HATFIELD—There were plenty of fireworks at Hatfield Ice Wednesday night. North Penn and Souderton combined for 13 goals with the Knights celebrating their Senior Night with an 8-5 win.
Apart from the result however, there was plenty for both coaches to feel good about.
For North Penn, which improved to 3-3-1-0 overall (2-2 in National/Continental divisional play) it was a night when all the pieces fit.
“We have three lines contributing for us when we have everybody here, and everybody is healthy and able to play” said North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis. “and I think we saw a little bit of that tonight, what we could do with the balanced lines. And if you can do that, it generates a lot of pressure for the other team. It’s tough for them to match up with the lines you have out there, and we were able to have all our lines contribute.”
Ryan Kaufhold paced the Knights with a hat trick, giving him eight goals on the season.
The sophomore thinks he and his teammates have turned a corner. “I think we’re hitting a turning point,” he said. “There are some tough teams we have to go against but I think we can win.”
Zachary Cline scored two goals for North Penn while Jeromy Porubski contributed three assists.
For a young Souderton team, it was another test in a demanding curriculum. The Big Red (0-6, 0-4 in divisional play), dressed 14 players Wednesday night. Eight of the 14 were freshmen.
Souderton coach Ryan Uchniat spoke to his team’s progress. “It’s been a year of growth,” he said. “Our goal is to get better each and every game. the first game we played (North Penn) we lost 10-0 (on January 14. Tonight was a much better battle.”
Seth Grossman, one of the freshman corps, paced the Big Red with four goals. Uchniat praised his work ethic. “He works hard,” he said. “You’ve got some players that wait. for things to happen he makes things happen.
“He shows signs of leadership already, as a freshman and I think when the other players see that, it makes them work that much harder.”
Noah Connor, another freshman, made 41 saves in the Souderton net.
Kaufhold and Zachary Cline scored goals to give North Penn a 2-0 lead after one period. The second stanza was a shootout with each team scoring three times’ Grossman scored all three of Souderton’s goals.
It was still a two-goal game entering the third period and Grossman’s fourth goal of the night made it a two-goal game for the last time with 5:48 still remaining in regulation. Kaufhold completed his hat trick 33 seconds later to give the Knights some insurance.
Souderton 0 3 2—5
North Penn 2 3 3—8
First-period goals: Ryan Kaufhold (NP) from Ryan Cunningham and John Stinson, 4:55 (pp); Zachary Cline (NP) from Jeromy Porubski and Cunningham, 12:55
Second-period goals: Cline (NP)from Porubski and Jack Bates, :35; Seth Grossman (S) unassisted, 1:37; Cunningham (MP) from Cline, 2:21; Grossman (S) unassisted, 7:14; Grossman (S) unassisted, 7:33; Kaufhold (NP) from Joseph Silvolfi, 9:53
Third-period goals: Porybski (NP) from Cunnningham and Cline, :16; Evan Thacker (S) from Jarden Garrick, 3:03; Tony Tuozzo (NP) from Chase Mueller, 5:44; Grossman (S) from Timothy Alexander, 10:12; Kaufhold (NP) unassisted, 10:45.
Shots: Souderton 18, North Penn 49; Saves: Noah Connor (S) 41, Jon Boyles (NP) 13.
The Grundy Skate Shop is a full-service hockey pro shop inside the Grundy Arena, offering a great selection of equipment, brands and various services. We do a full range of repairs as well as offer custom hockey jerseys. Owner Bill Keyser, has over 25 years experience in the industry and specializes in skate sharpening, including profiling. Please visit our Facebook page or stop in and check us out!
Hockey Happenings 