Saratoga hands Shen first league loss of the season

CLIFTON PARK — Two early goals set the tone for the rest of the way for Saratoga as they took down Shenendehowa on Wednesday night at Clifton Park Arena, 5-3. 

The Blue Streaks did not take long to make an indent in the score sheet as Anthony LaMonda found the back of the net for an unassisted goal less than three minutes in. Just over four minutes later Saratoga scored again, this time from Mack Ogden to make it 2-0 less than seven minutes into the night. 

“It was a good team effort. Our forecheck was working well, the boys bought into it and we’ve been practicing well all week. I think the coaching staff prepared these guys for this game, the atmosphere we talked about, and it worked out for us,” Saratoga head coach Dave Torres said.

Shen’s Carter Hansen scored a goal late in the first period to make it 2-1 heading into the second period, but at 5:51 elapsed in the second came the biggest goal of the night. Joe Amodio scored on the power play, giving the Blue Streaks a 3-1 advantage and the confidence that they needed for the rest of the night. 

Saratoga jumped ahead 4-1 at the start of the third period courtesy of Devon Wormley, and despite two Plainsmen goals in the third were able to hold them off, giving Shenendehowa their first league loss of the season.

“It was one of those nights where we were fighting, we didn’t have our (game), and we got out-worked,” Shenendehowa head coach Juan de la Rocha said. 

Mack Ogden scored the fifth goal of the night for Saratoga, what was his second of the evening, and his first career multi-goal game in his third varsity season. The two goals were his fourth and fifth tallies of the campaign. 

“It’s great. I’m just happy we came out with the win here,” Ogden said. “When we win at Shen, there’s nothing like it in the section, it’s so great.”

Throughout the first period and the rest of the night, Saratoga goaltender Brad Blake came up huge in keeping his team in the game, making a couple acrobatic saves early on in the night that allowed the Blue Streaks to hold the two-goal lead early on. He surrendered a goal late in the first and three overall but came up big in the times he was needed, although Saratoga’s defense really held Shen down. He finished the night with 21 saves.

“They had some good scoring opportunities, Brad’s had some tough games recently, we’ve worked on a few things, we’ve done a few things, he’s really working hard in practice and it showed tonight,” Torres said.

Shen loses in league play for the first time of the year, now 2-1 in league play, 4-3 overall. Saratoga is also 2-1 in league play and 5-2 overall.

 

STATS:
Saratoga:
Mack Ogden: 2 goals
Anthony LaMonda: 1 goal
Joe Amodio: 1 goal
Devon Wormley: 1 goal
Riley Lefebvre: 1 assist
Will Detora: 1 assist
Griffin Sarver: 1 assist

Shenendehowa:
Brennan Alheim: 1 goal, 1 assist
Tyler Sullivan: 1 goal, 1 assist
Carter Hansen: 1 goal
TJ Novitsky: 1 assist
Nathan Novitsky: 1 assist
Zach Rupert: 1 assist

GOALTENDING:
Saratoga (Brad Blake): 21/24, 88% saved
Shenendehowa (Kent Leighton): 39/44, 89% saved