Larries Take on Queensbury in State Semis

BRASHER FALLS - The St. Lawrence Central hockey team's New York State Division II semi-final round game against Section 2 champion Queensbury looks like another meeting of David and Goliath on paper.

And veteran coach Mickey Locke expects a similar conclusion when the two teams hit the ice at the Utica Aud this Saturday.

"They're a big school but we're not going into this game thinking we're the underdog," said Locke as the Larries look to earn their first trip to the state final since winning their only championship in 1982. "We have some scouting reports on them. They're solid in goal, deep at the forward positions and solid on the blueline. We're very similar teams from the sound of it."

"We just need to go out and keep doing the things that we've been doing to be successful," Locke added. "When you get to this point in the season, it's goaltending and good special teams play that usually decide games and we've been getting both."

Saturday's semi-final between the Larries and Spartans is slated to face-off at 5:45 p.m. following the first Division II semi between defending state champion and local favorite New Hartford of Section 3 and Section 7 champion Plattsburgh. The Division II final is slated for Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Both SLC, which competes in Class C for its other sports, and Queensbury, a Class AA school located just north of Glens Falls, have put together second-half turnarounds this winter after hovering around the .500 mark through the first half of the 2009-10 season. The Larries have won seven of their last eight games to improve to 17-7, including a wild 7-3 win last Saturday in Newburgh over Section 1 champion Burke Catholic where they scored six goals over a span of four minutes and 16 seconds starting with a power play goal by Brady Helmer with 3:17 left in the first period that made it 3-1.

"We were on the road. We gave up a goal in the first minute, which is something you don't want to do. We only gave up three shorthanded goals all year and we end up giving up two in the first period to fall behind 3-0, which is something you don't want to do," said Locke.

"Getting that first goal on the power play was huge. It went in off the inside of the post. If we don't get that first goal, we might not get the second, the third and the fourth. We were down 3-0 with three an a-half minutes left in the period so there really wasn't a lot of time," he added. "One thing about these guys, they're a resilient bunch. This season, we've seen every possible scenario. We've come back to win games. We've had games where we've gotten leads and been able to protect them. We've also been able to play different styles. We can play run and gun if that's what the game dictates. We've also been able to grind things out when the games have been more physical."

The Spartans, who stood at 7-7 through their first 14 games, raised their overall record to 16-7-1 when they skated to a 5-3 decision over Section 1 champion Rye in their state quarter-final round matchup and have now gone unbeaten in their last 10 games (9-0-1). They've outscored their opponents 141-49 through their 24 games and are making their third trip to Utica in four years after claiming their fourth straight Section 2 title.

"Both teams are playing their best hockey," noted Locke.

A junior, Helmer has emerged as an offensive leader for the Larries this winter. He scored three goals and helped set up another in the win over Burke to raise his season totals to a team-high 21 goals, 19 assists and 40 points. Senior Charlie Dullea has stepped up to play a leadership role at forward as well with 16 goals and 12 assists for 28 points. Junior Zach Baldwin has generated another 28 points on 15 goals and 13 assists while junior blueliner Dylan Patterson, a key figure on the SLC power play with his consistently low blasts from the point, has tallied nine goals and helped set up 18 others for 27 points. The balanced SLC offense features three others players with at least 20 points; sophomore Brett Mahoney (10-11-21), senior defenseman Jack Keenan (8-13-21) and junior Andrew Fiske (9-11-20). Freshman Blake Baldwin is one of eight Larries with at least eight goals with nine to his credit.

Anchoring the SLC defense along with Keenan and Patterson are senior Jobie McCarthy and sophomore Hayden Beaulieu while sophomore Jordan Gary has evolved into a reliable backstop.

"If you look at Jordan's stats in goal, they're very ordinary," said Locke. "But he has play very well when the game has been on the line. He's had big saves in all our playoff games. He's earned the respect of the players. They have confidence in him and one things feeds off the other."

Kevin Valenti leads balanced Queensbury offense that boasts five players with 20 points or more. Anthony Langevin, Brian Frederick and Connor Potvin, who has amassed more than 20 assists, are the other top offensive threats while netminder Dylan Hafner has taken over crease duties down the stretch after Travis Marlow had gotten 12 starts between the pipes.

"From what I've been told, they brought the other kid in goal and that has really solidified their team," Locke noted.