Adirondack United complete perfect season, finishing as state champions
Source: NEWS10 ABC
UTICA, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Two years ago, Section II didn't even have a girls ice hockey team. Now it has a state champion in the sport.
In just its second season, the Adirondack United will bring the first girls ice hockey state title back to the Capital Region after overcoming a 2-0 first period deficit in Saturday's NYSPHSAA regional final against Section VI's Kenmore/Grand Island to defeat the Viking Devildogs 7-3 at the Nexus Center in Utica.
After getting out to an uncharacteristically slow start, the United went on a 6-0 run between the second and third periods, creating a comfortable margin down the stretch of the game to counteract a tense, closely contested first 30 minutes.
"We have a system that we run, and as long as we run it, we are unstoppable," said Adirondack head coach Jeff Willis. "We kinda got taken out of it in the first period. Eventually one (shot) was gonna get through, and then it did. And then they...they kept pouring in. I'm really proud of these girls. They really deserve it with the amount of work they put into this."
It was a surprise to many to see the United - who had outscored their opponents 23-3 in their first three postseason games - trailing on the scoreboard at the conclusion of the first period following two quick goals from Kenmore/Grand Island in the opening 90 seconds of game action.
But Adirondack returned from the locker room in the second period looking like the team that had won 17 straight games. Freshman forward Emily Macaulay got the United on the board at the 5:46 mark of the period, delivering a shot from the slot on a power-play opportunity that ripped past the Viking Devildogs' netminder, Samantha Horne.
United senior forward Bayley Duffy followed that up minutes later with a goal right on the doorstep off a feed from Lillian Willis, giving her team new life with the score tied at two.
And it took Adirondack all of 1:39 into the final stanza to claim their first lead of the afternoon. Senior forward Tekla Fine-Lease had a shot from just outside the right face-off circle turned away by Horne, but a battle for the loose puck ensued. In a sea of bodies on the ice, the puck traveled from one side of the net to the other, and Fine-Lease, who had followed her original shot, had an easy tap-in on the back side that put the United up 3-2, and they never looked back.
Macaulay provided some separation with back-to-back goals, as the freshman finished with a hat trick.
"I said in the last game, I'm like, "I can't score a goal. I'm saving them for tomorrow,"" joked Macaulay. "And I...quite literally saved them for today."
Adirondack's sixth unanswered goal came from Duffy on a long-range slap shot - her second goal of the game. Kenmore/Grand Island scored with 5:21 remaining, finally putting an end to the run. But Adirondack's Emma Lemery got that goal back with 1:15 left on the game clock, putting the finishing touches on a historic victory.
"We wanted it so bad, and to make sure we proved people right that they did (make) the right decision to make a girls team, so that we could win a state championship," said Macaulay.
Almost a year ago to the day, the United lost in the same situation to Section III's Clinton - a heart-breaking, 2-1 defeat. Duffy, a junior at the time, was one of the last players off the ice, as she was consoled on the bench by her head coach.
Saturday, Duffy was overcome with emotion again; only this time, it was tears of joy, as she ends her career with the United a state champion.
"Going through the first period, we were definitely on our heels a little bit, but we came battling back," said Duffy. "Obviously, (it's) all excitement here. And what a huge relief to know that my senior year, Tekla, Ava (Reynolds) and I were able to get it done with the support of a bunch of underclassmen that really pushed for us."
Adirondack concludes the season with an 18-0 overall record, having outscored its opponents 120-15.
While the losses of Duffy, Fine-Lease and Reynolds will be difficult to replace, the future continues to look bright for a United team that can return almost 90% of its roster next season.