BHBS drops tough game vs Tri-Falls

If the Burnt Hills/Ballston Spa hockey team takes away one thing from their matchup against Tri-Falls, it’s this; stay out of the penalty box. The Spartans took 11 penalties, and that ultimately led to their demise in a 4-0 loss.

Tri-Falls had 3 goals on the power play, all in the 3rd period. Both Thomas brothers, Jared and Will, each scored in the game. Andrew Bulmer and Jordan Willis also added goals for the Rivermen (1-3, 1-1). Goalie Owen Johnston stopped 23 shots for his second career shutout. For BHBS, it was a struggle for most of the game, as they found themselves down a man often throughout the game. Geordan Buffoline, a dynamic scorer who is usually good at keeping himself out of the penalty box, was hit with 4 penalties in the game. It was a chippy game, played rough from almost the first puck drop. The two teams first started going at it when BHBS junior Tino Benamati knocked a loose puck out of Johnston’s glove and into the net after the play was blown dead. The teams went at it through most of the game, a tipping point being when BHBS senior defender Brody McCarthy cross-checked a Tri-Falls player from behind after the whistle in the second period. For the Spartans, it’s a game they can learn from. Last season they lost a tight game, 6-5, at home to Tri-Falls to drop them to 3-2 on the season. They then went on a 10-game winning streak following that game, and never looked back on their way to the Section 2 Championship game. Saturday’s loss drops BHBS to 4-2 on the year(1-1 in Section 2). They look to turn it around on December 30th when they travel to face CBA (3-3, 2-1). Despite the tough loss, the team feels like they can still contend with any team in Section 2, which is most likely true, given the talent on the team. They look to view this game as a learning experience, and provide them with some fire heading into the rest of the season.