It was another interesting night in the Capital District High School Hockey League Wednesday, Feb. 1.
Saratoga 4, Shenendehowa 2
Saratoga has a pulse again. After consecutive losses to Queensbury (?!), LaSalle and Burnt Hills/Ballston Spa, the Blue Streaks (6-5-0 league, 7-11-0 overall) got a much-needed victory over Shen — one of the teams they’re chasing for a top-three seed in Sectionals. Jake Fauler led the resurgence with a two-goal, one-assist performance, and goaltender Drew Rafferty made 29 saves.
The victory helped Saratoga move into sole possession of fourth place with 10 standings points, a half point behind third-place Burnt Hills/Ballston Spa, and it prevented Shen (7-3-1, 8-9-1) from moving into a first-place tie with LaSalle. More importantly, it gives Saratoga a big boost of confidence heading into Friday’s home game against Bethlehem, which currently owns the longest winning streak in Section 2 at five games.
Queensbury 5, Tri-Falls 5 (OT)
And then, we have the head-scratching Queensbury Spartans (1-6-3, 4-9-3) — a sub-.500 team that lost to Guilderland/Mohonasen/Scotia/Voorheesville/Schalmont (which has only two wins this season), and yet has beaten or tied the likes of Bethlehem, Saratoga, Burnt Hills/Ballston Spa and now Tri-Falls.
Tri-Falls (4-4-1, 5-9-1) had control of this game through two periods, building a 5-2 lead. But then, the wheels came off in the third period, as Queensbury struck three times to tie the score. You can either look at the comeback as an indication of how far Queensbury has come (1-0-2 in its last three games) or as an indictment against Tri-Falls’ defense (which has allowed four or more goals in four out of its last five games), but it definitely should raise your eyebrows.
