BOYS HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY: Saratoga blanks BHBS on road to Union

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — The Saratoga Blue Streaks boys varsity hockey team was dealt quite an emotional blow on the day of its Section 2 Division I Championship Tournament Semifinal matchup with Burnt Hills/Ballston Spa.

Prior to the start Wednesday night’s Frozen Four Sectional bout, there was a moment of silence held at the Weibel Ave Ice Rink, in remembrance of Saratoga’s former, 1999 State Championship winning and All-State Goaltender, Mark Paine, who had passed away the night before.

The Blue Streaks would certainly deliver an inspired performance, as not only would the team gut-out a 3-0 victory over BHBS to punch its ticket to the Sectional Championship game, but did so by shutting out the no.1 offense in goals-scored (120) in the league on the back of 36 saves from current, senior goaltender, Xander Clarke.

“We certainly wanted to honor him with the way we played tonight, just leaving everything out there, because you never know when it’s going to be your last game, so that’s kind of how the boys wanted to attack tonight and they did a great job of it,” said Blue Streaks head coach Tim Horst, postgame.

“It was definitely a motivation for today; that just kept me going,” added Clarke, “it was more, not just necessarily for him, but play well to honor him, in a way.”

While Clarke made save-after save in net, junior Liam Chartrand would score a pair of goals, including a dazzling, coast-to-coast shorthanded opportunity, late in the third period to null whatever thoughts the visitors had of a late comeback.

“Liam has been great. Obviously, we put him back there on D(-fence), maybe even against his will, but, he’s such a good skater and he can be a one-man breakout for us and skate it up and out of the zone, which was a huge advantage for us,” said Horst. “So just having him out there, where you can play him in any different situation – he can play center, he can play D, he can play wing – he’s just like a little Swiss Army Knife for us and he can play in any scenario.”

“He’s always giving the effort, he’s a good skater that if he makes a mistake, he would get back on D, but he has that offensive instinct too, like you saw tonight, where he can bury pucks when he gets the chance.”

With the win, Saratoga will head to Union College to take on Shenendehowa in the Sectional Final, Sunday at 5:45 p.m. – a clash that normally needs no extra-incentive between two intense rivals.

“What could be better, right? We’re trying to sell tickets,” Horst said with a laugh. “We don’t care who we play. Obviously, it’s Shen, but we’re excited just to be there. Just to be there, for these guys to have this experience to go up against a rival like Shen, it’s a great challenge for us, but it’s a great opportunity.”

Top-seeded Shenendehowa had picked up a 3-1, home win over the Adirondack Rivermen in its own Frozen Four matchup earlier on Wednesday afternoon and the team’s way to celebrate was to head up to Exit 15 to get a preview of who their opponent will be on Sunday.

After 15-minutes of action into the first period at Weibel Ave however, the Plainsmen were no closer to getting an answer, as both teams stayed deadlocked at zero. It wasn’t for lack of trying, as BHBS would fire 12 at Clarke in the opening stanza, only to see the senior Blue Streak turn each and everyone away.

“He shut them out last time we played them too (1/5), so he just gives us so much confidence to play in front of him,” said Horst. “He makes every first save for us, sometimes second and sometimes third saves too, so just to have him back there, it’s a big calming influence on us and we’re lucky to have him.”

With 1:37 remaining in the first period, the Blue Streaks would finally break the scoreless tie, as junior Jayson Carpenter would score from in close off an assist from junior Daniel Klochaney.

Saratoga seemed to have a knack for scoring late in the period, as the team’s next wouldn’t come until under four-minutes to play in the second period, when Chartrand would pocket his first, off an assist from senior Patrick Temple.

Following the goal, Chartrand would acknowledge the Plainsmen in attendance, with the signature ‘I see you,’ eye-point celebration.

“They were trying to scout us out, trying to intimidate us, but, we’re not scared of them. We played them twice, we tied them and we beat them,” said Chartrand. “If we play how we did tonight, I think we definitely have a really solid chance in the finals. I think it’s honestly, a good feeling to have (Shen) here.”

Saratoga would take its 2-0 lead into the third period, but this time entering the final minutes, would appear to be put on the ropes as senior Hunter Bradley would have to head to the penalty box. With 3:30 to play, the Blue Streaks would be down a skater, putting perhaps the biggest pressure on Clarke of the evening, despite still being in front by two.

“Nerves, I mean a little bit. There’s always some emotions going through with those games and sometimes it happens, but, I just focus on what I have to do next, focus on my next save, and usually that calms me down pretty much,” Clarke said. “I just always know where the puck is and I always track the puck to see where it is, so just knowing where it is, making that next save and knowing that I’m going to make that next save is definitely where my thinking was at the end.”

Halfway through the BHBS powerplay, Chartrand would score unassisted to essentially put the game away – up 3-0, with 2:05 remaining.

“It’s definitely a lot more calming when they scored, when it’s that close of a game,” Clarke said postgame.

Following his second score, Chartrand made sure to have another celebration up his sleeve, but this time to a different part of the arena, as he waved goodbye to the BHBS faithful.

“I mean, it’s an amazing feeling, especially on a goal like that when we’re up, 2-0, they’re putting pressure on us, we’re on the P-K (penalty-kill), we know we got to score and when you score that third goal you put them to bed,” said Chartrand, “they’re gone, they’re done, so it’s a really good feeling.”

Looking ahead, the last time the Blue Streaks met with the Plainsmen, the former would break a late, 2-2 tie, in the third period to hand the latter its only league loss of the season, back on February 7, in Saratoga.

Both squads also met earlier in the season, on December 20, in Clifton Park, to which Saratoga played Shenendehowa to a 6-6 tie – also the Plainsmen’s only league draw.

“Obviously the games that we had in the past, it’s a whole new game. We just got to bring, it’s one game at a time and we just got to bring it this game,” Chartrand said. “Forget about what happened in the past, it’s a whole new day. We just got to keep bringing it.”

Having a 36-save performance against the highest scoring-offense of the past five seasons the game prior, while against a different opponent, certainly doesn’t hurt for Clarke or the Blue Streaks.

“It definitely makes me proud of myself and definitely is a confidence booster for the next game as well,” Clarke said. “Walking into it. I know my ability and that I can play to that.”

—

Saratoga Springs 3, Burnt-Hills/Ballston Spa 0

BHBS;0;0;0;— ;0

SSHS;1;1;1;— ;3

SCORING

First Period- 1, SSHS, Carpenter (Klochaney), 15:23.

Second Period- 2, SSHS, L. Chartrand (Temple), 13:15.

Third Period- 3, SSHS, L. Chartrand, SH, 14:55.

SHOTS- BHBS, 36-27.

Saves- Kinowski, BHBS, 24. Clarke, SSHS, 36.