Saranac/Peru forward Zack O’Connell (12) tracks behind Northeastern Clinton’s Samuel Bulson (19) at mid-ice in a Section VII semifinal contest 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

Saranac forward Hayden Buckley (26) attempts to skate around the Northeastern Clinton defenseman John Bulson (7) in a Section VII semifinal contest at the Rouses Point Civic Center. Gallery

Beekmantown's Colin Latinville (19) with the hit on the broads against Plattsburgh's Ethan Kay (2). It would be the start of the Champlain Valley Athletic Conference playoffs and we would have a treat as it would be the crosstown rivalry. It would be the #4 Beekmantown Eagles going against the #5 Plattsburgh Hornets with the winner having a matchup against the #1 Saranac Lake/Lake Placid Lakers in Saranac Lake on February 27th. The game would start off good for the Eagles as they would get the opening goal of the game at the 4:14 mark of the first period on the powerplay from Alex Breizna for the 1-0 lead. That is where the game would stay throughout the rest of the period and throughout the second. In the third period though the Eagles would cement there lead on the DJ Gonyo goal at the 5:15 mark for his first career high school goal to make it 2-0. That would be all that the Eagles would need as they would hold on for the 2-0 win. In the winning effort, Riley Hansen would make 24 saves for the shutout as they go to 9-10-2 on the season and now play the Saranac Lake/Lake Placid Lakers in the semi-finals. As for the Hornets, John Dublanyk would make 34 saves although it wouldn't be enough as the season comes to an end at 6-11-4 on the season. Gallery

Plattsburgh's Ethan Kay (2) with the hard hit along the end broads that sends Beekmantown's Alex Briezna to the ice. Gallery

Saranac Lake/Lake Placid Lakers Rhett Darrah (10) falls to a knee as he taking the shot in the slot with Beekmantown's Gordon King looking on. It would be the last night of the Champlain Valley Athletic Conference regular season and the Beekmantown Eagles would host the Saranac Lake/Lake Placid Lakers. The game would start off slow as the teams were feeling out each other and there would be no scoring in the first period. The Lakers would finally break through the ice 1:50 into the second period when Brendan Bullock would score to make it 1-0 Lakers. The Lakers wouldn't waste time extending the lead to 2-0 on the Hugo Hobson at the 3:58 mark of the second period. The Eagles would get right back in the game at 2-1 with a goal 33 seconds later when Dalton Kane would score. The Lakers would reclaim there two-goal lead at 3-1 when Benn Munn would score on his sliding shot. Then in the final minute of the second period, the Lakers would pull the lead to 4-1 on the Rhett Darrah goal. In the third period, the Eagles would not go down without a fight although they would only be able to score once on the Dalton Kane goal in the final minute for his second goal of the night. With that, the Lakers would get the 4-2 victory and take the number 1 seed in the upcoming playoffs as Andres Stanton would make 22 saves. In the losing effort, Riley Hansen would make 30 saves but the Eagles will have to play the Plattsburgh Hornets in the opening game of the playoffs with the winner getting the lakers in the semis. Gallery

Beekmantown's Dalton Kane (11) with the crunching hit along the end broads that drops Saranac Lake/Lake Placid's Benn Munn (20). Gallery

Plattsburgh's Drew Knowles and Beekmantown's Alex Brienza (18) battle for the loose puck in the offensive face off circle. Plattsburgh High School and Beekmantown skated to a 0-0 tie amid drama and controversy in the Hannah's Hope game at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena Saturday, Feb. 15. Beekmantown cleared the bench with 12 seconds left in the overtime period, swarming forward Collin Latinville in celebration of an apparent game-winning goal. The Eagles briefly celebrated and then lined up for post-game handshakes before the officials finished discussing the play and waving off the goal. The ruling was that Plattsburgh goaltender John Dublanyk was interfered with by incidental contact from Luke Moser. After protests from Beekmantown players and coaches, play resumed and the final 12 seconds passed without a goal. It was the second disallowed goal of the night, as the Hornets thought Brandt Clarke had scored a goal in the second half of the third period to take the 1-0 lead, but the official blew the play dead and ruled the puck had not crossed the line. That incident came only moments after Beekmantown's best scoring chance of the game, an odd-man rush that saw Dalton Kane's shot hit the post. In the physical game that accompanied a fundraiser for Hannah's Hope Fund, which raised more than $2,000, Beekmantown's Ryan Hansen made 27 saves while Dublanyk stopped all 50 shots sent his way. Gallery

Plattsburgh's Jace Lace (21) with the block shot on Beekmantown's Gavin Fessette (25) as he goes sliding across the ice. Gallery

Beekmantown's DJ Gonyo (27) and Saranac's Nikolas Hamel (9) chase after the loose puck along the broads. It would be a clash between Champlain Valley Athletic Conference foes at the Ronald B Stafford Ice Arena as the Beekmantown Eagles would host the Saranac Chiefs in conference action. The game would be tight through the first period as there would be no scoring in the period. The Eagles would finally break the ice in the second period and get on the broad with a goal from Dalton Kane. Then the third period would come along and it would a totally different game as the Chiefs would explode for four goals in the period as Austin Carpenter would get three himself and Hunter Provost would add one to give the Chiefs the 4-1 win. With the win, Erick Fechette would stop 31 shots as the Chiefs go to 11-7 on the season and have a date with the Plattsburgh Hornets on the 11th. As for the Eagles Riley Hansen would make 23 saves as they fall to 7-8-1 on the season and are back in action on February 12th as they take on the Northeastern Clinton Cougars. Gallery

Saranac's Zack O'Connell (12) and Beekmantown's Alex Brienza (18) anticipate the drop off the puck on the in-zone face-off. Gallery