SLP’s Emma Clark carries the puck during a Sara-Placid tournament game against Canton on Dec. 29, 2023 in Saranac Lake. (News photo — Parker O’Brien)

SARANAC LAKE — The Saranac Lake Placid girls hockey team suffered a two-game skid in the annual Sara-Placid Tournament at the Saranac Lake Civic Center on Dec. 28 and 29, 2023.

In the opening contest on Dec. 28, SLP found themselves in a tightly contested match against the Ithaca Little Red.

Backed by some solid goaltending from SLP’s Bradana Gillman, who finished the games with 31 saves, SLP held their own.

“It was a great effort by the girls,” SLP head coach Butch Martin said. “Our goaltender was outstanding. That’s pretty good. We’ll take it and learn from there.”

Just a few minutes into overtime, Lucy Levine scored the game-winning goal. Kaylee Holly-Dickerson and Juliet Crane recorded assists on the play.

Madison Blinn carries the puck during a game against Adirondack United at the Olympic Center’s 1932 Jack Shea Arena in Lake Placid on Jan. 2. (News photo — Parker O’Brien)

“That was a hell of a girls hockey game. It was back and forth and exciting. We stopped a lot of pucks in our end and they knew that they had a solid goalie behind them. I’m definitely pleased with it because that game last year would have been 15-0.”

Ithaca’s Fallon Mount recorded a shutout with 14 saves.

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Canton 7, SLP 1

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The SLP girls got off to a quick start in the consolation match on Dec. 29 scoring the first goal. However, the Canton Golden Bears shut down SLP’s chances with seven straight goals to win the contest.

Taylor Stoll of Tupper Lake playing for Canton paced her team with two goals and two assists. Abbi Nee had two goals for the Golden Bears while Ava Murphy, Ella Mousaw and Mamie Coburn each scored one goal.

SLP’s lone goal was scored by Emma Clark, who tipped in a shot from Willow Wood.

Also on Dec. 29, the Beekmantown Eagles won the tournament with a 3-2 victory over Ithaca.

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Adirondack United 8, SLP 0

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Through the early stages of the game on Jan. 2, the Saranac Lake Placid girls hockey team found themselves in a tightly contested match against the reigning state runner-up, Adirondack United of Section 2.

Once Adirondack United scored its second goal of the contest, around six minutes into the second period, the team got hot, netting six straight goals to top SLP 8-0 at the Olympic Center’s 1932 Jack Shea Arena.

Five different players scored a goal for Adirondack United. Bayley Duffy led the team with five points, including two goals and three assists. Aubrey Lozier and Emily MacAuley scored two goals each, while Lillian Willis and Tekla Fine-Lease each found the back of the net once. Fine-Lease, Willis and Gianna Marcantonio contributed with two assists each. MacAuley and Kady Duffy each had one assist.

SLP was outshot 53-14 but did have some scoring opportunities, including a breakaway by sophomore forward Clementine Guenette. Forwards Emma Clark and Stephanie Kilboune-Hill also had shots that were turned away.

The team is currently undefeated. Adirondack United is a merger of six schools — Corinth, Glens Falls, Hudson Falls, Queensbury, Saratoga Springs and South Glens Falls.

Adirondack United used three goaltenders — Ava Reynolds, Katelin Archer, and Aurora Graham-Hayes — to combine for the shutout. SLP’s goalie Gillman had 45 saves in net.

Despite the lopsided score, SLP showed a vast improvement since the last time it faced Adirondack United, when the team lost 12-0 in December 2022.

SLP, which dropped to 1-8-2 overall, will hit the road for its next three games, starting with a matchup against the Oswego Buccaneers on Friday, Jan. 5. The team will take on the Massena Raiders on Jan. 10 and the Potsdam Sandstoners on Jan. 13.