For each of the Skaneateles ice hockey teams, the first night of February proved singular in a way neither side would like to remember. Off a great late-season surge, the girls Lakers came within inches of advancing in the Section III playoffs, only to fall to Alexandria Bay 3-2 in a shoot-out. As that was going on, the Skaneateles boys hockey side, tied with Oswego for first place in Division II, were cruising along at Clinton when, in the third period, the Warriors roared back to stun the Lakers 5-4. Riding a hot streak into the playoffs, Skaneateles was meeting an Alex Bay side it had met twice during the season, losing 2-1 on Dec. 21 and tying 0-0 on Jan. 17. The Lakers and Purple Ghosts traded goals in the first two periods. Erin Ganley and Allison Weiss scored for the Lakers, but the Purple Ghosts kept right up, and it was 2-2 going into the third period. And it would stay that way through the rest of regulation, plus a pair of overtime periods. Amanda Lupo was sensational in the net, recording 35 saves, but Alex Bay would come out on top in the shoot-out that followed the final OT. At Clinton, the Skaneateles boys took the ice for the first time since beating Oswego 3-2 on Jan. 26, and it matched that goal total in the first period alone, bolting to a 3-1 advantage. By the end of the second period, the margin was 4-1. Brendan Major had scored twice, with Jim Rodgers and Mitchell Jones also finding the net. Jake Cooney, Scott Longtin and Tyler Stanton joined Jones in the assist column. But Clinton, in a fight for the sixth and last playoff spot, and wanting to please a large home crowd on Senior Night, stormed back with four unanswered goals in the third period. Luke Lauchert (one goal, three assists) and Steve Higgins (two goals, one assist) led the rally to negate the work of goalie Trevor Diamond, who finished with 32 saves. As this went on, Oswego was handling New Hartford, 6-1, to regain sole possession of first place. Before all this, the girls Lakers ended the regular season last Tuesday night when it went to Oswego and, led by Madison Singler’s hat trick, shut out the Buccaneers 3-0. Skaneateles, in seeking out its third win the span of less than a week, steadily got away from Oswego. Singler put the Lakers ahead 1-0 in the first period, added another goal in the second period and completed her hat trick with a tally in the final period. Four players –Weiss, Ganley, Nina Ella and Carley Mills – finished with assists, and the rest got left to a splendid Skaneateles defense. Lupo, in recording the shutout, stopped all 28 shots she faced.