Junior Rhett Sarrah beats goaltender Blake Powers for his second goal in the NYSPHSAA boys’ ice hockey regional Saturday at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena. The Section VII Champion Saranac Lake/Lake Placid boys’ hockey team’s inaugural season ended Saturday with a 6-4 loss to Queensbury in the NYSPHSAA Regionals at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena. SLP, playing without leading goalscorer Dylan Amell for the game, opened the scoring just 3:55 into the game with a goal from junior forward Rhett Darrah, only to see junior Devon Salone equalize for the visitors at the 11:13 mark of the first period. Queensbury nearly gained the lead in the final minute of the opening frame, when senior forward Brendan Duffy danced his way through the SLP defense for a close-range shot, forcing a save from goaltender Anders Stanton. The second period was an active one for goalscorers, with five goals in the period. Less than a minute after the intermission, Darrah netted his second of the game off the rebound to go-ahead 2-1, but that lead lasted a little more than a minute before senior defenseman Josh DeMattos again tied the score for Queensbury. SLP nudged in front again at the 5:15 mark when senior Camden Reilley found twine, and the host team reached the midpoint of the game having never trailed on the scoreboard. Queensbury’s freshman defenseman Jared Chamberlain worked his way into the low slot before beating Stanton at the 9:45 mark of the second period, again tying the game. That was when the momentum shifted. DeMattos got his second tally of the contest off a defensive turnover by SLP, giving Queensbury its first lead of the day. SLP senior Hunter Wilmot had a golden opportunity to answer that in the dying moments of the second period when he got his stick to bouncing puck inches above the goal line in front of an open net with Queensbury goaltender Blake Powers well out of the crease. Disrupted by DeMattos, Wilmot couldn’t find the leverage to direct the puck, and it sailed past the far post. Queensbury extended their lead to three goals in the third, with tallies from Paul Wright and Salone. Sophomore defenseman Carter Sturgeon beat Powers with a wrist shot from just inside the blue line at 13:27, but Queensbury held on for the 6-4 victory to advance to the NYSPHSAA Semifinals at Buffalo’s Harborcenter. Powers made 19 saves in the win, while Stanton stopped 40 shots in net for SLP. Gallery

The captains and seniors of the Plattsburgh State women’s ice hockey team receive the new NEWHL championship trophy. The Plattsburgh State Women's hockey team won its third Northeast Women's Hockey League title, and eighth consecutive conference championship overall, with a 6-1 victory over SUNY Oswego Saturday at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena. The victory earned the Cardinals an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III championship tournament, which was subsequently canceled as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. The NEWHL Championship game began well for the visiting Lakers, who found themselves on the powerplay on six-second into the contest when senior defenseman Hannah Kirly was called for interference. While Oswego was unable to capitalize on that opportunity, the visitors took the lead at the 7:52 mark with a goal from Pliomena Teggart, assisted by Kate Rendazzo and NEWHL Rookie of the Year Megan Teachout. The Cardinals tied the contest at 10:23 when a loose puck deflected out to the top of the crease and Kaitlin Drew-Mead picked it up and put it under the pad of goaltender Rachel Farmer. Plattsburgh took the lead for good five minutes later, as Drew-Mead carried the puck into the zone and stretched around the defense to get a soft shot on Farmer, giving Sara Krauseneck the rebound opportunity for her 19th goal of the season. The home team went into the first intermission up 2-1, with a healthy 22-8 advantage in shots on goal. The defending national champions got the insurance goal at 7:06 of the second period on the powerplay, when Nicole Unsworth's shot from the left faceoff circle found the back of the net, prompting a leaping celebration from defenseman Emma Killeen. Later in the period, Kiraly found herself down low in the crease to poke at a rebound in front of Farmer and extend the Cardinals' lead to 4-1. Plattsburgh's Taylor Whitney and Annie Katonka both scored in the third period for the final tally of 6-1. Plattsburgh goaltender Ashley Davis made 20 saves in the win, while Farmer stopped 49 of the 55 shots she faced between the pipes for Oswego. With the win and subsequent cancellation of the NCAA tournament, the Cardinals finished their season with a final record of 26-1 and an 18-game winning streak. Seniors Kiraly, Sarah Wolf, and Jen Manning denied an opportunity to play for their third national title, finished with a career record of 107-8-3. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Kevin Litchauer (4) with the turn and fire on the net as the defender blocks the way. The Plattsburgh State Cardinals would have their home opener against a fellow north country foe the Clarkson Golden Knights as they were looking for there first win of the season. The game would not start good for the home Cardinals as they would trail 4-1 after the first quarter with the lone goal coming from Daniel Bonafede. In the second quarter, the Cardinal would find there offense although it still wouldn't be enough as they lose the quarter 6-4. Scoring for the Cardinals would be Kieran Rowley, and Dillon Smith (three) and trail 10-5 at the break. When the teams came back for the second half the defenses on both teams would take control of the game as it would be 4-1 Knights in the half with the lone cardinal foal from Robert Braceland as the Cardinals fall 15-6. In the losing effort, Dillon Smith would score three times as they fall to 0-2 on the season. Gallery.

The dogpile ensues as the Saranac Lake/Lake Placid Lakers as crowd the 2020 Champlain Valley Athletic Conference Champions at the Ronald B Stafford Ice Arena. It would be time for the Champlain Valley Athletic Conference Championship and it would be a battle of the Saranac's as it would be the #1 Saranac Lake/Lake Placid Lakers and the #3 Saranac Chiefs battling for the right to be crowned champions and head to the New York State Tournament. The game would start well for the upset-minded Chiefs as they would get the opening goal of the game from Austin Carpenter at the 7:27 mark of the first period for the 1-0 Chiefs and they would hold that through the period. Although when the second period came the Lakers would waste little time tying the game up at the 45 seconds mark on the Rhett Darrah goal. Then in a two-minute span in the 5th and 7th minute Tyler Hinckley would score to give the Lakers the 3-1 lead. Then in the last 1:10 of the second, the Lakers would strike again for the 4-1 lead on the Bailey Bartholomew goal. Then in the third period, the Lakers would put the game away at the 6:01 mark of the period on the second Rhett Darrah goal this time on the shorthand. In the winning effort, the Lakers go to 15-6-1 on the season as Andres Stanton would make 15 saves and have a date with the Queensbury Spartans in the New York State Division 2 Quarterfinals. Although the season would come to end the Chiefs have nothing to hang there heads on as Eric Frechette would make 55 saves as they end there season at 13-9. Gallery

Plattsburgh State defenseman looks up to see referee Scott Prim signaling that her shot into the scrum in front of the net has crossed the line for a goal against Cortland in the NEWHL Semifinal Saturday at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena. The No. 1 Plattsburgh State women’s ice hockey team notched another win Saturday, taking down SUNY Cortland 3-0 in the NEWHL semifinals at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena. The afternoon started slowly for the Cardinals’ offense, as the defending national champions were held off the scoreboard through 20 minutes of play for the first time since Jan. 11, ending a streak of 10 games. The defense held firm, though, as goaltender Ashley Davis turned away all six shots she faced. Plattsburgh State broke the deadlock at the 7:58 mark of the second period, as Abby Brush sent home a third rebound chance in a chaotic sequence in the Cortland crease to score her 12th goal of the season. While that was the only scoring of the middle frame, the Cardinals looked to capitalize on that momentum heading into the third period to ensure victory. That insurance came on the powerplay when Annie Katonka was in front to capitalize on the rebound from Erin McArdle’s shot from the left faceoff circle. With the Cardinals in front 2-0, the victory was all but certain after defenseman Sierra Benjamin sent a relatively soft shot from a low angle. Benjamin and her teammates crashed the net to pick up a rebound, but Benjamin’s shot had deflected off the pads of goaltender Chelsea Allain and crossed the line. The 3-0 victory improved Plattsburgh State’s all-time record against Cortland to 47-0-0, a streak dating back to December 2001, and brought this season’s record to 25-1-0. After winning the semifinal, the Cardinals will host the Lakers of SUNY Oswego in the NEWHL Championship game Saturday at 3 p.m. Gallery

The celeberation is on as the Schroon Lake Wildcats are the victors in the Section VII Class D Basketball finals. It would be the Section VII Class D Finals and would feature the top seed Schroon Lake Wildcats and the #3 Willsboro Warriors at the SUNY Plattsburgh Fieldhouse with the winner headed to the state tournament. The game would be tight through the first quarter and the Wildcats would have a 11-8 lead at the end of the quarter. In the second quarter, the game would stay tight and low scoring as the Wildcats would win the quarter 8-6 and have a 19-14 lead at the break. When the teams back for the second half the offenses would come alive and the Warriors would fight back and win the quarter 18-13 and tie the game at 32 as they head into the 4th quarter. In that fourth quarter, the Wildcats would get the slim 8-7 win but that was not without a last-ditch effort from the Warriors. As the Schroon Lake Wildcats would secure the Section VII Class D Championship with the 40-39 and leading the way for the Wildcats would be Cian Bresnahan with 19 points. Gallery.

Saranac Lake/Lake Placid Lakers celebrate there win as they advance to the section vii championships on March 3rd. In a game that people were starting to wonder if it would ever get played after two separate weather delays move the game from its original Thursday night to Saturday night as the #1 Saranac Lake/Lake Placid Lakers would host the #4 Beekmantown Eagles. It would take till about halfway through the first period before we had our first goal when the Lakers would score on the shorthand from Dylan Amell to make it 1-0 Lakers. Although that wouldn't be the last we would hear Dylan Amell as he would score again with two minutes left in the period to give the Lakers a 2-0 lead after the first period. When the teams came back for the second period the Lakers wouldn't waste time extending there lead as they would score twice in the first three minutes from Rhett Darrah and Jon Kratts for a 4-0 lead. The Lakers would take firm control of the game with just under five minutes left in the second period on the Tyler Hinckley goal to make it 5-0 at the end of the second period. In the third period, the Eagles wouldn't give up as they would get on the board five minutes in when Dalton Kane would score to make it 5-1. The Lakers would answer back with five minutes left in the game on the Hugo Hobson powerplay goal for a 6-1 lead. The Eagles would answer right back 55 seconds later on a Colin Latinville breakaway goal to make it 6-2. Although 55 seconds after that the Lakers would regain their five-goal lead at 7-2 as Dylan Amell would get his hat trick goal on the night for the win. Although in a losing effort Riley Hansen for the Eagles would play outstanding as he would have 53 saves on the night as their season finishes with a 9-11-2 record. As for the Lakers, Anders Stanton would make 11 saves as the advance to the championship against the Saranac Chiefs with 14-6-1 on March 3rd. Gallery

Saranac senior Connor Recore (15), the top point-scorer on the evening, eyes up the defense as Northeastern Clinton’s Alex Gomez steps up to challenge in the Section VII semifinal at Clinton Community College. The Saranac boys basketball team earned a spot in the Section VII Championship game with a convincing 64-39 win over Northeastern Clinton Saturday at Clinton Community College. The Chiefs ran out in front early, taking a 12-4 lead in the first few minutes. The Cougars kept Saranac from running too much further away for most of the first half, and the teams went into halftime at 34-20 in favor of last year's runner-up. In the second half, Saranac proved to be too much for their opponents, with their lead hitting as much as 20 points at one stage before the final 15-point victory. The Chiefs were paced by senior Connor Recore, who hit two 3-pointers and three free throws en route to 17 points. Fellow seniors Jared Duquette and Brady Hebert both scored 14 in the win. For the Cougars, junior James Molinski scored 11, while senior Alex Gomez notched 10. With the win, Saranac advanced to the Section VII Championship, in which the Chiefs will tip-off against Beekmantown Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Plattsburgh State Fieldhouse. Gallery.

Beekmantown’s Andrew Sorrell cuts to the middle under pressure from Plattsburgh defender Kurt Oullette in the Section VII boys’ basketball Class B semifinals at Clinton Community College. The margins were tight in the Section VII boys' basketball Class B semifinal Saturday at Clinton Community College, where the Eagles were 43-42 winners over Plattsburgh High School. A back-and-forth first half saw Beekmantown go into the halftime break with a 6-point lead, but it was the second half where the fireworks began. The Eagles picked up the pace in the third quarter, building a 13-point lead, but the Hornets responded in kind in the fourth quarter. Having closed the gap, Plattsburgh's Ian DeTulleo put away a shot with 54 seconds on the clock to take the late lead. Beekmantown's Nate Finley was awarded a pair of free throws on the immediate next possession, making one tie the game at 42. The Hornets could have retaken the lead with only 6 seconds left in the game, but the layup by Dylan Garrant missed, giving the Eagles the final possession. Beekmantown junior Ian-James McCasland collected the rebound and took it up the court, but he was fouled by Liam Perkins near half-court. With the Eagles already in the double bonus, that gave McCasland a pair of free-throws to take the lead with 3.1 seconds left. He missed the first but struck gold with the second attempt. McCasland then ensured the win by intercepting the in-bounds pass near the sideline. With his momentum going out of bounds, he lofted the ball into the air with nearly 2 seconds on the clock, ensuring time would expire before it fell back down. The tight contest saw only two players - Finley for Beekmantown and Garrant for Plattsburgh - hit double-digit scoring, with each reaching 11 points on the night. With the victory, the Eagles advanced to the Section VII Class B championship game, Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Plattsburgh State Fieldhouse, where they will face the top-seeded Chiefs from Saranac. Gallery.

Saranac forward Austin Carpenter leads his teammates in jumping on goaltender Erick Frechette in celebration after a double-overtime win over Northeastern Clinton Thursday at the Rouses Point Civic Center. The crowd at the Rouses Point Civic Center was treated to plenty of bonus hockey Thursday night, as it took two overtime periods for Saranac to take down Northeastern Clinton by a final score of 5-4. The Chiefs, 6-2 winners against the same opposition one week earlier, found themselves in a hole early, after the Cougars took a 2-0 lead by the 4:21 mark off goals from Chase Letourneau and Lucas Bedard. It took less than a minute for Saranac to cut that deficit in half. Austin Carpenter tapped in a feed from linemate Hayden Buckley to get the visiting team on the board, scoring the third goal of the game at only the 5:04 mark of the first period. After that flurry of goals, the teams had to wait for the next goal, which didn’t come until 9:50 into the second period. The Cougars regained their two-point lead on a powerplay goal from Letourneau for the only tally of the second period. With the home team leading shots on goal 23-10 going into the final period of regulation, momentum began to shift in the latter half of the third. The Chiefs got themselves within reach at the 8:49 mark of the period when Nikalas Hamel sent home a slapshot from the high point to beat goaltender Ethan Garrand. Just 12 seconds after the goal, things looked grim against for Saranac, as starting defenseman Nolan Knight was sent to the box for roughing. However, it was the chiefs who would enjoy the fruits of the special-teams action. Breaking out of the defensive zone, Buckley made a good move to dodge a check at the blue line by Northeastern Clinton defenseman Zach Miller, creating a two-on-one in the offensive zone. Buckley made a nice cross-ice pass to Hamel, who sent home a shorthanded goal to tie the game with 4:39 left in regulation. With the score tied, Saranac continued to press offensively, and it paid off inside two minutes to go. Zack O’Connell carried the puck into the zone along the boards, cutting in toward goal once he’d beaten his man. He sent a wrist shot high to take the late lead. The Chiefs could have sealed victory late in regulation, but a long-range shot at the empty net in the final minute missed, crossing the line inches outside of the post. The Cougars made that miss count, as Jack Bulson sent a slapshot from the point past goaltender Erick Frechette to tie the game with 36 seconds on the clock. Fatigue began to show for both sides in the overtime period, and shots on net became much more scarce. Saranac’s coaching staff leaned heavily on its top line of O’Connell, Carpenter, and Buckley, who played shifts several minutes long. They kept the Cougars in their own end, though, and continued to press. While one overtime was not enough to settle the contest, it didn’t take long in the second extra period for the winning goal to come. The Chiefs crashed the net, with several players hunting for a rebound after a hard shot on Garrand’s goal, and O’Connell picked up the loose puck to end the game. Garrand made 27 saves in the lengthy game, while Frechette made 31 stops in net for the win. With the victory, Saranac advanced to Tuesday’s Section VII Championship against Saranac Lake/Lake Placid at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena. Gallery