High school hockey: Potsdam completes turnaround with first Section 10 championship since 2011

“This is the most resilient group of kids that I have ever coached,” said first-year head coach Jack Charlebois after his squad built a 5-3 lead through two periods then turned back the Red Raiders in the third to earn their first sectional title in 12 years.

“Maybe at the beginning of the season, if you would have told me we would win this game, I would have been surprised ,but as the season has gone on, and going through what we’ve gone through as a team, nothing surprises me with this group any more,” he added. “They see the goal at the beginning of the year to make it to this game and they showed they really wanted to be here. I’m just so proud of these guys.”

The Sandstoners will now travel downstate to take on Section 1 champion Clarkstown at the Sport-O-Rama Rink in Monsey on Saturday.

“It’s been (12) years since we’ve won this game so none of us have ever done this before. We just had that drive this year,” said Tyler Berkman, a junior who serves as captain of the Potsdam squad and was announced as the NAC Division I MVP following the win.

The Sandstoners opened the scoring just 3 minutes, 14 seconds into the game when a shot from the right face-off circle by Cooper Grant was stopped by Jake Linstad but led to a floating rebound that was knocked into the back of the net by John Duffy from the top of the slot.

The Red Raiders then struck for the next two goals, pulling even. At the 8:04 mark Jake Smutz converted on a pass from Aidan Aldous for a power play tally. Then with 4;48 remaining, Brady Frost controlled a loose puck near the Potsdam blueline then deked his way toward goal before ripping a shot home from the left circle for an unassisted strike.

But the Sandstoners dominated the scoreboard in the second period, netting three straight goals in a span of less than six minutes midway through before trading late goals with Massena. Berkman tied the game at 2-2 at the 7:08 mark with an unassisted gem that started in front of his own goal and ended with a wrist shot into the back of the net from the left face-off circle. James Sullivan then finished off a play set up by Lucas Cruikshank and Tyler Martin at 10:22 before Grant made it 4-2 with 6:17 remaining with an unassisted goal.

Red Raider captain Payton Puente slowed the Potsdam surge when he backhanded a pass from Bayley Rochefort into the top left of the goal from the right face-off circle at the 13:47 mark, but another strong rush up the left wing by Berkman ended with a rebound goal by Grant just eight seconds after the ensuing face-off and Potsdam went into the third leading 5-3.

Massena opened the third period on the power play and quickly cut the deficit back to one when Chris Marasco knocked home the rebound of a shot by Aidan Aldous just 37 seconds into the final frame. Parker O’Neil also drew an assist on the power play goal.

As was the case throughout the game, however, the Sandstoners responded with two goals in less than three minutes midway through the period to open what turned out to be an insurmountable 7-4 lead. Duffy connected from Grant at the 5:55 mark before Berkman struck for his second of the game at 8:28, unassisted.

Massena got one back when Brady Frost converted from in close with 2:52 remaining before Berkman sealed the win when he completed his hat trick with an unassisted empty-net goal with 25 seconds left.

“To go from being at the bottom of the standings for so long to winning this game, we worked hard for this,” Berkman said.

Chase Rozler turned aside 32 shots backstopping the win while Jake Linstad made 26 saves for the Red Raiders, who finished at 10-10-1.

“The end is never easy but you have to give Potsdam credit for their effort,” said Massena coach Mike Trimboli. “Anything can happen when you get to this game. They made the most of their chances and we didn’t.”