Displaying items by tag: Nationals

Three local travel ice hockey teams are beating the odds. 

Troy Albany Ice Cats 

The Troy Albany Ice Cats, a local girls’ travel ice hockey team, took second in the Northern Region Sectionals, losing 2-1 to Canton who would end up taking second place in the state championship behind Amherst. However, they also headed to Buffalo for the New York State Hockey Championships where they had one win, lost in overtime, and had a seven-round shutout loss – just missing the final four. 

“It was huge to have the support for the program,” said Coach Derrek Tuthill. “It kept the girls focused on the goal they set to get to Buffalo. Now we are working on achieving more and more goals.”

Two girls from Saratoga, Chiara Tuthill, a sixth grader, and Ursula Obstarczyk, a fifth grader, play on the team alongside girls from surrounding counties. Rich Scammell started the program back in 1993, and Coach Tuthill says that it is a great program for any girls, regardless of area, looking to play hockey. 

Adirondack NorthStars

The Adirondack Northstars Girls 16U Hockey Team won the NYS Championship, and will be heading out to Denver, CO at the end of this month to compete in the USA Hockey National Championships. 

“In a season so out of the ordinary, the girls were able to accomplish so much,” said Renee Lochner, team director/president. 

The girls on the team are all local – 4 from Saratoga Springs and 15 others from across Saratoga and Warren county. 

A fundraiser has been set up on Go Fund Me to help send the team to Nationals in Denver. They have raised over $8,000 so far, but have not yet reached their goal. To donate please visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/send-the-16u-northstars-girls-hockey-to-nationals.

CP Dynamo 08

CP Dynamo 08 will be heading to Buffalo for the NYS Hockey Championships for Tier 1 Hockey this weekend. 

The team is made up of boys who live in a 2-hour radius of Saratoga. Their dedication is unmatched – traveling four-hour round trips to Utica just for practices back in July when no hockey rinks in the area were open. 

From back, left to right: Clara Corbin, Derrek Tuthill, Chris Obstarczyk, Jason Hunt, Elaina DelRio. Middle row Caitlynn McGlothlin, Ursula Obstarczyk (Saratoga County), Katie LeBoeuf (Saratoga County), Chiara Tuthill (Saratoga County), Reese Hunt (Washington County), Alaina Winther front row Nicole Stipe, Taber Hunt(Washington County), Giada Barna, Miriam Felton (Washington County), Malia Kesick. Missing is Shea Thompson. This picture is edited with each player and coach standing by themself then edited to resemble a team photo due to Covid 19.
Photo provided.

[Photo Courtesy of the Saratoga Hurricanes]

SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Saratoga Hurricanes, a 16u travel softball team with 13 players from Ballston Spa, Shenendehowa, Schuylerville and Saratoga County. The team traveled to Ocean City, Maryland to play in the USSSA World Series which had 76 teams, in which the Hurricanes finished second, come from as far as Colorado to compete.

“I think one of the things that is important to know about the team, is that six girls on the team are actually 14 and under eligible. So they were actually playing up a level of competition,” Coach Dave Garrison remarked.

In the start of the competition, each team plays three games in a pool in order to get their seed number. The Saratoga Hurricanes were number one in their pool. They also won seven additional games in bracket play. The Hurricanes then went on to win three more games to enter the finals. They beat a team from Michigan, Ulster County, and Canada. In the finals, The Diamond Girls of Buffalo, New York beat the Hurricanes 6 to 2.

Coach Dave Garrison has been coaching softball for 16 years and has been head coach for the Saratoga Hurricanes for the last two.

When asked how the girls felt about coming in second in the finals after losing to the Diamond Girls, Garrison said, “the girls were really excited about it. It was honestly a player one through thirteen team effort. The girls all really played their roles well and it was honestly why we were able to go as far as we did.”

Four home runs were scored during the competition. Alexis Garrison hit two, Sophia Caputo, Jenna Rivers, and Teagan Andrews each hit one.

“What is really good about travel softball for girls, is what they’ll remember about this tournament that wasn’t just about softball. On Friday the semi-finals were rained out. You sit around and you wait. Well, the Hurricanes and the Diamond Girls and the team from Michigan, all met out in the parking lot and started turning up the music. They had a big dance off and all the girls were dancing in different groups and really having a fun time. And it was really cool to see teams that were competing on the field be able to take a break away from it and understand that ‘hey you know what, when it’s all said and done, we’re all friends.’ And that’s something that is really cool to see,” Garrison reminisced.

The Saratoga Hurricanes are already holding try-outs for their upcoming season that starts up again after Labor Day Weekend.