season.



  1 2 3 4 final
West Genesee 7 3 3 4 17
Baldwinsville 0 3 2 1 6
D. Osier 5-4, Ryan 3-3, Spillett 2-2, Courtney 2-0, T. Griffin 2-0, Cometti 1-0, S. Griffin 1-0, Vecchio 1-0, Keuchler 0-1
SAVES: McKeon 9
Click on an image below to view a game highlight Quicktime movie
Cometti scores Ryan on the doorstep Spillett notches his first
Osier fires Courtney scores going down Osier swoops in with a loose ball