BATTLE AT THE TOP
Shen, Saratoga split home and home series to sit atop CDHSHL standings
The Shen and Saratoga rivalry is a bitter one.
It seems when these two schools meet, whether it be the pitch, the ice, or the court, there is more emotion and pride driving the players than before. That was no different Wednesday and Thursday night when the two hockey teams met at their respective home rinks for a home and home series, à lah college hockey.
“That’s the nice thing about this schedule. Juan was saying it’s like a college schedule, we play back to back,” said Saratoga’s Tim Horst. “It’s great you get to get back after it the next day and then we only have one day and we are back after it again. You have to have a short memory.”
Shen stole the matchup Tuesday night at the Capital Ice
Arena in Clifton Park 3-2. Saratoga responded Wednesday night with a 3-0 shut out win over the Plainsmen at Weibel Ice Arena in Saratoga. Both teams showed some good, and some bad, in the meeting.
“Anytime you play in a rivalry game like that you want to come out ready to go and I think we did that tonight,” said Horst on his team responding Wednesday night. “Their goaltender played really well last night so we knew we had to get a ton of shots. “
“Once your heads hit the pillow, today is done,” said Shen Head Coach Juan de la Rocha on the back to back schedule. “We are moving on. Tomorrow is a brand new game. You can’t rest on the fact that you won 3-2 you have a whole new challenge ahead of you.”
GOALTENDING WAS THE STAR
Shen goalies Leo Coons and Lucas Lasher and Saratoga’s Jesse Bradley really stood out in the series.
Saratoga’s Bradley earned a shut out Wednesday night after picking up the loss Tuesday. Believe it or not, Tuesday Bradley had a much better game. He was tested more and had to bail his defense out a few different times when they over pinched on an aggressive play. His rebound control turned out to be his achilles heel in the loss with
the first two goals coming off of big rebounds kicked out front, but without him Saratoga could have easily lost 5-2 Tuesday night.
“I have to give a lot of credit to my defense. They’re out there stopping pucks from getting to the net and they are playing well in front of me,” said Bradley on the win.
Wednesday night he was tested less, making 16 saves in the shutout win but his positioning was solid and he was quick across the crease stopping a few back door chances.
“He’s finding his confidence right now and he is our guy,” said Horst. “A senior leader who has been paying his dues trying to wait for his time and now he’s got it. We have total confidence in him.”
For Shen, Lasher picked up the win Tuesday night and Coons was awarded the loss the following night but both goalies were superb in their respective outings.
Lasher did everything he needed to in the win, making 23 saves and allowing just two goals. In front of him the defense was superb and limited chances late when Saratoga had two powerplays in a row.
Coons’ performance Wednesday can not be downplayed because he lost. Both teams were tied until the eight minute mark in the third period and that was in large part to Coons. He made several big saves and was tested early and often including an 11-1 shot run by Saratoga in the first period. Saratoga pounded Coons late including an accidental collision with Saratoga’s Will Detora that rattled the Shen netminder.
“Both our guys were great. Leo had a great game tonight and Lucas played phenomenal last night,” said de la Rocha following Wednesday’s loss. “Our defense is very good as well, which makes our goalies jobs easier. The penalty kills last night were an example of that.”
EMOTIONS RUN HIGH
Rivalry games lead to emotions. That’s no different in 2021 as the teams play through a pandemic.
In the third periods of both games players got chippy and got into scrums. Wednesday night Saratoga lost two players to disqualifications. One for roughing and another for unsportsmanlike.
“We always encourage passion but we also try and keep them even keel. Never too high and never too low,” said Horst. “We love to see that passion and anytime you play against Shen the guys are going to be all revved up and ready to go.
We love to see that out of them but on the other side of it you don’t want them to be out of sorts.”
Tuesday night a fight behind the Shen net let to a powerplay for Saratoga that the Blue Streaks could not capitalize on.
“You’ve got to first focus on yourself,” said Saratoga’s Mike Montague on how he and Saratoga kept their emotions in check. “You have to tell your teammates, ‘Hey we have five minutes left. Let’s bear down. Let’s not get carried away because we can’t have people getting ejected like we had today and potentially missing next game as well.’”
“We have to focus on us. It’s one thing to protect your goaltender but it’s another to look out for your teammates when they are getting hot,” said de la Rocha. “We have to be level headed for each other when someone is getting hot headed and we didn’t really do that.”
Shen utilized their passion and emotion on the defensive side of the puck making a key blocked shot late and several other big plays that energized the bench.
“You go from being on your heels trying to defend, defend, defend and it gives your team an emotional lift,” said de la Rocha on the big defensive stops. “You see a teammate lie out like that and it makes you want to do it. Joey Celtruda did it twice.”