The Red Storm scored twice during the opening half of the contest to grab a 2-0 lead, before Mik Denkenberger tacked on a goal shortly after the intermission to give the hosts a three-goal edge.

However, the Blue Bombers connected on a pair of goals late in the second half and had a couple of scoring chances that came just short, stunting their comeback effort. Lake Placid’s head coach Chris Mariano said his team never gives up.

“They’ve always been good about fighting to the end,” he said. “I’m not happy with the result, but I thought (we) played hard and smart.”

Along with Denkenberger’s goal, Mason Stoddard and Connor Gillis each scored for the Red Storm. Denkenberger and Ethan Knight added assists to help their squad improve to 5-2 overall. Saranac Lake’s head coach, Brad Rafferty, said the team is on a good stretch to kick off the season.

Lake Placid’s Caleb Wylie, left, looks to make a pass downfield with Saranac Lake’s Mason Stoddard defending during Tuesday’s game in Saranac Lake. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

Gillis, one of 13 seniors on the team, gave his team an early lead after sending Denkenberger’s pass into the back of the net. Rafferty said it was nice to get the early lead, as it created a little buffer.

The Red Storm extended their lead when Stoddard netted a free kick over Lake Placid’s goalie Oren Preston’s head with around eight minutes in the half. Denkenberger then tapped in a cross pass from Knight after the break to make the score 3-0.

Mariano said it took his team some time getting used to Saranac Lake’s new turf field.

“It moved a lot faster,” he said. “That first goal was just us not knowing the field.”

Lake Placid erased the shutout when Sean McCaulley took a pass from Josh Hobday and rifled it over the head of Saranac Lake’s goalie, Justin Lushia, from more than 30 yards out.

Saranac Lake’s Lukas Miemis kicks the ball downfield during Tuesday’s game against Lake Placid. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

McCaulley also set up the next goal a few minutes later, as Theo Harris buried his corner kick into the back of the net.

“They had a couple of good shots,” Rafferty said. “(Lake Placid’s) first goal was a good shot from distance, and then their second goal was a corner kick, nice cap in the corner. There was really nothing the goalie could do on either one of those.”

The Blue Bombers nearly evened the game, as Trey Mariano sent a cross pass in front of the net, which bounced around, but was eventually cleared away by Saranac Lake’s Lukas Miemis.

Despite giving up three goals, coach Mariano said he was also impressed with his team’s defensive effort.

“I thought the whole midfield played great defensively,” he said. “The back line played great defensively. And we moved the ball around pretty well; it can be better.”

Saranac Lake has now won five straight contests over the Blue Bombers dating back to 2022. In its last four games, the Red Storm outscored its rivals 18-4, but Rafferty said they aren’t the same squad as years prior.

“They’re a much, much improved team from last year,” he said. “So they definitely had their chances. I mean, it was a close game; either team could have probably won this one. We did hit a post and missed a (penalty kick). So that kind of comes back to bite you a little bit sometimes, but fortunately, we were able to pull this one out.”

Coach Mariano credited the play of his Preston, who recorded eight saves, including a big penalty kick stop on Stoddard in the second half. Lushia, who played for Lake Placid last season, had three saves. The Red Storm finished with a 15-7 edge in shots.

Up next, Saranac Lake is slated to host the Northern Adirondack Bobcats at 6:30 p.m. today. Lake Placid, which dropped to 4-3 overall, will travel to Clintonville to take on the AuSable Valley Patriots at 6:30 p.m. today.