The Clinton Warriors would have a dogpile at there goal as they are crowned the 2020 NYSPHSAA Girl's Hockey 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.

Williamsville’s Claire O’Donnell puts back a rebound over the pad of Plattsburgh goaltender Ava Julian. 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.