Sports Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, July 29, 2010
Adirondack ice hockey team starts slow, improves with time
By Jordan J. Michael
BUFFALO –– Ice hockey in the middle of the summer?
Seems like strange timing.
Hockey isn’t a summer sport, but young men and women came to the Buffalo area to compete in the Empire State Summer Games. The Scholastic Men’s Adirondack team had its first of five games last Thursday against Central.
“It’s hard to find ice in the summer,” said Tyler Hynes, a rising junior from Guilderland and the only local player on the Adirondack team. “It does feel a little odd to be playing right now, but it’s a nice opportunity.”
Fans were dressed in summer clothing, but it was freezing cold inside the rink.
“At least we’re staying cool,” Hynes said.
What wasn’t cool for Adirondack was the outcome of the game –– a 6-to-0 loss to Central after giving up two goals in the first period. Hynes, a forward, started the game, but spent most of his time in the first period fighting for the puck against the boards.
“The first 10 minutes screwed us pretty bad,” said Hynes after the game. “Central got some bounces.”
The second period didn’t get any better for Adirondack. Goalie Joshua Holmes of Massena almost fell over while retrieving the puck behind the goal in the first seconds. Shortly after, Cristoval Nieves of Central beat Holmes’s five-hole for a 3-to-0 lead.
Adirondack looked better in the third period and gave up only one more goal. However, Hynes and his teammates couldn’t put the puck in the net with a two-man advantage.
“We looked smoother towards the end,” said Adirondack Head Coach Lee Bormann. “It takes time to adjust.”
Hynes, who scored three goals over the weekend in his team’s two wins over Hudson Valley and Western, told The Enterprise that Adirondack had a mini-camp before it traveled to Buffalo.
“Same area and same faces,” Hynes said. “I know a few guys from my club team. We’ll get better as the Games progress.”
Adirondack eventually beat Western, the gold-medal winning team, 6 to 3, and Hynes had two goals in the contest. Adirondack finished the weekend with a 2-3 record for fifth place out of six.
The opening ceremonies surprised Hynes on Wednesday. “I didn’t expect to walk into the stadium and see so many people cheering,” he said. “There were thousands of them.”
“I’m trying to get some exposure,” he added. “I made the right decision.”