Indian Time - A Voice from the Eastern Door

Boys Basketball

After a week that produced a win and two losses, the Massena Red Raiders sit in the NAC Central Division's fourth place with a 6-4 league record, 12-5 overall.

After leading 34-33 at the half on Friday, Jan. 22, Potsdam outscored them 28-22 in the latter part of the game for a 62-56 loss.

Dante Viskovich netted a game-high 21 points. Xavier Goyco nailed 13 points. Bailey Terry scored 12 points. Nick McKeel chipped in six, while Nathaniel Currier and James Donnelly each had two points.

On Jan. 20, Massena fell to Ogdensburg 47-43. OFA led 14-6 after the first quarter and jumped ahead to 40-27 at the end of three stanzas.

McKeel topped off Massena's scoresheet with 13 points. Xavier Goyco fired in 12, Viskovich 10, Terry five and Currier three.

Two nights before the Ogdensburg bout, Massena beat Carthage 66-50.

Massena jumped ahead 28-7 after one quarter, but were outscored 26-19 over the next two.

Viskovich nailed 15 points, McKeel 14, Xavier Goyco eight, Bailey LaBarge and Donnelly three and Alex Lippassaar two.

Girls Basketball

The Massena Lady Raiders rallied behind an ailing teammate on Jan. 21, hosting a cystic fibrosis awareness night to support Stephanie McKeel, who awaits a double lung transplant.

McKeel suffers from CF and is on a waiting list for the procedure at Boston Children's Hospital.

They showed a video for her which included words of encouragement from Syracuse University basketball Coach Jim Boeheim, U-Conn basketball star Brianna Stewart, CBS Sports basketball commentator Seth Davis and ESPN Sports Center's Scott Van Pelt. She received gifts from SU standouts Carmelo Anthony, who now plays for the New York Knicks, along with C.J. Fair, James Southerland, Tyler Ennis, Matt Roe, Rakeem Christmas and Brandon Triche. Other professional teams giving to McKeel included the Boston Celtics, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks and Brooklyn Nets, along with the Clarkson and SUNY Potsdam men's and women's basketball teams.

The game was also a fundraiser to help defray costs associated with McKeel's treatments around the northeast. She is on an oxygen tank and has a feeding tube while she waits for surgery.

The game saw Massena win 65-38. McKeel, who has been unable to play for most of the season due to her illness, took the court at the opening tip-off.

Lexis Jacobs scored a game-high 16 points, along with four assists, three steals and three caroms. Jaylee Jones tallied eight points. Sophia Rusaw scored eight points with eight rebounds. Nova LaGrow scored seven points. Kelly Southwick, Paige Perry and Alyssa Eubank each scored five points. Sydnee Carroll scored four points, seven rebounds and four steals. Breanna Mere and Octavia Viskovich each scored four points.

Two nights earlier, Massena dropped a 55-51 contest to Ogdensburg. Massena pulled ahead 35-25 at halftime before losing control in the latter portion of the game.

Jacobs led the Massena offense with 15 points. Jones scored six. LaGrow and Perry tallied five points each. Carroll, Southwick, Viskovich and McCarthy each had four points. Mere and Eubank notched two points each.

Boys Hockey

After a win and a loss, Massena sits at second place in Section 10 Division I with a 5-1 league record (10-3 overall), a single game behind Canton.

The Raiders beat West Genesee 3-1 on Jan. 22 at Massena Arena.

After a stalemate opening frame, West Genesee's Dan Colabufo scored what would be his team's only goal 1:46 in the middle stanza.

Nick Kozsan took a pass from EJ Miller at 10:35 and turned it into a game-tying goal. Josh Underwood sunk the game-winner at 2:12 in the third period and Turner Thomas scored an empty-net insurance goal, assisted by Patrick Manning with 29 seconds left in the bout.

Noah Kormanyos worked the Massena crease for 27 saves.

Two nights earlier, Massena lost to Canton 6-4.

Eric Miller put Massena on the board at 12:01 in the first period. Canton tied the match with a Cole Moore goal at 2:25. His teammate Andrew McCormick put Canton in the lead with another marker at 3:40. That was followed at 7:37 by a third straight Canton goal from Sam Martin.

Seven seconds later, Thomas passed to Ben Sprague, who cut the Massena deficit to 3-2. Just 46 seconds later, Thomas took a pass from Sprague and Maddox Merry to tie the contest. Kozsan scored with 57 seconds left in the second period to lift Massena to a 4-3 lead. Canton then fired in three more in a row. The first came from Garret Glasgow on a power play, followed by Moore and McCormick.

Kahsenniiostha Jacobs with her family on senior night. Jacobs has played hockey since age 7 and has been with the Lady Raiders since her junior year. She wants to study international relations at Syracuse University.

Girls Hockey

The Massena Lady Raiders captured their first Northern Athletic Conference banner on Jan. 23 after beating Potsdam 4-0 at Massena Arena.

In the semi-finals on Jan. 27, Massena was to have faced the winner of the Jan. 25 Salmon River-St. Lawrence bout.

The sectional final will be Jan. 30 at the highest seed's home ice.

Maddie Mailhot scored what stuck as the game-winning goal five minutes into the game unassisted. Shaunessy LaClair assisted by Brittany Streeter, Claire Tyo unassisted and Amber Thomas assisted by Raechel Davis scored in the closing stanza.

Kyrsten Stone made 21 saves for Massena.

Taylor Razis blocked 25 shots for Potsdam.

On Jan. 23 Massena also recognized their six graduating senior members. They are Kahsenniiostha Jacobs, Molly O'Connell, Abbey Paduano, Raechel Davis, Abbie Paquin and Shaunessy LaClair.