Blue Bombers hockey cruises past Saranac
December 12, 2012
,Adirondack Daily Enterprise
LAKE PLACID - For the majority of Tuesday's hockey game between host Lake Placid and visiting Saranac Central, the Blue Bombers and Chiefs skated evenly on the big 1932 ice sheet at the Olympic Center.
But during a stretch that started early in the second period, the Blue Bombers dominated, burying five pucks in less than five minutes to claim a 7-1 victory over the Chiefs.
The game was the Champlain Valley Athletic Conference season-opener for both teams, and with the win, Lake Placid improved to 3-0 overall.
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Sophomore Shane McNierney started the Lake Placid barrage with a goal 3:29 into the second period to put his team up 3-1. Keegan Barney then found the back of the net at the 5:12 mark to up the edge to 4-1. The Bombers followed with three more goals in less than three minutes to pull away.
Senior Eddie Kane paced Lake Placid with a hat trick and an assist. Kyle Shipman and Troy Jacques also added single tallies for the winners. Jacob Lilledhal netted the lone goal for the Chiefs 8:29 into the game, which deadlocked the contest at 1-1.
Kane opened the scoring at the 2:03 mark, and after Lilledahl evened things up, it took Kane just six seconds to give Lake Placid the lead for good, notching his second goal on a two-on-one break that started on the center-ice faceoff.
The Blue Bombers carried a 2-1 advantage into the first intermission, and then sealed the win in a stunning fashion during their five-goal outburst. Kane scored Lake Placid's final goal and his third of the game with 6:58 remaining in the second period.
"We certainly had a lot of offensive firepower in that second period," Lake Placid head coach Keith Clark said. "We hadn't played in nine days, and we started out a little sluggish in the first period, but then we picked it up.
"We were playing as a team of five on the ice," Clark added. "Our goals were team goals, and that's what we are trying to establish. Everyone contributed tonight."
The Blue Bombers held a 43-15 edge in shots on goal, and they were able to utilize all three of their goaltenders in the game. Tucker Angelopoulos got the start in nets and made nine saves before making way midway through the second stanza for Jeff Smith, who stopped two pucks. Freshman Kamm Cassidy then took over with 10:02 remaining and recorded three saves in his varsity debut.
Zach Lareau, the only goalie dressed on the depleted Chiefs roster, finished the game with 36 saves.
"We have guys hurt, we have some sickness, and that made for some tough going against a deep team like Lake Placid," Saranac head coach Ed Davis said. "We don't have another goalie right now, and it would have been nice to make a switch in that second period.
"I'm not saying that we didn't play hard, but we didn't play smart," Davis added. "We didn't do a good job covering men down low. We had a lot of defensive breakdowns."
In addition to scoring once, Barney, a senior captain, also picked up an assist. Nzoni Thompson, Ryan Meyer, Elias Smith, Pat Kane, RJ Reid and Ryan Damp all added single assists for the winners.
It will be more than a month before the Blue Bombers return home for their next game at the Olympic Center's 1932 Rink, which will be a CVAC matchup against Plattsburgh on Jan. 16. They will take to the road this weekend to play two non-league games against Division I teams.
On Friday, the Bombers will tour the United States Military Academy at West Point and have a practice there before playing Mahopac Saturday and White Plains Sunday. Both matchups will take place at the Brewster Ice Arena.
Saranac Central, which dropped to 0-2 overall, will be back in action today, hosting Plattsbugh in a CVAC matchup at the SUNY Plattsburgh arena.
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Lake Placid 7, Saranac Central 1
| Chiefs | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 |
| Blue Bombers | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | 7 |
Scoring
First Period
1. LP, E. Kane (Thompson), 2:03; 2. SC, Lilledahl (Erickson), 8:29; 3. LP, E. Kane, 8:35.
Second Period
4. LP, McNierney (Barney, Meyer), 3:29; 5. LP, Barney (Smith, P. Kane), 5:12; 6. LP, Shipman (Reid, Damp), 6:34; 7. LP, Jacques (E. Kane), 7:43; 8 LP, E. Kane, 8:02.
Shots on goal: Lake Placid 43, Saranac 15.
Saves: S, Lareau 36; LP, Angelopoulos 9, Smith 3, Cassidy 2.
