Athletic Result Boys Hockey

NSA Continues Promising Season

By: Mattia Laudi and Martha Smith

Lake Placid – On September 23rd the National Sports Academy Mountaineers Junior A team played outstandingly against the Albany Americans, who were previously undefeated in league play.

The Mountaineers started putting their opponents under pressure from the first moment of play and after just four minutes, Tyler Watts netted the first goal of the game to put the Mountaineers up 1-0.

NSA Mountaineers

At 12:23 of the first period, Erik Halin ripped a one-time slapshot into past the Albany goaltender, then with just over three minutes remaining in the period, Zach White tallied the Mountaineer’s third goal.

After the break and the coach’s speech the Americans came out flying to start the second period, as their top scorer, Tyler Underhill, lit the lamp for Albany’s first goal.

The Mountaineers replied to Albany’s comeback bid when Devin Desnoyers sniped his first goal of the game at five minutes. Assists came from Mountaineer rookies Halin and Watts.

Underhill scored another goal shortly after, but the Mountaineers responded readily after thirty seconds when Zach Dymock that stole a vacant puck after a messy play by the Albany defenders and beat the goalie on his glove side.

The Mountaineers finished the third period with three unanswered goals, and a final score of 8-2.  “We started out with a great work ethic” head coach Rod Simmons said, “and that’s the way we finished.”

The players felt good after the game thanks to the great environment in the locker room and the good chemistry of the team: “We had a really good game” Joe Kleinhenz commented, “because we played together for the whole time as a real team.’’

Albany Americans Logo

Starting out the season as strong as the Mountaineers have is sure to set the standard for the remainder of the season. 

The games for the Mountaineers this season have been decisive wins, but Simmons doesn’t seem worried.  In the third game of the first weekend NSA was down two goals and battled back for the win. 

“There is good character on the team,” Simmons said, adding that, “in the four games [he has] not been disappointed at all [but] there are always things we can do better.”

NSA has three more games this coming weekend.  The Mountaineers  “believe in playing our systems… playing till the whistle blows [all] sixty minutes” with that in mind Coach Simmons continues to have high expectations.