A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
By Andy Gardner.
In recent Raiders and Shamrocks winter varsity sports, Massena hosted their annual Mark Tyo Tournament. They also won over Ogdensburg during a packed night at the Golden Dome. Salmon River went up against Malone, Norwood-Norfolk and Canton on the basketball court.
Friday-Saturday, Jan. 12-13, boys hockey, Mark Tyo Tournament in Massena – During the initial round of the Massena Tyo Tournament, Lancaster secured a 5-3 victory over Massena, and Ithaca dominated Potsdam with a 9-2 score. In nonleague play, Norwood-Norfolk managed a 6-4 triumph against Plattsburgh.
Moving to Saturday’s events, St. Lawrence narrowly edged Norwood-Norfolk 2-1 in NAC play. Simultaneously, on the second day of Massena’s tournament, Ithaca blanked Massena with a 2-0 score.
Thursday, Jan. 11, boys basketball, Malone 74 Salmon River 20 – The Franklin Academy Huskies secured a dominant 74-20 home victory against the Salmon River Shamrocks. Establishing control right from the start, the Huskies dominated the first quarter, amassing a 26-6 lead. Despite the Shamrocks’ determined efforts, the Huskies’ defense displayed superior hustle, consistently taking the ball away.
The second quarter mirrored the first, with the Huskies outscoring the Shamrocks 20-4, heading into halftime with a commanding 46-10 lead. The trend continued in the third quarter, as Franklin Academy maintained their dominance, making shots at close range and outscoring Salmon River 19-7. As a result, they entered the final stanza with a substantial 65-17 advantage.
While easing off in the fourth quarter, the Huskies still outscored the Shamrocks 9-3, ultimately sealing a comprehensive victory.
Jan. 8, boys basketball, Massena 61 Gouverneur 32 – Massena secured a victory in the NAC Central Division over Gouverneur, with Colin Patterson delivering an impressive performance of 21 points and nine rebounds. Adding to the Raiders’ success, Taylor Mitchell contributed 18 points (6-3, 4-2).
On the opposing side, Ashton Currier and Cael Denesha each concluded the game with seven points for the Wildcats (5-5, 3-3).
Jan. 8, boys basketball, Norwood-Norfolk 43 Salmon River 37 – In a Norfolk meeting within the NAC Central Division, Salmon River’s Taharihwakohe led the scoring with 16 points, while teammate Cruz Gibson added 10 points to their tally.
Matt Richards scored a game high 26 points, playing a pivotal role in Norwood-Norfolk’s first victory of the season against Salmon River. Following closely was Logan Baxter, contributing 12 points for the Flyers.
Jan. 5, boys basketball, Massena 64 Ogdensburg 34 – Massena started the 2024 action at the Bill Merna Court with a visit to OFA, aiming to set an uptempo pace to leverage the skills of their talented backcourt featuring senior Colin Patterson and junior Taylor Mitchell.
The Raiders managed to pull away from an 8-6 lead in the final minutes of the first quarter and maintained control throughout, securing a 64-34 victory in the NAC Central Division. Mitchell and Taylor combined for 23 and 15 points during the second and third quarters, contributing to the Raiders’ (4-2 Central) impressive 41-18 lead. The team showcased transition finishes and a consistently converging defense.
Taylor Mitchell concluded the game with a game-high 27 points, while Colin Patterson added 20. Tapeni LaBrake scored an additional six points, and Josh Peets contributed three. Jakob Peets, Brandon Barnes, Justin Monroe, and Dominic Murtagh all finished with two points each.
On the opposing side, Jack Pike scored 12 points, and Ian Rose contributed another 10 for Coach Wes McDonald’s Blue Devils (2-4 Central). Will Graveline added eight points before sustaining a leg injury in the fourth quarter, while Noah White and Lucca LaBella both netted two.
Jan. 5, boys hockey, Massena 2 Ogdensburg 1 – The visiting Raiders took an early 2-0 lead in a game marked by numerous intense body checks. The evening reached its climax as goaltender Jakee Linsted made 18 of his 43 saves in the third period, securing a 2-1 victory over the Devils.
OFA, managing to score its sole goal on a power play with 3:06 left in the second period, adopted an aggressive, all-out attack strategy in the final two minutes of regular play. This included a two-man advantage when the Devil coaches pulled goalie Ty Jacobs, and the Raiders capitalized by drawing a penalty.
Despite the relentless offensive efforts by the Raiders, Jacobs made 23 saves for the Devils.
Massena took the lead with Camron Francis scoring as he knocked in a rebound, assisted by Brennan Aldous and Drew Smutz, with 2:13 remaining in the first period. The Raider lead was then doubled by defenseman Ryder Sunday, who scored an unassisted goal with a powerful shot just 1:12 into the second period.
The Blue Devils managed to get on the board at 3:06 left in the middle frame, as Haydin McDonald scored a power-play goal, assisted by Laughlin O’Donnell and Lorenzo Rand.
Jan. 5, boys basketball, Canton 69 Salmon River 14 – In Fort Covington, Logan Oakes led the Salmon River offense with nine points, while Landon David and Jayden Reardon contributed two points each, and Cruz Gibson added one.
The visiting Golden Bears outscored the Shamrocks 21-1 in the first quarter and extending their lead with a 17-0 advantage in the second. This performance elevated their Central Division-leading record to 6-0.
Zadok Roiger was the top scorer for Canton with 15 points, followed by Ryan Jones with 10, Jack Ames with eight, and Paul Redfern with six. Ethan Francey, Talan Green, and Oliver Dollman all finished with five points, while Jake Backus netted four, Lucas Howie scored three, and John Wilcox added two.
Jan. 4, girls basketball, Massena 59 Ogdensburg 12 – Meghan Firnstein and Madison LaDue both recorded 18 points each, leading the Raiders. The team also saw contributions from Makenna Cameron with seven points, and six points each from Shelby Goeke and Sophia Greco. Sydney Rochefort added three points to the scoreboard.
For OFA, Meriam Skamperle scored five points, while Carlee Thompson netted three. Amaya LaFlair and Ireland McNally each contributed two points.
Jan. 4, girls basketball, Canton 60 Salmon River 14 – At Jerry Hourihan Gym in Canton, Taya Ransom emerged as the leading scorer for Salmon River with seven points, followed by Ariyah LaFrance with five. Rihanna Thomas and Shania Stewart contributed two points each. However, despite their efforts, the Lady Shamrocks faced a formidable challenge from the host Golden Bears.
Canton dominated early, establishing an 18-3 lead after the first quarter and extending their advantage with 13 unanswered points in the second quarter. This led to a decisive victory over Salmon River.
Olivia White spearheaded a well-balanced Canton offense with 12 points, accompanied by Tess Alguire with 10 and Olivia Francey with eight. Sara Aldous, Calie Klassen, and Josie Gabriel also made significant contributions with seven points each, while Winnie Downs added five and Haley Burnett contributed four.
Jan. 3, wrestling, Canton 41 Massena 18 – Rawennakaien Silver, Nolan Jenson and Cameron Walcott won their matches fall for the Raiders. Canton pinfall victories were won by Golden Bears Graham Rozler, Charlie Rossner, Lyndon Went and Kaeden Locey to defeat host Massena. Cole Clifford won a technical fall for Canton.
Reader Comments(0)