Neshaminy 3 C.B. South 3

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—Two teams feeling their way plus one hot goaltender added up to an entertaining 56 minutes of hockey Thursday night. At evening’s end, Neshaminy and Central Bucks South left Hatfield Ice deadlocked at 3-3.

The Titans (0-1-1 overall) had the majority of the scoring chances, officially outshooting the ‘Skins 41-20 but Neshaminy (0-0-1) netminder Cory Hemberger kept them at bay and kept his team in the game; officially, he was credited with 38 saves.

“It gives us the most confidence in the world,” said Hemberger’s teammate Ryan DeMatteo. “I think he’s the best goalie in the league and he’s going to help us win games.”

No one in the building was a bigger fan of Hemberger’s effort than South coach Shaun McGinty.

“He did exactly what he was supposed to do,” McGinty said. “The one thing I would say for our boys, we didn’t get frustrated, there wasn’t finger pointing and there wasn’t blaming on the bench.

“We kept getting changes, we controlled the momentum as far as the offensive opportunities. We had our chances, but sometimes the puck just doesn’t go in. Tonight, I give all the credit to [Hemberger].”

After a scoreless first frame, Jeff Kvetcher and Aidan Linso scored goals 37 seconds apart to put the Titans up 2-0 1:22 into the second period.

DeMatteo cut the deficit in half 15 seconds later but Sean Cutter extended South’s lead once more with a power-play goal of his own at 3:45; the fourth goal in a span of exactly three minutes.

But the Titans would not score again. Angelo Veneziale brought the ‘Skins within a goal when he found the back of the net with 2:13 left in the period.

At the start of the third period, Dominic Varacallo stepped into the South net, replacing starter Jason Magarah. DeMatteo greeted him by scoring off a left offensive circle faceoff just 19 seconds into the final session.

That turned out to be the last goal of the evening but there was plenty going on to keep spectators interested.

Neshaminy got a boost when the Titans’ D.J.Lindenmuth drew a roughing penalty with 62 seconds left in regulation and a subsequent bench minor allowed Neshaminy to start the overtime with a two-man advantage.

As it turned out, Lindenmuth himself had the best chance in the extra period; he hit the center of the left post on a breakaway 70 seconds into the five-minute session. But the Titans never found the key to unlock the door that would give them a win.

For Neshaminy coach Bill Keyser, the game served as a ‘Welcome back’ to high-school hockey. Keyser, who previously served as the head coach at Truman, replaced the retired Matt DeMatteo.

“I had a good time with these kids,” he said. “This is what made me come out and coach again, the fight in the dog.

“Even though we were the underdogs, we came out and we kept fighting and we came out with a tie. It felt good to be out here tonight.”

Ice Chips—The Titans wore throwback blue and gray uniforms to commemorate their 20^th anniversary season.

Neshaminy 0 2 1 0—3

C.B. South 0 3 0 0—3

Second-period goals: Jeff Kvetcher (CBS) from Jake Kunkle, :45; Aidan Linso (CBS) from Colin Mendam, 1:22; Ryan DeMatteo (N) unassisted, 1:37 (pp); Sean Cutter (CBS) from Jake Stepp. 3:45 (pp); Angelo Veneziale (N) from Coleman Boles and DeMatteo, 14:47

Third-period goal: DeMatteo (N) unassisted, :19

Shots: Neshaminy 20, C.B. South 41; Saves: Corey Hemberger (N) 38, Jason Magarah (CBS) 3 and Dominic Varacallo (CBS) 14

Plymouth Whitemarsh 9, Truman 0

HATFIELD— Every goaltender, at every level of hockey, starts a game hoping for a shutout. Kolton Galie archived that ambition Thursday night. The Plymouth Whitemarsh junior stopped 15 shots as the Colonials downed Truman 9-0 in a Suburban High School Hockey League American Division matchup at Ice Line.
It was the first shutout of Galie’s high-school career.

“It’s really nice,” he said. “They had a few nice shots on us and it felt really nice to be able to come out there and save them and our defense really put in the effort to keep the puck out of the front of our net.”

One observer who was particularly impressed with Galie’s performance was Truman coach Bill Keyser, who took it all in from his post behind the bench.

“(Plymouth Whitemarsh) played for their goalie tonight,” he said. “They played in front of him, the blocked shots for him, and they maintained the puck. They played really well today,”

Despite Tigers’ low shot total, Galie worked hard. At least half a dozen saves required maximum effort, notably on odd-man rushes. His best save of the night came when he denied James Gallagher on a breakaway 75 seconds into the third period to keep Truman (3-6 overall and in the division) off the scoreboard.

The Colonials (6-4, 5-4 in divisional play) dominated play from the start and recorded 36 shots themselves. Like many a goaltender elsewhere, Galie likes to stay busy.

“Of course, the less shots the better,” he said. “But then, when they do get a breakaway, I’m not warmed up enough to be able to it as quickly as I would with 30 or so shots.

The Colonials scored three goals in each period. Matthew Flynn finished with a hat trick and added an assist. Luke Weikel contributed two goals and four assists. Thomas Corcoran, Jack MIshkin, Aidan Keough, and John Cubbin scored one goal each.

“I think every line contributed,” said Colonial coach Josh Aiello. “Our offense played well, our defensemen made sure they covered, and adjusted to the two-on-ones and three-on-twos.

“And our goalie really played outstanding. It was Kolton Galie’s first career shutout at the high-school level. I’m just so proud of how. He’s really just getting stronger and stronger as the season goes on.”

Keyser was pleased with his own team’s effort. “My kids didn’t back down at all,” he said. “They worked hard. We had a couple injuries on the bench and running with a light bench, sometimes that can hurt you a little bit.”

Truman 0 0 0—0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 3 3 3—9
First-period goals: Luke Weikerl (PW) from Matthew Flynn, 3:48; Flynn (PW) from Weikel, 12:41; Thomas Corcoran (PW) from Zach Spera, 14:10
Second-period goals: Aidan Keogh (PW) from Weikel, :37 (pp); Jack MIshkin (PW) from Weikel, 5:49; Flynn (Pw) from Weikel and MIshkin, 11:56 (pp)
Third-period goals: Flynn (PW) unassisted, 2:08; John Cubbin (PW) from Weikel and Keogh, 5:53 (pp); Weikel (Pw) from Corcoran, 15:22
Shots; Truman 15, Plymouth Whitemarsh 36; Saves: Connor PIlla (T) 27, Kolton Galie (PW) 15

Wissahickon 14, Truman 4

The Evening was About Much More than the Result

HATFIELD—The outcome of Wednesday’s Suburban High School Hockey League American Division game between Truman and Wissahickon was never in doubt. The Trojans scored eight goals in the first period and went on to a 14-4 win at Hatfield Ice in a game that was halted with 6:09 left in the third period via the 10-goal mercy rule.

There was a much deeper meaning to the evening however than the final result. What mattered most is that the young men wearing the Truman colors of old gold and back were getting the opportunity to play hockey and to do so representing their school.

The Tigers are winless in 12 starts this season. But their passion for the game of hockey remains, harkening back to a time when today’s players’ parents may not have been born, a time when players seized every opportunity they could to satisfy their craving for the sport.

The Truman roster includes 12 players and a goaltender, six of whom have experience playing travel hockey. Only one of the 13 rostered players is a senior.

On Wednesday night goaltender Connor Pilla was on hand, supported by just eight skaters. But the Tigers battled on, as they have all season.

Truman is coached by Bill Keyser, who takes a back seat to no one when it comes to having a passion for hockey. Now, he concentrates on helping his players nurture their own passion for the sport and is proud of fact that his players have bonded despite being overmatched on most nights.

“They all come together,” he said. “They like each other. They come out and they play for me and I’m not going to be a coach that’s going to be on them. I want to make sure they come and have fun, and I try to make it fun for them every game, Even though we lose, I try to make it their team.”

To that end, Keyser allows his team considerable input into the decision-making process. ‘I think by allowing them to feel like it’s their team they have more responsibility,” he said. “They want to become something.”

Pilla is in a unique situation. A freshman, he played B Division middle school hockey last year. Now he is facing shots from players who may be three or four years older than himself; on Wednesday he faced 45 of them in just under 42 minutes of playing time.

Had Pilla not accepted the challenge of stepping into the varsity nets Truman would not have been eligible to compete in the SHSHL this season. League rules require purity, i.e. that all players attend the school they represent. In fact, Keyser readily admits that without Pilla the Tigers would not be able to field a team at all.

“We’re putting him in an environment that really, he shouldn’t be in,” Keyser said. “But he’s able to take the challenge he steps himself up, an d gave us a chance to put a team in and still be a varsity team. Without him, we wouldn’t have been able to make this possible.”

Ice Chips—Bryan Gary scored eight goals and added five assists for the Trojans, who improved to 8-6 overall and 6-4 in divisional play … Wissahickon goaltender Chris Shea, a junior, is a lacrosse goalkeeper who was persuaded to give hockey a try. Without him, the Trojans likely would also have had difficulty fielding a pure team this season.
Truman 3 1 0—4
Wissahickon 8 3 3—14
First-period goals: Bryan Gary unassisted, :13; Gary from Will Hussa,1:04; Nicholas Hussa from Gary, 2:51; Jeremy McCartney (T) unassisted, 3:00; Gary unassisted, 3:38; Samuel Junker from Gary, 8:01 (pp); Aidan Kinniry (T) from Robert DiCrosta and McCartney, 8:58; Gary unassisted, 9:31; Gary unassisted, 12:37; McCartney (T) unassisted, 13:49; N. Hussa from Gary, 14:00 (sh).
Second-period goals: N. Hussa unassisted, 7:47; Gary from N. Hussa, 10:34; N. Hussa W) from Gary, 11:50 (sh); James Gallagher (T) unassisted, 13:54.
Third-period goals: N. Hussa from Gary, 4:08; Gallagher (T) from McCartney, 5:47; Gary unassisted, 6:07; N. Hussa from Alex Carrozza, 4:48; Gary from N. Hussa, 8:51.
Game Called at 8:51 of the third period.
Shots; Truman 28, Wissahickon 45; Saves: Connor Pilla (T) 31, Chris Shea 24