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