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St. Lawrence Steel 10U AA hockey team captures gold at Empire State Winter Games

Posted 2/3/25

The St. Lawrence Steel 10U AA hockey team clinched the gold medal at the 45th Empire State Winter Games on Sunday, February 2, defeating the Bethlehem Eagles 6-1 in an impressive championship …

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St. Lawrence Steel 10U AA hockey team captures gold at Empire State Winter Games

Posted

The St. Lawrence Steel 10U AA hockey team clinched the gold medal at the 45th Empire State Winter Games on Sunday, February 2, defeating the Bethlehem Eagles 6-1 in an impressive championship performance.

The Canton-based Steel took control early, scoring three goals in each of the first two periods. The opening frame saw a flurry of action as the Steel put three goals on the board in just a span of 2 minutes and 31 seconds. Grady Boyer opened the scoring with 2:31 left in the period, followed by Andrew Nezezon who scored just 12 seconds later. Olin Smith then added another goal with 49 seconds remaining, giving the Steel a 3-0 lead at the first intermission.

The Eagles responded with a goal from Brody Fleming at the 3:49 mark of the first period, cutting the Steel's lead to 3-1.

In the second period, the Steel dominated once again, with Boyer, Smith, and Ryan Ward all finding the back of the net. Boyer scored at the 6:34 mark, Smith added his second of the game at 5:53, and Ward sealed the victory with a goal at 3:39.

Steel goalie AJ Saber was stellar in net, stopping 11 of the 12 shots he faced. On the other side, Bethlehem’s Theodore Curran made 30 saves on 36 shots.

This victory capped off a perfect run for the Steel, who entered the championship with a 3-0 record, having outscored their opponents 23-2 in the tournament.

The two teams had met earlier in the tournament, where the Steel had shut out the Eagles 7-0 in the preliminary round.