Council Rock South 7 Council Rock North 5

Council Rock South exploded for four goals in the second period and then held on to knock Council Rock North out of the Suburban High School Hockey League playoffs. The win propels the top-seeded Golden Hawks (13-1-2) into the championship game against Pennridge Thursday at 7:10 at Hatfield Ice.

The Golden Hawks lost to Pennsbury in last year’s final.

The fifth-seeded Indians (9-7) broke out quickly in the first period, when Karson Grainey scored a goal with only 2:28 gone in the period. But CR South came right back with two goals, one by Bobby Gilbert and one by Blaize Pepe in a span of just over rwo-and-a-half minutes.

In the second period, the goals came fast and furious. South got goals from Mike Costantini and Sam Cherassky to get things going before Grainey got one back for North.

But South scored another, this one from Daniel Vergules and added a second from Blaize Pepe sandwiched around North goals from Jackson Accardi and Grainey.

The Indians attempted teo comeback in the third period as Zach Weissman cut into the Hawks’ lead. But Chase Tovsky finished off the scoring for South and for the game.

“I don’t think at any one time we had control of the game,” said South coach Joe Houk. If we had scored a couple more goals, like four or five, that would have been totally different.”

CR South 7, CR North 5

CR North 1 3 1 — 5

CR South 2 4 1 — 7

First period: Karson Gainey CRN (Noah Epstein) 2:28; Bobby Gilbert CRS (Blaize Pepe)11:19; B. PepeCRS (Eric Mostoller) 13:57 SH.

Second period: Mike Costantini CRS (Kevin Koles) 2:08; Sam Cherassky CRS (Koles) 5:44; Grainey CRN (Zach Weissman, Epstein) 7:06 PP; Daniel Vergules CRS (Koles) 8:38;Jackson Accardi CRN (Nicholas Hahn, Grainey) 9:42; Grainey CRN (unassisted) 14:02 SH; B. Pepe CRS (Gilbert) 16:47.

Third period: Weissman CRN (Accardi, Grainey) 2:23; Chase Tovsky CRS (B. Pepe, Cherassky)8:34 PP.

Shots: CRN 19, CRS 42. Saves: Ian Goldberg (CRN) 35, Carson Lopez (CRS) 12.

Pennridge 6 Pennsbury 3

HATFELD TOWNSHIP— One of the mantras of postseason hockey is ‘Don’t take bad penalties.’ Failing to adhere to that axiom cost Pennsbury dearly Wednesday night.

Pennridge scored four goals in the third period and went on to a 6-3 win over the Falcons in an SHSHL National Division semifinal at Hatfield Ice. The second-seeded Rams, still unbeaten at 16-0-1, will take on Council Rock South Thursday night at 7:10 in the same rink for the National Division title. Third-seeded Pennsbury (11-4-1-0), which was defending the division title it won last year, will await the start of the Class AA Flyers Cup tournament next Tuesday.

As the third period commenced, it was anyone’s game with the teams deadlocked at 2-2. Tyler Manto and Kevin Pico produced first-period goals for Pennridge. Brendan Macainsh, who scored for the Falcons just 35 seconds into the opening session, set up his teammate Shane Siegmound 77 seconds into the second.

But not quite a third of the way into the final period, the flow of the game shifted dramatically. At the 5:06 mark, the Falcons drew a bench penalty for too many men on the ice. It took Aeryk Lehrhaupt just 11 seconds to score the goal that put his team ahead for good.

But there was more to come. At the 6:06 mark Lehrhaupt was flagged for hooking. Fifty-three seconds later Pennsbury’s Andrew Falkenstein knocked a Pennridge player off stride with his knee and was called for tripping, leaving teams skating four on four. Colin Dachowski scored for Pennridge at 7:51 to make it a 4-2 game and for the remainder of the period, play flowed in Pennridge’s direction, like a river flowing downhill.

Andrew Lizak added a goal at 10:49 to give the Rams a three-goal lead. Macainsh brought his team closer when he scored his second goal of the game at 12:27 but that was all the Falcons could muster.

Shane Dachowski finished the scoring with an empty net goal with seven seconds remaining.

There was an ice cut before the start of the third period, which Lehrhaupt said allowed the Rams to regroup.

“We didn’t feel like we played like we were in a tie game,” he said. “As soon as we came out buzzing (in the third period) and got that goal, it made a whole world of a difference.”

Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna used his time out prior to his team’s third-period power play to tell his troops to pick up the pace. “I thought we were going a little too much trying to play defense,” he said. ‘I thought their next five minutes was their best five minutes of the year.”

The game featured 12 minor penalties, six against each team. Pennsbury coach Ryan Daley voiced his displeasure with the work of the officials.

“I don’t want to talk about penalties too much,” he said, “but in my opinion, that was one of the worst officiated games I’ve ever been in.

“The penalties we took, we took, it doesn’t help at all. But it also doesn’t help when the referees are (inattentive) to what’s going on the ice.”

Both goaltenders were sharp. Aaron McDaniel stopped 37 shots for the Falcons. His Pennridge counterpart Ryan Pico was credited with 32 saves.

“Our goalie was keeping us in it,” Daley said, “with some spectacular saves, especially right at the end of the second, and Pico was doing his thing. He stole a few from us as expected.

“We really played great the first two periods. It was just a five-minute span of going brain dead that killed us in the third.”

Pennsbury 1 1 1—3

Pennridge 2 0 4—6

First-period goal: Brendan Macainsh (Pb) from Shane Siegmund, :35; Tyler Manto (Pr) from Kevin Pico and Colin Dachowski, 9:40; Pico (Pr) from Aidan Boyle, 13:25

Second-period goal: Siegmund (P) from Macainsh, 1:17 (pp)

Third-period goals: Aeryk Lehrhaupt (P) from Jack Lowery, 5:17; Colin Dachowski (Pr) unassisted, 7:51; Andrew Lizak (Pr) from Boyle, 10:49; Macainsh (Pb) from Siegmund, 12:27; Shane Dachowski (Pr) from Manto, 16:53 (en)

Shots: Pennsbury 35, Pennridge 43; Saves: Aaron McDaniel (Pb) 37, Ryan Pico (Pr) 32

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Wissahickon 6 Plymouth Whitemarsh 4

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP— Wissahickon charged out of the starting gate Thursday night and maintained its momentum all night long. The Trojans scored three times in the first period and went on to a 6-4 win over Plymouth Whitemrsh in a SHSHL American Division semifinal at Hatfield Ice.

Third-seeded Wissahickon (9-7) will face top-seeded Abington next Thursday at the same venue for the American Division title; the Trojans are the defending champions. The second-seeded Colonials dropped to 11-5.

Both teams are hoping to land bids in the Class A Flyers Cup tournament; the field will be revealed Sunday night.

Wednesday’s game wasn’t as close as the final score might have indicated. Ty Schiff, Will Hussa, and Nick Hussa scored the Trojans’ early goals and the Colonials spent the rest of the evening playing catchup.

“We’ve been turning it on lately,” said Wissahickon coach Ken Harrington,” and playing more as a team.”

The Trojans have won four of their last five games and Harrington says his players have enjoyed the emotions that that success has generated.

“They may not know it, but they know the feel of winning,” he said.

Luke Weikel scored consecutive goals for the Colonials, the first with nine seconds left in the first period, the next at the 3:01 mark of the second, to make it a one-goal game for a time. Hudson Honeycutt and Will Hussa responded for the Trojans however and while Plymouth Whitemarsh stayed close enough to force their opponent to stay focused, the Colonials never posed a serious threat.

That was due in part to the work of Michael Bonnani in the Wissahickon net, the senior made 32 saves. Bonnani was pressed into service as a goaltender two-and-a-half seasons ago. He says he’s grown as a player since then.

“I definitely have felt improvement,” he said. “I’ve come a long way from just flopping around in the net and getting hit in the face with pucks. I still get hit in the face but I’ve learned to deal with it better.”

Bonnani had a stout defense corps in front of him. “We played a defensive game,” said. “That’s how you beat these teams in this league. You have to play defense.

“We learned that throughout the season. We were getting scored on a lot and we had to switch it up and play team defense.”

Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Josh Aiello said the Trojans quick start proved too much to overcome but he was impressed with his players’ collective efforts.

“There’s no quit in the team,” he said. “(The game) didn’t start off favorably for us but we were dedicated and continued to nettle.

“We knew there would be a lot of back and forth especially with Wissahickon. They got the better of us tonight but I’m proud of our players.”

Wissahickon 3 2 1—6

Plymouth Whitemarsh 1 2 1—4

First-period goals: Ty Schiff from Nick Hussa, 6:22 (pp); Will Hussa from Schiff, 9:37; Nick Hussa unassisted, 15:48; Luke Weikel (PW) from Aidan Keogh, 16:51

Second-period goals: Weikel (PW) from Dylan Novitski, 3:01; (PW); Hudson Honeycutt from Griffin Lynch, 5:50 (pp); Will Hussa from Honeycutt, 12:09; Timothy Murphy (PW) from Weikel, 13:45

Third-period goals: Nick Hussa from A.J. Pounds, 4:34; Isaac Mishkin (PW) from Weikel, 16:46

Shots: Wissahickon 43, Plymouth Whitemarsh 36; Saves: Michael Bonnani 32; Kolton Galie (PW) 37

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Abington 6 Quakertown 2

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP— Abington took its first steps on its postseason journey Thursday night. Matt Kramer and Jordan Heydt scored two goals each as the Galloping Ghosts downed Quakertown 6-2 in a SHSHL American Division semifinal at Hatfield Ice.

Top-seeded Abington (14-1) will learn Sunday if it qualifies for the Class AA Flyers Cup field before taking the ice against Wissahickon for the American Division title Thursday.

Fourth-seeded Quakertown, playing its first playoff game in its three-year tenure in the SHSHL, finishes at 7-9.

Abington coach Ken Brzozowski noted his team turned in a workmanlike effort. “It’s kind of what we’ve been doing all year,” he said, “working hard. Our philosophy is ‘Carry the puck wide, get it deep, and and then go to work. We’ve got got some skilled guy that have got some pretty good hands and can find a little hole there through open space.”

Kramer and Heydt scored first-period goals to stake their team to a 2-0 lead.

Heydt extended his team’s lead with a backhander from the low slot midway through the second session. Ryan Porter made it a 4-0 game with 56 seconds left in the period.

The Panthers however did not back down. Anthony Pagliei and Lucas Cunnane scored goals 45 seconds apart to make it a 3-2 game 3:01 into the third period.

But Quakertown couldn’t get closer. Kramer scored his second goal of the game midway through the period before Sam Paulik added a goal of his own down the stretch.

“We couldn’t be prouder of the boys,” said Quakertown coach Keith Krem. “They came out and they played hard. It didn’t go where we want it to go but we were happy to be in a playoff game and taking our season to a new step.”

Quakertown 0 0 2—2

Abington 2 2 2—6

First—period goals: Matt Kramer (A) from Joe Stelacio, 9:48; Jordan Heydt (A) unassisted, 13:33

Second-period goals: Heydt (A) 8:13; Ryan Portner (A) from Stelacio, 16:04

Third-period goals: Anthony Pagliei (Q) unassisted, 2:16; Lucas (Q) from Wilham Shaw, 3:01; Kramer (A) from Heydt and Brian Murdoch, 8:32; Sam Paulik from Pat Stelacio,15:50

Shots: Abington 29, Quakertown 20;

C.R. North 5 C.B. West 2

HATFIELD—Council Rock North is one of the major success stories of 2021-22 hockey season. Unable to field a pure team last season, the Indians were forced to drop out of the Suburban High School Hockey League.

But they have returned this year are unquestionably making an impact.

Chapter One of the North Saga concluded Thursday night with a 5-2 win over Central Bucks West at Hatfield Ice in the regular-season finale for both sides.

Jackson Accardi, Will Pasch, and Karson Grainey all scored goals in a span of 2 minutes, 9 seconds midway through the second period to break the game open.

North concluded its regular season at 8-6 (5-5 in divisional play). The Indians will be seeded somewhere between fifth and seventh for next week’s SHSHL playoffs and are hoping to land a bid in the upcoming Class A Flyers Cup tournament.

“We talked about it,” said North coach Greg McDonald. “We only had like 11 skaters. The difference between when we have a full bench and when we don’t is tremendous.

“So that was exactly what we talked about; win the small game. Win the puck battles with shifts, win the puck races, win the open spot for your teammates.”

Ryan Keil gave the Indians a 1-0 lead 7:23 into the first period off a scramble in front of West goaltender Liam Rogers

Billy Loughnane tied the game for the Buck (5-9, 2-8) off the faceoff that commenced the second period.

Rogers kept the game tied when he turned aside a blast from Lucas Siomos with 11;35 left in the period.

But the Indians eventually broke through. Accardi put his team in front for good at the 7:16 mark, Pasch followed up at 8:23 and Grainey completed the trifecta at 9:25.

The Bucks got a bit closer when Loughnane scored his second goal of the game with 2:56 remaining in regulation but couldn’t get any closer.

Grainey scored his second goal of the game into an empty net just before the clock hit all zeroes.

The evening marked the conclusion of the career of five West seniors. Their coach, Dave Baun, is pleased with how his young team matured over the course of the season.

“I’m very optimistic about the team going forward,” he said. “Nine of our players are freshmen and sophomores and that’s pretty young, but they’re all good players. When they’re all good and they’re that young, that’s a good thing because they’re only going to get better.

“And we’re expecting to add a few more good players next year.”

Ice chips— Ian Goldberg made 33 saves in the North net. The Indians will learn on February 27 whether they made the Flyers Cup field.

Council Rock North 1 3 1—5

C.B. West 0 1 1—2

First-period goal: Ryan Keil (CRN) from Noah Epstein and Karson Grainey, 7:23

Second-period goals: Billy Loughnane (CBW) from Nick Bruno and Anthony Dowd, :11; Jackson Accardi (CRN) from Grainey, 7:16; Will Pasch (CRN) from Keil 8:23; Grainey (CRN) from Accardi and Epstein, 9:25

Third-period goals: Loughnane (CBW) from Dowd, 14:04; Grainey (CRN) from Accardi, 16:59 (en)

Shots: C.R. North 43, C.B. West 35; Saves: Ian Goldberg (CRN) 33, Liam Rogers (CBW) 38

Wissahickon 7 Plymouth Whitemarsh 2

Thursday proved to be an eventful evening at Hatfield Ice. Both Wissahickon and Plymouth Whitemarsh had reason to feel good about what they accomplished, albeit using different criteria.

The Trojans dominated on the ice, scoring three first-period goals on the way to a 7-2 SHSHL American Division win. A.J. Pounds, Nolan Pounds, and Nick Hussa all scored two goals as the Trojans improved to 7-6 overall and 7-3 in divisional play with two games remaining.

Wissahickon coach Ken Harrington called it his team’s best effort of the year. “Our team played together,” he said. “Against a good opponent. We always have good matchups with P-W.”

Harrington said there have been signs team has been coming together. The Trojans have won five of their last seven starts, although they had lost two straight coming into Thursday.

“We’ve been jelling,” he said, “but we weren’t really getting results as much. We kept to it. it was almost you could see them thinking ‘Yeah, this works.’”

For the Colonials (10-3, 8-2) it was a disappointing result at best. They are no longer on control of their destiny in the American Division title chase and Thursday’s setback may leave a negative impression in the minds of those who seed the Class A Flyers Cup field.

Luke Weikel and Aidan Keogh scored goals but there were few other bright spots for Colonial coach Josh Aiello to point to.

“Tonight was not our best game,” he said.

But the Colonials came up big with their efforts in support of Hockey Fights Cancer, an organization that was founded in 1998 by the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players Association to support cancer patients and their families. Proceeds from Thursday’s game, including tee shirt sales, will be donated to Hockey Fights Cancer.

It’s the sixth straight year the Plymouth Whitemarsh hockey program has held a charitable event in conjunction with a game. The event is organized by the players.

“This particular year we did Hockey Fights Cancer,” Aiello said. “In the past we’ve done Team Cancer America and the Susan G. Komen Foundation (breast cancer awareness).

“I’m just proud of our guys,” Aiello said. “We’re dedicated to performing well on the ice but it’s equally as important to do good outside of the rink and our players have been focused on that year after year. I’m really proud of our guys.”

• The Trojans lost forward Nick Bonnani in the third period after he drew a major penalty for fighting. It was his fourth penalty of the game. Bonnani will likely serve a suspension.

Plymouth Whitemarsh 1 0 1—2

Wissahickon 3 3 1—7

First-period goals: Nick Hussa from Ty Schiff, 4:15; A.J. Pounds from Nick Hussa, 11:31; Luke Weikel (PW) from Dylan Novitski and Aidan Keogh 12:13; Nick Hussa from Schiff and Nick Pounds, 13:42 (pp)

Second-period goals: Will Hussa from Schiff, 2:39; Nolan Pounds from Nick Pounds, 12:48; Nolan Pounds from A.J. Pounds and John Kufner, 16:55

Third-period goals: Keogh (PW) from Conlan Carpenter, 10:34 (pp); A.J. Pounds from Griffin Lynch, 11:44 (sh)

Shots: Plymouth Whitemarsh 25, Wissahickon 33; Saves: Kolton Galike (PW) 26, Michael Bonnani 23

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Pennridge 6 Neshaminy 1

HATFIELD—It was business as usual for Pennridge Wednesday night. The Rams scored three times in the first period and rolled to a 6-1 win over Neshaminy in a SHSHL Class AA matchup at Hatfield Ice.

Pennridge remains perfect with a 14-0 overall record (9-0 in divisional play) heading into its regular-season finale with Council Rock South next Wednesday. It’s last lost came to Haverford in the Flyers Cup semifinals last April.

The game was essentially decided in the first 13:55 of the opening period. Pierce McGinley, Andrew Savong, and Tyler Manto scored goals in that stretch, and Rams were never threatened thereafter.

“We got off to a rough start,” said Neshaminy coach Matt DeMatteo. “The one rebound came right out to (McGinley) who buried it. Then we had (a tip-in) and then we had the second or third goal the guy dangled through us and nobody stepped up to play physical. So, I feel like we kind of put ourselves in that hole. It’s tough to battle back against a really good team like that.”

Max Gallagher scored a power-play goal for Neshaminy (9-3-1, 5-4 in the division) 9:49 into the second period but Kevin Pico and Aeryk Lehrhaupt responded for the Rams (Lehrhaupt’s goal came while his team was shorthanded) before Shane Dachowski added a goal in the third period.

The final margin would doubtless have been wider had it not been for the work of Brian Nelson in the Neshaminy net. Nelson was credited with 46 saves while his Pennridge counterpart Ryan Pico was given credit for 41.

Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna said his team got a big boost from its quick start. “Especially after our last game (a 5-3 win over Central Bucks South) where we didn’t,” he said. “We talked about it. I thought it was our best first period of the year. I thought we started the game better than we have all year and it set the tone for the rest of the night.”

After next week, the Rams will cross the threshold into the postseason. Expectations are high in light of last year’s Flyers Cup effort. So, in a very real sense, Wednesday night’s first period was about setting the tone for something beyond a regular-season game in February.

Neshaminy’s. A.J. Dougherty was injured in the second period when Pennridge’s Andrew David delivered a shoulder check while Dougherty was standing with his back to the boards in the Pennridge offensive left wing corner. No penalty was called on the play. Dougherty was helped off the ice. According to DeMatteo, he will enter concussion protocol.

•The regular season will conclude next week. The SHSHL playoffs will commence on February 23 and 24 so the results of the Class AA quarterfinals will factor into the Flyers Cup seedings.

Neshaminy 0 1 0

Pennridge 3 2 1—6

First-period goals: Pierce McGinley (P) from Josh Kelly, 2:59; Andrew Savong (P) unassisted, 9:09; Tyler Manto (P) from Ryan Schuler, 13:55

Second-period goals: Max Gallagher (N) from Dan McColgan and J.J. Hathaway, 9:49 (pp); Kevin Pico, from Manto and Boyle, 13:44; Aeryk Lehrhaupt (P) unassisted, 15:51 (sh)

Third-period goals: Shane Dachowski (P) from Aidan Boyle Jack Lowery, 9:58 (pp)

Shots: Neshaminy 42, Pennridge 52; Saves: Brian Nelson (N) 46, Ryan Pico P) 41

Owls Enjoying Their Time on Ice

BRISTOL—The result was a disappointment albeit not a totally unexpected one. Bensalem was no match for Pennsbury Thursday night and fell 11-1 in a Suburban High School Hockey League Class AA game at Grundy Arena.

But the result paled in comparison to the reality of the Owls being on the ice, in uniforms that carried their school’s name and its colors of silver and blue.

The team is coached by Jordan Roth, a special education teacher in the district and a man with an affection for the game of hockey.

“Hockey has always been a passion of mine,” he said, “as well as coaching. I’m excited to grow this program to the best of ability.”

The Owls who now stand at 3-9 overall and 1-7 in divisional play, have one of the youngest teams in the SHSHL.

Sophomore goaltender Rickey Gonzalez stood tall for his team Wednesday night despite the score line He allowed 11 goals but also made 39 saves before the contest was terminated via the 10-goal mercy rule 8:11 into the third period.

Gonzalez found himself drawn to playing in goal early on. “When I was little I always had a thing for weird positions,” he said. “When I played football, I always wanted to be a ref.

“So, I guess I ended up picking goalie. But after a while, you see the other guys having all the fun out there and I kind of feel left out. I want to be a (skater) sometimes.”

Gonzalez enjoys the opportunity to step on the ice with the student-athletes he sees in school each day. “I find it a little bit more fun and exciting to play with them,” he said. I get to show off my skills a little bit for my friends and the people who come to our games.”

Alex Hood scored the Owls’ only goal Wednesday night. Hood, who is also a sophomore has collected 12 goals and five assists for 17 points this season.

Hood was elated when he learned Bensalem would field a hockey team this season. “I was really excited,” he said, because I could play with my friends here and it’s something new to do.”

Like Gonzalez, Hood is savoring the chance to play alongside his friends. “I’ve always loved playing with (Gonzalez),” he said. “He’s one of my best friends off the ice. It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do.”
Roth tells his squad to appreciate the opportunity they have to skate for their school. “I tell the guys in the locker room that it’s a privilege to play this game every day,” he said. “Finding ice, being in enclosed arenas. Hockey is a very expensive sport. I’m very thankful to be a part of the program. I like to instill that importance of respect, respect the game and respect the officials on and off the ice.”

The Falcons (7-3-1, 5-2 in the division) took command by scoring six goals in the first period. Brendan MacAinsh, Reece Milkman and Jake McCaw each scored two goals

Bensalem 0 1 0—1

Pennsbury 6 2 3—11

First-period goals: Brendan Macainsh (P) from Colin Michalak and Shane Siegmund, :22; Jake McCaw (P) from Chris Sarver 5:23; Logan Doyle (P) from Connor Coyne, 8:50 (sh); Reece Millman (P) from Macainsh, 11:17; McCaw (P) from Sarver and Millman, 14:02; Sarver (P) from Millman and Duyle, 14:51;

Second-period goals: Alex Hood (B) from Matt Rowan and Alex Bazylevich, 11:31; Millman (P) unassisted, 12:59 (pp); Doyle (P) from Macainsh and Conor Kane, 13:15

Third-period goals: McCaw (P) Doyle, 1:01 (sh); Macainsh (P) from Siegmund and Stephen Grossup, 3:02; McCaw (P) from Siegmound, 8:11

Shots: Bensalem 8, Pennsbury 50; Saves: Ricky Gonzalez (B) 39, Aaron McDaniel (P) 7

Game terminated at 8:11 of the third period

Council Rock North 6 Neshaminy 5

BRISTOL—Council Rock North and Neshaminy had a lot to play for Wednesday night. Both teams were trying to enhance their standing in the eyes of the Flyers Cup Competition Committee and the ‘Skins were trying to wipe away the memories of 6-1 loss to Council Rock South in their last start.

It was the Indians who prevailed, and in dramatic fashion, overcoming deficits of 4-0 and 5-1 to post a 6-5 win at Grundy Arena. Nick Hahn scored what proved to be the winning goal with 5:20 remaining in regulation.

Council Rock North improved to 5-6 overall and 4-5 in divisional play. The win is sure to make a lasting impression While North competes in the Class AA Division of the SHSHL, the Indians are a Class A team for Flyers Cup and are doing their best to make a case for inclusion in the field.

North coach Greg McDonald was asked if the win was his team’s biggest to date.

“I’d probably say so,” he said. “I think we had all but one player here tonight. It was the first time we had a full roster, so we were able to kind of manage the game differently. Certainly, by the boys’ reaction, I think it was the biggest win of the year.

At the end of the first period, the Indians were staring into the abyss. Goals from Jacob Adami, and Joey Hornung, and two from Max Gallagher, gave Neshaminy (8-3-1, 5-3 in the division) what seemed to be a commanding 4-0 lead.

Jackson Accardi got North on the board 1:13 into the second frame but David McColgan answered for Neshaminy with a power-play goal at the five-minute mark to seemingly restore the status quo.

The Indians kept at it however. Accardi scored his second goal of the game, a shorthanded effort, at 5:40, and Jackson Mosley followed with a goal of his own at 9:23 to make it a 5-3 game heading into the third period.

Neshaminy kept up the pressure as the final session began. Mosley scored his second goal of the night at 4:13 before Karson Grainey tied the game at 6:16.

But North found itself shorthanded going down the stretch. With 7:35 left in regulation, Mosley was called for slashing and drew a 10-minute misconduct along with it. That gave him four penalties on the night and an automatic game misconduct. With 3:39 still to play, Accardi drew a 10-minute misconduct penalty of his own.

But Neshaminy persevered and Hahn sent his teammates into celebratory mode with his game-winning goal. Hahn, a sophomore, said the Indians were poised to continue their comeback as the final period began.

’We had great (chemistry) going into the third,” he said. “We were pumped up and ready to go.”

The events of the last two periods left Neshaminy coach Matt DeMatteo perplexed and frustrated. His team was ranked fifth in the latest set of Class AA Flyers Cup rankings and the loss was a black eye, or perhaps a left hook to the jaw.

“You get a four-goal lead and you can’t keep it, that’s embarrassing,” he said. “We came out, we stuck to the game plan early on, we played a good first period, then the last two periods we just fell apart.

“We didn’t stick to the game plan. Top to bottom, we just abandoned it and I don’t know why. If something is working, why wouldn’t you stay with it?”

Council Rock North 0 3 3—6

Neshaminy 4 1 0—5

First-period goals: Jacob Adami (N) from J.J. Hathaway, 4:30; Joey Hornung (N) from D.J. Harris, 11:52; Max Gallagher (N) from Hathaway, 14:31; Gallagher (M) from Ryan DeMatteo, and Liam Mooney, 15:02

Second-period goals: Jackson Accardi (CRN) from Karson Grainey and Nick Hahn, 1:13; Dan McColgan (N) from Hathaway, 5:00 (pp); Accardi (CRN) from Grainey and Jackson Mosley, 5:40 (sh); Mosley (CRN) from Zach Weissman and Grainey, 9:23

Third-period goals: Mosley (CRN) from Weissman and Lucas Siomos, 4:1; Grainey (CRN) unassisted, 6:16; Hahn (CRN) from Weissman and Siomos,11:40

Shots: Council Rock North 32, Neshaminy 33

Saves: Ian Goldberg (CRN) 28 Cory Hemberger (N) 26

Council Rock South 6 Neshaminy 1

BRISTOL— It’s something that occurs around this time in every hockey season. Council Rock South finds another gear.

The Golden Hawks played one of their best games of the season Thursday night a 6-1 SHSHL Class AA win over Neshaminy at Grundy Arena.

Evan Mostoller scored two goals and four other players scored one goal each as South improved to 9-1-1 overall and stayed unbeaten in divisional play with a 7-0 mark.

The margin of victory might have been greater had it not been for the play of Neshaminy goaltender Brian Nelson who made 41 saves. From the opening faceoff to the final buzzer, the Golden Hawks dominated.

Sophomore Kevin Koles contributed a goal and two assists.

“We’ve got playoffs soon,” he said. “We’re trying to (play) more like a team. We got the job done.”

South is one of the most balanced teams offensively in the SHSHL. Entering play Thursday night, four different players had scored 11 points or more this season.

Veteran coach Joe Houk says that balance is one of the keys to his team’s success this season.

“I think it’s most important,” he said. “We’ve always talked over the years about how your top guys always (contribute). “I think the second and third liners are the guys that are the most important. And now I have a couple D-men this year that are putting points up on the board also.

“So, at any given time during the game, I don’t have to rely on one or two guys. I can rely on a lot of other people too.”

Thanks in part to Nelson’s 18 saves, the Golden Hawks led just 1-0 after one period; Blaise Pepe put his team in front at the 1:38 mark.

Julian Wagenmann made it a 2-0 game 1:14 into the second frame before South broke the game open late in the period. Jeremy Rahyer, Koles, and Mostoller scored in a span of five-and-a-half minutes to build a 5-0 lead by period’s end.

It marked the first time this year Neshaminy (8-2-1, 5-2 in the division) had surrendered more than three goals in a game this season.

Neshaminy coach Matt DeMatteo was disappointed in his team’s effort.

“(South) is a very good team,” he said. “They played a very disciplined game. They clearly had a game plan and they executed it. We did not. That’s what it looks like when two good teams play and one doesn’t show up.”

Emotions boiled over at the 3:35 mark of the third period. South’ Matt Constantini and Neshaminy’s Nolan Geria were the antagonists. Constantini drew a minor for cross checking plus a 10-minute misconduct. Geria, who had been flagged three times to that point, was called for a minor penalty for a check from behind, and the automatic misconduct penalty that went with it, plus a double game misconduct.

J.J. Hathaway scored for Neshaminy 8:27 into the final period before Mostoller completed the scoring at 13:20.

Council Rock South 1 4 1—6

Neshaminy 0 0 1—1

First-period goals: Blaise Pepe (CRS) from Alec Pepe and Chase Trovsky, 1:38

Second-period goals: Julian Wagenmann (CRS) from Matt Constantini and Nolan O’Brien, 1:14; Jeremy Rayher (CRS) from Julian Sarne and Kyle Boss, 11:11; Kevin Koles (CRS) unassisted, 12:44; Evan Mostoller (CRS) from Koles and David Vergules, 16:41

Third-period goals: J.J. Hathaway (N) unassisted, 8:27; Mostoller (CRS) from Trovsky and Koles, 13:20

Shots: Council Rock South 47, Neshaminy 19; Saves: Carson Lopez (CRS) 18, Brian Nelson (N) 41