Whitesboro boys ice hockey’s claim to the top of Division II was tested on Thursday, and, true to form, it rose to the occasion.
Auburn provided a formidable challenge, but Whitesboro ultimately prevailed, edging out a 3-2 victory.
The path to victory was anything but easy for Whitesboro. The squad was winless in one-score matchups prior to this contest. Ultimately, it came down to how Whitesboro would handle adversity — and the team passed with flying colors.
“We gave up the first goal and had a little bit of adversity,” Whitesboro coach Pat Gaffney said. “We held it together and kind of grounded out. I’ll take that as a positive.”
Auburn kept it even with Whitesboro through the first two periods. The teams traded goals early and entered the third knotted in a 1-1 bout. That intermission is when Gaffney gathered up Whitesboro and regrouped for the final period.
Whitesboro came out as a rejuvenated squad. Junior Collin Aceto delivered a flawless assist to forward Marco Benedetto to put Whitesboro back in the driver’s seat.
The roles reversed just a few minutes later. This time, Benedetto found Aceto to put Whitesboro up by two. Auburn forward Cal Mahar scored late to get the Maroons back in the contest, but it proved to be too late to mount a rally.
Two other key players for Whitesboro proved to be defenseman Andrew Witchley and goalie Luke Balfe. Witchley put Whitesboro on the board in the first quarter with an impressive heads-up play.
“We were exiting our zone pretty well,” Gaffney said. “(Witchley) is a huge reason for that. He’s very skilled, has great instincts and we got out of a lot of jams because he makes the right plays. He’s somebody that really holds us together on both ends of the ice.”
Balfe anchored Whitesboro’s defense throughout the night. The senior saved 19 shots while only allowing two goals.
On the other side, Auburn goalie Jonah Young also pulled off an impressive showing in net. The senior racked up 35 saves, matching his highest total of the season.
Despite the loss, Auburn (7-4-1) is still in the midst of a defining campaign for the program. The Maroons have already surpassed the win totals of each of the past three seasons. Auburn has a tough test ahead on the road against Skaneateles on Tuesday.
With five games remaining, Whitesboro currently sits atop the Division II standings with a 6-1 divisional record and an 8-5 overall record. New Hartford trails right behind with a 7-1-1 divisional record.
Whitesboro hops right back into the action with a matchup against Clinton on Friday.
“We’re going to Clinton tomorrow and we have three games next week,” Gaffney said, “so we’re kind of hitting the grind.”
Whitesboro boys ice hockey narrowly escapes Auburn to return to top of Division II standings
