#15 BHBS downs Yorktown at home

The Burnt Hills/Ballston Spa hockey team knew they had to get back on track after a bad loss to Saratoga on Wednesday. They were able to do that on Saturday night, picking up a 7-4 win over Yorktown (Section 1). There was no lack of intensity for the team, despite this being an out-of-section game. The offense was seemingly scoring at will in the first two periods, as the Spartans struck 3 times in each period. Tino Benamati and Alec Lind each scored twice. They both now have 11 goals each this season, which ties them both with CBA freshman Hunter Pemrick for 6th in Section 2. Junior forward Geordan Buffoline scored once and added two assists.He now has 14 goals, 4th in the Section, and 15 assists, tied for 5th in the section, for 29 points, already a career high and 4th in Section 2, behind Elliott Hungerford, Jake Fauler, and Josh Dagle, all of Saratoga, who have played 15 games this season. BHBS has played 12.

Yorktown got the scoring started in the 1st period when Liam Donnelly put home a feed from Shawn Benson just 4 minutes into the game. BHBS answered with a powerplay goal from Tino Benamati just minutes later, followed by a goal from Alec Lind, and another from Sam Swingruber to make it 3-1, before Cian Keohane scored on a breakaway with a little under 3 minutes remaining to make it 3-2, which would be the score after 1. BHBS sophomore Kyle McDonald scored his first career high school goal during the stretch of 3 straight Spartan goals in the second, after he got himself in good positioning in front of the net and buried a feed from team captain Nick Koszelak.

The Huskers scored first in the 2nd period as well, when Anuj Gupta put home a powerplay goal to tie the game at 3-3. BHBS sensed the ice starting to tilt in the visitor’s favor, and quickly shut that down, scoring three unasnwered goals to make it 6-3 Spartans, before Shawn Benson scored off a rebound to cut the lead to 6-4 after two.

The only goal of the third was scored by Spartans junior Geordan Buffoline, his 14th of the year, and put BHBS up 7-4, which would hold as the final score. BHBS improves to 7-4-1 on the season, and will next face off at LaSalle next Friday 1/23/16.

GOALS:

10:51- (YKT) Liam Donnelly (13) ASST: Tony Deglanti (2)

9:40- (BHBS) Tino Benamati (10) ASST: Geordan Buffoline (14)

8:04- (BHBS) Alec Lind (10) ASST: Dom Monterroso (7), Sam Swingruber (7)

6:01- (BHBS) Kyle McDonald (1) ASST: Nick Koszelak (12)

2:46- (YKT) Cian Keohane (17) ASST: Shawn Benson (11)

2nd Period:

12:18- (YKT) Anuj Gupta (10) ASST: Liam Donnelly (13), Shawn Benson (12)

11:07- (BHBS) Sam Swingruber (8) ASST: Dom Monterroso (8), Brody McCarthy (1)

10:02- (BHBS) Tino Benamati (11) ASST: NONE

9:42- (BHBS) Alec Lind (11) ASST: Nick Koszelak (13), Geordan Buffoline (15)

3:16- (YKT) Shawn Benson (17) ASST: Liam Donnelly (14)

3rd Period:

7:07- (BHBS) Geordan Buffoline (14) ASST: Nick Koszelak (14), Tino Benamati (11)