Wissahickon 7 H-H 6, OT

Hockey News, Scholastic Hockey News, SHSHL Game Recaps, Suburban High School Hockey League 2 Minutes

Hatboro-Horsham and Wissahickon got their first look at each other Thursday night, a month into the SHSHL season.

The wait was worth it.

The Trojans and the Hatters matched each other shift for shift and goal for goal for 51 minutes and beyond before Jack Raebiger’s goal 51 seconds into overtime gave Wissahickon a 7-6 win at Hatfield Ice Arena.

The third period and overtime served as a fitting climax to the evening. There were seven goals scored in the final period including three on power plays and two in shorthanded situations.

There were five penalties called in the third period, one of them a misconduct that accompanied a boarding call.

Raebiger’s winning goal, his second goal of the game came after a puck caromed out of the Wissahickon defensive zone to center ice. Raebiger, the Wissahickon captain, won a closely contested sprint for the puck and beat Hatter goaltender Eric Miller to send the Trojan fans home happy.

“I saw that puck and my legs were cramping up,” he said. “My calves were cramping up, but I did not want to lose to that team.”

The Trojans (3-2, 3-1 in the SHSHL’s American Division) took a 3-2 lead into the third frame.  Ben Raebiger’s goal 2:11 into the period extended his team’s lead but Reid Rochestie and Darius Graziani scored goals for the Hatters (3-3, 3-2) 20 seconds apart to tie the game with 5:34 remaining in regulation. Graziani’s goal came during a power play.

Plenty of fireworks remained. Ben Raebiger and the Hatters’ Aidan North traded goals before Joseph Gambino’s rocket from the left wing seemingly put the Trojans over the finish line with 47.6 seconds remaining.

But Hatboro-Horsham got a last chance when a stoppage resulted in a faceoff in the circle to the right of Trojan goaltender Fletcher Lynch. The Hatters won the faceoff and the ensuing scramble near the crease and Nathan Nemchinov scored just before the final buzzer.

Jack Raebiger said he was anticipated a right game with the Hatters who returned to the American Division as a unified team this season.

“We saw their record,” he said. “We saw they beat the teams that we beat and we lost to the team that we lost against [Plymouth Whitemarsh] and we thought this was a crucial game for us.”
Thursday’s game was the first of three meetings between the Trojans and the Hatters. The next is set for December 19 and Hatboro-Horsham coach Shane Smith was not surprised with how Thursday’s game evolved.

“When we looked at the other games that we both played we kind of had similar scores,” he said. “So, we knew it was going to be a dogfight and a battle all the way through.”

Wissahickon 0 3 3 1­—7

Hatboro-Horsham 1 1 4 0—6

First-period goal: Vincent Graziani (HH) from Darius Grazianai, 7:58

Second-period goals: Jack Raebiger (W) unassisted, 2:15; Evan McCutcheon (W) unassisted, 7:47; Victor Wilkins (HH) from Nathan Nemchinov and Joseph MaGinn, 8:50; Logan Honeycutt (W) from John Kuffner, 16:54

Third-period goals: Ben Raebiger (W) from Jack Raebiger, 2:11 (pp); Reid Rochestie (HH) from MaGinn, 11:06; Vincent Graziani (HH) from William Moffa and Darius Graziani, 11:26 (pp); Ben Raebiger (W) from Honeycutt and Aiden Brooks, 12:20 (pp); Aidan North (HH) from Vincent Graziani, 15:27 (pp); Joseph Gambino (W) from Jack Raebiger, 16:13 (sh); Nemchinov (HH) from North and Darius Graziani, 0:00

Overtime goal: Jack Raebiger (W), :51

Shots: Wissahickon 25, Hatboro-Horsham 35; Saves: Fletcher Lynch (W) 29, Eric Miller (HH) 18

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Published by Rick Woelfel

Rick has worked in print and broadcast journalism for more than 35 years. He's covered golf in one medium or another for more than 30. He is the co-author of the book So You Want to Play Golf with PGA professional Kim Verrecchio and the host of the Women's Golf Report podcast. Most recently, Rick served as an associate editor for The Mulligan Magazine. He also served as an associate editor for Philadelphia Golf Magazine and New Jersey State Golf from 2004-07. Rick covered his first LPGA Tour event in 1986 and continues to cover women's golf for various media outlets. High on his bucket list is having the opportunity to one day play in an LPGA Tour pro am. Rick is also a longtime correspondent for two suburban Philadelphia daily newspapers, the Intelligencer and the Bucks County Courier Times in Doylestown, PA. Over the course of his career he has coverzed a wide variety of sporting events. He is also a veteran play by play and public address announcer, and handles the PA mic for the nationally ranked Delaware Valley University football program. Rick is also a longtime contributor to Referee, a magazine devoted to sports officiating. He called his first baseball game at age 13 and continues to umpire softball and baseball today.

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