Neshaniny 11, Abington 1

WARWICK—Neshaminy had things pretty much its own way Wednesday night. The ‘Skins scored four goals in just under six minutes and went on to an 11-1 win over Abington in a Suburban High School Hockey League Class AA game at Revolution Ice Gardens that was halted following the second period via the 10-goal mercy rule.

The result was not unexpected. Neshaminy (11-3, 9-2 in divisional play) is assured of a top-four seed at worst in next week’s SHSHL playoffs and is seemingly in line for a high seed in the upcoming Flyers Cup tournament. The Galloping Ghosts, who have 15 underclassmen on their roster, slipped to 3-13 overall and 2-9 in the division; each team has one regular-season game remaining.

Thursday’s meeting was something of a bridge between two eras of SHSHL history. Neshaminy knew its share of sorrows before taking giant strides forward this season and last. And while Abington has struggled in recent seasons, the Galloping Ghosts have a rich historical legacy that is tied to the origins of the league. Abington won the championship in the SHSHL’s inaugural reason in 1974 and went on to win the first three league titles and four of the first five. There was no Flyers Cup tournament in those days but the Galloping Ghosts claimed two state titles as well.

All told, Abington has won six SHSHL titles of one sort or another, the last of them the second of back-to-back Class AA crowns in 2004. That trails only Germantown Academy (11), Central Bucks South (8) and possibly Council Rock (six documented titles and a possible seventh) on the all-time list.

That a history that Abington coach Ken Brzozowski wants his team to embrace. “I shared that with the tonight,” he said, “and hopefully that will mean something to them.

“For us, we’ve got little goals. Next year, to improve our record, compete for a playoff spot. And then from there, maybe try to restore some of that glory that Abington had in the past.

“We’ve got a few kids that have some talent, we mix in some hard work, and maybe we can get back to that point.”

Jacob Helms scored two goals for Neshaminy while nine other players scored one goal each.

Neshaminy coach Matt DeMatteo urged his team to maintain its focus. “You start to get into a lack of team play,” he said, “where everybody wants to skate up and try and get on the scoresheet. That leads to bad habits, which (Thursday) night against Council Rock South could come back to hurt us.”

Griffin Carpenter scored the Abington goal with 1:12 left in the second period.

The ‘Skins outshot the Galloping Ghosts 35-3. Abington didn’t record its first shot on goal until 2:05 remained in what turned out to be the final period.

Neshaminy, which has won four straight and five of its last six, closes the regular season against Council Rock South on Thursday while Abington finishes against Quakertown on Friday.

Neshaminy 7 4 x—11

Abington 0 1 x—11

First-period goals: J.J. Hathaway (N) unassisted, 1:21; Joseph Hornung (N) from Joey DeMatteo, 2:25; Michael Knipple (N) from Nolan Geria, 5:14; Jacob Helms (N) from Hathaway, 5:59; DeMatteo (N) from Noah Seawagen, 8:23; Geria (N) from Hathaway, 12:32 (pp); Helms (N) from DeMatteo and Knipple, 14:15.

Second-period goals: Thomas Gallagher (N) from Ryan McColgan, 4:09; Matt Buchinski (N) from Gallagher, 4:50; Noah Seawagen (N unassisted, 7:38; Horning (N) unassisted, 7:38; Griffin Carpenter (A) from Joe Stelacio and Tom Rourke, 14:18.

Shots: Neshaminy 35, Abington 3; Saves; Brian Nelson (N) 0 and Andy Nau (N) 2; Sam Nemec (A) 24

By Rick Woelfel

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Central Bucks West 10, Abington 2

HATFIELD—Central Bucks West got of to a slow start Friday night. But once the Bucks got rolling, they kaput on going, all the way to a 10-2 win over Abington in the Suburban High School Hockey League Class AA league opener for both schools.

Griffin Carpenter gave the Galloping Ghosts (1-3, 0-1) the lead with a goal just 32 seconds after the opening faceoff. It took West (3-0, 1-0) some time to respond but Cooper Guerin’s goal at the 10:09 mark triggered a sequence that saw the Bucks score four goals in a span of just 4:29 to take a 4-1 lead and they went on from there.

West’s number-one line put up some big numbers. Jake Lang on left wing had a had trick and added three assists. Chris Trefz, the Bucks’ captain, had an eight-point night with two goals and six assists while Keith Orlando on right wing contributed two goals and two assists.

Lang said it was important for his team to respond after falling behind before a lot of fans at Hatfield Ice had settled in their seats. “That was super important,” he said. “If we didn’t get that next goal I think it would have went downhill from there for sure.”

West coach Dave Baun says his top line benefits from having played a lot of shifts together. “They work the puck really well,” he said. “I think it’s pretty clear that we’ve got a lot of work to do. We’re scoring some goals, but a lot of it is on individual stuff and it’s not the kind of team play that we look for. But they did move the puck well in the cycle and they were breaking of their passes. It looked like we were starting to get it.”

For the most of the way, the game wasn’t as one sided as the final score made it appear. Orlando and Abington’s Tom Rourke traded second-period goals and West led 5-2 before adding two goals later in the period. The Bucks padded their lead with three goals in the final 2:32 of the third frame but that did not diminish the work of Abington netminder Ben Panella; the sophomore finished with 43 saves.

Abington coach Ken Brzozowski praise the work of his young goaltender. “He did a great job,” he said. “Actually this night and the game we had last week the did really good. We had a nice victory last week and huge played well tonight.”

The Galloping Ghosts are one of the youngest teams in the SHSHL, there are 15 underclassmen on the roster. Brzozowski is taking things one shift at a time.

“We’re just looking to take little steps every game,” he said. “Composure on the puck, seeing the ice. Taking what we’re doing in practice and executing that in the game. If we can continue to do that, then I think we’re going to be in a good spot by the end of the year.”
Abington 1 10—2
C.B. West 4 3 3—10
First-period goals: Griffin Carpenter (A) from Tom Rourke, :32; Cooper Guerin (CBW) from Reese Dalzell, 10:09; Chris Trefz (CBW) from Keith Orlando and Jake Lang, 10:57; Orlando (CBW) from Sammy Poliak and Trefz, 12:24; Lang (CBW) from Trefz and Orlando, 14:38 (pp)
Second-period goals: Orlando (CBW) from Lang and Trefz, 3:30; Rourke (A) from Joe Stelacio and Carpenter, 6:04; Guerin (CBW) unassisted, 9:27; Lang (CBW) from Trefz, 15:09
Third-period goals: Lang (CBW) from Billy Loughnane and Trefz, 13:28; Loughnane (CBW) from Trefz, 14:08; Trefz (CBW) from Lang, 15:41
Shots: Abington 21, C.B. West 53; Saves: Ben Panella (A) 43, Jake Coddington (CBW) 19

By Rick Woelfel

Central Bucks East 2, Abington 2

WILLOW GROVE—As is the case with most high-school hockey games, there were moments of brilliance mixed with a miscalculation or two. When the final buzzer sounded, Central Bucks East and Abington had skated to a 2-2 draw Thursday night at Wintersport Arena in front of an audience that had turned out in large part to celebrate the Galloping Ghosts’ Senior Night festivities.

Perry Carpenter, playing in his final true home game, tied the game for Abington with 7:14 left in the third period when he scored off a left-wing faceoff that he himself took. His laser-like shot beat East goaltender Chris McIntyre in a matchup of the two players who, it could be argued, were the best on the ice for their respective sides.

“Our defenseman shot it,” Carpenter said, “and it got tipped. One of my wingers shot it with his backhand and I just shot it, hoping to get a scoring opportunity.”

Jeff Carp had given the Patriots a 2-1 led when he beat Mason Large in the Abington net on a shot from the right circle at the 5:03 mark of the third frame.

Carpenter’s goal, his 17^th of the season, kept Abington’s Suburban High School Hockey League playoff hopes alive. The Galloping Ghosts now stand at 3-7-4 overall and 2-5-3 in the Class AA standings for seven points with one league game remaining.

The tie allowed the Patriots to pick up a point; they now carry a mark of 9-4-2 overall and 5-4-1 in league play and have what would appear to be a firm hold on a playoff spot.

The player with the biggest smile at the end of the night was likely McIntyre. The sophomore netminder hadn’t played in a game since before Christmas for medical reasons but returned to action Wednesday in a 5-1 won over Truman. He came into the week with a goals-against average of 2.60 and a league-best save percentage of .912 before recording 25 saves Thursday night.

“It feels great to be back on the ice,” he said. “I was on the ice all week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and today. It feels great. I enjoy it a lot.”

McIntyre said he only had to deal with a minimal amount of rust as he prepared for a return to game competition. “A little bit on Monday,” he said, “but that was it, and I kind of got back into it.”

Sean Gorman put East up 1-0 7:50 in to a first period that saw McIntyre make three superb saves. Ryan Gosselin tied the game for Abington 5:13 into the second frame.

The Galloping Ghosts lost senior defenseman Elijah Coston at the 8:53 mark of the second period after a tussle with East’s Max Ermigliotti earned him a double minor plus a misconduct and a game misconduct.

Large, who, along with Carpenter and Coston, was part of an eight-member senior class that was honored before the game, was as sharp as McIntyre, and finished with 26 saves.

Central Bucks East 1 0 1—2

Abington 0 1 1—2

First-period goal: Sean Gorman (CBE) from Rob Kern and Shane West, 7:50.

Second-period goal: Ryan Gosselin (A) unassisted, 5:13 (pp).

Third-period goals: Jeff Carp (CBE) from Nick Locastro, 3:33; Perry Carpenter (A) unassisted, 8:46.

Shots: C.B. East 28, Abington 27; Saves: Chris McIntyre (CBE) 25, Mason Large (A) 26.

Neshaminy 6, Abington 2

BRISTOL‑ The point has come in the Suburban High School Hockey League season, when points are becoming precious. Neshaminy picked up two important points in the standings Thursday night.

Rob Seewagen scored three goals and added a pair of assists to propel his team to a 6-2 win over shorthanded Abington at Grundy Arena that was last seen heading for the exit at the final buzzer to beat the approaching snow.

The win lifted Neshaminy to 4-4-2 overall and 3-3-1 in league play. Seewagen himself leads his team in scoring with 15 goals and nine assists for 24 points.

The sophomore got things started by scoring the game’s first goal 1:57 into the first and assisting on Jacob Helms’s effort 62 seconds later.

“A lot of these kids I’ve grown up with,” Seewagen said. “Not only on the ice are we clicking, but in the locker room we’re really tight, we have a really good bond.”

Seewagen said the size of the squad lends to and increases the significance of the closeness of the group. “We don’t have a lot of guys,” he said. “On any given night, we only 13-14 guys, including the goalie. It’s definitely difficult when you’re out there every other shift, but when we’re that close like that, every shift you’re out there you’re playing for each other.”

The Galloping Ghosts (3-5-2, 2-3-1) got back in the game for a time when consecutive penalties to Joey DeMatteo (cross checking) and Joey Buday (tripping) gave them a two-man advantage for 56 seconds.

Neshaminy was able to kill one penalty buy not the second; Tommy Rourke scored the power-play goal at the 6:12 mark of the period, only to see DeMatteo answer back at 8:53.

Abington took the ice down four skaters and one backup goaltender for various reasons. Coach Ken Brzozowski said he team is still evolving. “We work hard in practice,” he said. “We’re missing a little bit of that translation from what we do I practice to the games. I think one we can get that to click we’ll continue to be competitive at the (Class AA level).”

Seewagen and Helms scored second-period goals for Neshaminy in a span of just 50 seconds.

Perry Carpenter, Abington’s top sniper, scored to make it a 5-2 with 4:07 left in the middle period before Seewagen completed his hat trick 6:44 into the third.

Abington 1 1 0—2

Neshaminy 3 2 1—6

First-period goals: Rob Seewagen (N) from Joey DeMatteo, 1:57; Jacob Helms (N) from Seewagen, 2:59; Tommy Rourke (A) from Joe Stelacio and Elijah Coston, 6:24 (pp); DeMatteo (N) from Joseph Hornung, 8:53.
Second-period goals: Seewagen, from Charles Potash, 7:15; Helms (N) from Potash and Seewagen, 8:05; Perry Carpenter (A) from Elijah Coston, 11:53.

Third-period goal: Seewagen (N) unassisted, 6:44

Another Look at Hockey History—The SHSHL

The 2019 Suburban High School Hockey League season is set to resume the day after New Year’s.

It was 46 years ago that high-school hockey was introduced to Eastern Montgomery County.

Sometime around the midway point of the 1972-73 season, hockey impresario Walter Jewell withdrew a team that he ran from a league that played at the original Grundy rink in Bristol and moved it to the Wintersport rink on York Road in Willow Grove, which had recently opened, and where a league for high-school age players had been organized.

Jewell’s team, which featured primarily, though not exclusively, Abington players, was actually called the Wintersports. The team won the league championship that first season, defeating a team called the Northeast Sabres 3-2 in the varsity championship game.

The following season, 1973-74, saw the league take a major step forward when most teams began playing under the names of various high schools. Research indicates there were eight teams in the league that year; Abington, Hatboro-Horsham, North Penn, Plymouth Whitemarsh, Lower Moreland, Upper Moreland/Willow Grove, Philmont, and Northeast (the section of Philadelphia, not necessarily the school).

High-school hockey has been a fixture in the area ever since.

Our thanks to Steve Schorr and the Abington hockey alumni for their help and providing much of the information contained in this post.

Abington 9, Souderton 1

WILLOW GROVE— Stepping up can be hard to do. After competing in the Class A American Division of the Suburban High School Hockey League a year ago, Abington, which helped found the SHSHL four-and-a-half decades ago, has stepped up to Class 2A this year.
The Galloping Ghosts went through some growing pains at the start of the season but put all the pieces together Thursday night in the course of a 9-1 win over Souderton at Wintersport Arena.

Thursday marked the official league opener for Abington, which stands at 1-2-1 overall.

Captain Perry Carpenter led the way for the victors, delivering a hat trick plus three assists. Ryan Gosselin added two goals and two assists.

“We worked really well as a team,” Carpenter said, “which we’ve been struggling to do in the past games. But we really picked up our game this game.”

Abington coach Ken Brzozowski was pleased with the way the pieces fit. “When I look at a score sheet, whether it’s Perry or anybody else, I looing to see who got the assists,” he said. “Not necessarily who’s putting the puck in the net and Perry is one of those players who is a leader in putting assists on the scoresheet.

Souderton (0-5, 0-3 in league play) was without several key players who had club responsibilities and had just 12 skaters available.

The Galloping Ghosts jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first period. Perry had a hand in all four goals, scoring once himself and providing three assists. But Souderton goaltender Amanda Kaminsky kept things from getting out of hand by making 15 saves in the 16-minute period.

“She cuts down the angles,” Carpenter said. “She makes herself big in net and that’s all the world to a goalie.”

Abington extended its lead by scoring four additional goals in the second frame. Carpenter scored twice to complete his hat trick.

Things got chippy over the course of a third period that featured nine penalties. The Big Red’s Luke Bowman scored a power-play goal off a deflection at the 4:25 mark to spoil Jacob Snellenberg’s shutout bid.

Souderton coach Ryan Uchniat noted that his team played Abington on even terms over the second half of the game thanks in large part to Kaminsky’s efforts. “She did a very good job,” he said. “She locked down the back half of the game.

“It was 1-1 the second half of the game (minus eight seconds). There were too many defensive errors in the beginning.”

Souderton 0 0 1—1

Abington 4 4 1—9

First-period goals: Ryan Gosselin (A) from Colin Bruton and Perry Carpenter, :43; Carpenter (A) from Gavin O’ Donnell and Nathan Broskey, 11:39; O’ Donnell (A) from Carpenter, 14;47; Shawn Lombardo (A) from Carpenter, 15:24.

Second-period goals: Bruton (A) from Gosselin, 4:27; Carpenter (A) from Gosselin, 6:30; Carpenter (A) from O’ Donnell, 7:39; David Staley (A) from Broskey and Bruton, 7:53.

Third-period goals: Luke Bowman (S) from Carter Povazon, 4:25 (pp); Gosselin (A) from O’ Donnell, 8:08.

Shots: Souderton 25, Abington 36; Saves: Amanda Kaminsky (S) 27, Jacob Snellenberg (A) 24.