Ausable Valley's Eli Douglas (24) would win the opening tip of the game and start the Patriot run in the first quarter. It would be the Section VII Class C Finals and it would be the top-seeded and number 1 in the State Moriah Vikings going against the #2 seeded Ausable Valley Patriots from the SUNY Plattsburgh Fieldhouse. The game would start off good for the upset-minded Ausable Valley Patriots as they would storm out to a 17-11 lead after the first quarter. Although the Vikings wouldn't let that stand and they would make a comeback with a 16-9 quarter for a 27-26 lead at the break. Although the end of the half would not come without a little drama as Luis Perez would half-court shot as the horn sounded to cut it to one. When the team's comeback for the third quarter so would the Vikings offense as they would run with a 20-10 quarter and have a 47-36 lead head into the fourth. In the fourth quarter, the Vikings would let up with the big lead and win the quarter 12-9 for the 59-45 victory. With the win, the Moriah Vikings clinch there 9th straight Section VII Title and head to the state tournament and take on the Madrid Waddington Yellow Jackets from Section X. Gallery

Moriah's Bryce Sprague (32) goes up and under the defender as he throws it off the winfow for the score. Gallery

Saranac Lake/Lake Placid's Andres Stanton (1) finds a use for the head as he saves the puck with it off the shot from Saranac's Austin Carpenter (6). It would be time for the Champlain Valley Athletic Conference Championship and it would be a battle of the Saranac's as it would be the #1 Saranac Lake/Lake Placid Lakers and the #3 Saranac Chiefs battling for the right to be crowned champions and head to the New York State Tournament. The game would start well for the upset-minded Chiefs as they would get the opening goal of the game from Austin Carpenter at the 7:27 mark of the first period for the 1-0 Chiefs and they would hold that through the period. Although when the second period came the Lakers would waste little time tying the game up at the 45 seconds mark on the Rhett Darrah goal. Then in a two-minute span in the 5th and 7th minute Tyler Hinckley would score to give the Lakers the 3-1 lead. Then in the last 1:10 of the second, the Lakers would strike again for the 4-1 lead on the Bailey Bartholomew goal. Then in the third period, the Lakers would put the game away at the 6:01 mark of the period on the second Rhett Darrah goal this time on the shorthand. In the winning effort, the Lakers go to 15-6-1 on the season as Andres Stanton would make 15 saves and have a date with the Queensbury Spartans in the New York State Division 2 Quarterfinals. Although the season would come to end the Chiefs have nothing to hang there heads on as Eric Frechette would make 55 saves as they end there season at 13-9. Gallery

Saranac's Eric Fechette (30) with the glove save as one of his 55 saves on the night as the Chiefs come up short in finals. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Robert Braceland (2) on the attack to the net takes a check from the Clarkson defender. The Plattsburgh State Cardinals would have their home opener against a fellow north country foe the Clarkson Golden Knights as they were looking for there first win of the season. The game would not start good for the home Cardinals as they would trail 4-1 after the first quarter with the lone goal coming from Daniel Bonafede. In the second quarter, the Cardinal would find there offense although it still wouldn't be enough as they lose the quarter 6-4. Scoring for the Cardinals would be Kieran Rowley, and Dillon Smith (three) and trail 10-5 at the break. When the teams came back for the second half the defenses on both teams would take control of the game as it would be 4-1 Knights in the half with the lone cardinal foal from Robert Braceland as the Cardinals fall 15-6. In the losing effort, Dillon Smith would score three times as they fall to 0-2 on the season. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Dilon Smith (51) takes a check as he come around the back from the Clarkson defender as he would have a three goal game. Gallery

Saranac’s Conner Burn collects a long breakout pass in the fourth quarter of the Section VII semifinal at Clinton Community College, as Northeastern Clinton’s Bryan Claudio tries to chase him down. The Saranac boys basketball team earned a spot in the Section VII Championship game with a convincing 64-39 win over Northeastern Clinton Saturday at Clinton Community College. The Chiefs ran out in front early, taking a 12-4 lead in the first few minutes. The Cougars kept Saranac from running too much further away for most of the first half, and the teams went into halftime at 34-20 in favor of last year's runner-up. In the second half, Saranac proved to be too much for their opponents, with their lead hitting as much as 20 points at one stage before the final 15-point victory. The Chiefs were paced by senior Connor Recore, who hit two 3-pointers and three free throws en route to 17 points. Fellow seniors Jared Duquette and Brady Hebert both scored 14 in the win. For the Cougars, junior James Molinski scored 11, while senior Alex Gomez notched 10. With the win, Saranac advanced to the Section VII Championship, in which the Chiefs will tip-off against Beekmantown Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Plattsburgh State Fieldhouse. Gallery

Saranac senior Cogan Johnston tries to pull in the offensive rebound as the ball falls toward Northeastern Clinton’s Thomas Gilbo in the Section VII semifinal at Clinton Community College. Gallery

Beekmantown junior Cole Nephew drives along the baseline after getting around Plattsburgh’s Kurt Oullette in the Section VII boys’ basketball Class B semifinals at Clinton Community College. The margins were tight in the Section VII boys' basketball Class B semifinal Saturday at Clinton Community College, where the Eagles were 43-42 winners over Plattsburgh High School. A back-and-forth first half saw Beekmantown go into the halftime break with a 6-point lead, but it was the second half where the fireworks began. The Eagles picked up the pace in the third quarter, building a 13-point lead, but the Hornets responded in kind in the fourth quarter. Having closed the gap, Plattsburgh's Ian DeTulleo put away a shot with 54 seconds on the clock to take the late lead. Beekmantown's Nate Finley was awarded a pair of free throws on the immediate next possession, making one tie the game at 42. The Hornets could have retaken the lead with only 6 seconds left in the game, but the layup by Dylan Garrant missed, giving the Eagles the final possession. Beekmantown junior Ian-James McCasland collected the rebound and took it up the court, but he was fouled by Liam Perkins near half-court. With the Eagles already in the double bonus, that gave McCasland a pair of free-throws to take the lead with 3.1 seconds left. He missed the first but struck gold with the second attempt. McCasland then ensured the win by intercepting the in-bounds pass near the sideline. With his momentum going out of bounds, he lofted the ball into the air with nearly 2 seconds on the clock, ensuring time would expire before it fell back down. The tight contest saw only two players - Finley for Beekmantown and Garrant for Plattsburgh - hit double-digit scoring, with each reaching 11 points on the night. With the victory, the Eagles advanced to the Section VII Class B championship game, Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Plattsburgh State Fieldhouse, where they will face the top-seeded Chiefs from Saranac. Gallery

Beekmantown junior Ian-James McCasland lines up the go-ahead free throw with 3.1 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to send the Eagles to a 43-42 win in the Section VII boys’ basketball Class B semifinals at Clinton Community College. Gallery

Plattsburgh State captain Madison Walker cuts back to try to shake off Cortland’s Kirsten MacDowell in the offensive zone during the NEWHL Semifinal Saturday at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena. The No. 1 Plattsburgh State women’s ice hockey team notched another win Saturday, taking down SUNY Cortland 3-0 in the NEWHL semifinals at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena. The afternoon started slowly for the Cardinals’ offense, as the defending national champions were held off the scoreboard through 20 minutes of play for the first time since Jan. 11, ending a streak of 10 games. The defense held firm, though, as goaltender Ashley Davis turned away all six shots she faced. Plattsburgh State broke the deadlock at the 7:58 mark of the second period, as Abby Brush sent home a third rebound chance in a chaotic sequence in the Cortland crease to score her 12th goal of the season. While that was the only scoring of the middle frame, the Cardinals looked to capitalize on that momentum heading into the third period to ensure victory. That insurance came on the powerplay when Annie Katonka was in front to capitalize on the rebound from Erin McArdle’s shot from the left faceoff circle. With the Cardinals in front 2-0, the victory was all but certain after defenseman Sierra Benjamin sent a relatively soft shot from a low angle. Benjamin and her teammates crashed the net to pick up a rebound, but Benjamin’s shot had deflected off the pads of goaltender Chelsea Allain and crossed the line. The 3-0 victory improved Plattsburgh State’s all-time record against Cortland to 47-0-0, a streak dating back to December 2001, and brought this season’s record to 25-1-0. After winning the semifinal, the Cardinals will host the Lakers of SUNY Oswego in the NEWHL Championship game Saturday at 3 p.m. Gallery

Plattsburgh State senior defenseman Hannah Kiraly drives to the Cortland net after collecting the puck while coming out of the penalty box in the NEWHL Semifinal Saturday at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Allie Vangas (41) with the shot in traffic that would tie the game up late. It would be the opening game of the spring season or so we thought it would be as the Plattsburgh State Cardinals would host the Canton Kangaroos and in a snowed filled NCAA Women's Lacrosse game. The game would start off good for the home Cardinals as they would get the opening goal of the game from Kerri Corcoran. Although the rest of the half would go the way of the Canton Kangaroos as they would outscore them 8-3 and the Cardinals would trail 8-4 at the break. Scoring for the Cardinals in the first would be Kerri Corcoran (twice), Allie Vangas, and Lindsey Guzzetta. When the teams would come back for the second half the Cardinals would flip the script and win the second 8-4 and force overtime as they would be tied at 12. In the second half Frankie Porcaro, Allie Vangas (twice), Katie Kallamni (three), and Emily Caoili would score to force overtime. In the overtime period, it would go back and forth until the final minute when Frankie Porcaro would rip her second of the game to give the Cardinals the 13-12 victory. In the winning effort, goalkeepers would combine for ten saves as Allie Vangas and Katie Kallamni would each have a hat trick as the Cardinals start the season at 1-0. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Kate Kennedy (21) and Canton's defender battle after the ground ball along the sidelines. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Travis Cox (35) with the step back along the baseline for the score as part of a team-high 21 points. It would be the last game of the regular season and the Cardinals would be in a must-win situation if they wanted a spot in the SUNYAC playoffs as they would host the Oneonta State Red Dragons. The first half of the game would set the tone for the rest of the game as the Red Dragons would put there stamp on the game early and just not look back from there as the Cardinals would trail 58-28 at the intermission. When the teams would come back for the second half the Cardinals would have some more fight in them but it would not be enough as the Red Dragons would win the half 47-37 and the Cardinals would fall on the afternoon 105-65. With the loss, the Cardinals season would come to an end at 8-13 as they miss the playoff and Travis Cox would have 21 points in the afternoon. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Nick Deanglelis (4) goes up and under the basket for the score as part of a thirteen point game. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Mya Smith (11) with the runner along the baseline. It would be senior day for the Plattsburgh State Cardinals as they would host the Oneonta State Red Dragons in the last game of the season. The game would start off close as the Cardinals were looking to end the season on a high note as they would trail 19-14 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Cardinals would do there best to keep the game close as they would lose the quarter 16-14 and trail 35-28 at the intermission. When the teams would return for the third quarter it would be more of the same as the Red Dragons would pull away a bit more with an 18-14 quarter and have a 53-42 lead into the fourth. In the fourth quarter, it would be the status quo as the Red Dragons would win the quarter by a slim 17-16 for the 70-58 win. In the losing effort, Plattsburgh State's Taylor Durnin would lead the team with 13 points as the Cardinals finish the season at 7-18. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Lyrell Walker (4) comes down the lane for the layup as part of the four point afternoon. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Taylor Durnin (10) keeps control of the ball and the play from the knee in a battle of keep away. The Plattsburgh State women's basketball team had a tough night on the court against a SUNYAC-leading foe from New Paltz. In a game in which they never held a lead, the Cardinals couldn't hold back the New Paltz offense and lost by a final score of 73-45 at Memorial Hall. After the Hawks opened the scoring with a three-pointer by Marion Dietz, Plattsburgh's Taylor Durnin equalized nearly two minutes later in the low-scoring first quarter for both teams. The teams exchanged field goals just after the midpoint of the quarter, but 5-5 would be the last time the game was tied. New Paltz controlled the scoreboard from then on. Trailing by seven at the halftime buzzer, the Cardinals saw things turn from bad to worse in the third period. Two separate six-point runs by the Hawks, each lasting more than three minutes, allowed the visitors to build a commanding lead. The final 28-point margin was the result of a fourth-quarter even more dominant than the third for New Paltz, who outscored the host team 23-11 in the final frame. Individually, a balanced offense for the Hawks saw three different players hit double-digit points, with three more having 8 or 9, while Durnin's 10-point night was the only double-digit performance for the Cardinals. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Hanna Whitney (31) with the drive down the sideline towards the basket as part of an eight-point night. Gallery