Plymouth Whitemarsh 13, Hatboro-Horsham 3

HATFIELD—Plymouth Whitemarsh took the ice Friday night immersed in a cauldron of emotion. Senior Colin Franzoni was in uniform in the wake of the recent death of his mother from. On this night, the rink was his sanctuary, his teammates his support system.

It was somehow fitting that Franzoni scored the first goal of the game just 18 seconds after the opening faceoff. The Colonials went on to score seven goals in the first period and went on to a 13-3 win in a game that was halted via the 10-goal mercy rule with 3:40 remaining in the third period.

The win lofted Plymouth Whitemarsh to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Suburban High School Hockey League’s American Division. The loss was the first after five wins for the Hatters, who were opening their conference schedule.

There were some impressive numbers on the scoresheet. Aidan Keogh scored three goals for the Colonials and added five assists. He has now compiled 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points in six games. Jake Weikel also had a had trick and three assists. Luke Weikel provided two goals and two assists. Dean Keller scored twice.

Franzoni added a second goal himself but what was most memorable about the evening was how his teammates supported him.

Keller is the Colonials’ captain. “It was obviously a tough week,” he said. “We lost someone who was really close to us and we put it all out on the ice for them and I’m proud of every one of (his teammates). It was just a great overall team win.”

Keller describes the Colonials as a close-knit group. “This is one of the closest hockey teams I’ve ever played on,” he said. I’m happy to say that; this is one of the best years of my life.”

It was an emotional evening for Colonial coach Josh Aiello. Prior to the game the Colonials’ middle-school team practiced and visited the varsity dressing room and the Plymouth Whitemarsh junior varsity team took the ice following the varsity contest.

“It’s pretty cool being involved with this team,” Aiello said. “Because they’re really young men, it’s not like they’re children. I guess technically by age they are, but they’re very nature for their age. They’re very goal oriented and if anything happens, they have each other’s backs. It’s a great group and I’m privileged to be involved.”

Seth Lerner, Tarek Elsbbagh, and Ben Lerner scored the Hatboro-Horsham goals.

Hatboro-Horsham 1 2 0—3

Plymouth Whitemarsh 7 3 3—13

First-period goals: Colin Franzoni (PW) from Zach Spera, :18; Jake Weikel (PW) from Aidan Keogh, 1:29; Seth Lerner (HH) from Alex Howieson and Nick Maslij, 2:13; Jake Weikel (PW) from Aidan Keogh and Luke Weikel, 2:37; Dean Keller (PW) from Conor Keogh, 4:58 (pp) Aidan Keogh (PW) from Jake Weikel, 10:50; Luke Weikel (PW) from Jake Weikel and Keogh, 12:21; Keller (PW) unassisted, 12:32.

Second-period goals: Tarek Elsabbah (HH) from Seth Lerner, 1:19; Jake Weikel (PW) from Aidan Keogh and Conlan Carpenter, 2:21; Ben Lerner (HH) unassisted, 8:29 (sh); Franzoni (PW) from Keller, 14:03 (pp); Spera (PW) from Dean, 14:21.

Third-period goals: Aidan Keogh, from Luke Weikel and Spencer Reilly, 3:48 (pp); Aidan Keogh (PW) from Jake Weikel, 10:49; Luke Weikel (PW) from Aidan Keogh, 12:20.

Game called at 12:20 of the third period.

Additional Score

Holy Ghost Prep 7, Glenbrook South, Illinois 3—Byron Hartley scored two goals as the Firebirds prevailed in the opening round of the National Scholastic Invitational in Jamestown, N.Y.

Abington 5, Souderton 4 OT

HATFIELD— What played out at Hatfield Ice Thursday night was a splendid advertisement for high-school hockey. Abington and Souderton feature two of the youngest lineups in the Suburban High School Hockey League and both have been going through some early season growing pains.

But they battled hard against each other before Colin Bruton’s goal with 52 seconds remaining in overtime gave Abington a 5-4 win.

The result allowed the Galloping Ghosts to square their league mark at 1-1 (2-3 overall) and they had to climb out of a hole to do it. Tom Rourke drew a tripping penalty with 1:36 left in regulation so Souderton (0-6, 0-4) started the three-on-three overtime session with a 24-second four skaters to three advantage. The Indians had the better of the play for much of the extra period but got caught in a change, allowing Bruton to find open space up the middle of the ice and beat Souderton goaltender Noah Connor.

After giving up 31 goals in their previous four games, three of them losses, Thursday’s effort was a step forward for a young Abington team finding its way.

“We’ve got 15 freshmen and sophomores on the team,” said Abington coach Ken Brzozowski. “We have no seniors. So, as I was just saying to them now in the locker room, this is a character builder for us, and hopefully we can take, and build, a little momentum with it and see what it does for us as the season goes on.”

Outside the other dressing room, Souderton coach Ryan Uchniat was expressing many of the same positive sentiments despite the defeat. “I was very happy with the game out there,” he said. “It was back and forth, it was competitive. I thought both teams skated well, they skated hard. And neither team gave up until the very end.”

The Indians didn’t have a lot of experience with three-on-three overtime, which is being used in club hockey this season as well as the SHSHL. “There was a little bit of a mixup with a change at the end of the game,” Uchniat said, and they capitalized on it. I’ve got to give it up that team, I think they’ve got nine or 10 freshmen on that team and they’ve got a good program moving forward.”

Tyler MacPhee delivered a hat trick for Souderton in the loss. He and Rourke traded early goals before Sean Faye gave the Galloping Ghosts a 2-1 lead with 2:51 left in the first period. Liam O’ Neill tied the game for Souderton with a shorthanded goal 6:22 into the second session before Joe Stelacio and Griffin Carpenter scored goals 56 second apart to give Abington a 4-2 lead with 6:22 left in the period. MacPhee scored his second goal with 2:28 left the second period and completed his hat trick with a shorthanded effort 1:34 into the third.

Abington 2 2 0 1—5
Souderton 1 2 1 0—4
First-period goals: Tom Rourke (A) from Joe Stelacio and Griffin Carpenter, 5:08; Tyler McPhee (S) unassisted, 6:33; Sean Faye (A) from Sam Paulik and Carpenter, 13:09.
Second-period goals: Liam O’ Neill (S) from McPhee, 6:22 (sh); Stelacio (A) unassisted, 7:32; Carpenter (A) from Stelacio and Rourke, 9:38; MacPhee (S) unassisted, 13:32.
Third-period goals: MacPhee (S) unassisted, 1:34.
Overtime goal: Colin Bruton (A) unassisted, 4:08
Shots: Abington 35, Souderton 35; Saves: Ben Panella (A) 31, Noah Connor (S) 30

Other Scores from 12-5

C.B. West 11, William Tennent 3—Daniel Police had a hat trick for the Bucks

North Penn 8, Pennsbury 3—Tony Tuozzo had a hat trick for the Knights, who put the game away with four goals in the third period. Josh Kaufhold scored twice. Tuozzo, Kaufhold, Tyler Greenstein, and Luke Van Why all had four-point nights.

Lower Moreland vs. Wissahckon

APAC Update 12-3-19

Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference

W L OW OL Pts GF GA

St. Joseph’s Prep (4-4) 3 0 0 1 10 16 12

Malvern Prep (3-4) 2 2 0 1 7 22 23

Holy Ghost Prep (7-3) 2 2 0 0 6 17 13

LaSalle (4-5) 0 2 1 0 2 14 9

Game of Wednesday, December 11

Holy Ghost Prep 7, Malvern Prep 4

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 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!

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William Tennent 4, Council Rock North 3

WARWICK—Persistence and resolve paid off for William Tennent Wednesday night. Down by two goals entering the third period, the Panthers rallied for a 4-3 win over Council Rock North in. Suburban High School Hockey League Class AA encounter at Revolution Ice Gardens.

Tom Hartenstein’s goal with 52 seconds left in regulation capped a three-goal third frame as the Panthers squared their league record at 1-1 (3-2 overall).

Tennent’s resurgence came after coach Nick D’Aurizio gave his troops a talking to after the second period.

‘We challenged the guys and they responded,” he said. “That’s what being a high-school coach is all about, or just a coach in general. Challenging guys when you’re not getting the results that you want and challenging guys to be better than the status quo.”

Hartenstein’s goal came off a deflection in front of the North net; he deposited the puck over the left shoulder of North netminder Rex Goldberg.

”I think this win was one of (our) most important wins,” the senior said. “This was a team very similar to ours and they’re in our division. We really needed that to get ahead of them.”

Council Rick North (1-5, 0-4) took a 3-1 lead after two periods on goals from Wyatt Pasch, Colin Kiefer, and Vlad Litvinov. Kiefer and Litvinov both scored on second-period power play; the Indians needed just 20 seconds of power play time to score the two goals. Anthony Catalo got Tennent on the board with a goal in the first period.

Goldberg meanwhile was magnificent in goal. He made 24 saves over the first two periods and finished the 48-minute game with 41 saves.

“He did a heck of a job tonight said North assistant coach Mike Epstein. We were outshot two to one (actually 45-25) but yet we were in the game until the last 30 seconds of the game.”

Tennent started its comeback when Matthew Castan scored 5:50 into the third period. Zach Devor tied the game at the 11:49 mark to set up the finale.

Through it all, Tennent goaltender Trey Smith was stalwart. So was the defense in front of him which limited the Indians to five shots in the third period.

Hartenstein had two assists to go with his game-winning goal. He says part of the Panthers’ early season success can be attributed to the youth in the lineup. “The fact that they don’t have a JV team, that they’re playing varsity right now is really impressive,” he said. “They’re really stepping it up. I’m proud of them, they’re doing their part.

Council Rock North 1 2 0—3

William Tennent 1 0 3—4

First-period goals: Wyatt Pasch (CRN) from Noah Epstein and Jude Hollister,m 6:57; Anthony Cattalo (WT) from Tom Hartenstein, 15:37.

Second-period goals: Colin Kiefer (CRN) from Vlad Litvinov and Epstein, 6:29 (pp); Litvinov (CRN) from Wilton Pasch, 13:20 (pp).

Third -period goals: Matt Castan (WT) from Jonathan Kreider, 5:50; Zach Devor (WT) from Hartenstein, 11;49; Hartenstein (WT) from Kreider, 15:08.

Shots: Council Rock 25, William Tennent 45; Saves: Rex Goldberg (CRN) 41, Wyatt Smith (WT) 22.

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 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!

Other scores

Hun School 6, La Salle 3

Princeton Day 6, St Joseph’s Prep 3

Pennridge 9, Upper Dublin 2,

C.B. South 10, Souderton 0

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Flyers Kick Off Holiday Season by Launching Toy Drive

All Toys to Be Donated to the Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia for Families in Need

Philadelphia, PA (December 2, 2019) – As the season of giving commences, the Philadelphia Flyers announce their annual Holiday Toy Drive presented by Nissan. The club is encouraging fans to bring new and unwrapped toys to select home games in December. Toys will be delivered to the Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia to benefit less fortunate children and teens throughout the region.

Collection bins for donations will be available at all entrances at the Wells Fargo Center at the following games:

– Thursday, December 5 vs. Arizona Coyotes

– Saturday, December 7 vs. Ottawa Senators

– Tuesday, December 17 vs. Anaheim Ducks

– Thursday, December 19 vs. Buffalo Sabres

Additionally, collection bins will be available at local Nissan dealerships and all SkateZone locations.

The Toy Drive will culminate with a festive toy drop off and sorting session at the Greater Philadelphia Salvation Army Foster Care Center with Gritty leading the charge on December 20, backed by Flyers Wives and front office staff members.

More Than a Hockey Trip

Sometime Thursday morning the Holy Ghost Prep hockey team will head north on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the direction of Jamestown, New York where it will compete in the National Scholastic Invitational Scholastic Showcase this weekend.

The Firebirds are scheduled to face Glenbrook South (Illinois) Friday afternoon and Bethel Park (Pa.) and University School (Ohio) on Saturday; they could also see action on Sunday.

The Showcase is a regular stop for the Firebirds each season. The 16-team tournament features some top-flight high school teams but the trip is about a lot more than hockey. The weekend is structured to allow the players, regardless of their academic standing or the amount of ice time they have earned, to bond and get to know one another as people.

Junior defenseman E.J. Pohl is one of the Firebirds alternate captains. “It’s a tournament” he said, “and we obviously want to win games up there, but it’s a lot more than that. It’s more about brotherhood and coming together as a team and for me I didn’t really feel like I belonged until after the Jamestown trip my freshman year.”

Pohl recalls his anxiety when he made his first trip to Jamestown two years ago. “Obviously, I was afraid,” he said. “I was one of the younger kids on the team but after the Jamestown trip I felt like we really came together as a team and I felt more involved and like I mattered and had a place on the team.”

Pohl points out that weekend is about togetherness, on and off the ice. “We all hang out together as one,” he said, “whether we’re hanging out together, eating together playing together. It’s freshmen seniors, juniors, sophomores all hanging out together as one. And I think building relationships with those older kids really helped me to grow, as a person on the team and as a player.”

Pohl, who is carrying a 4.3 academic average on a 4.0 scale at Holy Ghost Prep, reflects on how his role with the team has evolved from anxious but eager newcomer to a veteran leader.

“Before, it was exciting for me,” he said, “but I didn’t really feel like people relied on me. I could rely on other people for help to grow, but now I feel like I’m in that role where people are looking up to me, so I’m looking to set a good example, on the ice and off the ice.

“I’m excited to get to know the freshmen and the younger people more and hopefully do the same as the older captains from the last two years did for me and bring them into the team and make them feel that they have a spot and they matter, because they do.”

E.J. Pohl (photo provided by Chris Paul)

Pohl notes that receiving positive reinforcement from a teammate can be more meaningful to a younger player that getting those same assurances from a coach. “It means something from the coaches but when you hear it from your peers it means a lot more,” he said. “Because you know the people you’re working alongside are rooting for you as much as you’re rooting for them,”

That mindset is in keeping with the core philosophy at Holy Ghost Prep which was founded by the Spiritans as a prep school and junior college seminary in 1897 (it became Holy Ghost Prep in 1968) and teaches its students that success is measured by the ability to help others.

“The brotherhood that we often talk about, that we have at Ghost, definitely fits into this trip a lot,” Pohl said. “Building that brotherhood with our younger teammates and even the older ones coming together as one, it definitely fits into that one goal, one team mindset that we have.”

By Rick Woelfel

For more information about Holy Ghost Prep CLICK HERE

Thanksgiving Eve Hockey Scores

Pennsbury 4, Neshaminy 3

Upper Dublin 12, Truman 2

William Tennent 14, Archbishop Wood 4

Hatboro-Horsham 6, Moreland/NHS 4

Central Bucks East 5, Central Bucks West 4 OT

Council Rock South 11, Council Rock North 1

Central Bucks South 5, North Penn 1

Pennridge 6, Souderton 1

Malvern Prep 3 vs. Cardinal O’Hara 1

Holy Ghost Prep 4, Father Judge 2

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High School Hockey as Much a Part of Thanksgiving as Turkey

The Suburban High School Hockey League’s schedule of Thanksgiving Eve games may be the league’s most enduring tradition. By any measure, it’s a highlight of the season, an occasion for alumni to reconnect with former teammates and for today’s players to connect with the history of their respective clubs. Many of matchups are traditional rivalries.

There are four SHSHL doubleheaders on the schedule Wednesday night. In addition, two Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference teams will see action.

The schedule

Neshaminy vs. Pennsbury 7:20 at Grundy Arena

Truman vs. Upper Dublin 9:00 at Grundy Arena

William Tennent vs. Archbishop Wood 7:00 at Bucks County Ice Sports Center

Hatboro-Horsham vs Moreland/NHS 9:00 at Bucks County Ice Sports Center

C.B. East vs. C.B. West 7:00 at Revolution Ice Gardens

C.R. North vs. C.R. South 9:00 at Revolution Ice Gardens

Central Bucks South vs. North Penn 7:00 at Hatfield Ice

Pennridge vs. Souderton 9:00 at Hatfield Ice

Malvern Prep vs. Cardinal O’Hara 6:45 at Skatium

Holy Ghost Prep vs. Father Judge 7:00 at Flyers Skate Zone NE

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St. Joseph’s Prep 3, Holy Ghost Prep 2

BRISTOL—St. Joseph’s Prep is making a habit of doing the little things right. The latest example was on display Friday night as the Hawks edged Holy Ghost Prep 3-2 in front of a large an energetic audience at Grundy Arena.

Austin Amato, Connor Burman, and Jimmy Craig all scored for the Hawks, who improved to 3-1 overall and 3-0-0-1 in the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference. The only blemish on the Hawks’ record is a shootout loss to La Salle and they took a point on that occasion. It has been an impressive start for a young team.

“We’ve got a lot of stuff to improve on,” said Prep coach David Giacomin, “but the one thing you can’t take away from them is the effort. When they start hustling and they get in your face, they create turnovers, they create anxiety for the opposition. That part of the game we’ve done really well.”

Amato and Burman scored off turnovers to give the Hawks a 2-0 first-period lead. Burman, a junior, credits his team’s work ethic for its fast start.

“It’s the hard work,” he said. “It’s the chemistry. “Everybody wants to be here. Everybody wants to win. We’ve just a really good group this year, it’s all coming together.”

Giacomin said Burman played a solid three periods Friday night. “When that kid is moving he sees the ice so well,” he said. “He’s low to the ground, he’s hard to push off the puck. When he puts together three periods like he did tonight, people notice him.”

Evan Mudrick scored a power-play goal for the Firebirds (2-2, 1-2 in the APAC) 3:48 into the second period to make it a one-goal game for a time but Craig answered with his own power-play goal at 14:57.

That goal proved to be the game winner because Michael Roman found the back of the net for the Firebirds 6:37 into the third frame when he beat Hawk netminder Andrew Custer.

Holy Ghost Prep couldn’t come up with the equalizer. But Gump Whiteside, the Firebirds’ coach took an abundance of positives out of the evening.

“I like how our boys responded in the third period,” he said. “It was unfortunate, we kind of had a slow start there, but I really liked how our guts responded. We’re a young team. We’re going to be good. We’re just working through a couple things right now but I really liked how we responded in the third.”

St. Joseph’s Prep sits atop the APAC standings with a 3-0-1 mark (10 points) but the balance among the four schools through the first weeks of the season has been striking to say the least.

“The league has so much parity,” Giacomin said.”Every game is going to be exciting I think this year.”

Whiteside sees things the same way. “It’s great competition every night,” he said. “Great sportsmanship every night. We battle, we compete hard, we want to get that ’W’ but it’s been great.”

St. Joseph’s Prep 2 1 0—3
Holy Ghost Prep 0 1 1—2
First-period goals: Austin Amato (HGP) from Paulo Colavita, 2:13; Connor Burman (SJP) from Jimmy Craig, 15:12
Second-period goals: Evan Mudrick (HGP) from Byron Hartley, 3:48 (pp); Craig (HGP) from MIchael Urbani, 14:03 (pp)
Third-period goal: Michael Roman (HGP) unassisted, 6:37
Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 19, Holy Ghost Prep 22; Saves: Andrew Custer (SJP) 20, Sean Joyce (HGP) 15

One Step at a Time

Chris Gallagher has some definite ideas about what he wants the hockey program at Council Rock North to be.

By Rick Woelfel

Council Rock North took another step forward Thursday night. The Indians fell to Central Bucks West 11-0 at Hatfield Ice in a Suburban High School Hockey League matchup that was called after the second period but there were an abundance of signs the program is moving in the right direction.

North had just 12 skaters and a goaltender in uniform. Eight of the skaters were freshmen and no one on the blueline corps had any experience there prior to the start of this season, but the Indians played hard and maintained their composure against an unbeaten West team (4-0) that was more mature physically and processed superior skating ability.

“I was happy with the way the boys played,” said North coach Chris Gallagher, “and I thought they put a lot of effort in tonight. They’re learning on the fly and everyone appreciates the effort.”

Gallagher has put in a lot of effort himself over two seasons plus, resurrecting a program that dropped off the radar because of declining numbers. He and assistant coach Mike Epstein understand that building a quality program doesn’t happen overnight. But Gallagher has a plan in place.

“One was to have a middle-school program (originally run by Epstein),” he said. “Two was to have good kids play. Kids you could be proud of and get the numbers up, and I think we see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Senior Colin Kiefer is North’s captain. He will not be around to see his leadership efforts come to complete fruition. But what the North program will become over the next few seasons will be determined in part by the example Kiefer is setting now.

“My sophomore year we had nine seniors,” he said,” and we were just phenomenal. We played really well that season and obviously lost year we lost them all. We’ve got a new of new freshmen. It’s definitely going to be an experience teaching them how to play high-school hockey and what it’s like. It’s definitely a lot different than club hockey.”

Kiefer points out wearing a jersey with a school’s name on it brings with it a certain responsibility. That’s a point he tries to get across to his younger teammates.“They need to understand that this is a serious thing and represent the school,” he said.

Another element in building a program is building a relationship between the hockey club and the school’s administration. Gallagher says the process starts in the classroom.

“That’s probably my number-one priority this year,” he said, “Making sure these kids are student-athletes. They’re excelling the in the classroom, they’re doing the best they can on the ice, but they’re becoming good people and people that we can be proud of that are going to graduate from this program.

“They’re complying with the same requirements that every student-athlete has at North and if there are any incidents at school or on the ice, there’s going to be consequences and if any grades aren’t up to our requirements there’s going to be consequences as well.”

Like hockey programs at other public schools in the area and many probate ones, the Indians are a club team and not a varsity sport. But like many of his peers who oversee programs at other schools, Gallagher wants a good relationship with the school whose name his players carry on their jerseys.

“We’re not owed anything from Council Rock North,” he said. “We have a great group of kids here and we’re looking to set an example that we’re doing things the right way.”

The Game—Jake Lang had a big night for the Bucks with four goals and three assists. Seven other players score one goal each. West is 4-0 overall and 2-0 in league play. The Indians dropped to 1-3 and 0-2.

Council Rock North 0 0 x—0
C.B. West 4 7 x—11
First-period goals: Billy Loughnane (CBW) from Reese Dalzell, 1:31; Chris Trefz (CBW) from Evan Hee and Grant Funseth, 3:34; Nikita Ushakov (CBW) from Jake Lang and Sammy Poliak, 8:58; Hee (CBW) from Lang and Keith Orlando, 15:49.
Second-period goals: Lang (CBW) from Funseth, 1:51; Jack Boland (CBW) from Poliak and Hee, 2:18; Lang (CBW) from Ushakov and Orlando, 10:11; Orlando (CBW) from Lang and Trefz, 10:40; Lang (CBW) from Trefz and Orlando, 12:09 (pp); Lang (CBW) from Loughnane and Poliak, 13:29; Ben Morris (CBW) from Funseth 15:39.
Shots: Council Rock North 11, C.B. West 35; Saves: Rex Goldberg (CRN), Jake Coddingfton (CBW) 11.