WARWICK TOWNSHIP—Nether Springfield or Abington are in contention for the SHSHL American Division title but that did not diminish either side’s enthusiasm for the game of hockey.
When the Spartan and the Galloping Ghosts took the ice Friday night at the Bucks County Ice Sports Center, that enthusiasm was on display for all who cared to look.
It was the Spartans who prevailed by a count of 7-0 to record their second win of the year in seven starts, all in divisional play. Gavin McManus scored twice for Springfield while Owen Quinn, Christopher Cahill, Gavin McManus, and Grayson Quinn contributed one goal each.
“I think was our best team game so far,” said Springfield coach Don Quinn. “They really wanted to come out after the New Year and have a strong team effort. We’ve had some individual efforts. But we wanted to really kind of piece it together. We preach about five guys playing offense and five guys playing defense.”
Owen Quinn and Christopher Cahill scored goals in a span of just over three-and-a-half minutes to give the Spartans a two-goal lead with 7:18 left in the first period.
McManus added a goal early in the second period and another early in the third. The junior noted the Spartans’ cohesiveness on the ice.
“We just played as a team tonight,” he said. “We’ve been practicing that a lot. Like passing the puck around a lot, trying to find an open guy.
“And then really improved it tonight by keeping the pressure in the offensive zone most of the game.
Grayson Quinn, Mathilde Boccella, and Kellen Warmen added third-period goals for Springfield. Liam Baskin and James Sarsfield split the shutout in goal.
The Spartans limited their foes to just five shots on goal. The Galloping Ghosts (0-9, 0-8 in divisional play) field perhaps the youngest lineup in the SHSHL. They’ve been shut out six times and 13 if their 16 skaters on Thursday night were underclassmen. But Abington coach Ken Brzozowski is seeing signs of progress.
“We’re getting there,” he said. “We’re going to keep working hard., both in practice and in games. We’ll get there.”
A strong case could be made that Abington goaltender Matt Evangelist, himself a sophomore, was one of the premier performers on the ice. He finished with 36 saves.
“He goes out every night and he plays hard,” Brzozowski said. “He’s seeing 40-50 shots a night.
“I really applaud him for keeping his head in the game and keeping his cool. We’re not giving him a whole lot of support on the scoreboard. We’re giving him encouragement in other ways.”
Springfield 2 1 4—7
Abington 0 0 0—0
First-period goals: Owen Quinn (S) from John Barr and Grayson Quinn, 6:03; Christopher Cahill (S) from Owen Quinn and Hunter Stock, 9:42
Second-period goal: Gavin McManus (S from John Barr, 2:57
Third-period goal: McManus (S) from Owen Quinn, 2:39; Grayson Quinn (S) from Keegan McClary, 9:10 Mathilde Boccella (S), 10:11; Kellen Warman (S) unassisted, 12:29
Shots: Springfield 43, Abington 5; Saves: Liam Baskin (S) 1 and James Sarsfield (S) 4; Matthew Evangelist (S) 36
Hockey Happenings 