Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
Adirondack United punched its ticket to the NYSPHSAA Girls Ice Hockey State Final Four for the fourth straight year Thursday with a 2-1 overtime win over Section I champion East Green Wave at Harding Mazzotti Arena. Adirondack seeks its third straight state championship this weekend in Utica.
Senior center Gianna Marcantonio was the hero in overtime Thursday, scoring the game-winning goal off assists from senior defender Emerson Lochner Fehl and senior winger Ciara Gecewicz.
“When you have an overtime game-winning goal, it’s very exciting,” Head Coach Jeff Willis told The Chronicle.
“The girls piled off the bench and mobbed Gianna.”
He said the game was “nervewracking” overall “An overtime situation is pretty tense,” he noted. “One breakaway and you’re on the wrong side of things.”
The Green Wave struck first in the game, scoring a goal with four seconds remaining in the second period. But Adirondack bounced back scoring on a power play at the 10-minute mark of the third period when sophomore defender Maddie Oliver found the back of the net off an assist from Marcantonio.
“From a skill and speed perspective we were a stronger team,” Willis said. “I thought there would be a little more separation, but their goalie played really well. We had a real tough time cracking her.”
Junior Aurora Graham Hayes made 15 saves in goal for Adirondack.
The United, a merged team consisting of Corinth, Glens Falls, Hudson Falls, Queensbury, Saratoga Springs and South Glens Falls High School players, is 12-2-1 this season.
The team includes eight seniors. “We are hoping to send them off with one more championship,” Willis said. “Every season, the target for us is another state title. We set our sights pretty high.”
But he added, “Winning three in a row is extremely hard to do. It’s pretty rare for a program to play at that high of a level over a period of time.
“We’re not going to sneak up on anyone. You’ve got to stay hungry and continue to hunt pucks and do the little things, because nobody is going to hand this to us.
“I feel good about our chances. On paper, we are probably the strongest team there. But we’ve got to play the games.”
The semifinals Friday, Feb. 20 at 5 p.m. and the championship game is at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Utica University Nexus Center.
— Ben Westcott
Copyright © 2026 Lone Oak Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserve
