Ithaca boys hockey wins inaugural Section IV title

One of the best seasons in recent memory has come to a close for the Ithaca High School boys ice hockey team, and it resulted in some brand-new postseason hardware.

On Feb. 25, the Little Red won the first-ever Section IV championship after shutting out Broome County 5-0. The scoreline doesn’t tell the entire story of how the game played out. Ithaca—who won the two regular season meetings by a combined score of 14-6—were held scoreless in the opening period despite multiple power play opportunities. Head coach Paul Zarach knew that once Ithaca finally broke the deadlock early in the second period through Aidan Swarthout, it would settle the championship-game nerves.

“As a staff, we were talking about [how] we’ve got to get one,” Zarach said. “If we get one, hopefully they’ll start coming and we’ll get that sense of nervousness out. I think that up until the time we finally scored, we were playing hard, we were playing great, we were competing. But the longer it went without scoring, then it can go either way for either team, and anything can happen. So once that happened, it really got our guys fired up.”

Swarthout’s strike opened the floodgates for the Little Red. Just 62 seconds later, Cameron Gaines doubled the lead, and it was relatively smooth sailing from there. Gaines ended the night with a game-high three points (two goals and an assist), and he too kept the faith after a frustrating start.

“Broome County played outstanding in the first period,” Gaines said. “They were super physical. They had to make sure that they were playing solid [defense]. As a team, we were using our speed, hitting passes and hitting the net, and we were making sure that we kept shooting and kept scoring.”

Of the five goals Ithaca scored, three of them were on the power play. That aspect of the game has been a point of emphasis all season long for the Little Red, one that they capitalized on the big stage.

“In practice, we work on power play so much,” Gaines said. “It’s just such a big part of the game that we have to make sure we’re capitalizing on the power play. You just got to make sure you’re taking advantage of that time where you can get a nice goal in.”

This season has been a stark contrast from previous years. After going 9-11 last season, the Little Red nearly doubled their win tally with 16 victories. Zarach attributed their success to multiple factors.

“The offseason work has been huge with the kids,” Zarach said. “Doing some summer hockey, doing the fall programs and getting into the varsity season has played an important role. But [it’s] also the kids being another year older, maturing and understanding and just growing as hockey players and as human beings. When you’re young and you’re out there in a varsity team and you don’t have that experience, those veteran teams will get you at the end. They’ll always find a way to battle through. Now we’re one of the older teams, where we have the veteran guys who’ve been around.”

One of their biggest keys to success has been a well-balanced attack. Six players recorded at least 20 points, with Gaines leading the way with 35.

“We got a lot of guys that just are out there giving it 100 percent all the time,” Gaines said. “We also have the guys that are shooting and hitting the net and making sure that we can get shots on the net. A big part of our success this year is hitting the net, and also getting those dirty, greasy goals down low.”

Ithaca’s sectional triumph was memorable for another reason, as it was Zarach’s 100th career victory. In his 12th season leading the Little Red, Zarach reflected on such an outstanding accomplishment.

“It’s not something other than my staff that we discussed, because I don’t want to make it a distraction for the kids,” Zarach said. “At the end of the day, it’s about them and what they do out there, but it’s kind of nice to get the recognition of that 100. Every team that I’ve coached before this and every assistant coach that I’ve had before this have all played a part in this. It’s really something special.”

With the win, Ithaca punched its ticket to the state tournament on March 2 as they battled Section V’s McQuaid in regionals. While their season came to an end with a 2-1 defeat, it was a truly unforgettable campaign for the Little Red. This year’s team will always be remembered as the first to win a sectional title. As the years go by, there’s sure to be more challenges for Ithaca to remain the team to beat in the area.

“Playing in that atmosphere and what it meant and having that elimination game was really, really important for the kids, but also for the section to show everybody what we’re doing and to continue to hopefully grow this section with more teams,” Zarach said.