Central Bucks East 5, Quakertown 1

WARWICK— Central Bucks East spent much of Friday night shaking off the holiday rust. The Patriots were shorthanded when they took the ice against Quakertown at Revolution Ice Gardens; three players were absent for various reasons. But they had talent available to score a 5-1 win in a SHSHL Class AA matchup.

Sean Gorman delivered a hat trick for East, which improved to 6-1-0-1 overall and 3-1-0-1 in the SHSHL.

The best player on the ice however was wearing a Quakertown uniform. Austin Stoudt’s work in goal kept the Panthers (1-6, 0-3) in the game for two periods plus. The junior finished with 36 saves.

Among the people Stoudt impressed was veteran East coach Ken Latchum, who was impressed with Stoudt’s agility

“He’s a very good goalie,” Latchum said. “Until we started shooting low, you could tell how he spread eagles and moves side to side. He’s a very good goalie.”

Though the Panthers have won just once in seven starts, Stoudt has kept his team competitive many nights, despite facing an average of 48 shots a game.

“He was a rock tonight,” said Quakertown assistant coach Mark Pezzano. “He came up with several big saves that definitely kept us in the game.

Pezzano says that Stoudt’s experience and skill in goal has benefitted a young team that is building a foundation. “Like a franchise quarterback, the goaltender can be the position on which you build a team,” he said. “If you’re goaltender’s not doing well your generally doesn’t do well and Austin has been, like I said, a rock back there. Even in the games we’ve lost, he’s been a solid goaltender.:

The game was scoreless for nearly 12 minutes before Gorman beat Stoudt for the game’s first goal at the 11:45 mark of the opening period. It took the sophomore him just 58 seconds to make it a 2-0 game when he scored off a rebound of Jason Cuckey’s original shot. Aidan Schmidt gave the Patriots a three-goal lead with 1:39 left in a period that saw Stoudt make 21 saves.

Cluckey and Quakertown’s Eric Orzehoski traded goals in the second stanza before Gorman scored his 15^th goal of the season with 5:06 left in the game.

With some vital pieces missing from the lineup, Latchum had to do some mixing and matching.

“It was ‘Next man up,’” he said. Sometimes you’re going to play wing, sometimes you’re going to play center. So, it was just whoever was able to go and wasn’t tired.”

Quakertown 0 1 0

C.B. East 3 1 1—5

First-period goals: Sean Gorman (CBE) unassisted, 11:45; Gorman (CBE) from Jasen Cluckey, 12:43; Aidan Schmidt (CBE) from Cluckey, 14:21.

Second-period goals: Cluckey (CBE) from Ian Tregor, 5:13 (pp); Eric Orzehoski (Q) unassisted, 8:44 (sh).

Third-period goal: Goman (CBE) unassisted, 10:54

Shots: Quakertown 20, C.B. East 41; Saves: Austin Stoudt (Q) 36, Chris McIntyre (CBE) 19.

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Hockey Happenings sat down with Eric Tye, the President of the Flyers Cup Committee, to discuss the 2020 Flyers Cup. The countdown is underway to the 41st edition of the tournament, which is scheduled to begin March 2.

Check out our podcast at www.buzzsprout.com/213400.

Pennridge 12, C.B. West 2

HATFIELD—Pennridge got hot early Thursday night and stayed hot. Blake Stewart scored three goals and assisted on three others and Jeff Manto scored three goals of his own as the Rams blasted Central Bucks West 12-2 in a Suburban High School Hockey League Class AA game at Hatfield Ice.

Pennridge is just 2-4 in league play but has improved to 5-5 overall. With the start of the new year, a young team is beginning to blossom.

“I didn’t really see that coming,” said Ram coach Jeff Montagna. “We’ve just been preaching, ‘Do things the right way. And more times than not, it’s going to go your way. If it doesn’t, keep going at it.’

“They got some breaks tonight.You’re not going to beat that team 12-2 very often.”
The opening period featured five goals in a 10-and-a-half minute span. The Rams opened the scoring 2:30 into the period when Connor Frisch delivers a wrister from 10 feet inside the West blue line. Arek Lehrhaupt made it a 2-0 game at the 5:25 mark. Luke Tremmel scored for West at 7:33 to cut the margin in half but Pennridge took over from there. Jack Lowery extended his team’s lead at the 9:41 mark before Stewart ended the flurry with a goal at 10:58.

The Bucks (6-1-1-1, 3-1-1 in the league) were shorthanded because of injuries. They had just 13 skaters available including four freshmen. West coach Dave Baun felt his team was suffering the effects of the holiday layoff.

“That’s what a team that relies in structure looks like when they play without any,” he said. “We haven’t practiced for a month and a lot of the things that we work on a lot were clearly forgotten.”

The Rams kept coming in the second period when Stewart and Manto scored two goals apiece.

Kyle Fasolak replaced Jeff Coddington in the West net at the start of the final period. Tremmel scored a second goal for the Bucks but the Rams scored four times themselves before Manto completed his hat trick to send everyone home with 1:05 left in regulation.

“It was a great feeling to have it all click,” Manto said. “It felt real good as a a team.”

Manto is hoping Thursday’s win will give his team a jump start as the long match to the postseason begins. “Hopefully it will give us a confidence boost,” the junior said.

Stewart, who is also a junior, is optimistic about what lies ahead for Rams. “We’re a young team,” he said, and if we just connect like we have been all season we’ll get a lot of goals. And out a lot of pressure on these other teams.”

Notes— Thursday’s game was the second and final meeting between the two teams this season. The Rams suffered a 4-3 loss to the Bucks in a non-league encounter a week before Christmas.
C.B. West 1 0 1—2
Pennridge 4 4 4—12

First-period goals: Connor Frisch (P) unassisted, 2:30; Arek Lehrhaupt (P) from Blake Stewart, 5:25; Luke Tremmel (CBW) from Danny Poliak, 7:33; Jack Lowery (P) from Lehrhaupt, 9:41; Blake Stewart (P) unassisted, 10:58.
Second-period goals: Stewart (P) from Andrew David and Richie Shanks, :48; Jeff Manto (P) from Stewart, 7:11(sh); Stewart (P) from Shanks, 13:00; Manto (P) from Lowery, 14:34.
Third-period goals: Jacob Lizak from Sian Boyle and Cooper White; 53; David (P) from Stewart, 1:43; Tremmel (CBW) from Poliak, 8:38; Manto (P) from Frisch, 11:39; Shanks (P) from Frisch, 14:55.
Shots, C.B. West 27, Pennridge 42; Saves: Jake Coddington (CBW) 22 and Kyle Fasolak (CBW) 8, Ryan Pico (P) 25.

Central Bucks East 4, Pennridge 1

HATFIELD— Central Bucks East and Pennridge came into Friday night’s Suburban High School Hockey League matchup shorthanded. The Patriots were without leading scorer Sean Gorman who was serving a suspension. The Rams were minus goaltender Ryan Pico (3.43 GAA) who was absent.

It was East that earned the decision, 4-1 at Hatfield Ice to improve to 5-1-0-1 overall and 2-1-0-1 in SHSHL Class AA play. The Rams slipped to 4-5 overall and 1-4 in league play. It was their second loss in a 24-hour span; they dropped a 5-1 decision to Council Rock South on Wednesday.

Pennridge actually had a 36-31 edge in shots but junior Chris McIntyre was sharp in the East net.

“I think he’s the best in the league,” said Central Bucks East assistant coach Mike Capps. He works very hard at it. He keeps us in every game.”

The Patriots gave McIntyre some breathing room when Bogen Borodenko beat Pennridge netminder Jacob Gilbert at the 6:31 mark of the first period. Aiden Schmidt, Phil McIntryre, and Borodenko added goals in a span of 4:45 to give East a 4-0 lead with 6:17 left in the second session.

None of the goals were Gilbert’s fault. The freshman was making his first varsity appearance and more than acquitted himself well by stopping 27 shots.

“I thought he would play well,” said Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna. “I didn’t know if (the setting) would be too big for him. They were legit goals, there were no softies.”

The Rams had two big opportunities to get back in the game. The first occurred with 1:18 left in the second period when the Patriots’ Connor Keiser drew a five-minute major penalty plus a game misconduct for a hit on Pennridge’s Dane Fichett. The Rams’ power play sputtered however and they never mounted a serious threat during the man advantage.

Pennridge got another chance at the 4:28 mark of the third period when the Patriots’ Max Ermigiotti received a major penalty for head contact plus a game misconduct. The Rams scored a goal during the subsequent power play when Jack Lowery found the net at the 6:25 mark but that was his team’s only serious chance during two extended power plays.

“With a lot of new guys, we really haven’t had a chance to work on that with a lot of the things we’ve had to do,” Montagna said, “I just told them, we’ve got to be better. For as well as we played, we just gave away opportunities there.”

C.B. East 1 3 0—4

Pennridge 0 0 1—1

First-period goal: Bogen Borodenko (CBE) from Matt Cipriano and Aiden Schmidt, 6:31.

Second-period goals: Schmidt (CBE) from Phil McIntyre (CBE) and Tyler Godown, 4:58; McIntyre (CBE) from Schmidt and Ian Treger, 7:37; Borodenko (CBE) from Schmidt and McIntyre, 9:43.

Third-period goal: Jack Lowery (P) from Conrad Frisch, 6:25 (pp).

Shots: Central Bucks East 31, Pennridge 36; Saves: Chris McIntyre (CBE) 35, Jacob Gilbert (P) 27

Elsewhere:

Holy Ghost Prep 2, St. Joseph’s Prep 1 OT—Brady Baesher scored in overtime to give the Firebirds the win over the Hawks at the Class of 1923 Arena. The two teams traded goals in the second period.

North Penn 12, William Tennent 2

WARWICK—If there is a single word or phrase that would best describe North Penn’s performance Wednesday night it would be workmanlike. The Knights did a lot of things well against William Tennent. They moved the puck well in the offensive zone, worked hard inside their own blue line, and supported a goaltender making his first varsity start.
The result was a 12-2 win that kept the Knights unbeaten in Suburban High School Hockey League Class AA league play (5-2) overall. Josh Kaufhold scored five goals and assisted on two others and Tyler Greenstein scored one goal and provided six assists before the game was called with 6:57 remaining in the third period.

The Knights score two power-play goals and added another while shorthanded. Kaufhold was pleased with the way he and his teammates moved the puck.

“Hopefully I’ll move the puck and get everyone involved,” he said. “Obviously, we don’t want everyone just doing it by themselves, so it’s good to include everyone. “

The Knights used two goals from Kaufhold and goals from Greenstein and Jeremy Porubski to take a 4-0 lead at the 11:53 mark of the first period and were in full control thereafter.

North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis was pleased his team maintained its focus. “We continued to play for the entire game all the way to the very end,” he said. “That’s what we wanted to do. We had a similar game last week against Abington (an 11-1 win) and one tonight where I said to the guys ‘From start to finish, we’ve got to play to the very end. Whether it’s a 3-2 game or a game that ends early, that’s what we’ve got to do.’”

Justin Carrilelli scored for Tennent (3-6, 1-5) with 2:17 left in the first period and then again 57 seconds into the second to make it a 4-2 game. But North Penn responded with eight unanswered goals before the contest was halted.

The scoreline should in no way diminish the work of Tennent goaltender Thomas Lomas. The sophomore saw 50 shots in 41 minutes and 3 seconds of play and turned aside 38 of them. Many of his saves were difficult, several were nothing short of spectacular.

“He battled,” said Tennent coach Nick D’Aurizio. “We’re young. With that comes defensive deficiencies. We gave up (50) shots. For a sophomore to take that kind of onslaught; they were all quality chances. He played really well.

At the other end of the ice, North Penn junior, John Boyles made his first varsity appearance in goal and stopped eight of 10 shots.

“He came in and stopped the puck,” Vaitis said. “He did the things that we needed him to do and it was one of those things where all we needed him to do as make the saves that we would want him to make. He didn’t need to make any spectacular saves. I told all the guys in front of him that they had to elevate their games and help support him in his first start.”

North Penn 4 6 2—12

William Tennent 1 1 0—2

First-period goals: Jeremy Porubski (NP) from Ryan Cunningham and Zachery Kline, 5:51; Josh Kaufhold (NP) from Tony Tuozzo, 8:52; Tuozzo (NP) from Tyler Greenstein and Thomas Boyle, 9:33; Kaufhold (NP) from Greenstein, 11:53 (pp); Justin Carrilelli (WT) unassisted, 13:43.

Second-period goals: Carrilelli (WT) from Mason McKeever and Matthew Castan, :57; Kaufhold (NP) from Greenstein and Tuozzo, 2:22; Kaufhold (NP) from Greenstein, 3:29 (sh) Boyle (NP) from Kaufhold and Greenstein, 5:58 (pp); Boyle (NP) from Luke Van Why and Cunningham, 10:38 (pp); Greenstein (NP) from Kaufhold, 13:46; Cline (NP) from Porubski, 15:19.

Third-period goals: Kaufhold (NP) from Van Why and Tuozzo, 1:50; Cline (NP) from Van Why, 9:03.

Game called at 9:03 of the third period.

Shots: North Penn 50, William Tennent 10; Saves: John Boyles (NP) 8, Thomas Lomas (WT) 38.

Plymouth Whitemarsh 4, Hatboro-Horsham 3

WARWICK— It has been said by some observers that a hockey goaltender plays the most demanding position in any team sport. Playing the position well, in fact, at all, requires a unique mindset.

Friday’s Suburban High School Hockey League matchup between Hatboro-Horsham and Plymouth Whitemarsh offered a strong thesis to support that argument.

Aidan Keogh gave the Colonials a 4-3 win with 1:09 left in overtime when he stole the puck at the Hatter blue line and went in alone to score the winning goal.

It was the Colonials’ second win over the Hatters in eight days; thy were victorious 13-3 last Friday.

The storyline at Revolution Ice Gardens revolved around the two goaltenders, the Colonials’ Ben Yuter and Hatboro-Horsham’s Joe Gambino. Between them they faced 65 shots and made 58 saves. Gambino stopped 35 shots, Yuter 23. Both made some truly remarkable saves.

Plymouth Whitemarsh assistant coach Chris Zawislak was in charge behind the bench, filling in for the absent Josh Aiello.

“I thought both goaltenders played a great game today,” he said. “I saw their goaltender make at least three or four saves that kept them in the game as we made one of our big pushes in the second period, and especially in the third period … our goaltender came up huge.”

Each team scored a goal in each regulation period. The Hatters (6-2, 1-2 in the American Division) took a 3-2 lead 1:37 into the third frame when Alex Howieson beat Yuter from just inside the right faceoff circle. But with 2:23 left in regulation, the Colonials (6-1, 3-0) answered. Keogh took the puck behind the Hatboro-Horsham net and found Dean Keller in front who in turn deposited the puck behind Gambino to draw his team even.

Yuter had to come up big once more when his teammate Colin Franzoni drew a high sticking penalty with 1:17 left in regulation. The abbreviated power play was constricted further when the Hatters’ Nick Long was sent to the box himself with 11 seconds of regulation time remaining. As a result of all this, the Colonials spent some early portions of the overtime with four skaters to three advantage. Franzoni came close to ending the game he hit a post some 100 seconds into the five-minute session.

Both teams went three on three with 2:11 remaining before Keogh’s solo effort brought down the curtain on an entertaining evening of hockey.

Yuter enjoyed being tested by a quality opponent in the Hatters and facing a quality opposing goaltender in Gambino. “I’m always on my A game,” he said, “It’s just a reason to want it even more. We all just feed off of each other’s energy. When we’re able to score off a goaltender like that, it really just pumps us up. He’s an amazing goaltender, he had some really quality saves out there.”

Hatboro-Horsham coach Gianni Lafratta summed up the evening. “Both goalies stood on their heads,” he said. “At times they had support of all five teammates, at times they had to call their own shots.

“ It’s definitely not a game you want to lose, but definitely a tight battle and a better response to last week’s loss

Plymouth Whitemarsh 1 1 1 1—4

Hatboro-Horsham 1 1 1 0—3

First-period goals: Seth Lerner (HH) from Marcus Soucy, 4:23; Aidan Keogh (PW) from Jake Weikel, 13:46.

Second-period goals: Aidan Esack (HH) from Tarek Elsabbagh and Ziyad Elsabbagh, 6:49; Dean Keller (PW) from Logan Westerfer and Ben Lubas, 9:36.

Third-period goals: Alex Howieson (HH from Esack and Ziyad Elsabbagh, 1:34; Keller (PW) from Keogh, 13:37.

Overtime goal: Keogh (PW) unassisted, 3:51.

Shots: Plymouth Whitemarsh 39, Hatboro-Horsham 26; Saves: Joe Gambino (HH) 35, Ben Yuter (PW) 23.

Other scores: Pennsbury 9, Council Rock North 1

St. Joseph’s Prep 4, Father Judge 2

Central Bucks South 7, Neshaminy 3

HATFIELD— For roughly a decade now, Central Bucks South has set the standard against which the rest of the Suburban High School Hockey League is measured. On Thursday night, the Titans showed they still hold that distinction although it took them some time to do so.

Matt Buchinski, Nolan Geria, and Joey DeMatteo propelled Neshaminy to a 3-0 first-period lead. But the Titans woke up and scored five consecutive goals in the second period before adding two more in the third.

The 7-3 victory that resulted put South alone at the top of the SHSHL Class AA standings at 4-0 (6-0-0-1 overall). It was a win that didn’t come easily after the slow start but what transpired at Hatfield Ice Thursday night will serve as a primer for March, when both the Titans and the ‘Skins (6-2, 5-1) figure to be legitimate Flyers Cup contenders.

If there was a single moment that triggered the comeback, it might have been at the 7:02 mark of the first period following Geria’s goal when South coach Shaun McGinity called the only timeout he was permitted and delivered what would best be termed an inspirational address.

“I don’s think they deliberately came unprepared,” McGinity said of his troops. “I don’t think they overlooked Neshaminy. I don’t think they overlooked anybody or through anybody. Neshaminy has got firepower. (The Titans) just didn’t come ready to play.”

It took a while for McGinty’s message to sink in; DeMatteo put his team up 3-0 with 3:58 to play in the period.

But in the second frame, the Titans got rolling. Colin Abbonizio scored just 37 seconds into the period. Matt Milanesi made it a 3-2 game at the 3:18 mark off a feed from Dominic Patrone to complete a lovely session of tic-tac-toe. Goals from Abbonizio and Patrone followed before Abbonizio completed a hat trick at the 13:25 mark to give South a 5-3 lead.

All five goals came at even strength.
Patrone scored on a shorthanded effort 1:47 into the third period before Ryan Gingras scored a power-play goal with 8:33 left in the game.

“A lot of the (comeback effort) was from the coaches,” Abbonizio said. “They really kept us in it. We just went out there and played our game and we got seven goals.”

The Titans are young in spots this season but Abbonizio, the team’s captain, says the newcomers are taking their cues from the veterans. “The younger guys are always listening,” he said. “They’re willing to take whatever they can get from the older guys. I think their cooperation could contribute to us really going a long way.”

Neshaminy coach Matt DeMatteo noted his team couldn’t sustain its early momentum. “We had them on the ropes,” he said. “We were up 3-0 in the first period and the guys were playing the game plan. They switched some things up and we just adapt as well as I’d hoped.”

Despite the loss, the ‘Skins proved they belong on the list of the SHSHL’s upper-echelon teams. “Neshaminy’s a great team,” Abbonizio said. “They’re a great team and that’s something that we’ve told these guys. That was a playoff game right there.”

Neshaminy 3 0 0—3
C.B. South 0 5 2—7
First-period goals: Matt Buchinski (N) from Joey DeMatteo, 2:43; Nolan Geria’s (N) unassisted, 7:02; DeMatteo (N) unassisted, 12:02.
Second-period goals: Colin Abbonizio (CBS) from Brian Keilman and Matt Milanesi, :37; Milanesi (CBS) from Dominic Patrone, 3:18; Abbonizio (CBS) from David Kutcher, 4:53; Patrone (CBS) from Milanesi, 10:06; Abbonizio (CBS) from Stephen McMillan, 13:25.
Third-period goals: Patrone (CS) from Keilman, 1:47 (sh); Ryan Gingras (CBS) from Patrone, 7:27 (pp).
Shots: Neshaminy 22, C.B. South 30; Saves: Brian Nelson (N) 23, Evan Moyer (CBS) 19

Malvern Prep Beats La Salle

APAC Final

Malvern Prep 7, La Salle 2—Matt Harris scored for goals as the Friars bested the Explorers in an APAC matchup Monday night at Ice Line.

Harris, Jack Constabile, and Pierre Larocque all scored in the first period as Malvern Prep built a 3-0 lead before Nolan Woudenberg scored for La Salle.

Harris and La Salle’s Nathan Benner traded second-period goals before Harris and Ryan Sambuco added goals to give the Friars a 6-2 lead.

Harris added a fourth goal into an empty net.

’The boys are starting to come together and are playing some really good hockey,” said Malvern Prep Coach Bill Keenan.” LaSalle kept the pressure on the entire game and responded everytime we managed to get a lead. I am glad the boys found that extra level and were able to play a full three solid periods of hockey.”

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

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.

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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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