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Bombers lock up regular season title

Lake Placid goaltender Kamm Cassidy remains focused on the the action despite absorbing a collision with teammate Ryan Kane during the second period of Saturday's game against Beekmantown. Cassidy made 33 saves to earn the shutout as the Blue Bombers nailed down the Champlain Valley Athletic Conference crown. Also pictured is Lake Placid's Owen Mcgurk (7), who was helping clear out the crease. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

LAKE PLACID — With an opportunity to lock up the regular-season Champlain Valley Athletic Conference championship, the Lake Placid hockey team couldn’t get the job done on the road Friday in a 3-2 loss to Plattsburgh.

The Blue Bombers however, made the most out of a second chance when they wrapped up their schedule at home on Saturday.

Evan Damp and Bjorn Kroes provided the scoring and Kamm Cassidy turned in another sparkling shutout performance in nets as Lake Placid blanked Beekmantown 2-0 at the Olympic Center’s 1932 Rink to win the CVAC regular-season crown for the second time in three years.

All the Blue Bombers needed to do was tie the Eagles, but instead, they’re heading into the playoffs on a winning note, and as the top-seed seeking a third consecutive Section VII title.

Damp scored a power-play goal in the first period, Kroes added a big tally in the second and Cassidy recorded 33 saves as Lake Placid finished with a 7-2-1 league mark and a 10-5-1 record overall. The Blue Bombers had already sewn up a first-round bye prior to Saturday’s game and will now host the lowest remaining seed Thursday in a Section VII semifinal.

Kevin Geelser mounts a rush with the puck for Lake Placid while teammates join the play during Saturday’s game against Beekmantown. Also pictured is is Eagles captain Christian Wawrzynski. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

“We didn’t want to do it with a tie, especially against Beekmantown,” Lake Placid head coach Butch Martin said. ” It’s really nice to get the win. There’s a really good chance we could meet them again, or Saranac Lake. It’s setting up to be an exciting playoffs.

“The momentum coming out of Plattsburgh really helped us out tonight,” Martin added. “We just didn’t settle in and they got a couple early goals. We played really hard in the third period, and coming off of that, our kids knew they’d be ready for tonight.”

Despite being doubled up in shots in both the opening and third periods, the Blue Bombers were able to cash in both times on their only two power-play opportunities.

With Cassidy keeping the Eagles off the board in Lake Placid’s defensive zone, Damp took matters into his hands at the other end of the rink when he powered his way toward the net, scoring at the 9:03 mark of the first for a 1-0 Blue Bombers edge. On the play, defensman Ryan Kane sent a long heads-up pass to Damp, who was positioned at center ice along the right boards. Damp then carried the puck over the blue line, fought off a defender and top-shelved a shot past Eagles goalie Cole Harvey into the far side of the net.

Lake Placid’s second goal, scored by Kroes at the 3:42 mark of the second, was a beauty. On the play, the senior forward was left all alone in front of the net, and was spotted by Sean Moore, who fed an on-the-money pass to his line mate, who literally just had to tap the puck into a wide open net.

Hunter Wilmot (3) and Hayden Plank of Lake Placid battle with Beekmantown’s Kade Collins for possession of the puck near center ice. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

Owning a 2-0 edge, Lake Placid went on to hold off the Eagles, who enter the postseason as the fourth seed and will host Saranac Lake Tuesday in a quarterfinal contest.

“I thought we completely controlled the time of possession in that game,” Beekmantown head coach Justin Frechette said. “They have a great goaltender. He stole the game for them. I thought five-on-five tonight we were pretty much in control. They got two power-play goals, they got some great goaltending, and that was the difference. Lake Placid is always a tough team to play.

“Coming in, we just wanted to have a good game heading into playoffs,” Frechette added. “Seeding wise it didn’t mean anything for us but it did secure the CVAC championship for them, so congratulations to Butch and their kids, and to Kamm — an obviously great game for him again tonight.”

After reaching the state final four tournament the past two seasons, the Blue Bombers were hit hard by graduation and knew this would be a tough winter where they would have to rely on six veteran seniors and a host of young players with little experience. So far, the combination has worked for a Lake Placid team that has only skated with two forward lines.

“Our theme the past couple of years has been rebound after losses, rebound after everything,” said Moore, who leads the Blue Bombers in scoring with 17 goals and 15 assists. “We knew we played a solid third period against Plattsburgh and carried that over into this game. We’ve always been a team that’s found a way to win when we’ve needed to. To bounce back from a loss to win the CVAC championship, that feels great.

“Coming into this year, the freshman knew they had to step up, especially Tyler Hinkley and Hunter Wilmot. Both of them have been amazing all year long,” Moore added. “Even the sophomores — Jarrett Hathaway, Hunter Spotts, they’ve played their best hockey the last two nights. It was kind of an unknown starting the season. I expected them to be good, but they’ve been outstanding all year long and have really defined who we are as a team.”

The Eagles finished with a 33-18 edge in shots on goal. Harvey, a senior, finished with 16 saves in goal for Beekmantown, which finished the regular-season with a 9-10-1 record overall.

Lake Placid 2, Beekmantown 0

Eagles 0 0 0 — 0

Blue Bombers 1 1 0 — 2

Scoring

First Period

1. LP, Damp (Kane), 9:03, pp.

Second Period

2. LP, Kroes, (Moore, Damp), 3:42.

Shots on goal: Beekmantown 33, Lake Placid 18.

Saves: B, Harvey 16; LP, Cassidy 33.

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