Beekmantown junior Cole Nephew drives along the baseline after getting around Plattsburgh’s 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

Beekmantown junior Ian-James McCasland lines up the go-ahead free throw with 3.1 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to send the Eagles to a 43-42 win in the Section VII boys’ basketball Class B semifinals at Clinton Community College. Gallery

Plattsburgh State captain Madison Walker cuts back to try to shake off Cortland’s Kirsten MacDowell in the offensive zone during 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

Plattsburgh State senior defenseman Hannah Kiraly drives to the Cortland net after collecting the puck while coming out of the penalty box in the NEWHL Semifinal Saturday at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Allie Vangas (41) with the shot in traffic that would tie the game up late. It would be the opening game of the spring season or so we thought it would be as the Plattsburgh State Cardinals would host the Canton Kangaroos and in a snowed filled NCAA Women's Lacrosse game. The game would start off good for the home Cardinals as they would get the opening goal of the game from Kerri Corcoran. Although the rest of the half would go the way of the Canton Kangaroos as they would outscore them 8-3 and the Cardinals would trail 8-4 at the break. Scoring for the Cardinals in the first would be Kerri Corcoran (twice), Allie Vangas, and Lindsey Guzzetta. When the teams would come back for the second half the Cardinals would flip the script and win the second 8-4 and force overtime as they would be tied at 12. In the second half Frankie Porcaro, Allie Vangas (twice), Katie Kallamni (three), and Emily Caoili would score to force overtime. In the overtime period, it would go back and forth until the final minute when Frankie Porcaro would rip her second of the game to give the Cardinals the 13-12 victory. In the winning effort, goalkeepers would combine for ten saves as Allie Vangas and Katie Kallamni would each have a hat trick as the Cardinals start the season at 1-0. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Kate Kennedy (21) and Canton's defender battle after the ground ball along the sidelines. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Travis Cox (35) with the step back along the baseline for the score as part of a team-high 21 points. It would be the last game of the regular season and the Cardinals would be in a must-win situation if they wanted a spot in the SUNYAC playoffs as they would host the Oneonta State Red Dragons. The first half of the game would set the tone for the rest of the game as the Red Dragons would put there stamp on the game early and just not look back from there as the Cardinals would trail 58-28 at the intermission. When the teams would come back for the second half the Cardinals would have some more fight in them but it would not be enough as the Red Dragons would win the half 47-37 and the Cardinals would fall on the afternoon 105-65. With the loss, the Cardinals season would come to an end at 8-13 as they miss the playoff and Travis Cox would have 21 points in the afternoon. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Nick Deanglelis (4) goes up and under the basket for the score as part of a thirteen point game. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Mya Smith (11) with the runner along the baseline. It would be senior day for the Plattsburgh State Cardinals as they would host the Oneonta State Red Dragons in the last game of the season. The game would start off close as the Cardinals were looking to end the season on a high note as they would trail 19-14 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Cardinals would do there best to keep the game close as they would lose the quarter 16-14 and trail 35-28 at the intermission. When the teams would return for the third quarter it would be more of the same as the Red Dragons would pull away a bit more with an 18-14 quarter and have a 53-42 lead into the fourth. In the fourth quarter, it would be the status quo as the Red Dragons would win the quarter by a slim 17-16 for the 70-58 win. In the losing effort, Plattsburgh State's Taylor Durnin would lead the team with 13 points as the Cardinals finish the season at 7-18. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Lyrell Walker (4) comes down the lane for the layup as part of the four point afternoon. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Taylor Durnin (10) keeps control of the ball and the play from the knee in a battle of keep away. The Plattsburgh State women's basketball team had a tough night on the court against a SUNYAC-leading foe from New Paltz. In a game in which they never held a lead, the Cardinals couldn't hold back the New Paltz offense and lost by a final score of 73-45 at Memorial Hall. After the Hawks opened the scoring with a three-pointer by Marion Dietz, Plattsburgh's Taylor Durnin equalized nearly two minutes later in the low-scoring first quarter for both teams. The teams exchanged field goals just after the midpoint of the quarter, but 5-5 would be the last time the game was tied. New Paltz controlled the scoreboard from then on. Trailing by seven at the halftime buzzer, the Cardinals saw things turn from bad to worse in the third period. Two separate six-point runs by the Hawks, each lasting more than three minutes, allowed the visitors to build a commanding lead. The final 28-point margin was the result of a fourth-quarter even more dominant than the third for New Paltz, who outscored the host team 23-11 in the final frame. Individually, a balanced offense for the Hawks saw three different players hit double-digit points, with three more having 8 or 9, while Durnin's 10-point night was the only double-digit performance for the Cardinals. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Hanna Whitney (31) with the drive down the sideline towards the basket as part of an eight-point night. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Jimmy Poreda (29) with the pad save that he sends to the corner as part of a 20 save night. It would be the last game of the regular season and the Plattsburgh State Cardinals would be in a must-win situation as they hosted the Morrisville State Mustangs in the second game of the weekend series if they wanted to make the playoffs. With that being said the home fans would come out in force to root on the Cardinals as 1500 would pack the Ronald B Stafford Ice Arena. Although the game would not start off good for the Cardinals as the Mustangs would get the opening goal of the game just 5:34 into the first period from Christian Vella. The game would remain there all the way till the 5th minute of the second period when the Cardinals would get on the broad to tie the game at 1 on the Mitchell Hale goal. Then in the final three minutes of the second, the Cardinals would take the lead at 2-1 on the Liam Lawson goal. Then just 33 seconds into the third period the Cardinals would extend there lead to 3-1 on the Joe Kile goal. Then in the 11th minute, the Cardinals would start to salt the game away as Andrew Pizzo would score to make it a 4-1 lead. Then with under four minutes left in the game, the Cardinals would put the final touches on the win with the Christian Dahl goal for the 5-1 win. In the winning effort, the Cardinals would secure there spot in the playoffs as they get the #5 seed and will play the Brockport State Golden Eagles in the opening round of the SUNYAC playoffs. In the win, Jimmy Poreda would make 20 saves as the Cardinals go to 9-13-3 on the season. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Andrew Pizzo (7) with the flip to send the puck back into the zone on the attack. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Travis Cox (35) battles underneath the basket for the score as part of a game-high 31 point night. The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team saw its playoff chances get much slimmer Friday, with a home-court loss to New Paltz at Memorial Hall. The Hawks, who sit in the last place in the SUNYAC, recorded a 73-68 win over the Cardinals that left the home team needing a win over second-seeded Oneonta to qualify for the postseason. The host team began the game well, taking a 4-0 lead early on and holding keeping ahead until after the midpoint of the first half. New Paltz battled back, though, and went into halftime with a 40-30 lead. Plattsburgh kept the Hawks from going on any notable runs in the second half, but the deficit slowly grew as high as 16 with just under 10 minutes remaining. The Cardinals then went on a run to narrow the margin. The Cardinals made it a one-possession game when junior Travis Cox scored a layup and converted on a free-throw to bring the deficit to three points in the final minute of the game. A missed three-point shot by New Paltz's Scott Reisert saw a defensive rebound by Plattsburgh's Matt Berhnhard, who drove up the court and ultimately set up senior Nick DeAngelis for a potential game-tying three with 16 seconds remaining. The shot missed, and Reisert picked up the rebound to end the threat. Cox's 31 points led the Cardinals, with only DeAngelis getting to double-digits, at 11. DeAngelis led with 8 rebounds, while three of his teammates each recorded 7. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Jeremy Eisenman (13) with the three from the wing. Gallery

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