Two Saugerties teams win gold medals at Empire State Winter Games – Daily Freeman
Members of the Saugerties Youth Hockey Association’s 10Under Mustangs celebrate Sunday after beating Massena 2-0 in the championship game to win the gold medal at the Empire State Winter Games at Lake Placid, N.Y. (Photo provided)
SAUGERTIES, N.Y. — Two Saugerties Youth Hockey Association teams claimed gold medals at the 44th Empire State Winter Games Sunday in Lake Placid.
The Saugerties girls Under12 Fillies took home its second straight gold medal with a 3-1 win over the Hanover Wilds of New Hampshire in the title game as team captain Wynter Plank scored two goals. Makenna Hetrick had the other goal for the Fillies, comprised of 11- and 12-year-old girls. Ari Liu and Addy Welch shared the goaltending duties in the championship contest.
The gold-medal-winning girls squad recorded a 3-1-1 record during the three-day tournament.
The Saugerties boys 10Under Mustangs claimed their second gold medal in three years with a 2-0 win over Massena. The squad won a silver medal at the 2023 Empire State Winter Games and a gold at the 2022 Winter Games.
Sean Bellarosa scored an unassisted goal in the second period for the Mustangs, while Bryton King had the other goal on assists by Kit Plank and Walter Mayone late in the third period.
The Mustangs, who finished the tournament with a 3-1 record, avenged a 4-2 loss to Massena earlier in the week in the title game. Saugerties goalie Brooks Mills had 20 saves in the championship game. He also recorded a shutout in a 4-0 semifinal round win over Watertown.
The boys 10Under squad is comprised of athletes who are 9 and 10 years old.
Other members of the Mustangs were Grayson Pavloudakis, Jace Pierro, Jase Meyer, Kaegen Armstrong, Townes Pillsworth, Wilbur Prutzman, Caleb D’Arcy and Cian Crowley.
The Under14 girls hockey team took a bronze medal. The Fillies finished with a 2-0-2 mark, but they didn’t win the gold on the basis of tiebreakers. That squad is comprised of 13- and 14-year-old girls.
DJ Matthews, who coached the Saugerties girls youth hockey teams, said it was a thrill for the Under12 squad to win back-to-back gold medals at the site of the 1980 Winter Olympic Games.
“It was pretty amazing,” Matthews said. “I have a great group of girls who all contributed. About half of the team were on the squad last year. The other half moved up to the Under14 this season. We’re looking to go back next year and try to three-peat.”
