C.B. South 9 Pennsbury 2

Shoot early and shoot often. That’s been a winning formula for Central Bucks South for some time now and that was the case once more on Thursday night. The Titans tallied 52 shots on goal and nine found their intended target in a 9-2 win over Pennsbury at Hatfield Ice Arena.

“That’s classic C.B. South hockey said assistant coach Josh Sklar. “Put pucks in deep. Go get them, put pucks on net. Go to work. Pressure them all game long.”

Joey Slobodrian found the back of the net twice and seven other players scored one goal each to enable the Titans (12-6, 12-3 in the division) to move into third place in the division standings. The result assures they will be seeded no lower than fourth for the upcoming National Division playoffs.

Senior Ryan Frey assisted on Slobodrian’s game-opening goal 6:23 into the first period before scoring a goal of his own just over five minutes later.

“It was very important to get off to a fast start,” Frey said, “because we might see {Pennsbury} in the playoffs so getting off to a fast start just shows them we’re the better team.”

Ryan Montagna extended South’s lead to 3-0 before the first period ended.

Shane Gleisner got the Falcons (6-11, 6-10 in the division) on the scoreboard five minutes into the second frame but Slobodrian and Dominic Gibson scored goals 52 seconds apart to assert the Titans’ hold on the proceedings. Jacob Sarver’s goal made it 5-2 with 5:43 still to go in the period but the Falcons’ hopes were dashed when Keith Waldron, Jake Stepp, Jeff Kvecher, and Logan Hood all scored for South.

Both teams lost a player when South’s Sean Cutter and Pennsbury’s Chris Sarver got into a scrap with 10:41 remaining in regulation. Cutter drew a double minor for roughing plus a game misconduct for accumulating four penalties during the game. Sarver was accessed a major penalty for fighting plus am automatic game misconduct.

Both players will serve one-game suspensions but the loss of Sarver, one of the Falcons’ top scorers, will be particularly troublesome when Pennsbury, who is trying to hold on to the division’s final playoff spot, faces division leader North Penn on Wednesday.

“It was not our night,” said Pennsbury coach Ryan Daley. “We played a very poor game in our D-zone and got behind the ball too quick.

“The first three goals were ‘Third guy high’ unmarked That’s simple hockey, you really shouldn’t make the same mistake three times.

“It was not our best. It was a game we would have loved to win. But they executed their game plan and we didn’t.”

Ice chips—Five of the six division playoff qualifiers have been determined. North Penn, Council Rock South, Central Bucks South, Pennridge, and Central Bucks East have all qualified, although seedings have not been finalized. Pennsbury has a three-point edge over Neshaminy for the sixth and final spot. The Falcons and ‘Skins each have two games remaining.

Pennsbury 0 2 0

C.B. South 3 2 4—9

First-period goals: Joey Slobodrian (CBS) from Sean Cutter and Ryan Frey, 6:23; Frey (CBS) from Slobodrian and Alex Cannon, 11:34; Ryan Montagna (CBS) from Jeff Kvecher and Keith Waldron, 15:17

Second-period goals: Shane Gleisner (P) from Chris Sarver, 5:00; Slobodrian (CBS) from Cutter, 7:54; Dominic Gibson (CBS) from Logan Hood, 8:46; Jacob Sarver (P) from Logan Weed, 11:17

Third-period goals: Waldron (CBS) from Kvecher and Braxton Lord, 4:42; Jake Stepp (CBS) from Kvecher, 10:56 (pp); Kvecher (CBS) from Peter Herring, 14:27; Hood (CBS) from Stepp 15:39

Shots: Pennsbury 20, C.B. South 52; Saves: Brendan Milliken (P) 43, Ewan McMenemy (CBS) 18

North Penn 5 Council Rock South 3

Samuel Norton did it all for North Penn Wednesday night. The sophomore assisted on the first goal of the night, went on to score three goals himself and helped with a crucial four-minute penalty kill in the third period.

All those elements were part a winning formula as the Knights scored a 5-3 decision in a much-anticipated SHSHL National Division showdown with Council Rock South at Hatfield Ice.

The win was the 11^th straight for the Knights (15-2, 14-2 in the division) and lifted then into first place in the division, three points clear of the Golden Hawks (15-2, 14-1) who have a game in hand and three conference games remaining to North Penn’s two.

North Penn also has the inside lane in the race for the top two seeds in the division playoffs, which provide byes into the semifinals.

“It was definitely on our minds, Norton said.

The teams split four goals in the first frame before Norton’s second goal of the night gave North Penn a 3-2 lead with 8:17 left in the middle period. Jordan Sarne responded for South with a power-play goal, his second goal of the night, to tie the game with 2:19 remaining but Norton put North Penn back in front and completed his hat trick when he scored with 6.7 seconds left in the period during a stretch when the Hawks were trying to kill three consecutive penalties.

The game’s most critical sequence commenced with 13:50 left in the third period. North Penn held a 4-3 lead at that point and Norton had already pocketed his three goals but the Knights’ James Boyle was called for two cross checking penalties, giving South a four-minute power play.

At that point, there were some anxious moments behind the North Penn bench.

“They’ve got probably the best power play in the league,” said North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis. “With [Jake] Weiner and [Jeremy] Rayher and Sarne and [Daniel] Fillipov, and [Jonah] Weston they have a very talented power-play unit when they go out there.

“We did a great job killing that off.”

The threat did not end however when the extended power play expired. The Hawks outshot the Knights 20-8 in the third period but Aidan Quigley stopped everything headed his way.

Cole Pluck added an insurance goal with 3:31 remaining.

{North Penn} played well tonight,” said South coach Joe Houk. “We did not play our best game but that’s only an excuse. North Penn has got a good team.

“I kept telling everybody ‘Listen. We’re not a 14-0 team. We’ve had a couple wins. But we can’t come and play ‘C’ hockey and expect to win games at the end of the year.

“We knew coming into the game it was going to be a challenge,” Norton said. “I think the North Penn boys really performed. It was a solid team game.”

Ice chips—South won the first meeting between the two teams, 6-3 on November … South stands first in the present Class AA Flyers Cup listings. North Penn is ranked third … With two assists on addition to his goal, Pluck went over the 100-point mark for his high-school career.

Council Rock South 2 1 0—3

North Penn 2 2 1—5

First-period goals: Declan Leahy (NP from Cole Pluck and Samuel Norton, :21; Jonah Weston (CRS) from Jake Weiner 8:37; Jordan Sarne (CRS) from Jake Maurer and Weiner 9:01; Norton (NP unassisted, 14:32 (sh)

Second-period goals: Norton (NP) from Leahy and Pluck, 8:43; Sarne (CRS) from Weiner, 14:41 (pp); Norton (NP) from James Boyle and Danial Cabrales, 16:54 (pp)

Third-period goal: Pluck (MP) from Leahy, 13:29 (pp)

Shots: Council Rock South 41, North Penn 34; Saves: Ryan Ayala (CRS) 29 Aidan Quigley (NP) 38

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Garnet Valley 5 WC Henderson 2

Garnet Valley made a statement Friday night in one of the most anticipated matchups of the season. Nolan Stott scored two goal and assisted on a third as the Jaguars bested West Chester Henderson 5-2 in an ICSHL matchup at PNY Arena.

The Warriors and the Jaguars took the ice ranked one-two in the current set of Class A Flyers Cup rankings. The Jaguars were without leading scorer Kevin Walton, forward Owen Parker, and top blueliner Matt Abbonizio but their coach Stephane Charbonneau was pleased with the way the players that were available stepped up.

“I don’t schedule around my guys when they go away,” he said. “In believe in who I’ve got. It is what it is.

“I have a very good group of very mature players and they’re ready to step up to the plate.”

The goals started coming early. Kaden Longo got the Jaguars (13-2) on the scoreboard just 59 seconds after the opening faceoff. It took Hunter Haas four-and-a-half minutes to respond for the Warriors (12-3). Haas’s goal came during a power play with the Jaguars’ Nolan Stott in the box serving a roughing minor.

A.J. Tenhuisen, who assisted on Longo’s game-opening goal, got one of his own 5:59 into the middle period to give Garnet Valley a 2-1 lead. Stott made it a 3-1 game when he scored on a breakaway with 1:18 left in the period and then extended his team’s lead with another breakaway goal 3:53 into the third frame.

Andrew Denny drew the Warriors closer when he scored with 6:50 remaining in regulation but Henderson couldn’t get closer. Dylan Orr put the game on ice for the Jaguars when he scored into an empty net with 1:26 remaining.

Charbonneau was especially pleased with his team’s effort inside its own blue line.

“My goalie [Garrett Stoops] was good,” he said. “I told my defense it was the it was the best game of the season they’ve played so far.”

Henderson coach Tom Aughey saw Friday’s matchup as a battle of Titians.

“It was a tough battle between two top teams,” he said. “One team took advantage of their chances, one team did not.

“We played a little slow and laid back tonight. To win against Garnet Valley you need to be aggressive an aggressive all the time. Hopefully, we can earn our chance to see them again.”

• Garnet Valley has now won four straight and seven of its last eight. Henderson saw a three-game winning streak snapped.

Garnet Valley 1 2 2—5

WC Henderson 1 0 1—2

First-period goals: Kaden Longo (GV) from Nolan Stott and A.J. Tenhuisen, :59; Hunter Haas (H) from Declan Dowd 5:35 (pp)

Second-period goals: Tenhuisen (GV) from Ryan McGhee and Jeremy Hyczka, 11:01; Stott (GV) from Jake Morrow, 15:42

Third-period goals: Stott (GV) from Jake Robinson, 1:53; Andrew Denny (H) from John Gordon and Haas, 8:10; Dylan Orr (GV) unassisted, 15:34 (en)

Goaltenders: Garrett Stoops (GV), Matt Cieslukowski (H) (shot totals unavailable)

APAC Standings 1-24-25

W L Pts OTW OTL

Holy Ghost Prep (12-4-1) 5 2 15 0 0

La Salle (11-6) 5 2 14 1 0

St. Joseph’s Prep (8-7) 3 3 10 0 1

Malvern Prep (3-8) 2 4 6 0 0

Hun School (3-9-2) 0 4 0 0 0

C.B. South 4 Pennridge 3

In some aspects, mid-January is the most difficult part of the high-school hockey season. The postseason is still a month away and the players are feeling the grind of the long campaign, particularly if they also play club hockey.

Amidst this atmosphere, Pennridge and Central Bucks South squared off Thursday night at Hatfield Ice in a SHSHL National matchup with potentially long-range implications.

It was the Titans who ground out 4-3 win. Ryan Frey and Jeff Kvecher scored goals 40 seconds apart early in the third period to give South its 11^th victory of the season against five setbacks (11-2 in divisional play).

The Rams, who are listed fifth in the newest Class AA Flyers Cup rankings, slipped to 10-4 overall and 9-4 in the division.

It marked the second time the Titans have bested the Rams; the first was a 5-4 overtime win on November 7. In Kvecher’s view, the caliber of the opponent made Thursday’s win particularly satisfying.

“That’s a tough team,” he said of Pennridge. “They put a lot of pressure on us. They have some great guys that can wheel and we did a great job of shutting them down.

“We also sent a message to the league, and the Flyers Cup, that we’re a top team.”

Thursday game came 72 hours after many of the participants completed a full weekend of club tournament play, a circumstance that required an enhanced level of focus.

“Everyone had to dig deep,” Kvecher said. “Everyone was tired, everyone’s legs were tired. We dug deep and we were able to get the win.”

The Titans once more had to come from behind. Pennridge’s Nolan Shaw delivered the only goal of the first period, a power-play effort 3:51 after the opening faceoff that came while South’s Joe Slobodrian was serving a two-minute sentence.

Kvecher and Slobodrian scored power-play goal two-and-a-half minutes apart to give South the lead 5:09 onto the second period before Ryan Burke tied the game for the Ram three-and-a-half minutes later.

Ryan Frey put the Titans in front for good 49 seconds into the final period. Kvecher extended his team’s lead just 40 seconds later and the insurance proved valuable and necessary; Josh Kelly scored for Pennridge with 8:14 remaining. But Jake Matkowski in the South net and his mates in front of him stood tall the rest of the way.

Josh Sklar was in charge behind the Titan bench Thursday night, replacing the absent Shaun McGinty. He said his team had the energy it needed in the third period.

“They definitely had a little more spring in their step, a little more energy,” he said. “They brought the energy all game long but toward the end [two third-period goals] pushes the boys to finish the game out.”

The Titan had a 47-25 edge in shots. Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna says the Titans’ up-tempo style regularly gives his team problems.

“C.B. South is a bad matchup for us,” he said. “They’ve always been a bad matchup for us. They’re deep, they’re good defensively.

“I say this every time we play them; they’re going to get a lot of shots on us by design … We changed defensively how we were going to do things. I thought we did a really good job defensively keeping pucks out of dangerous area. But, they’re a tough team to play.”

Pennridge 1 1 1—3

C.B. South 0 2 2—4

First-period goal: Nolan Shaw (P) from Nick Young and Landon Bishop, 3:51 (pp)

Second-period goals: Jeff Kvecher (CBS) from Ryan Frey and Joe Slobodrian, 2:34 (pp); Slobodrian (CBS) from Frey, 5:09; Ryan Burke (P) from Shane Dachowki and Jared Garber, 8:42.

Third-period goals: Frey (CBS) from Dominic Gibson and Jamison Crouch, :49; Kvecher (CBS) from Peter Herring and Ryan Montagna, 1:29 (); Josh Kelly (P) from James Rush and Dachowski, 8:46

Shots: Pennridge 25, C.B. South 47; Saves: Jacob Winton (P) 43, Jake Matkowski (CBS) 22

La Salle 3 St. Joseph’s Prep 2 OT

Every second counts in a close game. That was borne out Wednesday afternoon when La Salle and St. Joseph’s Prep squared off. Grant LaGreca’s goal with nine tenths of a second remaining in overtime gave the Explorers a 3-2 win at the University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 1923 Rink.

With time winding down in the three-on-three overtime LaGreca, stationed just inside the St. Josephs Prep blue line, turned his body sideways and flipped the puck toward the net and past Hawk goalkeeper Declan Geary. His post-goal celebration brought him a minor penalty but the goal and the victory stood.

“It was coming down to the wire,” LaGreca said, and {one of his teammates} was saying ‘Shoot it.’ I just threw it at the net and it found its way through.”

The result kept the Explorers (11-6, 5-2 in the APAC) in the running for the conference regular-season title although their ray of hope is growing dim. La Salle trails Holy Ghost Prep by one point in the APAC standings with one conference game remaining. The Firebirds have the tiebreaker if the teams finish deadlocked.

Michael Zaezycki gave La Salle a 1-0 lead off a setup from Noel Donohue with 1:20 left in the first period. Donohue made it a 2-0 game with 9:13 left in the second stanza.

At that point the Hawks (8-7, 3-3) who had just 14 skaters and a goaltender on hand, seemed to be at a disadvantage. But they took the ice in the third period with what seemed to be a renewed sense of energy.

It took just 73 seconds for Patrick Sweeney to make it a one-goal game. Noah Stuhl followed up with 11:42 remaining in regulation.

La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner felt the second period was his team’ best. But momentum shifted after the intermission and ice cut.

“When they got that first one it gave them the momentum that they needed,” Muehlbronner said. “I think we were kind of on our heels a little bit but we managed to come out on top which is what matters the most.”

Ironically in this matchup of rivals, there were no penalties called until La Salle’s Will Gregorio was sent off for slashing with 7:20 left in regulation. The next came 1:08 into overtime when the Hawks’ Frankie Ely was flagged for tripping, giving the Explorers a four-skaters-to-three advantage.

Just s Ely’s penalty expired, Donohue seemingly gave La Salle the win when he launched a rocket from the right wing that beat Geary. But goal was immediately disallowed on the grounds the net had become dislodged.

The countdown to the dramatic finish ensued from there.

Although the Hawks came up short on the scoreboard, St. Joseph’s Prep coach David Giacomin was impressed with the effort his team have him.

“I was very proud of the effort our boys put out,” he said. They really paid attention to detail and fought back. It was a tough way to lose but being so shorthanded it was nice to see us compete.”

Jake Rossi got the win in goal, making 27 saves along the way.

“I think {Rossi} was very calm in goal,” Muehlbronner said. “I think that helped keep the guys focused on just trying to get our game back. I do think the seniors did a good job.”

La Salle 1 1 0 1—3

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 0 2 0—2

First-period goal: Michael Zarycki (L) from Nole Donohue, 15:40

Second-period goal: Donohue (L) Julian Tarsi and Michael Esmond, 7:47

Third-period goals: Patrick Sweeney (SJP) unassisted, 1:13; Noah Stuhl (SJP) from Adam Charrafi, 5:18

Overtime goal: Grant LaGreca (L) from Julian Tarsi, 4:59

Shots: La Salle 38, St. Joseph’s Prep 29; Saves: Jake Rossi (L) 27, Declan Geary (SJP) 35

For more information about La Salle College High School CLICK HERE

For more information about St. Joseph’s Prep CLICK HERE

APAC Update 1-21-25

W L Pts OTW OTL

Holy Ghost Prep (12-4) 5 2 15 0 0

La Salle (10-6) 4 2 12 0 0

St. Joseph’s Prep (8-6) 3 2 9 0 0

Malvern Prep (2-7) 1 4 3 0 0

Hun School (3-8-2) 0 3 0 0 0

Scoring (Conference Games) GP G A Pts PPG

Brady Logue HGP 7 8 10 18 2.57

Grant LaGreca La 6 8 1 9 1.50

Cole Gagron SJP 5 6 1 7 1.40

Frank Ely La 5 1 5 6 1.20

Michael Zarzycki La 6 4 3 7 1.17

Chase Logue HGP 7 3 4 7 1.00

Anthony Valeriote HGP 7 4 3 7 1.00

Save Percentage GP Shots GA Save %

Jake Rossi La 6 170 12 .929

John Botthof HGP 2 64 5 .922

Patrick Donoghue HS 2 109 10 .908

Declan Geary SJP 4 93 9 .903

Matt Crawford MP 4 120 12 .900

Goals Against MP GA GAA

Jake Rossi La 304 12 2.01

Declan Geary SJP 204 9 2.25

John Botthof HGP 102 5 2.50

Matt Salita HGP 102 5 2.50

Jack Unger HGP 153 8 2.67

Matt Crawford MP 204 12 3.00

Holy Ghost Prep 4 Hun School 1

The journey wasn’t easy at times. But, in the end, Holy Ghost Prep got the result it wanted Wednesday afternoon, a 4-1 decision over The Hun School in an APAC encounter at Ice Land.
With the win, the Firebirds, who have won eight of their last nine starts improved to 12-4 overall and 5-2 in the APAC. They’ll conclude conference play with a rematch against the Raiders next Friday.

The visitors jumped in front early on. Joe Spadaccino scored a power-play goal 3:30 into the opening period.

But the remainder of the first frame was challenging for both sides, a study in old-time hockey. There were 12 penalties called in the opening session.

“It didn’t seem like there was much flow to the game early on,” said Hun School coach Eric Szeker.

The visitors had the better of the play over the first two periods but were stymied repeatedly by Patrick Donoghue in the Hun School net. The senior finished with 51 saves. The Raiders are just 2-8-2 on the season (0-3 in the APAC) but Donoghue and Elliot Wong have been sold in goal all season.

“I think the one really nice thing is we have two really good goalies,” Szeker said. “I never worry about who is going between the pipes for us. They work hard, they’re best friends in the locker room, and they push each other every day.”

Anthony Valeriote extended Holy Ghost Prep’s lead 35 second into the third period but the Raiders responded a minute-and-a-half later when the Firebirds coughed up the puck directly in front of their own net, making it a one-goal game once more.

Brian Kinniry extended his team’s lead when he scored with 11:39 left in the third frame and then delivered an insurance goal with 2:01 remaining.

Spadaccino didn’t play in the last two periods but was proud of the way his teammates were able to get past the challenging first frame.

“It shows that no matter what gets in our path, we just keep on fighting,” he said. “We try to get to the end goal of winning.”

Firebird goaltender Matt Salita stopped 14 of the 15 shots he saw, earning praise from his coach John Ritchie.

“I thought Salita did a great job in net for a sophomore,” Ritchie said. “Those are tough games for goalies, only facing 15 shots dispersed throughout the game with power plays for them and stretches where he wasn’t seeing pucks.”

The Firebirds are listed first in the Class AAA Flyers Cup rankings that were released on Monday, but Ritchie says his team will need contributions from the entire lineup to reach its potential.

“We have a couple guys on our roster that carry the weight of this team on their backs game in and game out,” he said. “I know what to expect from them, so it’s just about getting all 20 guys, or all 18 skaters, to pull the rope in the same direction.”

Holy Ghost Prep 1 0 3—4

Hun School 0 0 1—1

First-period goals: Joe Spadaccino (HGP) from Brady Logue, 3:30 (pp)

Third-period goals: Anthony Valeriote (HGP) from Chase Logue and Brady Logue, :35; Luke Rassler (HS) unassisted, 2:03; Brian Kinniry (HGP) from Logan Barnes and Colin Bara, 5:21; Kinniry (HGP) from Barnes and Santino Tiberio, 14:59

Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 55, Hun School 15; Saves: Matt Salita (HGP) 14, Patrick Donoghue (HS) 51

Penncrest 5 Haverford 4 OT

Nash Grant’s goal 26 seconds into overtime gave Penncrest a 5-4 come-from behind win over Haverford Monday night at the Skatium in a battle of two Central League heavyweights.

Grant’s third goal of the night lifted the Lions to 8-3 overall and kept then a perfect 6-0 in the Central League National Division standings.

Gavin McCarty the Lions the early lead 5:26 into the opening period. Nash extended the lead at the 7:01 mark before Connor Lill answered for Haverford with 1:42 remaining in the period.

Shawn Yoder tied the game for Haverford 28 seconds into the second frame. Penncrest’s Cole McCarty and Haverford’s Alexander Scuderi, scored goals just over a minute-and-a-half apart to tie the game at 3-3 with 1:38 left in the second session.

Dylan McKelvey gave the Fords (8-3, 7-1 in Central National) their only lead of the night at 4-3 with 12:27 remaining in regulation but Grant tied the game with his second goal of the night just 33 seconds later.

Grant’s game-winner gave him a hat trick in two consecutive games; he scored three goals and collected four assists in the Lions’ previous start against Harriton last Friday night.

It was just a really fun game,” said Penncrest coach Steve Mescanti. There was no nonsense and the kids played hard. The kids did a lot of the things we’ve been harping on.”

Both teams are listed in the latest edition of the Flyers Cup rankings, which was released on Monday. Penncrest is listed fourth in Class A while Haverford I ranked second in Class AA.

Penncrest 2 1 1 1—5

Haverford 1 2 1 0—4

First-period goals: Gavin McCarty (P) from Matt McKay, 5:26; Nash Grant (P) from Scott Scranton and McKay, 7:01; Connor Lill (H) from Brendan McCormick and Alexander Scuderi, 15:18
Second-period goals: Shawn Yoder (H) from Jorge Tecedor and Jack Brawley, :28; Cole McCarty (P) from McKay and McCarty, 13:33; Scuderi (H) from Lil, 15:12

Third-period goals: Dylan McKelvey (H) unassisted, 4:33; Grant (P) from Scott Scranton, 5:06

Overtime goal: Grant (P) from Matt Labuono and Scranton, :26

Shots: Penncrest 60 Haverford 30; Saves: Fiona Walker (P) 26, Dylan Vieira 55

Flyers Cup Rankings #2

Class AAA

Holy Ghost Prep
La Salle
St. Joseph’s Prep
Malvern Prep
Salesianum

Class AA

Council Rock South
Haverford High
North Penn
Downingtown West
Pennridge

Class A
1. West Chester Henderson

2. Garnet Valley

3. Kennett

4. Penncrest

5. Hershey

Girls

Avon Grove
Downingtown West
Conestoga
Kingsway
West Chester Henderson

This is the second of four sets of rankings that will be released prior to the Flyers Cup Selection Show on Sunday, February 23.