SLP’s Kelsey McKillip keeps an eye on the loose puck in front of the net during the Dec. 12 game against Beekmantown at the Saranac Lake Civic Center. (News photo — Parker O’Brien)

SARANAC LAKE — The Saranac Lake Placid girls hockey team will head into the holiday tournament next week at the Saranac Lake Civic Center with a 1-6-1 record after one win and three losses since early last week.

“We’ve been competitive in every game,” SLP head coach Butch Martin said Wednesday, Dec. 20, a day after the team lost to the Potsdam Sandstoners 5-3 in the 1932 Arena in Lake Placid. Reflecting on the progress of his “very young” team,” he added, “We’re just getting better every game. We’re very pleased with our progress at this point.”

SLP’s sole win came on Sunday, Dec. 17 against East Green Wave at the Ameri-Can North Sports Center in Plattsburgh with a 2-1 victory. The day before, the team lost 4-1 to the Avalanche girls varsity ice hockey team at the Tupper Lake Civic Center, and they lost 4-1 on Dec. 13 to Franklin Academy at the Malone Civic Center.

Multiple schools will be playing in the Sara-Placid Tournament in Saranac Lake on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 28 and 29. The SLP girls team will face off against Ithaca at 6 p.m. on Thursday and will play two teams (TBD) — one at 11 a.m. and one at 1 p.m. — the following day.

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SLP’s Briar Beaney battles between three Beekmantown players during the Dec. 12 game at the Saranac Lake Civic Center. (News photo — Parker O’Brien)

Beekmantown game

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When SLP faced off against the Beekmantown Eagles last season, it wasn’t all that close in any of the three matchups.

But on Tuesday, Dec. 12, the SLP girls found themselves in a close battle with the Eagles at the Saranac Lake Civic Center for the first time in a couple of years.

While SLP ultimately fell 4-0, it was definitely a step in the right direction for a squad with just five juniors and seniors on its roster.

SLP’s Ireland Cassidy makes a play on the puck during the Dec. 12 game against Beekmantown at the Saranac Lake Civic Center. (News photo — Parker O’Brien)

“A majority of the girls playing out there are seventh, eighth and ninth-graders. We want better of course, but it will come,” SLP head coach Butch Martin said. “We’re young and they make young decisions. We’ve just got to shoot the puck a little harder. We’ll get better.”

Beekmantown’s sophomore duo of Meegan Burdo and Katie McCormick scored two goals each in the win. Burdo also had a helping hand in both McCormick’s goals, earning two assists. The Eagles’ Lily Pratt, Susie Kennedy and Adyson Campbell had one assist each.

SLP was sluggish in the opening period and was outshot 8-2. Martin said it didn’t help that the team missed practice the night before due to a snow day.

“That would’ve been nice just to go over a few things,” he said.

Backed by some solid goaltending by SLP’s Kelsey McKillip, the game remained scoreless after the first break.

In the second period, SLP picked up the pace when Marley Logan and Madison Blinn each had breakaway opportunities that were shut down by the Eagles’ netminder, Kori-Lynne Lamoy.

Beekamantown broke through with its first goal when McCormick scored off a rebound in front of the net. Around five minutes later, Burdo buried a goal in traffic to push the score to 2-0.

Burdo extended her team’s lead with a wrist shot past McKillip just a few seconds into the third period. McCormick scored the Eagles’ final goal with one second left in the third.

McKillip had a solid outing for SLP. She turned away 21 shots while Beekmantown’s Lamoy had 20 saves. The Eagles outshot SLP 25-20.