Salmon River Falls in N.Y. State D-II Semifinal Heartbreaker 3-2

POTSDAM UPSETS MASSENA 8-5 TO WIN FIRST TITLE IN 12 YRS.

Potsdam's John Duffy jams the puck into the Massena net.  the Sandstoners erupted for four goals in the second period to snatch a 5-3 lead en route to an 8-5 win in the Section X Division I Championship.  It was the first title in 12 years.  It was also the highest-ever combined score (13 goals) in a Section X Division I title game.  The Potsdam Sandstoners boys hockey team ended a 12-year title drought with an 8-5 upset win over the Massena Red Raiders for the Section X Division I championship. Potsdam’s John Duffy scored on a rebound on Cooper Grant’s initial shot for a 1-0 lead. But Massena nailed the next two goals from Jake Smutz and Brady Frost to gain a 2-1 to close the first period. At 7:08 of the second period, Tyler Berkman scored the first of his three goals, tying the game at 2-2. It was also the start of the Sandstoners’ four-goal barrage in the middle frame that staked Potsdam to a 5-3 lead. Also scoring in the period: James Sullivan from Lucas Cruikshank and Tyler Martin; Cooper Grant unassisted, for a 4-2 lead. Massena’s Payton Puente backhanded a shot into the mesh to cut the Potsdam lead to 4-3, before Grant struck eight seconds later to restore the two-goal margin 5-3. Chris Marasco jammed home a goal just 37 seconds into the 3rd period from Parker O’Neil. Duffy from Grant at 5:55, and Berkman’s second goal at 8:28, pushed Potsdam’s lead to 7-4. Brady Frost countered to make it 7-5 with under three minutes left, but Berkman sealed the deal with an empty-net goal with 25 seconds left to completed a hat trick. Potsdam goalkeeper Chase Rozler make 32 saves, including a key stop on a one-man breakaway that kept Massena down two goals in the third period. Jake Linstad turned out 25 shots for the Raiders.  (Bob LaRue photo)

SALMON RIVER RALLIES TO WIN STATE QUARTERFINAL 4-3

SALMON RIVER 4, STARPOINT 3
Section VI Starpoint mounted a two-goal lead on 24 shots through two periods and held Section X Salmon River to just 15 shots on goal, while their hot goaltender Richie Gareau kept the Shamrocks scoreless for two periods -- but saw a different Shamrock team come onto the ice in the third period. Appearing “loaded for bear” and in breathtaking fashion, Salmon River stormed out, first capitalizing on a carryover power play when Luke Miller blasted shot from between the faceoff circles up high and into the mesh, just 15 seconds into the period. Just 36 seconds later, Cade Cook and Section X’s top regular-season scorer Evan Collette raced in 2-on-2, with Collette banking the game-tying goal. The two scores countered Mike Merrifield’s marker with 1:23 left in the first period, and Austin Bush’s goal with 1:53 left in the middle period for Starpoint. The Spartans regained the lead 3-2 when junior forward William Mainstone lasered a shot from the high slot that beat Shamrock goalie Rick Chartland over the glove 7:13 left in the contest. Just 1:22 later, when Starpoint failed to clear the puck, a pass from the corner to the crease found Kade Cook’s stick. The senior forward jammed twice at the puck that squeezed through a hole and slid across the goal line, tying the game at 3-3. Salmon River went on a final power play in the last 3:12. Collette rocketed a shot from the high slot. When goalie Gareau leaned slightly right to see the shot, the puck sailed over the opposite shoulder and into the net with 1:25 left to give Salmon River its only lead of the game 4-3. Starpoint got one close scoring chance with :02 left, but Chartland slid across his crease and made a pad stop, just before the final horn.

SALMON RIVER REPEATS
TITLE BEATING O.F.A. 7-3

Salmon River's Oscar Cook (14) wires a goal just inside the right goalpost in the first period.  New York State’s #1-ranked Division II boys high-school hockey team added another title to its storied history. The Salmon River Shamrocks capitalized on three first-period goals from Evan Collette, Carter Johnson and Oscar Cool to springboard a 7-3 win over the Ogdensburg Blue Devils to win its second Section X Division II championship at Clarkson University’s Cheel Arena. OFA provided a glimmer of hope when Dylan Irvine scored from Keagan Frederick to open the second period, but Salmon River scored just 41 seconds later when Connor Dishaw lit the lamp from Luke Miller. Johnson and Dishaw scored again before the close of the second period to build a 6-1 lead. Collette added his second goal to open the third period. Tyler Sovie and Jack Mills scored the final two goals for OFA.  (Bob LaRue photo)

(#2) o.F.A. rallies past (#3) ISLANDERS 5-2 IN SEMIFINALS

Ogdensburg forward Dylan Irvine (5) chips in the loose puck from behind Thousand Islands goalie Brayton Bradley (1) to score the first goal of the game, early in the first period.  A strong third period lifted O.F.A. past the Islanders 5-2 to advance into the Section X Division II Championship against Salmon River. Irvine scored two goals, while Camden Griffith contributed a pair of assists for O.F.A. Tegan Frederick scored what proved to be the game winner.  Brady Sherbino gave the Islanders a brief lead at 2-1 in the first period, before the devils rallied with four straight goals. (Cody Jenne photo)