North Penn 5, C.B. East 4

WARWICK—It was a game that gave both coaches reason to smile. Jake Nelson’s goal with 6:21 left in the game gave North Penn a 5-4 win over Central Bucks East Wednesday night in a first-rate Suburban High School Hockey League matchup at Revolution Ice Gardens.

Nelson scored the game winner in the midst of a goal-mouth scramble, pushing the puck inside the right post past East netminder Matt Oganowski. The Patriots contended that the net became dislodged before the puck crossed the goal line, but referee Kevin Emore was in an ideal position and signaled immediately that it was a good goal.

With the win, the Knights (7-2-3, 6- 1-2 in league play) extended their unbeaten streak to four. The 14 points they’ve accumulated are the most of any Class AA team in the SHSHL.

Tyler Greenstein scored a goal for the Knights and assisted on three others, including the game winner. “Coach (Kevin Vaitis) just told us we had to be physical right off the bat,” he said, “and we were, and that helped us get right into the flow of the game and helped us with the speed and getting the pucks in deep.”

That aggressive approach helped North Penn take a quick 2-0 lead, Greenstein started things off 4:04 into the first frame after scooting down the right wing and beating Oganowski from just inside the right circle. Josh Kaufhold extended the lead with Greenstein getting the primary assist just 21 seconds later.

Sean Gorman got East (7-3-1, 4-3) on the scoreboard at the 11:42 before the Knights Luke van Why answered with a power-play goal at 13:34.

In the second period, it was the Patriots’ turn to step up. Connor Kelser and Gorman scored goals 80 seconds apart to make it a 3-3 game just 2:02 into the period. Kaufhold put North Penn back in front at 10:22 but Phil McIntyre re-tied the game for East at 12:18 mark.
Both goaltenders stepped up in the second period as well. North Penn’s Nick Ebbinghaus denied Nick LoCastro on a breakaway at the midway point of the session while Oganowski turned aside Nathan Oh with just over five minutes remaining.

Nelson’s effort was the only goal in the third period.

“I’m definitely pleased with getting two points coming out of tonight’s game,” Vaitis said. “I thought we did a number of things well.

“(East) is a good hockey team and I think they’ve proved it with some of the games they’ve played this year and some of the teams they’ve beaten.”
Despite the loss, East coach Ken Latchum believes his team is headed in the right direction. “I take (the loss) over a couple of the lousy wins we have,” he said. “We played a great game.

“I like the way they battled. From the top line all the way down.”

North Penn 3 1 1—5

C.B. East 1 3 0—4

First-period goals: Tyler Greenstein (NP from Jake Nelson, 4:04; Josh Kaufhold (NP) from Greenstein and Luke van Why, 4:25; Sean Gorman (CBE) from Rob Kern, 11:42; van Why (NP from Greenstein, 13:34 (pp).

Second-period goals: Connor Kelser (CBE) from Dan Tori and Max Ermigiotti, :42; Gorman (CBE) from Kern and Matt Cipriano, 2:02; Kaufhold (NP) unassisted, 10:42; Phil McIntyre (CBE) from Tyler Godown and Kelser, 12:18.

Third-period goals: Jake Nelson (NP) from Kaufold and Greenstein, 9:39.
Shots: North Penn 31, C. B. East 21; Saves: Nick Ebbinghaus (NP) 17, Matt Oganowski (CBE) 26

Lower Moreland 14, Upper Dublin 2

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—They may be few in numbers, but the Lower Moreland Lions Lower Moreland are making an impact in the Suburban High School Hockey League’s American Division. The Lions have just 12 players on their roster and had just seven skaters in uniform Monday night but their offense was as potent as ever in a 14-2, two- period win over Upper Dublin at Hatfield Ice.

Coleman Peppelman and Vincenzo DeMaio scored four goals each to lead the way for Lower Moreland, which moved into first place in the division with a 4-1-3 divisional mark (6-1-3 overall). The Lions, despite their lack of numbers, are unbeaten in their last eight games and are averaging nine goals a game.

The result was determined within moments of the opening puck drop. Much of the opening period was played in the Flying Cardinals’ defensive zone.

Lower Moreland scored 12 goals in the opening frame. Upper Dublin (3-7, 0-7 in league play) was outgunned but Flying Cardinal netminder Liam Nixon did some good work between the pipes, making 25 saves in the opening period. He added five more in the second frame.

The Flying Cardinals got on the scoreboard when Ari Nordlinger found the back of the net 71 seconds into the second session and the teams traded goals until the contest was halted at the period’s conclusion via the 10-goal mercy rule.

The Lions backed off the throttle in the second frame but Peppleman noted that having a sizable lead allowed he and his teammates to work on some of the game’s finer points. “We try to build up our defense,” he said, “from giving up a lot of goals and offensively I think we’re pretty solid.”

Peppelman, one of just two seniors in the lineup on Wednesday, stressed the importance of staying focused in a one-sided game to avoid developing bad habits.

“That’s when you try to get the kids who don’t get the puck as much, get it to them,” he said, “and have them build up from there, just set them up and get them ready for the next game.”

kc3_2762.2

Coleman Peppelman scored four goals for Lower Moreland in Thursday’s won over Upper Dublin (Photo by Keith Clemens)

Lower Moreland coach Gus Salfitti was focused on puck possession. “We have about four or five guys that can protect the puck,” he said. “They keep possession. Their passes are nice and crisp and they’re to a target …They use a big chunk of the ice.”

In addition to Peppelmans’s and DeMaio’s four-goal efforts, Adam Bostock scored twice while collecting an incredible seven assists for a nine-point night. Peppelman added three assists to finish with seven points while DeMaio’s two assists gave him six points on the evening.

By Rick Woelfel

Lower Moreland 12 2—14
Upper Dublin 0 2—2
First-period goals: Vincenzo DeMaio (LM) from Adam Bostock, 1:37; Coleman Peppelman (LM) unassisted, 2:01; Bostock (LM) from DeMaio, 5:04; Devin Green (LM) from Peppelman, 5:44; Peppelman (LM) from DeMaio, 7:07; DeMaio (LM) from Bostock, 7:23; Peppelman (LM) from Bostock, 9:33 (pp); DeMaio (LM) from Bostock, 11:35; Green (LM) from Bostock, 13:03; Arthur Rubinstein (LM) from Peppelman, 13:33; Peppelman (LM) unassisted, 14:02; DeMaio (LM) from Bostock and Peppelman, 15:51 (pp).
Second-period goals: Ari Nordlinger (UD) from Chris Barbera and Andrew Kearney, 1;11; Bostock (LM) unassisted, 2:35; Noah Gazzara (LM) from Bostock and Green, 7:35; Oren Serafin (UD) unassisted, 10:08.
Shots: Lower Moreland 44, Upper Dublin 17; Saves: Jacob Lungrin (LM) 15, Liam Nixon (UD) 30.
Records: Lower Moreland (6-1-3, 4-1-3 SHSHL American Division); Upper Dublin (3-7, 1-7)

Plymouth Whitemarsh 7, Wissahickon 4

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—On some nights, a single occurrence can turn a hockey game on its axis and send it in an entirely new direction. So it was at Hatfield Ice Wednesday night.

Leading by a goal in the waning moments of the second period but facing a two-man disadvantage, Plymouth Whitemarsh not only successfully killed both penalties but scored a shorthanded goal to boot and went on to a 7-4 win over previously unbeaten Wissahickon in a Suburban High School Hockey League American Division encounter.

Colin Franzoni and Dean Keller scored two goals each and Ben Yuter made 33 saves in goal but the win was made possible in large part by what happened late in the middle period and early in the third.

Keller had just scored a goal to put the Colonials up 4-3 when, with 2:08 left in the middle period, Franzoni was sent to the box for high sticking. With 51 seconds left in the period Desmond Brock was corralled for a hooking infraction, leaving Plymouth Whitemarsh two men short for 46 seconds.

As the clock wound down inside the final half minute of the period the Colonials iced the puck. Two Trojans headed back to retrieve it but the Colonials’ Jake Weikel got to the puck first behind the Wissahickon net and spotted Franzoni waiting in front. The junior proceeded to put the puck past Trojan netminder Michael Henderson with nine seconds left in the period.

“I just busted all the way (down the ice) Franzoni said. “(Weikel) got the open pass, I shot it and it went in.”

Franzoni’s second goal of the game didn’t mean the Colonials (7-3, 4-3 SHSHL American) could rest easy. Dan Glazer scored for Wissahickon (6-1-2, 4-1-2) 56 seconds into the third period to bring the Trojans within a goal at 5-4. But Gavin Mulligan and Keller scored goals at 6:14 and 12:26, respectively, to give the Colonials some insurance.

The winners were outshot 37-24 but Yuter, a junior, was on top of his game. He said the key was maintaining his concentration. “Just staying intense the whole time and just watching every shot in,” he said,”and just seeing where everyone is, and just playing every shift like it’s my last.”

After losing a 13-8 shootout to Lower Moreland last Thursday, Yuter said it was important for he and his mates to step up Wednesday night.

“It was very important,” he said, “because we’ve always had a big rivalry against Wissahickon. They’re undefeated (prior to Wednesday) and we just need to show them what’s up and who is boss in this league.”

That issue won’t be settled until season’s end but Wissahickon coach Ken Harrington acknowledged Plymouth Whitemarsh was the superior team on this occasion.

“They were outworking us over and over,” he said. “We weren’t adjusting; they were collapsing on us and we weren’t adjusting.”

Harrington acknowledged his team still has some work to do. “We looked real sluggish,” he said. “A couple guys were under the weather, they were game time decisions, but no excuses. They’re were outworking us and the one-on-one battles, they won a lot of them.”

Plymouth Whitemarsh 2 3 2—7
Wissahickon 2 1 1—4
First-period goals: Colin Franzoni (PW) from Ben Lucas, 9:10; Bryan Gary from Sean Gary, 9:31; Peter Troy (PW) from Dean Keller, 15:06; Sean Gary from Bryan Gary and Nick Hussa, 15:36 (pp).
Second-period goals: Aidan Keith (PW) from Troy, 5:43; Bryan Gary from Sean Gary, 11:55; Keller (PW) unassisted, 12:29; Franzoni (PW) from Jake Weikel, 15:49 (sh).
Third-period goals: Dan Glazer from Ty Schaffer, :56; Gavin Mulligan from Desmond Brock, 6:14; Keller (PW) from Franzoni, 12:26.
Shots: Plymouth Whitemarsh 24, Wissahickon 37; Saves: Ben Yuter (PW) 33, Michael Henderson 17

By Rick Woelfel

C.B. South 2, North Penn 2

By Rick Woelfel

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP‑The much-anticipated matchup delivered on most expectations. But it did not produce a winner.

Central Bucks South and North Penn put on an impressive display of hockey at Hatfield Ice Thursday night before their Suburban High School Hockey League matchup ended in a 2-2 deadlock.

It was the second meeting of the season between the Titans and the Knights but this one counted in the SHSHL Class 2A division standings.

The Titans improved to 6-2-1 overall and 5-0-1 in the SHSHL. The Knights now stand at 6-2-2 and 5-1-1.

North Penn’s Jake Nelson scored what turned out to be the last goal of the evening 4:25 into the third period off a superb individual effort by his teammate, defenseman Ryan Cunningham, who carried the puck out of his own zone up the left wing before cutting to his right as he crossed the South blue line and moving in on Titan goaltender Oscar Levin. Levin made the save but Nelson put in the rebound.

“I knew (Cunningham) was going to shoot it,” Nelson said, “so I just went to the net, filled my lane, and looked for the rebound.”

Levin was superb in the Titans’ net, making 25 saves. His best work came just past the midway point of the second period when he denied first Nick Rowland and Josh Kaufhold in a 30-second span. “I usually use those to make sure our team gets the confidence to make sure we get back into our business,” Levin said, “where we can get good, quality shots on net and make sure that we can get as many shots as possible.”

North Penn was able to slow their foes down to some extent, outshooting the Titans 27-21.

“We want to try to get at least 10 shots every period,” said North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis. “We want to look to hold the other team to seven or less. (South) loves shooting the puck from all different angles and getting shots on net. We did a good job tonight of keeping their shots to the outside, keeping them to a minimum.”

South coach Shaun McGinty said his team was fortunate to come away with a point. “I think we were lucky to get out of there with a tie,” he said. “(North Penn) definitely deserved to win, they won all three periods. We definitely didn’t have the offense we’ve had.”

Ryan Gingras gave the Titans a 1-0 lead 8:45 into the first period with a long shot that caromed off the glove of North Penn goaltender Nick Ebbinghaus and into the net.

Nathan Oh drew the Knights even just seven seconds into the second frame but it took just another 1:23 for South to take a 2-1 lead thanks to Matt Milanesi’s power-play goal. Gingras set up the goal with a burst through the neutral zone

Notes—The Titans won the teams’ first meeting 5-2 on November 21. South is unbeaten in its last seven games

C.B. South 1 1 0—2

North Penn 0 1 1—2

First-period goal: Ryan Gingras (CBS) from Reis Braccio and Brian Keilman, 8:45.

Second-period goals: Nathan Oh (NP) from Jared Albano, :07; Matt Milanesi (CBS) from Gingras, 1:30 (pp).

Third-period goal: Jake Nelson (NP) from Ryan Cunningham and Tyler Greenstein, 4:25.
Shots: C.B. South 21, North Penn 27; saves: Oscar Levin (CBS) 25, Nick Ebbinghaus (NP) 19.

Council Rock South 5, Neshaminy 1

WARWICK—The calendar has turned to January. And, as predictably as an appearance of the full moon, Council Rock South is rounding into form.

Four unanswered third-period goals enabled the Golden Hawks to pull away from Neshaminy 5-1 Wednesday night in a Suburban High School Hockey League Class 2A matchup at Revolution Ice Gardens. Five different players scored goals as South improved to 2-1-1 in league play and 5-2-2 overall. The Hawks have three wins and a tie in their last five starts dating back to Thanksgiving Eve. Neshaminy dropped to 3-4-1 and 2-3.

“It’s good when you get contributions from everybody,” said South coach Joe Houk. “That’s the key to everything. That’s all different lines too. The third line was we had was basically a line of (junior varsity) guys.”

Andrew Stoychev led the way for South with a goal and two assists. His goal 30 seconds into the third period provided to be the game winner. Logan Hurwitz also had a three-point night; three assists.

Despite the fact that there were several junior varsity players in the South lineup, Stoychev said all the pieces fit.

“Both our teams work together,” the senior said. “We saw what was happening with all of our lines, we know how to play with each other and we just make stuff work out.”
The game was scoreless for virtually all of the first two periods. Neshaminy’s Zach MacNamee broke the scoreless deadlock when he beat South netminder Jimmy Sweeney from close range with just 52 seconds left in the second session.

It took only 22 seconds for John Hearn to deliver the equalizer, a one-timer from the left faceoff circle.

Stoychev put South in front for good 30 seconds into the final period. Billy Harrelson, Cameron Schwartz, and Kenny Duffield followed with goals of their own over the next 7:42.

“We came out flat,” said Neshaminy coach Matt DeMatteo. “The biggest thing for us I think is that we turned too many pucks over in transition and we did a poor job getting the puck out of the zone. And when you let that team keep the puck in, and sustain pressure, sooner or later the puck is going to go in your net.”

Notes—South had a 21-16 wedge in shots. The game featured just three minor penalties.

Neshaminy 0 1 0—1

C.R. South 0 1 4—5

Second-period goals: Zach MacNamee (N) from Brett Nelson, 15:08; John Hearn (CRS) from Logan Hurwitz and Andrew Stoychev, 15:30.

Third-period goals: Stoychev (CRS) from Hurwitz and David Mueller, :30; Billy Harrelson (CRS) from Jimmy Purcell, 3:45; Cameron Schwartz (CRS) from Sam Cherkassky and Julian Wagenmann, 5:01; Kenny Duffield (CRS) from Hurwitz and Stoychev, 8:12.

Shots: Neshaminy 16, Council Rock South 21; Saves: Steven Glik (N) 16, Jimmy Sweeney (CRS) 15

Pennridge Holds Off North Penn 5-4

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP— Two of the top teams in the Suburban High School Hockey League demonstrated Thursday night why they earned that distinction.

It was Pennridge that prevailed, by building a three-goal lead in the third period before hanging on to defeat North Penn 5-4 in a Class AA game at Hatfield Ice.
It was the fifth straight victory for the Rams, who improved to 5-1-1 overall and 4-1 in league play. The loss was first in league play for the Knights (5-2-1, 4-1) who saw a three-game winning streak snapped.

It was the second regular season meeting between the two teams, who played to a 4-4 tie in a. non-league encounter on November 9

Pennridge defenseman Jeff Manto scored his first goal of the season Thursday night. He said the win over an elite opponent was a signal to the rest of the league. “We’re trying to prove we’re the best team in the league,” he said. “We are trying to stand out.”

The first period featured close checking at both ends and limited offensive opportunities; the teams combined for just 14 shots. Nathan Oh opened the scoring for North Penn with 3:30 left in the period but it took Michael Walker just 21 second to respond for the Rams.

Michael White gave Pennridge a 2-1 lead just 30 seconds into the second frame, only to see Jake Nelson tie the game for North Penn just 51 seconds later. Manto’s shot from just inside the blue line during a power play put the Rams up for good with 3:35 left in the period.

Eric Slater scored his Class AA-leading 17th goal of the season 5:48 into the third period to put Pennridge up 4-2. But by that point, the Knights had demonstrated an ability to keep Slater and Walker more or less under control. Blake Stewart extended the Pennridge lead with 5:09 left and Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna was quick to point out the importance of having multiple offensive threats

“We were able to win on a night when they neutralized Eric and Michael,” he said. ” They got their goals but (North Penn) really did a good job neutralizing Eric and Michael.”

Having veteran goaltender Luke Stranick between the pipes didn’t hurt the Rams’ chances. “When you make mistakes, you don’t have to worry about them ending up in the net all the time,” Montagna said. “He’s the rock back there, he’s the given on our team.”

Trailing by there goals, the Knights were in no mood for a concession speech. Luke Van Why scored with 1:25 remaining and then, with their goaltender out, the Knights received a power-play chance when Manto drew a roughing call with 48 seconds left. Jared Albano beat Stranick at the 15-second mark and the Knights swarmed again following the ensuing faceoff before the final buzzer came to the Rams’ aid just as Tyler Greenstein, North Penn’s sniper-in-chief, was teeing up a shot from the high slot.

“The guys continued to battle to the very end,” said North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis. “We never give up. We got down 5-2 with a couple minutes left and could have easily packed it in, but the boys continued to battle.”
North Penn 1 1 2—4
Pennridge 1 2 2—5
First-period goals: Nathan Oh (NP) from Jared Albano and Will Hughes, 12:30; Michael Walker (P) unassisted, 12:51.
Second-period: Michael White (P) unassisted, :30; Jake Nelson (NP) from Josh Kaufhold,
1:21; Jeff Manto (P) from Nick Eissler, 12:25 (pp).
Third-period goals: Eric Slater (P) from Matt Guinette, 5:48; Blake Stewart (P) from Michael Walker, 10:51; Luke Van Why (NP) from Ryan Cunningham and Nelson, 14:35; Jared Albano (NP), from Tyler Greenstein and Oh 15:45.
hots: North Penn 26, Pennridge 27; Saves: Nick Ebbinghaus (NP) 22, Luke Stranick (P) 22.

By Rick Woelfel

LIKE WHAT YOU”RE READING? PROMOTE YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE ON Hockeyhappenings.wordpress.com. Contact us HERE

C.B. South Stops C.B. East

By Rick Woelfel

WARWICK— As the clock counts down to the Suburban High School Hockey League’s annual holiday break, the upper-echelon teams are beginning to emerge.

Central Bucks South continues to be the measuring stick for the 12 teams in the SHSHL’s Class AA Division. But the Titans got all they wanted from Central Bucks East Wednesday night before prevailing 3-2 over the Patriots in an entertaining scrap at Revolution Ice Gardens.

Reis Braccio scored a goal and assisted on two others as South (6-2, 5-0 SHSHL) won its sixth straight. But the Patriots (5-2-1, 2-2) made a statement as well and served notice they are a team to be reckoned with.

“That’s what we just told them in there,” said East assistant coach Jim Stampler. “That was a good gut check after what happened to us last week (a 6-2 loss to Pennridge last Thursday).”

The Titans started out strong. Alex Glushek put in a rebound of D.J. Loverdi’s one-timer from the left point to put his team in from 2:19 into the first period. Ryan Gingras scored from the left point himself on a power play at 6:33 to make it 2-0 and South was seemingly in control.

12.19.18-CBSvsCBEDNK_0991 C.B. South’s Braccio looks to shoot against C.B. East Wednesday night. Connor Kelser is defending on the play; Chris McIntyre is the goaltender. South won the SHSHL game 4-2.

Photo: Dara N. King

But Sean Gorman scored a power-play goal of his own with 1:08 left in the period and it was a one-goal game the fact that The Patriots were outshout 11-2 in the first frame.

Braccio said he and his teammates might have had a loss of focus after their quick start. “There shouldn’t be,” he said, “but I guess we just got too comfortable and we just let our foot off the gas. Now, we’ve learned from that …not to take our foot off the gas pedal.”

South coach Shaun McGinty conceded his troops might have gotten caught up in their own success at the start. “We changed what we were doing or the kids started getting too confident too early,” said. “It was only 2-0. Yeah, we were outshooting them by quite a bit but I think the kids kind of got ahead of themselves.”

With 3:55 left in the second period the Patriots; arc Green was sent to the box for tripping. The Bucks scored off the ensuing faceoff with Braccio beating East goaltender Chris McIntyre.

But East responded almost immediately or, more specifically, Gorman did, forcing a turnover at his own blue line and going end to end on a breakaway. South netminder Oscar Levin made the initial save but Gorman put in the rebound with 1:07 left in the period.

East had the momentum at the state of the third period as well but midway through the final session, momentum shifted. McIntyre made some big saves for the Patriots to keep the margin at one goal before Matt Milanesi scored insurance goal for the Titans with 1:19 remaining. The sequence started seconds earlier when the Titans won a faceoff deep in their own zone to prevent East from lifting McIntyre for an extra skater.

The sophomore finished with 32 saves.

C.B. South 2 1 1—4

C.B. East 1 1 0—2

First-period goals: Alex Glushek (CBS) from D.J. Loverdi, 2:19; Ryan Gingras (CBS) from Reis Braccio, 6:33 (pp); Sean Gorman (CBE) unassisted, 14:52 (pp).

Second-period goals: Braccio (CBS) from Colin Abbonizio, 11:09 (pp); Gorman (CBE) unassisted, 14:53

Third-period goals: Matt Milanesi (CBS) from Braccio, 14:41.

Shots: C.B. South 36, C.B. East 14; Saves: Oscar Levin (CBS) 12, Chris McIntyre (CBE) 32.

Pennridge Downs Central Bucks East

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP— Pennridge and Central Bucks East tested themselves against each other Thursday night. It was the Rams who passed the test and left Hatfield Ice with a 6-2 win in a Suburban High School Hockey League encounter.

Eric Slater scored three goals for the Rams (4-1-1, 3-1 in SHSHL Class AA) but the story of the evening was his team’s ability to keep the Patriots under constant pressure.

Slater and Matt Guinette scored goals to give the Rams a 2-0 first period lead but the most interesting numbers on the scoreboard were the shot totals that read 20-0 in favor of Pennridge.

“Good defense started in our offensive zone,” said Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna, “and with guys being in position where they can attack the puck and still be in good defensive positions if we do turn the puck over.

“That first period was as well as we’ve put together all year.

Ken Latchum, East’s veteran coach, said the pressure took a toll on his troops, who dropped their first decision of the season.. “They pressured us,” he said, “and their feet never stopped moving. They didn’t glide once.

“Those guys, even their third line, were just full of pressure. Those guys just motored and that’s what I want these guys to learn. You’ve got to motor.”

The Patriots (5-1-1, 2-1) didn’t get their first shot on goal until 29 seconds into the second period when they were on a power play. Slater gave the Rams a 3-0 lead 4:51 into the middle period by skating up the middle of the offensive zone and weaving his way through traffic.

“He’s lethal,” Montagna said. “You give him an inch, he’s lethal and you add that shot that his his offensive ability and it’s almost impossible to shut him down.”

Slater, who had two assists to go with his three goals, now has 16 goals and four assists in his team’s six games. He said he focuses on finding open ice. “I’ve always tried to,” he said. “It helps playing with teammates that open up so much space for me.”

Rob Kern solved Pennridge goaltender Luke Stranick with 6:13 left in the middle session. The score stayed that way to the end of the period but Frankie Rota and Slater (while his team was shorthanded) scored third-period goals to make it a 5-1 game with 7:43 remaining in regulation.

East’s Nick Locastro and the Rams’ Conrad Fisch traded goals to finish the scoring.
The Rams had a 36-9 edge in shots.

C.B. East 0 1 1—2
Pennridge 2 1 3—6
First-period goals: Eric Slater (P) from Blake Stewart, 9:55; Matt Guinette (P) unassisted, 14:33.
Second-period goals: Slater (P) unassisted, 4:51; Rob Kern (CBE) from Nick Locastro and Sean Gorman, 9:47.
Third-period goals: Stewart (P) from Frankie Rota and Slater, 2:20; Slater (P) unassisted, 8:17 (sh); Locastro (CBE) from Phil McIntyre and Owen Connor, Conrad Fisch (P) from Slater.
Shots: C.B. East 9, Pennridge 36

Pennridge 10, William Tennent 0

WARWICK— Pennridge got off to a slow start in the Suburban High School Hockey League this season. But the Rams have a lot of firepower in the lineup and Friday night they put that firepower on display.

Eric Slater scored five goals to lead his team to a 10-0 shutout over William Tennent at Revolution Ice Gardens. The game was halted 3:40 into the third period due to the 10-goal mercy rule. Pennridge now stands at 3-1-1 both overall and in SHSHL Class 2A league play. The Panthers are now 2-4 overall and 1-3 in the league.

After starting the season with a loss and a tie the Rams have won three straight, scoring 27 goals in the process.

Slater, who has scored 13 goals in his team’s five games, admitted it took he and his teammates some time to get used to each other at the start of the season.

“It was a challenge I guess to start playing as a team,” the senior winger said. “Most of us play club and we’re on different pages, club-wise (but) we finally got clicking; we’ve been playing good lately.”

Jeff Montagna is Pennridge’s third head coach in two seasons. He also coaches two club teams and a number of his club players are on the Pennridge roster. He admits that finding the right formula early on wasn’t easy.

“I know some guys know what I want,” he said, “and I have to be patient with the guys who aren’t used to what I want and that’s been an adjustment for me as well.

“Being able to teach those guys what I want but being with it. It’s not easy.”

Evan Kehoe opened the scoring for the Rams by scoring directly from a faceoff in the right circle 6:03 into the opening period. Slater scored back-to-back goals 35 seconds apart and Conrad Fisch scored 20 seconds after that to put Pennridge up 4-0 with 2:22 still to go in the first frame.

Slater completed a hat trick 5:23 into the second stanza before Andrew David made it a 6-0 game 48 seconds later.

Michael Walker added two goals 21 second apart, the first on a power play, to put Pennridge up 8-0 after two periods.

Slater scored twice in the third period to being down the curtain on the evening.

Tennent goaltender Trey Smith had the task of dealing with all this. A junior who is playing organized hockey for the first time, Smith faced 26 shots over the course of the evening.

“You play a team like Pennridge that can score at will almost against any goalie in the league and it’s going to be a challenge,” said Tennent coach Nick D’Aurizio. “We put up a fight. Our guys battled as much as they could but their big guns eventually took over.”

By Rick Woelfel

Pennridge 4 4 2—10

William Tennent 0 0 0—0

First-period goals: Evan Kehoe (P) unassisted, 6:03; Eric Slater (P) from Frankie Rota and Nick Eissler, 12:43; Slater (P) unassisted, 13:18; Conrad Fisch (P) from Richie Shanks and Andrew David, 13:38.

Second-period goals: Slater (P) from Michael Walker, 5:23; David (P) from Eissler, 6:11; Walker (P) from Rota and Matt Guinette, 10:48 (pp); Walker (P) from Slater and Guinette, 11:09.

Third-period goals: Slater (P) from Eissler, :09; Slater (P) from Walker, 3:40

Wissahickon Tips Hatters 2-1

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP— The penalty shot is arguably hockey’s most dramatic event. On this occasion, it resulted in a game-winning goal.

Wissahickon’s Sean Garry scored with 1:07 left in the third period to give the Trojans a 2-1 win over the Hatters Wednesday night in a Suburban High School Hockey League American Division matchup at Hatfield Ice.

The penalty shot was awarded after Garry, who had beaten the last Hatter defenseman, was pulled down from behind. He responded with an effort that beat Hatboro-Horsham goaltender Joe Gambino low on netminder’s stick (right) side.

“I knew what I was hoping to do before I went down,” Garry said. “I came down, looking to spot what was open and just ripped it right past him.”

Prior to the penalty shot, there was a serving of some pretty good hockey. There was an abundance of offensive opportunities but Gambino (28 saves) and Michael Henderson (30 saves), his Wissahickon counterpart, were in top form.

Hatboro-Horsham coach Gianni Lafratta praised his team’s defensive effort. “Joey is (a quality goaltender),” he said, “but of course it takes the five guys in front of him to shut it down.”

The game was scoreless for much of the first two periods. The Hatters finally got the scoring started with a power-play goal with just 4:34 left in the second frame. With Wissahickon’s Alex Corozza in the box serving a holding penalty, Tarak Elsbbash scored off a feed from Ben Heywood. Matt Cade tied the game for Wissahickon (3-0-1) 9:09 into the third stanza. Wissahickon coach Ken Harrington admitted he was surprised by the scoreline at that juncture.

“I thought if anything it was going to be a 5-3 game or something like that,” he said.”

Gary pointed out that for much of the night the Hatters were able to keep he and his brother Bryan, the Trojans two biggest offensive threats, away from the net. “They were stacking the middle a lot,” he said, “just trying to keep us to the outside. They did a good job cutting off most of the passing lanes but I think once we got the puck in the middle we could kind of two what we wanted.”

The Hatters had an apparent go ahead goal waved off with 2:08 left in the game. A shot from the left circle found the net behind Henderson but the official on the play ruled the net had been dislodged.

That set the stage for what turned out to be a dramatic finish.

“That was a fantastic game,” Lafratta said, “except for the outcome.”

Hatboro-Horsham 0 1 0—1

Wissahickon 0 0 2—2

Second-period goal: Tarik Elsbbagh (HH) from Ben Haywood, 11:26

Third-period goals: Matt Cade from Brian Garry and Alex Carozza, 9:09; Sean Gary penalty shot, 14:53.

Shots: Hatboro-Horsham 31, Wissahickon 30; Saves: Joe Gambino (HH) 28, Michael Henderson 30