BHBS dominates Saratoga, earns sweep

On Saturday night, the Burnt Hills/Ballston Spa hockey team had the chance to do something they’d never done before. Sweep Saratoga. Not only that, but heading into this season, the Spartans had never beaten the Blue Streaks even once, going 0-7 against them over the last 5 seasons. This season, they’ve beaten them twice, as BHBS followed up a 4-2 win on January 11th with a 5-2 victory on Saturday.

From the get-go, it was all Spartans. They were energized right from the puck drop, and it showed early. They jumped all over, and thoroughly dominated play. After a penalty for too many men on the ice, and an additional crosschecking penalty, BHBS skated with a 5-on-3 advantage, and Geordan Buffoline walked right in and buried a wrister past Saratoga goalie Drew Rafferty to make it 1-0. 3 minutes later, Alec Lind finished off a beautiful passing sequence that was started by Nick Koszelak, making it 2-0 Spartans.

In the second period, it was much of the same, but probably more dominant in fact. There were several shifts where Saratoga was struggling to just get the puck out of their zone, and Nick Koszelak scored twice in a matter of two minutes to double the BHBS lead to 4-0.

The third period was where things got a little interesting. Senior Sean Sesselman was able to get some room near the high slot, and his wrist shot beat BHBS goalie Trevin Tidmarsh early in the third to cut the lead to 4-1. With 6 minutes left in the game, freshman forward Mack Ogden scored his first career goal to cut the lead to 4-2. But the Spartans stayed resilient, and Nick Koszelak finished off his hat trick with an empty-net goal with a minute remaining, making it a 5-2 final. Shots were 34-17 BHBS.

Nick Koszelak now has 5 goals in his first 2 games since returning from a 2-game suspension. For Saratoga, it was the second game in a row that leading scorer Jake Fauler failed to record a point. He has only been held off the scoresheet once in the team’s other 15 games.

For the Spartans, it’s a huge win, as it’s a big bounce back after a disappointing tie against Queensbury on Friday. BHBS stays in third place in the league, with 10.5 points. For Saratoga, their struggles continue, as it’s their third consecutive loss, and they currently sit in 5th place in the league. BHBS will next play in against Ontario Bay in the Alexandria Bay Tournament on Friday, while Saratoga will host Shen on Wednesday.

GOALS:

1st period

(6:43) BHBS: Geordan Buffoline (14) ASST: Henry Koch (5), Sam Swingruber (13)

(2:52) BHBS: Alec Lind (13) ASST: Sam Swingruber (14), Nick Koszelak (8)

2nd period

(3:36) BHBS: Nick Koszelak (4) ASST: Alec Lind (17), Geordan Buffoline (14)

(1:56) BHBS: Nick Koszelak (5) ASST: Geordan Buffoline (15), Sam Swingruber (15)

3rd period

(12:16) TOGA: Sean Sesselman (2) ASST: None

(5:57) TOGA: Mack Ogden (1) ASST: Sean Sesselman (3)

(1:05) BHBS: Nick Koszelak (6) ASST: Alec Lind (18)

SAVES

BHBS: Trevin Tidmarsh 15-17, .882%

TOGA: Drew Rafferty 29-33, .878%