By Nick Canzoneri, NYSPHSAA Intern Spring 2022
 
After a two-year absence due to COVID-19, the NYSPHSAA Boys Ice Hockey State Championship is back at the LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo.  The LECOM Harborcenter has hosted this tournament since 2016 and is the official practice facility of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, which plays its home games next door at the KeyBank Center.

“Everyone involved is very excited to have the Boys Ice Hockey Championships back after a two-year hiatus,” said Scott Stuart, Boys State Hockey Coordinator. “Last year was particularly tough as we knew we were not going to stage a championship at the end of the season and of course the year before, in 2020, the event was canceled just a few days before the event was supposed to be played.”

In Regional Division I play on March 5, Suffern (Section I) beat Canton (Section X) 10-2 and Shenendehowa (Section 2) beat Monroe-Woodbury (Section IX) 12-2.  Suffern and Shenendehowa will face off on March 12 as the first semi-final game to earn a spot in the state championship.  On the other side of the bracket, West Genesee (Section III) beat Ithaca (Section IV) 7-0 and Victor (Section V) edged out Orchard Park (Section VI) 3-1.  West Genesee and Victor will face off in the second semi-final game on March 12.

In the Division II Regionals on March 5, Queensbury (Section 2) defeated John Jay (Section I At-Large) 7-5 and Pelham Memorial (Section I) defeated Northeastern Clinton (Section VII), 8-3.  Pelham and Queensbury will face off on March 12 to determined who gets to the state championship game.  The other semi-final game will consist of Section 6’s Starpoint and Section 5’s Webster Thomas, who both had narrow victories in their regional matchups.  Starpoint won by one goal against Salmon River (Section X) and Webster Thomas had a two goal margin over Skaneateles (Section III).

The state tournament begins on Saturday, March 12 with both Division I semifinals being played back-to-back.  Puck drop for the first semifinal matchup is at 9 am and the second begins at 11:30 am. Later that day, the Division II semifinals commence with the first matchup at 2:15 pm and the second at 4:30 pm. On Sunday, March 13, Division I will play their final at 11 am and Division II is scheduled at 2 pm.

“The atmosphere at the LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo will be electric and the teams that are fortunate enough to get there will be treated to an unforgettable experience,” Stuart said. The Harborcenter is in the first year of a new three-year bid term to host this event. Previously, the Auditorium in Utica hosted the first 36 years of the state tournament from 1980-2015.

The last time this tournament took place in 2019, Section 3 captured state championships in both divisions.  Syracuse (Section 3) bested Suffern High School (Section 1) by a score of 4-2 for the Division I crown.  In Division II, Skaneateles (Section 3) bested Queensbury (Section 2) 6-1.

Tickets are $10 for the day and can only be purchased online prior to the state championship.  Visit https://gofan.co/app/school/NYSPHSAA to purchase tickets.  This is an all-digital ticketed event and must be purchased in advance.  Cash sales will not be available at the gate. 

For more information regarding scheduling, tickets, and the state championship brackets please visit https://nysphsaa.org/tournaments/?id=15&path=