Penn-Trafford 3 North Penn 1

WEST GOSHEN— For the first time in a long time, North Penn was presented with a puzzle it could not solve. The Knights’ bid for a second consecutive Class AA state title fell short Saturday afternoon at the hands of Penn-Trafford by a margin of 3-1 at Ice Line.

A capacity crowd witnessed a final contested at an elite level.

“Hats off to them,” said North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis. They’re a good hockey team. Their goalie played outstanding. I’m proud of our guys.”

The Knights took the ice minus leading scorer Samuel Norton who was serving a suspension.

“It obviously hurt some things not having Sam out there,” Vaitis said. “He’s such a huge part of our team.

“We can all play the ‘What if’ scenarios with things like that, but I’m proud of the guys and how hard we worked.”

Hockey coaches talk a lot about games between evenly matched teams being decided a freak bounce here or there. The Warriors (20-7) scored the first goal of the game with the help of a bounce that was to say the least, out of the realm of the ordinary.

With just under seven minutes left in the opening period, the Warriors’ Zach Grkman launched a shot on goal from the center of the ice, just as he crossed the red line. The puck slid along the ice until it reached a point roughly midway between the faceoff circle hash marks when it abruptly sailed high in the air and over the shoulder of North Penn goaltender Andy Norton.

With 6:32 left in the opening session, Penn-Trafford had a 1-0 lead.

The Warriors extended their lead 7:51 into the third period. Liam Lehneke launched a shot from the right point that caromed off the end wall to Norton’s left, Norton however lost track of the puck which was lying behind his left pad when Brock Bienemann tucked it inside the post.

North Penn (25-2) kept battling and with 61 seconds left in regulation, North on the bench and an extra attacker on the ice, Nolan Shingle was able to get the best of Penn-Trafford netminder Tyler Funk.

But Ben Zierski brought the curtain down on the affair with an empty net goal with six seconds remaining, a goal that coincidentally brought down the curtain on one of the most remarkable seasons and certainly the most remarkable two-year stretch in the 50-year history of the North Penn hockey program.

“When you look at North Penn and the history we’ve had, nobody can attest to what these guys have accomplished,” Vaitis said. “I’m proud of them.

“The loss} hurts, it stings but time will allow us to heal together and we won’t forget the ride we had the last two years. We had a remarkable ride and for the guys coming back, we’re going to have a really good hockey team next year.

“We’ll take some time to heal and get over this, and start to get ready for next year.”

• In Saturday’s other two state championship games, Quaker Valley defeated Hershey 6-2 for the Class A title, while Seneca Valley bested Holy Ghost Prep 7-2 in Class AAA.

Penn-Trafford 1 0 2—3

North Penn 0 0 1—1

First-period goal; Zach Grkman (PT) from Nico Castelli, 10:28

Third-period goals: Brock Bienemann (PT) from Liam Lehneke, 7:51; Nolan Shingle (NP) from Gabe Dunn and Chris Silvotti, 15:59; Ben Zierski (PT) unassited,16:54 (en)

Shots: Penn-Trafford 39, Holy Ghost Prep 33; Saves: Tyler Funk (PT) 32, Andy Norton (NP) 36

Penn-Trafford 1 0 2—3

North Penn 0 0 1—1

First-period goal; Zach Grkman (PT) from Nico Castelli, 10:28

Third-period goals: Brock Bienemann (PT) from Liam Lehneke, 7:51; Nolan Shingle (NP) from Gabe Dunn and Chris Silvotti, 15:59; Ben Zierski (PT) unassited,16:54 (en)

Shots: Penn-Trafford 39, North Penn 33; Saves: Tyler Funk (PT) 32, Andy Norton (NP) 36

State Class AA Championship Sat. 3-21

North Penn vs. Penn-Trafford 2:00 at Ice Line

North Penn (25-1)

Coach: Kevin Vaitis

Key players: Nolan Shingle 28 goals, 21 assists, 49 points; Chris Silvotti 24-20-44; James Boyle 13-17-30 Andy Norton .950 save %

Penn-Trafford (18-5)

Coach: BJ. Zagorec

Key players: Sean Goodman 27 goals, 18 assists, 45 points: Ben Zierski 10 goals, 27 assists, 37 points; Brock Bienemann 16-14-30; Zack Grkman 10-12-22; Tyler Funk .916 save %

Ice chips: North Penn is trying to become the fourth SHSHL team in five years to win a Class AA state title. They will however be shorthanded; leading scorer Samuel Norton is under suspension and will not dress.

The Knights are an experienced group. Eighteen of the 23 players on this year’s Flyers Cup roster on part of last year’s state-title team.

The Warriors are seeking theit first state titie

Dunn Has Been Through it All at North Penn

Somewhere a bell is tolling, signaling the end of Gabe Dunn’s high-school hockey career is close at hand. But that moment hasn’t arrived just yet.

Dunn and his North Penn teammates will take on Boyertown Tuesday night in the Class AA Flyers Cup final (8:45 at Hatfield Ice). The winner will face Penguins Cup champion Penn Trafford on Saturday in the state-title game.

The top-seeded Knights, the defending Cup and state champions, have enjoyed a remarkable run the past two seasons, compiling a 46-4 record, including 25-1 this season.

It’s quite a turnaround from Dunn’s freshman season when the Knights won just one SHSHL game. As a four-year varsity player, he’s seen a lot.

“Hockey and life have interchangeable skills,” Dunn said. “As a four-year varsity player, I have been exposed to many different situations and levels of success. I have had to mature through that experience and make the most of the situations as they happen.

“My freshman year we went 1-8-1 in league play That’s not because we weren’t working. That’s not because we weren’t doing the right things. We just had to battle through that. To learn from it and use it to get better.

“As my role as a hockey player changed over that time I had to learn to communicate better, to manage feedback effectively, and to thrive in a high-stress, competitive environment.

I have had to explore my role on the ice over the years and I have also explored my role as a teammate and. Through all these things, we just kept going. As we push through, the outcomes change. we as individuals got better. We as a team got better.”

Dunn says a key reason for North Penn’s run of success has been the players’ willingness to accept their assigned roles.

“I believe the reason our team is great at accepting our roles and the reason we have had success is because we all know our end goal.” he said.

“With that goal always in mind, both as teammates and friends we know who is best suited for every situation. If we need a big hit to change the pace, we have a guy. If we need net front pressure, we have a guy. If we need someone to pick corners, well, we have a guy for that too. It’s our diversity and varying skill sets that set us apart and allows us to be successful.”

Dunn’s own role has evolved over the course of the season, out of necessity.

“At the start of the season I was a “defensive defensemen”,” he said. “That was my role. With a couple early season injuries on the team, the coaches needed to move a few people around to re-balance the lines and I was asked to play forward. Come to find out I’m pretty versatile and I can be multi-dimensional. Changing from being that last line of defense to a hard forechecker felt like a natural switch. It has been a lot of fun and I’m glad I have been able to make meaningful contributions.

“I think it has really helped me to see myself differently not just in hockey, but in all things. Today isn’t yesterday. You don’t have to be the guy you were yesterday.”

Flyers Cup Class AA Finals Preview

Tuesday, March 17

North Penn vs. 2 Boyertown 8:45 at Hatfield Ice

North Penn

Coach: Kevin Vaitis

Record: 25-1

Key players: Sr. James Boyle 17 goals, 11 assists, 28 points; Jr. Samuel Norton 22-23-55; So. Andy Norton .924 save %

In this tournament: Def. Shawnee 9-2 in first round; def. Owen J. Roberts 6-3 in quarterfinals; def. Downingtown West 4-1 in semifinals.

2. Boyertown

Coach: Joe Slowik

Record: 17-5

Key players: So. Brayden Kotzen 17 goals, 23 assists, 40 points; Sr. Logan Brown 22-14-36; Sr. Zach Rosen 22-10-32; So, Lucas Yancey .907 save %

In this tournament: Def. Souderton 12-2 in first round: def. Pennsbury 5-3 in quarterfinals; def. Council Rock South 4-3 in semifinals.

Ice chips: North Penn is trying to become the first Class AA team to successfully defend a Flyers Cup title since Downingtown East won its third straight championship in 2019 … SHSHL teams have won the last four Class AA Cup titles. Three of the four went on to win the state championship including North Penn last year … The last SHSHL team to successfully defend a Class AA Cup title was Council Rock South in 2012.

Flyers Cup Finals Game Times

Monday, March 16

Class A Final

Hershey vs 2. Penncrest 7:00 at Ice Line PPD to 3-18 7:30 at Ice Line

Tuesday, March 17

Class AAA Final

Holy Ghost Prep vs. 3. La Salle 6:00 at Hatfield Ice

Class AA Final

North Penn vs. 2. Boyertown 8:45 at Hatfield Ice

Thursday, March 19

Girls Final

Avon Grove vs. 3. Lower Merion 7:00 at PNY Arena

North Penn 4 Downingtown West 1

Special teams matter more than ever come the postseason. Special-team situations worked to North Penn’s advantage Thursday night. The Knights overcame an early 1-0 deficit and scored twice on second-period power plays to separate themselves from Downingtown West en route to a 4-1 win in a Flyers Cup Class AA a semifinal at Hatfield Ice.

The top-seeded Knights (25-1) will attempt to complete a successful title defense Tuesday night against Boyertown, a 4-3 winner over Council Rock South in Thursday’s other semifinal.

From North Penn’s perspective, it was a performance that was more workmanlike than flamboyant.

“{Downingtown West} is a very good hockey team,” said North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis. “Their goalie (Justin Adams) is outstanding. We knew going in that it was going to be a tough game and it was.

“They got goal early, but we kept playing and kept working.”

The fifth-seeded Whippets (13-9-1) drew first blood when Brady Cusa opened the scoring 5:35 into the opening period. Joey Risa took a shot from the left wing. North Penn goaltender Andrew Norton made the save but lost track of the rebound and Cusa tucked the puck inside the left post.

Nolan Shingle responded for North Penn at the 9:52 mark however to send the teams into the second period on even terms.

The Whippets undermined themselves with penalties in the second frame. Colin Gordon was whistled for interference just 19 seconds into the period. It took Chris Silvotti just 44 additional seconds to respond with a power-play goal. Shingle’s second goal of the night, which came with 5:26 remaining in the period, was also a power-plays effort. James Boyle assisted on the goal to pick up the 100th point of his career.

“We always try to work on the power play,” Shingle said. “When you’re given a chance like that, you kind of have to capitalize, it can be a big momentum swinger.

“This whole season, we kind of have been on the other side of calls a lot, so I feel like every power play we get, we’ve got to make the most of it.”

Declan Leahy added the Knights’ fourth goal, with Boyle’s help, 4:56 into the third period.

Now, it’s on to the finals where the Knights will try to become the first Class AA team in seven years to defend a Cup title. Shingle says the Knights are taking it a step at a time.

“That’s been a big thing this whole season,” Shingle said. “Don’t get too ahead of ourselves and just keep focused. “We’ve got to go into every game with the mentality that this team can beat us if we don’t come to play.”

• Downingtown East in 2019 was the last Class AA team to mount a successful Flyers Cup defense. The Cougars won three straight titles from 2017-’19.

Downingtown West 1 0 0—1

North Penn 1 2 1—4

First-period goals: Brady Cusa (DW) from Joey Risa, 5:35; Nolan Shingle (NP) from Samuel Norton, 9:52

Second-period goals: Chris Silvotti (NP) from Ismael Cabrales, 1:03 (pp) Shingle (NP) from Norton and James Boyle, 11:34 (pp)

Third-period goals: Declan Leahy (NP) from Boyle, 4:56

Shots: Downingtown West 14, North Penn 40; Saves: Justin Adams (DW) 36, Andrew Norton (NP) 13

What Lies Ahead/Flyers Cup Schedule

Here is the schedule for the remainder of the 47th Flyers Cup

Fifteen of the top 16 seeds (four in each classification) have reached the semifinals.

Tuesday March 10

Class A Semifinals

Hershey 7 West Chester East 1

Penncrest 5 Kennett 2

Wednesday, March 11

Girls Semifinals

Avon Grove 9 West Chester East 1

Lower Merion 3 Downingtown West 2

Thursday, March 12

Class AAA Semifinals

Holy Ghost Prep vs 4. Malvern Prep 8:45 at Hatfield Ice
St. Joseph’s Prep vs. 3. La Salle 6:30 at Ice Line

Class AA Semifinals

North Penn vs 5. Downingtown West 6:30 at Hatfield Ice
Boyertown vs 3. Council Rock South 8:30 at Ice Line

Monday, Match 16

Class A Final 6:30 at Ice Line

Tuesday, March 17

Class AA Final TBD at Hatfield

Class AAA Final TBD at Hatfield

Thursday, March 19

Girls Final 7:00 at PNY

WC Henderson 6 PW 3

They sent up camp in the offensive zone early on and never really left. West Chester Henderson applied pressure from the opening faceoff and kept it up for a full 51 minutes. The result was a 6-2 win over Plymouth Whitemarsh Monday night in the opening round of the Class A Flyers Cup at Hatfield Ice.

The ninth-seeded Warriors (6-12-1) will face top-seeded Hershey in Thursday’s quarterfinals. The eighth-seeded Colonials closed the season at 14-4.

Henderson set the tone from the start. Harrison Eller got the Warriors in on the scoreboard 2:34 into the opening period when he beat Lucas Bennett from close range. That goal established a pattern for the balance of the period. Cooper Kanze tied the game for the Colonials with 2:55 left in the period on a shot that Warrior goaltender Ian Stefanovski probably wished he could have another look at, but Aller put his team back in front just eight seconds later.

By the time the period ended, the Warriors had launched 16 shots. It was Bennett’s work in goal that kept the Colonials close.

“Breakout is something we talk about a lot,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Vince Forti. “Obviously, we struggled a little bit. Getting the puck out of the zones quick is a priority for the defense. You don’t want to give good teams extra zone time. It leads to extra chances and that’s how goals go in.”

Forti acknowledged that Henderson scoring first put his team in a hole they never could escape.

“There was some stat that said s scoring the first goal gives you a 70 percent chance of winning,” he said. “We usually want to get the first one. Unfortunately, they did. And we were just kind of chasing the game ever since then.”

Anthony Barthol extended Henderson’s lead 2:46 into the second period. Kanze scored his second goal of the night exactly 10 minutes later to send the teams into the post-second period ice cut just one goal apart on the scoreboard.

But Henderson separated itself once more when Declan Herr scored from the left wing that found space inside the near post, a shot Bennett appeared not to see. Miles Donnelly essentially shut the door with a power-play goal with 2:47 remaining.

Barthol added an empty net goal with 1:17 left.

The Warriors finished with a 49-20 advantage in shots.

It was a disappointing end to an impressive season.

“I think the guys played well all season,” Forti said. “It’s tough way to end a good season, so it doesn’t feel like it in the moment but overall, I think they did a lot of good things.”

West Chester Henderson 2 1 3

Plymouth Whitemarsh 1 1 0—6

First-period goals: Harrison Aller (WCH) from Miles Donnelly, 2:36; Cooper Kanze (PW) from Dan Moloney, 14:05; Aller (WCH) from Anthony Barthol and Decal Dowd, 14:13

Second-period goals: Barthol (WCH) from Dowd and Aller, 2:46; Kanze (PW) from Dan Guller and Brandon Wooldridge, 12:46 (sh)

Third-period goals: Declan Herr (WCH) from Donnelly and Dowd, :49; Donnelly (WCH) from Dowd, 13:13 (pp); Barthol (WCH) unassisted, 15:43 (en):

Shots: West Chester Henderson 49, Plymouth Whitemarsh 20 Saves: Ian Stefanovski (WCH) 18, Lucas Bennett (PW) 43

North Penn 6 C.B. South 3

Big games are often decided when winning teams and/or big-time players step up. Such was the case Thursday night as Sam Norton and his North Penn teammates came up big when the moment demanded it.

North Penn scored three straight goals over the second half of the second period to separate themselves from Central Bucks South and went on to a 6-3 win over the Titans in the SHSHL National Division championship game at Hatfield Ice. It was the 21st win in 22 starts this season for the top-seeded Knights, who claimed a SHSHL title for the fourth time in team history. They will be the top seed for the Class AA Flyers Cup and will face Shawnee in the opening round Tuesday night.

For now, the defending Cup and state champions will celebrate with another trophy.

“A win like that is always enjoyable,” Sam Norton said. “It’s a great experience. I’m going to remember it for a while.”

The third-seeded Titans (16-6) struck first when Ryan Montagna finished off a two-on-one during a South power play just 89 seconds into the opening period. It gave his team the lead but North Penn goaltender Andy Norton was unfazed.

“I try to focus on what’s coming next,” he said, “the next shot, I just put it behind me. I really trust my team. I trust they are going to put another one in the net.”

Which Sam Norton did two-and-a-half minutes later to tie the game. Norton followed with his second goal of the night not quite threo minutes after that and Declan Leahy made it a 3-1 game with 3:08 left in the first period.

South however, wasn’t going anywhere. Ryan Frey found the back of the net 3:05 into the second frame and Joey Slobodian tied the game at the 8:30 mark, making the second half of regulation theoretically a new game.

It was time for Sam Norton to step up once more. Twenty-eight seconds after Slobodian’s game-tying effort, Norton completed a hat trick to put North Penn in front for good. Daniel Cabrales followed with a goal with 6:44 left in regulation and Nolan Shingle completed the scoring for the night with exactly five minutes remaining.

“It wasn’t our greatest {game},” said North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis. “We had some mistakes but we capitalized on some as well. And, when you get to this point in the season and you’re playing a team like that, it’s not going to be perfect.

“I thought the guys worked hard. Even when they came back to tie it at three, nobody panicked. We’ve been in situations like this before and we just keep working through it.”

The Titans worked hard as well against an opponent that leaves an opponent little margin for error.

“We’re proud of our team,” said South coach Josh Sklar. “They battled to the end. You’ve got the two top teams. In the league going at it and sometimes the bounces just don’t go your way.”

Sklar pointed out that competing against the Knights requires going full bore for three full periods.

“Every shift means something,” he said. “Every shift is important. We’re a deep team, but we battled. We tried, we did our best.

• The Titans are seeded sixth in the Class AA Flyers Cup and will face Downingtown East Tuesday night in the first round…. North Penn’s previous SHSHL titles came in 2002, ‘09, and ‘14. The Titans are seven-time champions, their last coming in 2018.

C.B. South 1 2 0—3

North Penn 3 3 0—6

First-period goals: Ryan Montagna (CBS) from Dom Gibson, 1:29 (pp); Samuel Norton (NP) unassisted, 4:01; Norton (NP) unassisted, 6:54; Declan Leahy (NP) from Ismael Cabrales, 12:52

Third-period goals: Ryan Frey (CBS) unassisted, 3;05; Joey Slobodian (CBS) unassisted, 8:30; Norton (NP) unassisted, 8:58; Daniel Cabrales (NP) from Landon Hostetter, 10:16; Nolan Shingle (NP) from I. Cabrales, 12:00

Shots: C.B. South 44, North Penn 22; Saves: Nate Neapolitan (CBS) 38, Andy Norton (NP) 19

C.B. South 2 C.R. South 0

They set the pace early and didn’t let up.

Central Bucks South defeated three-time SHSHL champion Council Rock South, 2-0, in a National Division semifinal on Wednesday night at Grundy Arena.

Jamison Crouch put the Titans on the board just 36 seconds into the game, with assists from Joseph Slobodrian and Ryan Montagna.

It would prove to be the only goal the Titans needed, but Ryan Frey added an insurance goal 10 minutes later, also assisted by Slobodrian.

“That first goal really set the tone for us,” said Frey, a senior. “We knew we were going to get the first goal, it was just a matter of how. To get it on the first shift was huge. That gave us the momentum and it stuck with us the whole game.

“I thought our D zone was lot better than it usually is. We got pucks out when we needed to. We got traffic in front of their goalie early, that’s how we scored those two goals and overall I thought we played a very good game.”

The teams split in the regular season.

“We knew this was going to be a good game,” Frey said. “We knew we had to get on their goalie early and we did and that’s how we were able to win this one.

“I honestly didn’t think that lead was going to hold up. I thought it was going to be one of those games were we scored, then they scored and back and forth. I’m so glad we won.”

The Golden Hawks pulled goaltender Trey Prozzillo with 2:28 to go in the third period in a last-ditch effort to score, but were thwarted by CB South’s defense.

CB South advances to Thursday night’s final against top seed North Penn, an 11-1 winner over Pennsbury in the other semifinal.

“Winning this game gives us so much confidence,” Frey said. “We have three big wins coming into it. We have momentum and we’re going to go into that game with a lot of energy and hopefully pull out a nice win.”

CB South’s last league title was in 2018.

“It’s always exciting to be playing for a league title,” said CB South goaltender Nathan Napolitano, a junior. “Playing for a championship is always fun.”

The Titans have lost twice to the Knights this season.

“We want to play North Penn again,” Napolitano said. “We gave them two of our not-best efforts so we play them well, and we’ll see what happens.”

The early lead gave him confidence in the team.

“A lead is always easier than trying to keep your team in it,” he said. “When they got the first one, my job got easier.”

CB South 2 0 0—2

CR South 0 0 0—0

First-period goals: Jamison Crouch (CBS) from Joseph Slobodrian and Ryan Montagna, 0:36; Ryan Frey (CBS) from Slobodrian, 10:32

Shots: CB South 27, CR South 27; Saves: Nathan Napolitano (CBS) 27, Trey Petrillo (CRS) 25