Defensemen guide BHBS to weekend sweep

It was certainly a weekend to remember for two defensemen for the Burnt Hills/Ballston Spa hockey team. Sam Swingruber scored twice and added two assists in 2 games this weekend, while Nick Koszelak scored twice and added an assist in the same time frame, guiding the 15th-ranked Spartans to a 3-2 win at La Salle on Friday, and a 4-3 win at Shaker/Colonie on Saturday.3

BHBS and La Salle continued a series that looks like the beginning of a rivalry, as they went in for battle on Friday night. Scoring opened in the 2nd period, when Spartans junior Tino Benamati ripped home a wrist shot past La Salle’s Zach Hurst. But La Salle had an answer, and Ben Leinweber slipped a loose puck home 7 minutes later to tie it at 1-1. With time winding down, the Spartans got a good offensive chance, and Benamati delivered a cross-ice pass perfectly to Sam Swingruber, who buried the shot to make it 2-1 Spartans with just 19 seconds remaining in the 2nd.

BHBS was able to open the scoring in the 3rd as well, and it was Swingruber again striking gold, and the Spartans built a 3-1 lead with 8 minutes to go in the game. But the Cadets refused to go down without a fight. Christian Rudd deflected a shot home with 3 minutes to go to cut the lead to 3-2. La Salle was not able to find another goal, and that would hold as the final score. BHBS improved to 8-4-1 (4-3-1 S2) with the win, and La Salle dropped to 3-11-1 (2-7-1 S2). It was the Spartans fourth straight win head-to-head vs La Salle. They won the other meeting this season, 6-4.

GOALS:

1st Period:

No Scoring

2nd Period:

4:52 (BHBS) Tino Benamati (12) ASST: Geordan Buffoline (16), Nick Koszelak (15)

11:19 (LSI) Ben Leinweber (1) ASST: Trevor Carpenter (1), Logan DiScanio (13)

14:41 (BHBS) Sam Swingruber (9) ASST: Tino Benamati (12)

3rd Period:

7:03 (BHBS) Sam Swingruber (10) ASST: Tino Benamati (13), Alec Lind (12)

12:07 (LSI) Christian Rudd (3) ASST: Chris Ryan (1)

 

BHBS then went on to face off against Shaker/Colonie at the Albany County Hockey Facility on Saturday, looking to win their third straight. But a slow first period led to the Jets taking a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. The mood in the BHBS locker room was intense during that intermission, as the players realized they needed to turn this around. They were able to do so in a big way.

Nick Koszelak scored twice in a span of 2:27 to quickly tie the game at 2-2, and that was followed with goals by Alec Lind and Geordan Buffoline, and the game quickly turned from 2-0 S/C to 4-2 BHBS going into the second intermission. The Jets tightened their defense in the third, and were able to get a goal to cut it to 4-3 with 30 seconds remaining and their goalie pulled. They had a 6-on-3 when the 3rd goal was scored (2 penalties and empty net). That would hold to be the final score, and BHBS completed the weekend sweep. They improve to 9-4-1 (5-3-1 S2), and S/C falls to 4-10-1 (2-6-1 S2). BHBS will face off against G/M/S next Friday, while S/C will next play at Queensbury next Friday.

GOALS:

1st Period:

5:49 (S/C) Mark Egan (10) ASST: Tyler Wilson (8), Sean Orr (9)

0:42 (S/C) Andrew Vosburgh (2) ASST: Vincent Montuori (3)

2nd Period:

9:23 (BHBS) Nick Koszelak (3) ASST: Sam Swingruber (8)

7:06 (BHBS) Nick Koszelak (4) ASST: Sam Swingruber (9)

3:34 (BHBS) Alec Lind (12) ASST: Tino Benamati (14), Geordan Buffoline (17)

1:21 (BHBS) Geordan Buffoline (15) ASST: Alec Lind (13)

3rd Period:

0:30 (S/C) Mark Egan (11) ASST: Tyler Wilson (9)