James Boyle score a power-play goal 1:45 into overtime to give North Penn a come-from behind 4-3 win over Pennridge Wednesday night at Hatfield Ice.
The win lifted North Penn to 14-2 overall and 13-2 in divisional play. The Knights trail Council Rock South by one point in the division standings with three games remaining although South has a game in hand.
What’s there to say about Mr. Boyle,” said North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis. “One of the top players in the league, one of the top if not maybe the top defensemen in the league the guy brings it every game He lives for these games.”
The winning goal came North Penn enjoying a four-skaters-to-three advantage after the Rams’ Nick Young received a double-minor penalty 62 seconds into the extra session. There were 18 penalties called in the game, 11 against the Rams
Declan Laehy tied the game for North Penn with 1:33 left in regulation after the Rams’ Nathan McKean gave Pennridge (10-5, 9-5) a 3-2 lead with four seconds left in the middle period. Daniel Cabrales and Samuel Norton added goals for North Penn. Shane Dachowki and Nolan Shaw scored for Pennridge.
Andrew Norton got the win in goal, stopping 38 shots en route.
The loss was Pennridge’s fourth one-goal setback of the season.
“We deserved better,” said Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna. “I just told these guys we’re four plays away from being a [one-loss hockey team].’
Shane Dachowski has been making an impact in the SHSHL for four seasons now. He’s played four seasons of varsity hockey for Pennridge and has been part of two Flyers Cup/state-championship teams.
Last year he was fourth in the National Division (fifth overall) in scoring with 27 regular-season goals and 33 assists for 60 points.
This year, as a senior Dachowski has harrowed his focus. He’s stepped away from AAA-level club hockey to devote his time and energy to the Rams.
“I quit because it was my senior year,” he said. “I figured I’m just going to college for school and stuff and there was no real point in me playing AAA travel hockey.
“I would just be traveling everywhere, every weekend. And I just wanted to chill out this year and hang out with my friends. Travel hockey doesn’t give you a lot of time for that.”
Dachowski notes that the atmosphere at a high-school game can’t be replicated elsewhere.
“It’s the game aspect of high school hockey compared to club,” he said. “Because with high school games you have all your friends from school come. Parents and grandparents come to the games I just think it’s way more exciting.”
Dachowski started playing hockey at age 6, following in the footsteps of his brother Colin, who is 18 months his senior. The brothers were encouraged by their cousin Cole Pluck, who is now a senior at North Penn. Because of the difference in their ages, the Dachowski brothers were high-school teammates for three seasons but were club teammates only once; that was last season.
By the time Shane was 10 his ability was becoming apparent. So was his passion for hockey.
“I just thought it was the most fun I had playing any sport,” he said. “Because I played a lot of sports but hockey was just the most fun for me and it helped that I was not that bad at it.”
Dachowski has always been recognized for his offensive skills. Through January 23 he had accumulated 28 goals and 22 assists for 50 points, tops in the National Division.
Anyone who has watched him play will attest to the fact that Dachowski makes little effort to hide his emotions when he’s on the ice. This can be a blessing or a curse depending on the circumstances and has led to his share of trips to the penalty box.
Dachowski point out that his emotions are a big part of who he is aa a hockey player.
“{His emotions} definitely have gotten in my way,” he said but showing emotions and getting some penalties, that’s always been a part of my game. I feel like if that wasn’t part of my game, I wouldn’t produce as much. It’s just the way I play; aggressively. It kind of fuels me I guess.”
Ironically, Dachowski is not outgoing by nature. Now, as a senior and as an elite player, he finds himself cast in a leadership role, one he is still getting comfortable with. But as he has matured as a hockey player he has grown as a person.
Shane Dachowski
Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna calls Dachowski “The most misunderstood player I’ve ever coached.
“He’s learning what it means to be a leader,” Montagna said, “and it’s a work in progress.
“What I’m most proud of with him is he’s never had to be vocal before. Telling guys, especially the young guys that it’s okay. Not big-timing them.
“It’s not easy to be a leader and asking him in his senior year to do something he’s never done, he’s growing into that every single week. That’s really what I’m proud of him for.”
Dachowski understands the responsibilities that come with his stature.
“I would say this year I became a little bit more of a talker,” he said, “because of not having my brother there. Me and him were always known for setting examples but this year I’ve changed and been a little bit more of a talker.”
Dachowski played on state-championship teams as a freshman and again last season. He reflects on how close the players on those teams were with each other.
“Especially a couple years ago it was the closest team I’ve ever been a part of,” he said. “All of us grew up playing hockey together and then we moved to the same area.
“It was so awesome because we all hung out every single day and even last year when it was more seniors and everyone who was on the {2022 team} team, we were all still super close. We still do everything together as much as we can.”
But Dachowski’s high-school career is drawing to an end. Four weeks remain in the regular season with the SHSHL playoffs and the Flyers Cup tournament to follow. The occasions he’ll have to put on a Pennridge uniform are becoming few.
Those who have read this far would not be surprised to learn he plans to give it his all in the time he has left.
“My goal obviously is to get deep into the Flyers Cup and provide as much for me team as I can,” Dachowski said, “and just go out there every game like it’s my last because you don’t know when it could be your last game especially being a senior.”
In some aspects, mid-January is the most difficult part of the high-school hockey season. The postseason is still a month away and the players are feeling the grind of the long campaign, particularly if they also play club hockey.
Amidst this atmosphere, Pennridge and Central Bucks South squared off Thursday night at Hatfield Ice in a SHSHL National matchup with potentially long-range implications.
It was the Titans who ground out 4-3 win. Ryan Frey and Jeff Kvecher scored goals 40 seconds apart early in the third period to give South its 11th victory of the season against five setbacks (11-2 in divisional play).
The Rams, who are listed fifth in the newest Class AA Flyers Cup rankings, slipped to 10-4 overall and 9-4 in the division.
It marked the second time the Titans have bested the Rams; the first was a 5-4 overtime win on November 7. In Kvecher’s view, the caliber of the opponent made Thursday’s win particularly satisfying.
“That’s a tough team,” he said of Pennridge. “They put a lot of pressure on us. They have some great guys that can wheel and we did a great job of shutting them down.
“We also sent a message to the league, and the Flyers Cup, that we’re a top team.”
Thursday game came 72 hours after many of the participants completed a full weekend of club tournament play, a circumstance that required an enhanced level of focus.
“Everyone had to dig deep,” Kvecher said. “Everyone was tired, everyone’s legs were tired. We dug deep and we were able to get the win.”
The Titans once more had to come from behind. Pennridge’s Nolan Shaw delivered the only goal of the first period, a power-play effort 3:51 after the opening faceoff that came while South’s Joe Slobodrian was serving a two-minute sentence.
Kvecher and Slobodrian scored power-play goal two-and-a-half minutes apart to give South the lead 5:09 onto the second period before Ryan Burke tied the game for the Ram three-and-a-half minutes later.
Ryan Frey put the Titans in front for good 49 seconds into the final period. Kvecher extended his team’s lead just 40 seconds later and the insurance proved valuable and necessary; Josh Kelly scored for Pennridge with 8:14 remaining. But Jake Matkowski in the South net and his mates in front of him stood tall the rest of the way.
Josh Sklar was in charge behind the Titan bench Thursday night, replacing the absent Shaun McGinty. He said his team had the energy it needed in the third period.
“They definitely had a little more spring in their step, a little more energy,” he said. “They brought the energy all game long but toward the end [two third-period goals] pushes the boys to finish the game out.”
The Titan had a 47-25 edge in shots. Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna says the Titans’ up-tempo style regularly gives his team problems.
“C.B. South is a bad matchup for us,” he said. “They’ve always been a bad matchup for us. They’re deep, they’re good defensively.
“I say this every time we play them; they’re going to get a lot of shots on us by design … We changed defensively how we were going to do things. I thought we did a really good job defensively keeping pucks out of dangerous area. But, they’re a tough team to play.”
Pennridge 1 1 1—3
C.B. South 0 2 2—4
First-period goal: Nolan Shaw (P) from Nick Young and Landon Bishop, 3:51 (pp)
Second-period goals: Jeff Kvecher (CBS) from Ryan Frey and Joe Slobodrian, 2:34 (pp); Slobodrian (CBS) from Frey, 5:09; Ryan Burke (P) from Shane Dachowki and Jared Garber, 8:42.
Third-period goals: Frey (CBS) from Dominic Gibson and Jamison Crouch, :49; Kvecher (CBS) from Peter Herring and Ryan Montagna, 1:29 (); Josh Kelly (P) from James Rush and Dachowski, 8:46
Shots: Pennridge 25, C.B. South 47; Saves: Jacob Winton (P) 43, Jake Matkowski (CBS) 22
HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—There was little to choose between Council Rock South and Pennridge Wednesday night. The contest was not decided until its final seconds.
Jeremy Rayher’s shortanded goal with three seconds left in overtime gave South a 6-5 win at Hatfield Ice Arena.
Rayher’s goal, his 16th of the season, concluded the first meeting of the year between the Golden Hawks and the Rams. The two teams split four games a year ago with South prevailing in the SHSHL National Division championship game before falling to the Rams in the Class AA Flyers Cup finale.
Ironically, Rayher and Pennridge goaltender Jacob Winton are club hockey teammates.
“I was chirping at him during [club team] practice all week,” Rayher said. “I missed him [Tuesday].
“He made a couple saves but there was no pressure. I played it like he was a regular goalie and made a move and tucked it in.”
Both teams had moments of brilliance and moments that were something less. The Hawks (11-1 overall, 10-0 in the division) used goals from Daniel Filippov and Jake Weiner to build a 2-0 lead 83 seconds into the second period but squandered their advantage by surrendering a pair of shorthanded goals to Shane Dachowski that tied the game with 9:58 remaining in the second frame.
“The two shorties really killed us,” said South coach Joe Houk. “Nobody ever scores shorthanded goals against us and they got two of them. It was mental breakdowns there.”
The goals came fast and furious for the reminder of the period. Jordan Sarne have the Hawks a 3-2 lead for a time but Dachowski and James Rush scored goals one minute, 14 seconds apart to give Pennridge (9-3, 8-3) its first and only lead of the night at 4-3 with 4:54 left in the period.
Weiner’s second goal of the night tied the game with 2:20 left in the second session before Jonah Weston put South in front once more 5:01 into the third. Nick Young tied the game for the Rams off a turnover with 4:45 left in regulation.
Winton and Trey Prozzillo, his South counterpart, had some difficult moments during the course of the evening but both stepped up in overtime. The Rams got a power-play chance when the Hawks’ Jagger Smith was flagged for hooking with 1:52 left in the extra session, giving the Rams a four-skaters-to-three advantage. Rayher’s game-deciding goal came an offensive right-wing faceoff and an ensuing scramble in front of the net. Houk told his team to be aggressive even though it was shorthanded.
“I told them ‘Don’t sit back,’” he said. “Because if the puck goes out of the [South defensive zone] it’s a one-on-one or two-on-two. It’s not a four-on-three. We looked like the ones who were on the power play.”
Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna celebrated his team’s effort, and the way it has rebounded from a shutout loss to north Penn si days before Christimas.
“I’m proud of the way we played tonight, he said. “All I asked of these guys before the game was to compete.
“We were outclassed [against North Penn.] I didn’t think we showed up. And to come out against our biggest rival tonight, come back from 2-0 down and play as well as we did and have opportunities to win the game, that’s all I can ask for.
• South had a 47-38 advantage in shots … The Rams’ three losses have come against Central Bucks South, North Penn and Council Rock South. Two of the three have come in overtime.
C.R. South 1 3 1 1—6
Pennridge 0 4 1 0—5
First-period goal: Daniel Fillipov (CRS) from Peter Pereborow and Jake Weiner, 13:50 (pp)
Second-period goals: Weiner (CRS) from Pereborow, 1:23; Shane Dachowski (P) unassisted, 3:10; Dachowski (P) from Jared Garber and Nick Young, 7:02 (sh); Jordan Sarne (CRS) from Jeremy Rayher and Peterborow, 8:37 (pp); Dachowksi (P) from Josh Kelly and Landon Bishop, 10:52; James Rush (P) from Kelly, 12:06; Weiner (CRS) from Wesley Mallon, 14:40 (pp)
Third-period goals: Jonah Weston (CRS) from Sarne, 5:01; Young (P), unassisted, 12:15
Overtime goal Rayher (P) from Filippov, 4:57
Shots: C.R. South 47, Pennridge 38; Saves: Trey Prozzillo (CRS) 33, Jacob Winton (P) 41
Two year ago, Springfield-Montco was eager to launch its hockey program and become part of the Suburban High School Hockey League. But the Spartans were without a goaltender. So, Liam Baskin, who was a sophomore at the time stepped up, to play arguably the most . demanding position to be found in any team sport.
“They asked if anyone was willing,” Baskin said. “I’d always wanted to play it so I said ‘You know what? I’ll give it a shot’ and that’s how I got here.”
Baskin is a senior now but still isn’t quite sure what appealed to him about being in goal.
“[His teammates] say I’m crazy,” he said. “When I started playing hockey I kind of got the interest in one day being a goaltender but the expense getting the equipment and what not wasn’t practical so I started as a skater and then this opportunity came and I was like ‘I’ll take a shot at it.’”
In years past some SHSHL teams have had to look outside their student bodies for goaltender and thus became ineligible for league and Flyers Cup play. But Baskin’s presence in goal allowed the Spartans to remain pure; i.e. they could be full-fledged members of the SHSHL and play a complete league schedule. He takes pride in stepping up for his team in its time of need.
“It feels good,” he said. “It also put a lot of pressure on me the first year because I was the only goaltender. Last year another one of our skaters was that he was willing to take on the role too, so we now have two goaltenders. “The first year there was a lot of pressure on me and I think knowing now I can do better now that I know the position better. I can serve them better in net.”
Baskin picks up the finer points of his position by watching goaltenders at other levels of the sport.
“Like positioning around the crease,” he said. “I see they like to play at the top a lot. I also watch them when they move a little bit, they stay square to the puck. That’s what I’ve mainly picked up.”
Unlike many high-school players, Baskin does not play club hockey although at one time he skated with the Hatfield Ice Dogs.
“I like to focus on high school and improving myself here instead of going to games every weekend,” he said. “I try to make sure I’m ready for practice each week and ready for each game.”
Baskin enjoys the camaraderie he experiences playing high-school hockey, with his teammates and with other Springfield students as well.
“It’s just being able to play hockey with this group of guys,” he said, “and them also seeing them and talking about it in school and especially now; other people in our school are willing to come out to the games and what not That’s a really cool experience.”
WARWICK TOWNSHIP—Nether Springfield or Abington are in contention for the SHSHL American Division title but that did not diminish either side’s enthusiasm for the game of hockey.
When the Spartan and the Galloping Ghosts took the ice Friday night at the Bucks County Ice Sports Center, that enthusiasm was on display for all who cared to look.
It was the Spartans who prevailed by a count of 7-0 to record their second win of the year in seven starts, all in divisional play. Gavin McManus scored twice for Springfield while Owen Quinn, Christopher Cahill, Gavin McManus, and Grayson Quinn contributed one goal each.
“I think was our best team game so far,” said Springfield coach Don Quinn. “They really wanted to come out after the New Year and have a strong team effort. We’ve had some individual efforts. But we wanted to really kind of piece it together. We preach about five guys playing offense and five guys playing defense.”
Owen Quinn and Christopher Cahill scored goals in a span of just over three-and-a-half minutes to give the Spartans a two-goal lead with 7:18 left in the first period.
McManus added a goal early in the second period and another early in the third. The junior noted the Spartans’ cohesiveness on the ice.
“We just played as a team tonight,” he said. “We’ve been practicing that a lot. Like passing the puck around a lot, trying to find an open guy.
“And then really improved it tonight by keeping the pressure in the offensive zone most of the game.
Grayson Quinn, Mathilde Boccella, and Kellen Warmen added third-period goals for Springfield. Liam Baskin and James Sarsfield split the shutout in goal.
The Spartans limited their foes to just five shots on goal. The Galloping Ghosts (0-9, 0-8 in divisional play) field perhaps the youngest lineup in the SHSHL. They’ve been shut out six times and 13 if their 16 skaters on Thursday night were underclassmen. But Abington coach Ken Brzozowski is seeing signs of progress.
“We’re getting there,” he said. “We’re going to keep working hard., both in practice and in games. We’ll get there.”
A strong case could be made that Abington goaltender Matt Evangelist, himself a sophomore, was one of the premier performers on the ice. He finished with 36 saves.
“He goes out every night and he plays hard,” Brzozowski said. “He’s seeing 40-50 shots a night.
“I really applaud him for keeping his head in the game and keeping his cool. We’re not giving him a whole lot of support on the scoreboard. We’re giving him encouragement in other ways.”
Springfield 2 1 4—7
Abington 0 0 0—0
First-period goals: Owen Quinn (S) from John Barr and Grayson Quinn, 6:03; Christopher Cahill (S) from Owen Quinn and Hunter Stock, 9:42
Second-period goal: Gavin McManus (S from John Barr, 2:57
Third-period goal: McManus (S) from Owen Quinn, 2:39; Grayson Quinn (S) from Keegan McClary, 9:10 Mathilde Boccella (S), 10:11; Kellen Warman (S) unassisted, 12:29
Shots: Springfield 43, Abington 5; Saves: Liam Baskin (S) 1 and James Sarsfield (S) 4; Matthew Evangelist (S) 36
Hockey Happenings 