Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
The Adirondack United girls hockey team, a conglomerate of players from area high schools, came up just short in its quest for a third straight state championship Saturday, falling 3-2 in a back and forth matchup with Potsdam at the Utica University Nexus Center.
While it was a disappointing ending to their careers, the eight seniors who were freshmen when the United first came into existence in 2023 had a remarkable run, with two championships and two runner-up finishes.
“I think the girls took it pretty well, as good as could be expected,” Head Coach Jeff Willis told The Chronicle.
“It wasn’t what we set out to do, but we had a lot of success. They’re satisfied with their body of work.”
After a 6-3 win Friday against a Skaneateles team Willis “thought would be the real test,” United felt confident going into the final. They beat Potsdam 5-1 in their last meetup on Jan. 24.
But Saturday, the United was forced to play from behind right away after surrendering what Willis called a “sloppy” goal just 13 seconds into the game.
Adirondack bounced back later in the first period as Maddie Oliver scored on an assist from her sister Morgan Oliver and Gianna Marcantonio.
In the second period, Potsdam again scored in the frame’s first minute, this time at the 40-second mark. And the United again answered two minutes later, when Marcantonio scored off an assist from Maeve McCarty.
But Potsdam wrestled the lead back with 1:40 left in the second period.
The third period, said Willis, was Adirondack’s best of the game, in which United had a lot more time in the offensive zone and outshot Potsdam.
But “we still struggled to get pucks to the front of the net,” he said, and his team was not able to get the equalizer.
Looking back on the game as a whole, Willis said, “We played a little bit tight.”
He credited Potsdam for playing “good team defense,” holding the United to just 18 shots, the fewest in program history.
Despite the ending, Willis looks back fondly on a campaign in which the United finished an impressive 13-3-1.
“I’m very happy with the season,” he said. “Though the target for us will always be to win a state title, when you are one of the last two teams you can’t be upset with yourself.”
Looking ahead to next year, he said “We’ve got a couple freshmen that made some contributions in the state finals, and a nice group of sophomores and juniors that will have another year of maturity.”
Given the United’s history, one thing is for certain no matter who takes the ice; expectations will be high. — B. Westcott
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