ALBANY COUNTY The Section 2 hockey season begins this weekend with a handful of games featuring Bethlehem and Guilderland/Mohonasen/Scotia-Glenville.
Bethlehem participates in the Shaker/Colonie Thanksgiving Tournament at the Albany County Hockey Facility. The Eagles face off against Mamaroneck Friday, Nov. 27, and Cortland/Homer Saturday, Nov. 28. Meanwhile, G/M/S hosts Byram Hills in a non-league game Friday, Nov. 27, at the Schenectady County Recreational Facility in Glenville.
Here is a closer look at Bethlehem and G/M/S.
Bethlehem Eagles
2014/15 record: 10-10-1 – lost in Section 2 Division 1 semifinals to Saratoga Springs
Key returning players: Hayes Meredith (forward), Thomas Liebold (forward), Zachary Nunez (forward), Ned Engelbride (defense), Tyler Hull (defense), Andrew Yanowsky (defense)
Meredith was a key component in Bethlehem’s offense last year, as he scored 15 goals and added six assists. Liebold contributed seven goals and eight assists, and Michael Lemieux added five goals and seven assists. Nunez is coming off an injury-marred 2014/15 season, in which he only played eight games.
Engelbride and Hull made significant contributions to the offense from the blue line last year. Engelbride had five goals and nine assists, while Hull added three goals and three assists. Yanowsky was named team captain for the 2015/16 season.
Goaltender Alex Breiner also returns to the fold this season. Breiner played in only four games for the Eagles in 2014/15, posting an 0-3-1 record with a 4.09 goals against average.
Newcomers: Michael Bievenue (forward), Connor Carroll (forward), Pat Engelbride (forward), Devon Halliday (defense), Alex Goldberg (goaltender)
G/M/S Storm
2014/15 record: 1-11-0 as an independent team
Key returning players: Kyle Bennett (forward), Dustin Kent (forward), Arthur Stott (forward), Noah Carey (defense), Brendan Dunleavy (defense), Eddie Harasiemowicz (defense), Daniel Cooper (goaltender)
With little in the way of returning offense – Bennett is the top scorer among the veterans with one goal and four assists last year – the onus will be on the defense and goaltending to step up once again as the Storm re-enters the Capital District High School Hockey League following one season as an independent team.
Carey, Dunleavy and Harasiemowicz anchor the blue line group, while Cooper looks to improve on last year’s statistics, in which he posted a .864 save percentage in his 10 starts.
Newcomers: Evan Carey (forward), Zach Eichlin (forward), Joseph Foley (forward), Rich Holton (forward), Collin Lagios (forward), Jacob Little (forward), Anthony Sericolo (forward), Asher John (defense), Joshua Mastromarchi (defense), Steven Schott (defense)
The Storm welcome six freshmen, a sophomore and an eighth grader to their roster this season, which bolsters their roster to a total of 19 players. Juniors Foley and Holton are also new to the team.