Pennsbury 5, C.B. East 2

HATFIELD—There was no better time than Wednesday night for Pennsbury to get out of a funk. Having lost their last three SHSHL Class AA divisional games games, the Falcons needed to make a statement.

Which they did. Three first-period goals propelled Pennsbury to a 5-2 win over Central Bucks East in a game the Falcons (9-5-1, 5-5-1 in the division) needed badly to stake a claim on a berth in both the SHSHL playoffs and the Flyers Cup tournament. Simply put, there was no margin for error.

Ben Dous, Pennsbury’s captain, had no difficulty articulating the significance of the win. “It’s big,” he said. “We hit a rough patch and it was great. We came out here and I thought we played really well.”

Dous got things started during a power play at the 6:45 mark of the first period when he launched a shot from the high slot that Shane Siegmond tipped past East goaltender Chris McIntyre. Erik Eisler made it a 2-0 game on another power-play effort at 11:39 and Beau Brusulis-Edman added an even-strength goal at 13:55 to put the Patriots (9-4-1-1, 6-4-1-1 in the division) further back on their heels

“We dug ourselves a hole,” said East assistant coach Mike Capps. “Credit Pennsbury, they played their butts off. They played us right, They chipped it by us and went on odd-man breaks. They had a man coming in late because our center wasn’t picking up. They played well, they were well-coached tonight, they deserved to win.”

Joe Machlovitz scored the only goal of the second frame at the 7:37 mark and he and his mates appeared to have things well in hand.

In the third period however, the Patriots’ Sean Gorman made things interesting by scoring his 25th goal of the season off a turnover at the 5:18 mark, He added a second goal with 4:12 left in regulation that forced the Falcons to pay attention down the stretch but Dous added an insurance goal into an empty net with 22 seconds to go.

Pennsbury coach Ryan Daley feels his team is back on the right track. We definitely went through a lull there,” he said, “and I think we got some momentum. I think it started with our game against Truman (last Friday’s Pink Out game, a 7-3 win) and it definitely carried over to tonight.”

Ice Chips—Pennsbury had a 37-28 edge in shots but the Patriots outshot the Falcons 25-18 over the last two periods …The SHSHL playoffs will be held the week of February 24, the week before the Flyers Cup. Class AA quarterfinal games will be played on Monday the 24th with semifinals in both classes set for Wednesday the 26th. The championship games in both classes will be played the following night.

Pennsbury 3 1 1—5
C.B. East 0 0 2—2
First-period goals: Shane Siegmond (P) from Ben Dous and Beau Bruslius-Yedman, 6:45 (pp); Eric Eisler (P) from Joe Machlovitz and Dous, 11:39 (pp); Bruslius-Edman (P) from Eisler, 13:55.
Second-period goals: Machlovitz (P) from Siegmond, 7:37.
Third-period goals: Sean Gorman (CBE) unassisted, 5:18; Gorman (CBE) from Aiden Schmidt, 11:48; Dous (P) from Bruslius-Yedman, 15:38 (en);
Shots: Pennsbury 37, CBE 28; Saves: Topher Seiler (P) 30; Chris McIntyre (CBE) 32

Elsewhere: Neshaminy 8, C.B. West 6

Pennridge 3, Pennsbury 2

HATFIELD— It took Pennsbury and Pennridge some time to hit their stride Thursday night. For two periods plus the Falcons and the Rams delivered a performance that seemed to offer little in the way of emotional energy.

The pace picked up down the stretch and it was Pennridge that came out on top. Aidan Boyle’s goal with 2:12 left in regulation gave the Rams a 3-2 win in a game that both teams needed strengthen their position the Suburban High School Hockey League’s Class AA standings and their credibility with the committee that will select sand seed the Flyers Cup field in a little over two week’s time.

“We just kept telling them ‘Get it to the third period with a chance to win,’” said Pernnridge coach Jeff Montagna,”

Just one goal was scored over the first two periods. It came off the stick of Pennsbury’s Brendan MacAinish 9:16 into the first frame. Ryan Schuler tied the game for the Rams (9-6, 6-5 in divisional play) 3:36 in to the finals period but Reece Millman’s shot from the edge of the right faceoff circle put the Falcons (8-5-1, 4-5-1) back in front at the 6:58 mark.

When Arek Lehrhaupt scored for the Rams at 10:06 it set the stage for a big finish. Boyle’s game winner came on a shot from the right circle that got past Falcon netminder Topher Seiler.

Seiler and Ryan Pico, his Pennridge counterpart, were both sharp, making 62 saves between them.

The Rams came into the game without Blake Stewart who was injured, and lost Richie Shanks in the second period. But they kept battling.

“They just kept fighting and scrapping,” Montagna said of his troops. “I’m just so proud of them, so proud of the way then did that down the stretch. We were down to seven forwards. It was a great win.”

The loss was the third straight for the Falcons. “Their goalie had an outstanding game,” said Pennsbury coach Ryan Daley. We could have had more goals, that’s for sure. I think that kind of got to us in the stretch there. You’re masking good plays and working hard and we weren’t getting rewarded for any of it.”

Daley was quick to point out the loss was no fault of Seiler’s who kept his team in the game in the third period. “It’s a shame our last three games have (losses) next to them,” he said. “He’s played outstanding in all three of them.”

Pennsbury 1 0 1—2
Pennridge 0 0 3—3
First-period goal: Brendan MacAinish (Pb) from Shane Siegmond and Beau
Third-period goal: Ryan Schuler (Pr) from Conrad Frisch, 3:36; Reece Millman (Pb) unassisted, 6:58; Arek Lehrhaupt (Pr) from Jeff Manto and Jack Lowery, 10:06; Aidan Boyle (Pr) from Cooper White, 13:48.
Shots: Pennsbury 35, Pennridge 32; Saves: Topher Seiler (Pb) 29, Ryan Pico (Pr) 33

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Holy Ghost Prep 2, La Salle 1

BRISTOL—If familiarity doesn’t breed contempt it certainly breeds a certain amount of hostility. Friday’s game between La Salle and Holy Ghost Prep was the third of the season between the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference rivals and Grundy Arena was filled to the brim with emotional energy.

Anthony Sparo’s goal with 8:28 left in regulation was the difference in the Firebirds’ 2-1 win. The win moved Holy Ghost Prep into first place in the APAC with a 4-3-1-0 league mark for 14 points, one point in front of St. Joseph’s Prep, which has a game in hand.

La Salle dropped to 9-14 overall and 1-3-2-1 in conference play.

“There was a lot of emotion,” said Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside. “Two very good hockey teams, great energy in the building tonight. Just happy to get out of here with a win.”

The Explorers’ Chris Wnek opened the scoring 3:15 into the first periods off a feed from David Kimmel.

Early in the second frame the Firebirds found themselves with an opportunity to draw even when they were presented with an 83-second two-man advantage. EJ. Pohl thought he had tied the game at the 2:11 mark with a shot from the right wing but the referee ruled the puck hit the post and did not cross the goal line and the Explorers killed off the remainder of both penalties. A few minutes later, Sean Joyce made a pair of big saves seconds apart to keep it a one-goal game,

The Firebirds did tie the game with a minute left in the period when Brady Baehser scored on an effort that got through a pile of players in front of the net and past La Salle netminder Matthew Bant.

The two teams started the third period on fresh ice and if anything, the pace of play picked up.

Sparo’s game-winning goal came off a left-circle faceoff in the offensive zone.

With 1:29 left in the game the emotions of the evening boiled over when La Salle’s Andrew Budzynski was called for cross checking. Moments later it appeared the Explorers’ Max Maddalo was knocked into the boards but no additional penalties were called and La Salle skated a man short until the Explorers’ Nathan Benner and the Firebirds’ Dan Behr got into a scuffle with eight seconds to go that led to five additional penalties.

La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner was unavailable for comment following the game.

Notes—Brant stopped 39 shots in the La Salle net … La Salle will close its conference campaign at Malvern Prep Monday night … Holy Ghost Prep will host St. Joseph’s Prep Wednesday afternoon. A regulation win would give the Firebirds the APAC regular-season title.

La Sallle 1 0 0—1
Holy Ghost Prep 0 1 1—2
First-period goal: Chris Wnek (L) from David Kimmel, 3:15;
Second-period goal: Brady Baehser (HGP) from Aidan Mulholland, 15:00 (pp)
Third-period goal: Anthony Sparo (HGP) unassisted, 7:32
Shots: La Salle 16, Holy Ghost Prep 41; Saves: Matthew Brant (L) 39, Sean Joyce (HGP) 15

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Neshaminy 5, Pennsbury 2

BRISTOL— The atmosphere resembled that of a Flyers Cup game, Which was not surprising; any contest between Pennsbury and Neshaminy, whatever the sport, is sure to be crackling with intensity.

It was Neshaminy that had the better of things Thursday night, 5-2 in a SHSHL Class AA Division game before a large and energetic audience at Grundy Arena. Joey DeMatteo scored three goals to help the Skins (9-3, 7-2 in divisional play) avenge a Thanksgiving Eve loss to the Falcons (8-4-1, 4-4-1)

The game was tight for 32 minutes before Neshaminy scored three goals in the third frame.

Neshaminy coach Matt DeMatteo said his team responded to the emotions of the evening without being overwhelmed by those emotions.

“We’re still a bit of a younger team,” he said. “We only have three seniors and part of learning how to win is learning how to play mature, and learning how to play the way the game dictates.”

The first period was played on even terms with the ‘Skins looking for open ice while the Falcons employed a dump-and-chase strategy. Neshaminy’s Robert Seewagen scored the period’s only goal with 40 seconds remaining off a Pennsbury turnover, It was one of a series of miscues that hurt the Falcons’ cause and undermined a solid performance by Topher Seiler, their goaltender.

“Our goalie stood on top of his head,” said Pennsbury coach Ryan Daley. “He couldn’t have played any better.”

Thomas Gallagher extended Neshaminy’s lead 1:40 into the second period when he found open space in the right circle and put the puck in the top right corner of the net. Erik Eisler answered back at 11:46 to make it a one-goal game heading into the third period.

Joey DeMatteo took over from there, scoring twice in a seven-minute span to put his team up 4-1 with 6:44 left in regulation. Eisler scored his second goal of the game on a power play with 4:57 left but DeMatteo fired the puck into an empty net with 37 seconds remaining.

The senior said his team took a different approach to the rematch with the Falcons. “We focused on emotion way too much in that game,” he said, “and we just kind of put all that aside and just played the game and focused on the game.”

Neshaminy came into the game ranked sixth in the Class AA Flyers Cup power rankings. The Falcons were ranked 10th this week.

Pennsbury 0 1 1—2
Neshaminy 1 1 3—5
First-period goal: Robert Seewagen (N) unassisted, 15:20.
Second-period goals: Thomas Gallagher (N) from Trevor Kuhn, 1:40; Erik Eisler (P) from Beau Bruslius and Ben Dous, 11:46.
Third-period goals: Joey DeMatteo (N) unassisted, 2:15; DeMatteo (N) from J.J. Hathaway and Matt Buchinski, 9:16; Eisler (P) unassisted, 11:03 (pp); DeMatteo (N) from Michael Knipple, 15:23 (en).
Shots: Pennsbury 21, Neshaminy 38; Saves: Topher Seiler (P) 33, Brian Nelson (N) 19

Central Bucks East 5, Central Bucks West 0

HATFIELD— Central Bucks East did a lot of things well on Wednesday night. The Patriots strengthened their case for a place in the Class AA Flyers Cup field with a 5-0 win over Central Bucks West at Hatfield Ice in a SHSHL matchup. Sean Gorman scored twice for East, which is now 9-2-1-1 overall and 6-2-1-1 in divisional play. They were ranked 10th in the Flyers Cup power rankings at the start of the week.

Sean Gorman scored twice for the Patriots, but the evening will be remembered for what happened at the other end of the ice, where Chris McIntyre was perfect. He saw 55 shots and turned aside every one of them.

“I don’s think in all my years of coaching I ever saw a team get (55) shots and not win,” said West coach Dave Baun, “let alone lose 5-0.”

The Bucks (6-4-2-1, 3-4-2-0 in the division) didn’t make it easy on McIntyre. Many of their shots were dangerous and several we’re from point-blank range. But the junior was more than equal to the task.

“He was technically superb,” Baun said.

It was Senior Night for both schools but McIntyre didn’t prepare any differently than usual. “I try to be sharp for every game,” he said, “prepare the same for every game, even if I’m not playing. Every game is the same.”

Connor Keiser and Phil McIntyre scored first-period goals to give the Patriots a 2-0 lead. Chris McIntyre signaled what was to come when he denied Jake Lang on a breakaway with just over five minutes left in the period. Lang is the leading scorer in the SHSHL’s Class AA division.

The Bucks had a chance to get back in the game six-and-a-half minutes into the middle period when back-to back penalties to Max Ermigiotti and Marc Green gave them a two-man advantage for 1 minute, 39 seconds. West failed to score however and Keiser added his second goal of the night nine seconds after the second penalty expired to make it a 3-0 game.

Gorman added two goals in the third period. The final shot totals were 55-33. In the Bucks’ favor. West failed to score despite having six power-play chances.

That statistic was a concern to East coach Ken Latchum. “Your goalkeeper makes up for your mistakes,” he said, “and he made up for every one of them.””

With Flyers Cup selection Sunday now three-and-a-half weeks out, Latchum senses his team is getting more focused. “We’re starting to hit a good stride,” he said, “a very good stride. “Tonight they were hyped, they were playing as a team.

“I thought our first period was probably our best period. (Then) we started taking penalties.”
C.B. East 2 1 2—5
C.B. West 0 0 0—0
First-period goals: Connor Keiser (CBE) from Ian Treger, 5:24; Phil McIntyre (CBE) from Sean Gorman, 8:22.
Second-period goals: Conner Keiser (CBE) unassisted, 8:31.
Third-period goals: Sean Gorman (CBE) from Max Ermigiotti, 12:21; Gorman (CBE) unassisted,14:06.
Shots: C.B. East 33, C.B. West 55; Saves: Chris McIntyre (CBE) 55, Jake Coddington (CBW) 28

North Penn 5, Central Bucks West 1

HATFIELD— It was not a flashy performance. But it was a very efficient one to be sure. Five different players scored goals as North Penn got the better of Central Bucks West 5-1 Thursday night in a Suburban High School Hockey League Class AA game on the Blue Rink at Hatfield Ice.

The Knights (7-2 overall) stayed a perfect 6-0 in divisional play. The Bucks dropped to 6-3-2-1 overall and 3-3–2-0 in the division. They are ranked fourth in this week’s Flyers Cup Class AA power rankings.

The two teams skated on even terms through most of the first period with the Knights’ Ryan Cunningham scoring the only goal at 4:53 when he launched a wrister from in between the two circles and beat Bucks’ goaltender Jake Coddington along the ice inside the right post. Zachary Cline added a goal 5:03 into the second session just as a West penalty was about got expire. It was the Knights’ only power play of the game (there were just three penalties called).

Tyler Greenstein added a goal at 11:04 while the Knights had their goaltender out in anticipation of a delayed penalty and Quinn Holt scored with 47 seconds left in the period to stretch North Penn’s lead to 4-0.

“We haven’t played in two weeks,” said North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis. “We came out a little slow I think to start, but then we kind of got things going a little bit there in the second period.

“We had some opportunities there on the power play and one on the delayed penalty, Our power play is the key for us this year.”

Greenstein’s goal was his only point of the evening but the senior’s abilities at reading the play and creating opportunities for teammates were as impactful as ever. “We were a little bit rusty coming out,” he said. “The game plan was to get pucks deep and try to cycle and get quality shots on net just to try to get the flow back.”

Greenstein noted that moving the puck well is critical to the Knights’ success. “We lost all bunch of seniors (to graduation),” he said, “some offensive threats up top. So this year I’ve tried to be more of a playmaker.”

To their credit the Bucks, who are winless in their last five games, didn’t back off and made North Penn goaltender Nick Ebbinghaus earn his 24 saves. Jake Lang finally got his team on the scoreboard at 12:11 of the third period. That was all that West could muster but coach Dave Baun was pleased with what his young team gave him.

“I’m very proud of them,” he said. “I’m very encouraged by the way they played. North Penn is a fast team, they’ve got a lot of skill.

“We focused on making sure we stacked our (defense), we covered the middle lane much better and we didn’t give up chances on the transition.”

North Penn 1 3 1—5
C.B. West 0 0 1—1
First-period goals: Ryan Cunningham (NP), 4:53
Second-period goals: Zachary Cline (NP) from Jeremy Porubski, 5:01 (pp); Tyler Greenstein (NP) from Tony Tuozzo and. Porubski 11:04; Quinn Holt (NP) unassisted, 15:13.
Third-period goals: Jake Lang (CBW) from Chris Trefz and Billy Loughnane, 12:11; Josh Kaufhold (NP) from Tuozzo, 13:44.
Shots: North Penn 32, C.B. West 25; Saves; Nick Ebbinghaus (NP) 24, Jake Coddington (CBW) 27

Wissahickon 14, Truman 4

The Evening was About Much More than the Result

HATFIELD—The outcome of Wednesday’s Suburban High School Hockey League American Division game between Truman and Wissahickon was never in doubt. The Trojans scored eight goals in the first period and went on to a 14-4 win at Hatfield Ice in a game that was halted with 6:09 left in the third period via the 10-goal mercy rule.

There was a much deeper meaning to the evening however than the final result. What mattered most is that the young men wearing the Truman colors of old gold and back were getting the opportunity to play hockey and to do so representing their school.

The Tigers are winless in 12 starts this season. But their passion for the game of hockey remains, harkening back to a time when today’s players’ parents may not have been born, a time when players seized every opportunity they could to satisfy their craving for the sport.

The Truman roster includes 12 players and a goaltender, six of whom have experience playing travel hockey. Only one of the 13 rostered players is a senior.

On Wednesday night goaltender Connor Pilla was on hand, supported by just eight skaters. But the Tigers battled on, as they have all season.

Truman is coached by Bill Keyser, who takes a back seat to no one when it comes to having a passion for hockey. Now, he concentrates on helping his players nurture their own passion for the sport and is proud of fact that his players have bonded despite being overmatched on most nights.

“They all come together,” he said. “They like each other. They come out and they play for me and I’m not going to be a coach that’s going to be on them. I want to make sure they come and have fun, and I try to make it fun for them every game, Even though we lose, I try to make it their team.”

To that end, Keyser allows his team considerable input into the decision-making process. ‘I think by allowing them to feel like it’s their team they have more responsibility,” he said. “They want to become something.”

Pilla is in a unique situation. A freshman, he played B Division middle school hockey last year. Now he is facing shots from players who may be three or four years older than himself; on Wednesday he faced 45 of them in just under 42 minutes of playing time.

Had Pilla not accepted the challenge of stepping into the varsity nets Truman would not have been eligible to compete in the SHSHL this season. League rules require purity, i.e. that all players attend the school they represent. In fact, Keyser readily admits that without Pilla the Tigers would not be able to field a team at all.

“We’re putting him in an environment that really, he shouldn’t be in,” Keyser said. “But he’s able to take the challenge he steps himself up, an d gave us a chance to put a team in and still be a varsity team. Without him, we wouldn’t have been able to make this possible.”

Ice Chips—Bryan Gary scored eight goals and added five assists for the Trojans, who improved to 8-6 overall and 6-4 in divisional play … Wissahickon goaltender Chris Shea, a junior, is a lacrosse goalkeeper who was persuaded to give hockey a try. Without him, the Trojans likely would also have had difficulty fielding a pure team this season.
Truman 3 1 0—4
Wissahickon 8 3 3—14
First-period goals: Bryan Gary unassisted, :13; Gary from Will Hussa,1:04; Nicholas Hussa from Gary, 2:51; Jeremy McCartney (T) unassisted, 3:00; Gary unassisted, 3:38; Samuel Junker from Gary, 8:01 (pp); Aidan Kinniry (T) from Robert DiCrosta and McCartney, 8:58; Gary unassisted, 9:31; Gary unassisted, 12:37; McCartney (T) unassisted, 13:49; N. Hussa from Gary, 14:00 (sh).
Second-period goals: N. Hussa unassisted, 7:47; Gary from N. Hussa, 10:34; N. Hussa W) from Gary, 11:50 (sh); James Gallagher (T) unassisted, 13:54.
Third-period goals: N. Hussa from Gary, 4:08; Gallagher (T) from McCartney, 5:47; Gary unassisted, 6:07; N. Hussa from Alex Carrozza, 4:48; Gary from N. Hussa, 8:51.
Game Called at 8:51 of the third period.
Shots; Truman 28, Wissahickon 45; Saves: Connor Pilla (T) 31, Chris Shea 24

Flyers Cup Schedule Finalized

The schedule for the 2020 Flyers Cup tournament has been set. The 41^stedition of the tournament will commence on Monday, March 2 and continue through Friday, March 20.

Up to 53 teams will compete in the event in five separate divisions. The field will be announced on the evening of Sunday, February 23 with the tournament to begin eight days later.

The schedule is as follows

Monday. March 2: Class A first round games

Tuesday, March 3: Class AA first round games

Wednesday, March 4: Quarterfinal games in Class A and the South Jersey/Delaware divisions

Thursday, March 5: Quarterfinal games in Class AA and Class AAA divisions

Monday, March 9: Class A semifinals and Girls Division Play in

Wednesday, March 11: Class AA and Class AAA semifinals

Thursday, March 12: Class AA and Class AAA semifinals

Monday, March 16: Girls and SJ/Del semifinals

Tuesday, March 17: Class A final and possible Class AA final

Wednesday, March 18: Class AAA final and possible Class AA Final

Thursday, March 19: SJ/Del final

Friday, March 20: Girls final

The three Pennsylvania boys’ champions will advance to the Pennsylvania state championship games on Saturday, January 21 at Ice Line. The game schedule will be as follows:

11:00: Class A

2:00: Class AA

5:00: Class AAA

According to Flyers Cup Committee President Eric Tye, the game schedule will be arranged to accommodate doubleheaders at tournament venues and to keep teams close to their home areas as possible with higher seeded teams receiving priority. There is longer break between the semifinal and final rounds in years past to account for the possibility of inclement weather.

More tournament information and history can be found HERE

To hear the latest edition of the Flyers Cup podcast Click HERE

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Central Bucks South 6, Council Rock South 3

HATFIELD—The atmosphere inside the building was a reasonable facsimile of that at a late-round Flyers Cup game. And with good reason, for both central Bucks South and Council Rock South have presented their credentials as legitimate contenders for the Class AA Flyers Cup title.

On this night, it was the Titans who prevailed, 6-3. Matt Milanesi and Colin Abbonizio each scored twice as C.B. South (9-0-0-1 overall, 7-0 in league play) remained atop the SHSHL’s Class AA Division.

In the sometimes-rambunctious atmosphere at Revolution Ice Gardens the Titans’ experience proved to be an asset. They had 12 seniors in their lineup to the Golden Hawks’ four.

“I’ve been playing South hockey for four years,” Milanesi said. “I knew what to do. (Coach Sean McGinty) tells us to do the same stuff every game, ‘Come out, move the puck, get shots on net’ and that’s what I keep telling our underclassmen. That’s what we need to do each game.”

The Golden Hawks (5-4, 5-1) had the better of the play in the opening minutes but Mason Moyer in the C.B. South net kept them at bay before Dominic Patrone and David Kiecher scored goals om a span of 1:41 to give the Titans a 2-0 lead 7:54 into the period.

Jeremy Purcell cut the lead in half when he scored for the Golden Hawks at 9:54 but matters ground to a halt after the first period when play was delayed for several minutes while a number of spectators were removed.

The Titans, who started the second stanza with a full two-minute power play, immediately seized the momentum when Milanesi scored after just 55 seconds. Douglas Lopez answered for the Hawks at 1:43 but Milanesi scored his second goal of the game at 7:49 to make it a 4-2 game and the scored stayed that way to period’s end.

The Titans got off to another fast start in the third frame when Abbonizio scored at the 1:02 mark.

By this point, the game had gotten more physical and gradually became a parade to the penalty box; there were 13 penalties called in the final period after three were whistled in the first period and one at the end of the second. The game’s last 14 penalties were evenly divided.

The Golden Hawks suffered the biggest loss when, with 7:12 left in the game, Jimmy Sweeney, their goaltender, received a five-minute major penalty for high sticking plus a game misconduct for taking a poke at the Titans’ Nathan Fiveitz.

Michael Tobey scored a shorthanded goal for the Golden Hawks when put in a rebound of a Derek Steudler slapshot at 11:59 to make it a 5-3 game but Abbonizio finished the evening by scoring into an empty net with 1:10 remaining.

The start-and-stop nature of the third period left Joe Houk, the Golden Hawks’ veteran coach, perplexed.

“You’ve got two good teams,” he said. “Go out there and let them play …. You come down to the last 10 minutes of the game and you’ve got your two top players sitting in the box … “But they’re a good team. They beat us tonight, we weren’t on our A game.”

C.B. South 2 2 2—6

C.R. South 1 1 1—3

First-period goals: Dominic Patrone (CBS) from Aydin Thierolf and Connor Gaffney, 6:13; David Kucher (CBS) from Matt Milaesi, 7:54 (pp); Jeremy Purcell (CRS) from Brennan Wright, 9:54.

Second-period goals: Milanesi (CBS) from Patrone, :55 (pp); Douglas Lopez (CRS) from Antii Autere and Michael Roby, 1:43; Milanesi (CBS) from Patrone and Nathan Fiveitz, 7:49.

Third-period goals: Colin Abbonizio (CBS) from Kuecher and Gingras, 1:02; Toby (CRS) from Lopez and Wright, 11:59 (sh); Abbonizio (CBS) from Fiveitz and Brian Keilman, 14:50 (en).

Ahots: C.B. South 37, Council Rock South 30; Saves: Mason Moyer (CBS) 27, Jimmy Sweeney (CRS) 28 and Carson Lopez (CRS) 4.

North Penn 4, Neshaminy 3

HATFIELD—Call it a postseason preview. Two of the top teams in the Suburban High School Hockey League shared the stage at Hatfield Ice Thursday night and the evening lived up to expectations. Thomas Boyle scored a power-play goal with 58.5 seconds left in regulation to hand the Knights a 4-3 win in the only regular-season meeting of two teams that figure to be SHSHL and Flyers Cup contenders.

The game-winning goal came when Boyle put in a rebound of Luke Van Why’s slapshot from the left point. “I didn’t think it was going to go in,” Boyle said. “I was so excited I had something left at the end of the game.”

It was a night when special teams play proved decisive. Five of the game’s seven goals, including all four of North Penn’s, came on power plays. Kevin Vena and Adam Brock kept a tight rein on the proceedings by whistling 19 penalties.

“We take as lot of pride in our power play,” said North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis, “getting it in, setting it up. We had four power-play goals so it goers to show you that the work we put in on the power play can be the difference in a game like tonight’s and it was.”

North Penn’s Josh Kaufhold and Neshaminy’s Robert Seewagen traded goals in the first period and that was all the scoring until the third frame.

Neshaminy (7-3, 5-2 in league play)) squandered an opportunity late in the second session when it failed to score during a two-man advantage that last for 1 minute, 41 seconds (two seconds of which carried over into the third period).

“I thought the power play played fairly well except for the five-on-three,” said Neshaminy coach Matt DeMatteo. “The five-on-three we just couldn’t get our rhythm for once reason or other. We weren’t moving the puck well on that and I think that was kind of a turning point for us.”

Tyler Greenstein gave North Penn (6-2, 5-0) the lead for the second time when he scored at the 3:04 mark of the third period. Thomas Gallagher tied the game for Neshaminy 47 seconds later.

Greenstein scored his second goal of the game on a shot from the left point at 5:45 before Neshaminy drew even on Nolan Geria’s effort with help from Matt Bunchinski at 9:45.

The Knights scored their three third-period goals on just four shots; they were outshot 26-15. At the other end, Nick Ebbinghaus recorded 23 saves.

It would not be a surprise to see these two teams meet again when the stakes are higher. “No doubt, we’ll definitely see these guys,” DeMatteo said. “We’ll see them in the playoffs hopefully, we’ll see them in the Flyers Cup.”

Ice Chips—North Penn is ranked fourth in this week’s Class AA Flyers Cup power rankings while Neshaminy is listed fifth. Seewagen’s goal was his 20th of the season.

Neshaminy 1 0 2—3
North Penn 1 0 3—4
First-period goals: Josh Kaufhold (NP) unassisted, 2:39 (pp); Robert Seewagen (N) unassisted, 7:24 (pp).
Third-period goals: Tyler Greenstein (NP) unassisted, 3:01 (pp); Thomas Gallagher (N) from Daniel McColgan, 3:31; Greenstein (NP) from Thomas Boyle, 5:45 (pp); Nolan Geria N) from Matt Buhiiski, 9:04; Boyle (NP) from Greenstein and Luke Van Why, 15:02 (pp).
Shots: Neshaminy 26, North Penn 15; Saves: Brian Nelson (N) 11, Nick Ebbinghaus (NP) 23.

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