PLATTSBURGH — The Upstate Girls' Hockey League formed in 2009, and Beekmantown has landed in the final four all four years.
The Eagles have advanced to the title game two of the past three years, but one thing is still missing from their list of accomplishments — a championship.
This year, Beekmantown will be playing close to home at the Plattsburgh State Field House. The Eagles will take on Alexandria Bay (10-9-2), a 2-0 winner over Oswego in its quarterfinals matchup, today at 6 p.m. Potsdam will oppose Ithaca immediately following. The winners will meet in the championship game Saturday morning.
"In the three (previous) years of existence we have been to all the Final Fours and the finals twice," Beekmantown coach Ray Guay said. "Being the host definitely means more. You want to prove to everybody that we do have a great team in the North Country.
"Girls' hockey has really come a long way in the North Country."
One of the strengths of this year's Beekmantown squad has been its experience. The Eagles have seven seniors and five juniors, and all have had plenty of playoff experience.
"The majority of the team, except the freshmen, have been to all of the previous final fours," Guay said. "The girls have been there, so there is a lot of experience that comes with that. Our first year we were very young, but we are very seasoned now. Having seven seniors and five juniors makes for a good varsity team experience-wise."
Another huge advantage for Beekmantown this season has been its depth. The points have definitely been spread around this season with eight players currently in double digits.
"Our biggest strength, I think, is that we are deep," Guay said. "We have three solid lines, and I do use a fourth line. And the same with our defense. We are a well-rounded team.
"We played Canton and had 10 different scorers; that is very unlikely. There are usually some girls that stand out and carry most of the weight. We are also a very hard-skating team. When they come to play, they are a tough team."
Throughout the season Guay has relied on three major lines, with a fourth, younger line getting valuable minutes as well. He stated that any of the players on the top three lines could be interchangeable.
"I use three lines," Guay said. "But we do use a fourth line. I like to give experience to upcoming players, and the only way to get experience is by playing in those situations."
The Eagles have been using Jess Huber (12-14-26), Sara LoTemplio (10-12-22) and Lauren O'Connor (6-12-18) on one line. Amanda Peterson (8-15-23), Bailey Waterbury (12-10-22) and Alexis Guay form another line, and the third features Kallie Villemaire (9-4-13), Cailee LaPorte (5-6-11) and since she has returned from injury, Emily Raville. Kiley Regan also sees time one the top three lines.
Defensively, Beekmantown will rotate seven players, including Amanda Kempainen, Kirsten Doran, Ashley Terry, Caitlyn LaPiere (4-9-13), Amy LoTemplio, Brielle Carnright and Kinnan Latremore.
Between the posts, Guay will continue to rely on his senior goaltender Christina Emery, who has four shutouts on the season and has stopped 192-of-200 shots for a save percentage of 96 percent.
"I have stood by Emery since the get-go," Guay said. "She has been my only goalie for years. We do have a freshmen goalie, Kayleigh Bell, who will be our backup. That is something I am not used to having.
"Christina has been our rock for the past four years as our goalie. The majority of the time we outshoot the other team 2-1, so as a goalie it is tough when you don't see a lot of shots."
The Eagles have not faltered this season and only have two ties that could be considered blemishes on their record. They appear to be playing their best hockey late in the season as they move into today's semifinal.
"As we've done in the past, our record shows that we win the majority of our games," Guay said. "It is just persistent hard work in practice and taking one game at a time. As any coach would say, don't look ahead. We've done that in the past and it's bit us.
"Hosting will be good for our club with our fan base and the North Country cheering us on. It's a showcase for girls' hockey in the state, and we hope to put on a good show. I encourage a lot of people to see what we have to offer for girls' high school hockey."
TICKETS
Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for seniors and students, but any student that wears a hockey jersey to the game will be admitted free.
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