The Clinton Warriors pose for there team photo as they are crowned the 2020 NYSPHSAA Girls Hockey State Champions. In only its fifth year of play, Clinton Central’s girl's hockey program claimed its first NYSPHSAA Regional Championship title Sunday at Lake Placid’s Herb Brooks Arena. Up against the defending champion, Section VI’s Williamsville, the Lady Warriors earned the title with a strong defensive performance and a second straight 1-0 shutout by senior goaltender Hailey Millington. After one scoreless period of play, Clinton led the shots on goal count 4-1 despite Williamsville spending most of the period in the offensive zone. Clinton’s defense held firm, taking away shooting lanes and working on the transition. The second period saw increased offensive pressure by Williamsville, who outshot the Warriors 9-1 in the middle frame, but the Millington didn’t flinch. The deadlock was finally broken at 6:37 of the third period when Clinton captain Mia Lopata hit a one-timer from the blue line and found space just under the crossbar. Williamsville pressed for an equalizer, peppering Millington with 14 shots in the final period, but was unable to find the back of the net, and it was Clinton who piled on their goaltender in celebration at the final buzzer. Millington made a total of 24 saves in the shutout, while Williamville’s Mia Wendell stopped 12 of the 13 shots she faced. Gallery

Clinton goaltender Hailey Millington tracks the rebound after making a pad save en route to a 1-0 shutout win over Williamsville. Gallery

Plattsburgh High School’s Rebecah Courson attempts to pressure Williamsville’s Emma Roland in the defensive corner. Roland skated around to free herself up for the first of her three goals in the 7-0 win over the Hornets. The first-period goal was Williamsville’s fourth en route to a 7-0 win over the Hornets. The Section VII champion Plattsburgh High School Lady Hornets saw their season come to an end Saturday with a 7-0 loss to Section VI champion Williamsville in the NYSPHSAA Regional Championship Semifinal on the 1980 Rink at Lake Placid’s Herb Brooks Arena. Squaring up against the senior-laden defending NYSPHSAA Regional champion, Plattsburgh faced an uphill battle from the opening faceoff. It didn’t take long for the opening score, as Williamsville’s Ellie Schau lost her footing while driving to the net, sliding into the pads of Hornets goaltender Ava Julian. The official ruled there was no goaltender interference and awarded a goal to junior Elizabeth Jackson at 1:18 of the first period. The opening frame only became more difficult for Plattsburgh, as Williamsville largely dominated possession and added to their tally. Senior Emma Roland forced a turnover behind Julian’s net and carried the puck around front herself to score from the right faceoff circle at 6:13, before scoring another unassisted goal at 8:47 with a deke in front to put the puck around Julian’s pad. First-period scoring was capped off at 12:21 when Claire O’Donnell poked at a bouncing puck at the back door to hit a wide-open net after a chaotic scene in the Hornets’ crease. The second period saw Plattsburgh generate more offense, getting seven shots to Williamsville goaltender Mia Wendell, but could not find the back of the net. Meanwhile, Williamsville added goals from Jenna Cavalieri and Lindsey Powers to extend their lead to 6-0 after two periods. Having clearly lost the game, the Hornets continued to skate hard in the third period anyway, to the delight of head coach Trevor Cameron. The final frame saw only one goal, as Emma Roland sent home a feed from Erin Roland to complete her hat trick. Plattsburgh killed all four of Williamsville’s power-play opportunities in the game, while Julian made 21 saves in the loss. In the Williamsville net, the game ended with a 14-save shutout for Wendell. Gallery

Williamsville goaltender Mia Wendell sends the puck behind her net under pressure from Plattsburgh’s Mackenzie Brown. Wendell made 14 saves in the shutout victory over the Hornets. Gallery

Clinton goalscorer Abby Kurdziolek wins a battle along the boards with Salmon River captain Rylee Garrow. The undefeated Section X girls hockey champion, Salmon River, faced off against a worthy opponent Saturday on the 1980 Olympic Rink at Lake Placid’s Herb Brooks Arena. In a tight NYSPHSAA Regional Semifinal contest, the Lady Warriors of Clinton Central knocked off the Shamrocks in a 1-0 upset. Salmon River entered the contest with a 20-0-2 record but faced the task of taking down the team that gave them one of those two ties, a 1-1 deadlock in December. Despite the narrow result, Clinton appeared in control for large portions of the contest, keeping the Shamrocks pinned in their own zone for long stretches and restricting the Section X Champions to only 1 shot in the first period. That shot did not come until the final minute of the opening frame. When Salmon River did get offensive possession, their defensemen were repeatedly beaten at the blue line by fast-skating forwards chipping the puck to themselves along the boards. The first significant scoring opportunity for either team came on the powerplay for the Warriors, as a shot from the high slot was tipped in from of Shamrocks goaltender Carli Cartier, but the puck sailed over the crossbar and the teams entered intermission knotted at 0. Clinton took the lead at the 4:45 mark of the second period on a similar play, as sophomore defenseman Abby Kurdziolek tipped in a shot from up high by freshman forward Drew Kopek. Just over a minute later, the Section III champions celebrated a second goal before the officials ruled the net had been dislodged. Salmon River started to generate more offensive pressure in the latter stages of the second frame, but went into the third period facing a 1-0 deficit, the Warriors led shots 15-6. The Shamrocks struggled against the Clinton defense in the final period, getting only three shots on goal. Salmon River’s best scoring chance of the game came midway through the third when Hannah Johnston and Jaryn Chubb appeared to have a clean break up the ice, only to be chased down by the defense and fail to beat goaltender Hailey Millington. The dueling senior goaltenders kept the game close throughout, as Cartier’s 18 saves on 19 shots were bested by Millington’s nine-save shutout. With the win, the Warriors advanced to the NYSPHSAA Regional Championship against defending champion Williamsville. Gallery

Salmon River captain Rylee Garrow drives into the offensive zone under pressure from Clinton defenseman Payton Cronk. Gallery

Plattsburgh's Ava Julian (1) would make the save on Malone's Olivia Cook on her last second attempt to tie the game up. It would all come down to this for the Upstate New York Girls Hockey League Section VII Championship the #2 Plattsburgh Hornets and the #4 Malone Huskies in front of a few hundred fans at the Ronald B Stafford Ice Arena. The Hornets would take the early 1-0 lead on the Morgan Reid goal just 4:35 mark of the first period. The Huskies would answer back quickly just about 90 seconds later on the Olivia Cook goal to tie the game at one. The game would remain there till the final three minutes of the second period when Plattsburgh's Reylyn Giroux would score on the shorthand to make it a 2-1 game. The game would stay there till the final whistle as the defenses would reign supreme through the remainder of the game and the Hornets would get the 2-1 win. In the winning effort, Ava Julian would make 19 saves as the Plattsburgh Hornets get the win and advance to the NYSPHSAA Final Four in Lake Placid and will take on the winner from Section VI. Gallery

Malone's Whitney St. Hilaire knocks off Plattsburgh's Gillian Boule (10) from the puck to breakup the play. Gallery

Plattsburgh's Amanda Vaughn (23) and Saranac Lake/Lake Placid's Faith Warner (6) battle for the loose puck along the broads. The #2 Plattsburgh Hornets would host the #3 Saranac/Lake Placid Lakers in the Upstate Girls Hockey League Section VII Semi-finals with the winner going to the sectional finals Monday night at SUNY Plattsburgh. The hometown Hornets would get the opening goal of the game from Ada Johnston at the 7:30 mark of the first. The game would stay there until the 11:15 mark of the second when the Hornets would score again from McKenzie Brown for the 2-0 lead. Then just over halfway through the third period, the Hornets would put the game out of reach on the Gillian Boule goal for the 3-0 lead and secure the win. In the winning effort, Ava Jullian would make 13 saves in the shutout effort. With the win the Plattsburgh Hornets advance to the section vii championships against the upset-minded #4 Malone Huskies. Gallery

Plattsburgh's Taylor Heywood (3) on the wrap around attempt on Saranac Lake/Lake Placid's Brooke Paries (1). Gallery

Franklin Academy’s Olivia Cook scores on the breakaway to score the eventual game-winner over Beekmantown. The Huskies defeated the Eagles 3-2 in the sectional semifinal Wednesday at the Scotts’ Rink in Chazy. History was made Wednesday night at the Scotts’ Memorial Rink in Chazy, as the Franklin Academy girls’ hockey team earned an upset victory over Beekmantown in the Section 7 Semifinals. The Huskies’ 3-2 win on the road was the first playoff triumph in program history. In a back-and-forth first period that saw the road team edge the hosts in shots on goal 8-6, Franklin Academy scored the only tally in the final moments of the period when Vail St. Hilaire put home a feed from her sister Whitney. The Eagles found themselves in an ever-deeper hole early in the second period, after Huskies defenseman Courtney Bouyea hit the upper corner with a wrist shot from the high slot off a pass from Olivia Cook. Beekmantown’s leading goal-scorer, senior Bailey Carter, got the home team on the board at the 9:30 mark of the second, but Cook restored Franklin Academy’s two-goal lead 91 seconds later on the breakaway. The Eagles appeared to have scored another goal shortly before the end of the second period, by the referee cut the celebration short after ruling that the net had been dislodged. Carter scored the only goal of the third period, collecting a cross-ice pass from Brooke Ruest on the power play and send it home from the right half board to beat Huskies goaltender Gina Norcross. An aggressive forecheck late in the game by Franklin Academy stifled the Eagles’ ability to pull goaltender Brianne Knight until the final 30 seconds, and the Huskies held on for the 3-2 win. Norcross made 23 saves in the win, while Knight made 17. With the win, Franklin Academy advanced to Monday’s Section 7 Final against Plattsburgh High School. Gallery

Franklin Academy defenseman Courtney Bouyea sends a wrist shot from the high slot to go-ahead 2-0 over Beekmantown. The Huskies defeated the Eagles 3-2 in the sectional semifinal Wednesday at the Scotts’ Rink in Chazy. Gallery

Plattsburgh's Ava Julian (1) with the blocker save on the breakaway attempt of Salmon River's Karli St. Ann (13). It would be senior day at the Amer-Can North Arena and the Plattsburgh Hornets would honor there two senoirs before the game against the Salmon River Shamrocks. The road Shamrocks would get the opening goal of the game in the final two minutes of the first period as Karahkwenhawe White would score for the 1-0 game. When the teams back for the second the Hornets wouldn't take long and tie the game up on the McKenzie Brown goal to make it 1-1 3:30 into the period. The game would stay there till the 2:21 mark of the second period when the Shamrocks would regain the 2-1 lead on the Kayla Cunningham goal. Although the Hornets wouldn't give up and keep fighting and tie the game at 2 on the Reylyn Giroux goal halfway through the period. Although the Shamrocks would take the lead back for good on Kayla Cunningham's second goal of the game with 4 minutes left and get the 3-2 win. In the losing effort, Ava Julian would make 19 saves as the Hornets go to 11-8 and get set for the playoffs next week. Gallery

Plattsburgh's McKenzie Brown (6) and Salmon River's Olivia Moulton (10) battle for the loose puck in the corner. Gallery

Beekmantown's Brianne Knight (1) with the blocker save on the long range shot as part of a 20 plus save game. The Beekmantown girls’ ice hockey team earned another victory Monday, defeating the Marauders of Hanover High School 4-2 in non-league action. The game, played on a Monday afternoon because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, began with a senior day ceremony recognizing Madison Tetreault, Bryan Walsh, and Bailey Carter. Once the puck dropped though, the Lady Eagles didn’t waste much time. At the 2:17 mark, Carter’s pass from behind the goal line found Brooke Ruest out in front for a quick shot and a goal. Beekmantown’s lead doubled about four minutes later, as Ruest returned the favor by assisting on Carter’s goal before Sage McGinley-Smith scored unassisted to put Hanover on the board. The second period saw the Marauders apply sustained offensive pressure the first several minutes, but it was the Lady Eagles who took the puck up the ice on a counterattack for a quick score. A pass from Tetreault sprung Leah Coulombe loose, and Coulombe did not miss. Brooke Ruest largely put the game to rest early in the third period, tapping in a goal at the back door off assists from Janna Ruest and Sophia King. Hanover’s Meredith Morhun scored late in the game to narrow the gap, but the Lady Eagles held on to their 4-2 to the end. Brianne Knight made 22 saves for Beekmantown, while Marauders goaltenders Rebekah Rudd and Katie Smith made 16 and 17, respectively. Gallery

Beekmantown's Bailey Carter (10) takes it around the back side of the net on the wrap around attempt as she would score twice on the game. Gallery

Plattsburgh's Reylyn Giroux (18) fights through the check along the broads and put the shot on net.The Plattsburgh Hornets would host the Skaneateles Lakers in Upstate New York Girl's Hockey League action. Throughout the first period the teams would go back and forth with neither gaining an advantage and there would be no scoring. When the teams comeback for the second it would be more of the same as it startered the Lakers would take the lead at the 4:59 mark on the Emily Evans goal to make it 1-0. Then just over four minutes later the Lakers would strike again and double there lead at 2-0 on the Grace Kush. That was starting to look like where the game was going to end but the Hornets would have other thoughts on that as Amanda Vaughn would score with 90 seconds left to make it 2-1. After that goal was scored the Hornets would put on the late push but it wouldn't be enough and the Lakers would get 2-1 win. In the losing effort the Hornets fall to 9-7 on the season. Gallery

Plattsburgh's Amanda Vaughn (23) with the flip shot from the side of the net to breakup the shutout. Gallery

Potsdam's skater and Plattsburgh's Taylor Heywood (3) battle for the loose puck at center ice. The Plattsburgh High School girls’ hockey team suffered a 3-2 non-conference loss at home Jan. 3 against Potsdam. The game began well for the Lady Hornets, who built a 2-0 lead in the first period off goals from Amanda Vaughn and Avery Holland. The remainder of the game was an effort to maintain that lead, unsuccessfully. The Sandstoners got on the board at the 11-minute mark of the second period, as the Hornets turned the puck over at the offensive blue line, and two Plattsburgh defensemen collided with one another to send Potsdam freshman Kennedy Emerson on a breakaway. That would be the theme of the third period, as Potsdam junior Karley Green beat Plattsburgh goaltender Ava Julian on a breakaway of her own at the 10:03 mark to tie the contest. With the game seemingly destined for overtime, the Sandstoners showed they had other ideas. A breakout pass from Green found Emerson, who blew past the Hornets’ defense in the neutral zone and deked around Julian in the crease to tap the puck in on the backhand. With Emerson’s second tally coming with only 17 seconds remaining, the Lady Hornets were unable to overcome the deficit and lost a game they had led 2-0 at the halfway mark. Gallery

Plattsburgh's Mckenzie Brown (6) carries the puck into the zone and sets up the play. Gallery