Clockwise from top left, Kathryn Becker of John Jay makes a play for loose puck against Adirondack United. Piper Ackner of Fox Lane breaks up a play at center ice. Marcie Maurice of John Jay carries along the boards. Erin Samuelson of John Jay makes a glove save. Jim MacLean photos
By JIM MACLEAN
A loss to end the season always stings, but sometimes you can walk away with your heads held a little higher.
Coaches and players hate the term moral victory, a loss is a loss, and your season is over, and you cry tears as you watch the other team celebrate and move on to the New York state final four, but that doesn’t tell the whole story of what transpired on the ice Feb. 13, when the North Avalanche girls varsity ice hockey team hosted Adirondack United in a New York state regional game at Brewster Ice Arena.
Adirondack United won 3-0 and advanced to the state final four in Utica, but the North Avalanche sent a clear message to the rest of the state: Section 1 girls ice hockey has arrived.
After all, Adirondack United is the defending New York state champion from Section 2. Last year in the regionals it defeated the North Avalanche 8-1, the year before that it was 9-0, but entering the third period it was a 1-0 game before Adirondack United was able to score again and then finish it off with an empty net goal with 17 seconds left to play.
“These girls played their hearts out, they brought their best hockey today and we couldn’t be more proud of them,” North Avalanche coach Stacey Wierl said of her team. “It says a lot about the resilience of these kids, they knew what we needed to do, the effort and sacrifice they put in to develop and be able to compete against a team like that, the reigning state champions. Now they know they can compete. A remarkable group of girls, a fabulous locker room, it was a great season and I’m so lucky and blessed to be their coach on their journey.”
It didn’t start well as Adirondack United took a 1-0 lead early in the first period, but then the North Avalanche settled in.
After a scoreless second period, the two teams headed into the locker room facing a pressure-filled third period separated by just one goal.
Adirondack United was able to strike again to make it 2-0, but the North Avalanche kept battling, pulling their goalie in the final minutes trying to generate some offense.
With 17 seconds left Lillian Willis was able to finish it off with an empty net goal, her second of the game as Adirondack United advanced with a 3-0 victory. Gianna Marcantonio scored the other goal for Adirondack United, and Katy Duffy had three assists, but the final result was a far cry from the last two times the teams squared off in the state tournament.
Fox Lane senior Piper Ackner was on the ice for all three games, and as an assistant captain for the North Avalanche this year she knows the difference and how far the team has come, but that still didn’t soften the blow of the defeat.
“It’s honestly crazy to see how much we’ve grown, the interest growing in girls hockey in Section 1 reflects everything we’ve done. We worked really hard and we definitely improved a lot from our other years, but it still stings,” said Ackner. “A big change from last year, but this team really wanted to go to the final four. I’m at a loss for words, your high school team will stick with you forever, these girls in this environment we’ve created, I’ll remember this forever.”
John Jay senior goalie Erin Samuelson was between the pipes for the state regional and finished with 16 saves. She admits it was a great year, but she also felt the agony of defeat after the loss.
“Everyone came in up high, we knew it would be tough and we rose to the challenge,” said Samuelson. “I feel we played well, fell behind a goal early, but the whole game we never got down and kept pushing. Coming into the season I could see the push every single practice to get better. This was our goal to get here and play with them and we left it all out there on the ice, and it stings, but this was an incredible season. To go this far and all the experiences that we had and how much we’ve grown as a team together, it’s been absolutely amazing.”
And now the rest of New York state knows that Section 1 girls ice hockey has come a long way and the future is bright.
“This is the best team I’ve ever seen from Section 1, they’ve improved tremendously, Stacey has taken them a long way and I look forward to seeing them again,” said Adirondack United coach Jeff Willis.