Shenendehowa boys hockey repeats as section champs after wild shootout with Saratoga

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Rivalry games are always entertaining. But when there's a championship on the line, that just adds to the electricity.

Sunday's Section 2, Division I boys ice hockey final between Shenendehowa and Saratoga - a rematch of last year's championship game - was as epic as they come. Shen, which defeated Saratoga 3-1 at Messa Rink in 2024, got the better of the Blue Streaks once again and secured a second straight section title with a 4-3 win.

The scoring started early and came often in the first period. Shen got on the board just nine seconds into the contest on a backhand shot from senior forward Evan Stocker. Gavin Cronin added a power-play goal not even five minutes later, and Shen quickly had the jump on top-seeded Saratoga.

But the Blue Streaks earned that seed for a reason. Jayson Carpenter netted a man-up goal with 2:25 to play in the first. Saratoga won the ensuing faceoff, Matt King got the puck up the ice to Jack Murauskas. He sent a shot past the right shoulder of Shen goalie Preston King and into the back of the net, leveling the score at two.

Saratoga again won the faceoff. Only this time, King turned the puck over to Shen's Julien Overton, who raced down the left side of the ice, cut to the middle by slipping between through two Blue Streak skaters and buried a shot from the slot, reclaiming Shen the lead.

As if three goals in the span of 19 seconds of game action wasn't enough, Shen tacked on one more with 31 seconds to play, as Nicholas Jakowiw went bar-down from the right circle, giving Shen a 4-2 advantage after a frenetic period.

Saratoga again managed to close the gap. Daniel Klochaney chipped a shot over King to bring his team within one with 9:32 remaining in the second period.

Shen maintained that one-goal lead heading into the second intermission. Out of the break, Saratoga appeared to net the equalizer at the 11:27 mark of the final stanza when Klochaney scored off a rebound from a Stanley Hastings wrist shot. But the officials waved off the goal after deciding Klochaney had knocked the puck in with his skate.

Preston King, who recorded a staggering 39 saves, and the Shen defense managed to fend off Saratoga's advances for the remainder of the third period to secure the 4-3 victory.

"Coach [de la Rocha] told us to put our bodies on the line for the team, and we just played for the seniors," said Stocker. "It feels great going back-to-back like that."

This was the 12th section title in program history for Shen and the 10th under the leadership of head coach Juan de la Rocha.

"Getting a group to achieve to a certain level...that's the fun part," said de la Rocha. "When they reach that level, you're raising the bar again. And, to be honest with you, probably not making a lot of friends along the way."

Shen's run through the tournament becomes even more impressive given their conclusion to the regular season. The team lost three of its final four games, two of which were decided by one goal.

But like most programs with a championship DNA, Shen rose to the occasion come postseason time. They eked out a 1-0 win in the quarterfinals against seventh-seeded Burnt Hills, lit up La Salle in the semis, 5-2, before willing out one more one-goal game.

"If you saw us play from the middle of January to the first week of February, you wouldn't think we'd be standing here right now," said de la Rocha. "We just kinda had to embrace playing in tough games and sticking with it. I'm super proud of 'em."

Shen advances to the state tournament and will take on the Section 10 champion in the opening round. That game will be played Saturday, March 8, but a date and location has yet to be determined.

Saratoga concludes a stellar season with an overall record of 18-4-1.