Your Source for High School Hockey
Monday 3-29
Nat/Continental First Round
3 Council Rock South vs. 6 North Penn 7:15 at Rev. Ice Gardens
4. Neshaminy vs. 5 Pennridge 7:20 at Hatfield Ice
Wednesday 3-31
Nat/Continental Semifinals
1 Pennsbury vs. TBD 7:20 at Grundy
2. Central Bucks South vs. TBD 6:30 at Hatfield
American Division Semifinals
1 Wissahickon vs. 4 Hatboro-Horsham 8:40 at Hatfield
2. Abington vs. 3 Plymouth Whitemarsh 9:00 at BCI
Thursday, April 1
Championship games in both divisions; sites, times TBD
BRISTOL— A cohesive defensive effort plus a solid performance in goal formed a winning combination for Central Bucks South Wednesday night. The result was a 2-0 win over Pennridge in a Suburban High School Hockey League National/Continental matchup that brought the SHSHL’s playoff puzzle a step closer to being solved.
Dan Kvecher scored both goals for the Titans (6-4-1 overall, 5-2 in divisional play) who still have hopes of claiming the second seed in the upcoming SHSHL playoffs via a win over Neshaminy Friday night.
Pennridge, which was playing its first league since March 1 due to Covid issues, dropped to 6-4 overall and 4-3 in divisional play.
The Titans were outshot 40-26 but did all they could to support goaltender Mason Moyer, and many of the Rams’ shots came from outside the faceoff dots.
“Obviously, it’s not the amount of shots you want to give up,” said senior defenseman Owen Mendham, “but we have Moyer back there to help us out. We did a good job of tying people up and chipping pucks out into the corners and not giving up high-scoring chances.”
South coach Shaun McGinty praised Moyer’s effort between the pipes. “Giving up 40 shots, I would have hoped we would have had better defense,” he said, “but obviously, the back end of that defense is Moyer. I’ve been saying this game in and game out, he’s the cornerstone of the team. He did his job tonight.”
The Titans got on the scoreboard when Kvecher beat Ryan Pico from close range off a feed from Aidan Gaffney at the 12:55 mark of the opening period. At the other end of the ice, the Rams fired 11 shots at Moyer but came up empty, a pattern that repeated itself all night.
Moyer made his best save of the game on Richie Shanks with 10:15 left in the game during a Pennridge power play.
Kvecher added an empty-net goal with 21 second left in regulation.
“It was a very frustrating evening,” said Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna. “I thought that in the third period, we generated a lot more chances.
“I thought in the first period we made it really on (Moyer). A lot of eye-level stuff that he could see.”
Despite the loss, Montagna took away some positives from the evening. “I thought that was our best game in a long time,” he said. “we played a great defensive game, we had a ton of offensive-zone time. We’ve got to find a way to break though on that and I thought we were a little soft in the offensive end getting around the net.”
C.B. South 1 0 1—2
Pennridge 0 0 0—0
First-period goal: Dan Kvecher (CBS) from Aidan Gaffney, 12:05
Third-period goal: Kvecher (CBS) unassisted, 15:39 (en)
Shots: C.B.South 26, Pennridge 40; Saves: Mason Moyer (CBS) 40, Ryan Pico (PR) 24
By Rick Woelfel
When Holy Ghost Prep Firebirds hit the ice Monday night, an easily disenable wave of positive energy swept through the Green Rink at Hatfield Ice.
After weeks of waiting, and wondering if they would have a season at all, the Firebirds were back to playing the game they loved.
“We’ve been through a lot as a country,” said Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside. “It’s just nice to be back on the ice with these kids, and in the locker rooms, and seeing their smiles and practicing, and now to be able to play in a game, it’s just nice.
“This where they need to be, and it’s a nice way to kick off the season.”
Whiteside noted that playing their first game of the season gave his players a sense of normalcy. “This is where they thrive,” he said. “You can hear the laughter, the chatter, the camaraderie they have. It’s a special team and I’m just fortunate to be a part of it.”
Perhaps no one enjoyed the evening more than Firebird defenseman Jake Marek. The senior was making his return to the ice after missing his entire junior season because of a torn ACL that he sustained just prior to the first game of last season.
“I haven’t played with these guys in a while,” Marek said. “And some of the underclassmen I’ve never played with ever. So, going out, I was a little skeptical on how we were going to be as a team. But, it’s family. This team jells. And it was very, very nice to play with.”
Despite his injury, Marek remained with the team last season and at times could set his concerns about his injury and his hockey future aside.
“I was still with the team,” he said. “And, to be out there with the guys, I didn’t feel it.”
Not so long ago, Marek was thinking he might have played his last game with the Firebirds, but not because of his injury. “I knew I was going to come back from the injury no matter what,” he said. “But with the pandemic, I was very, very scared. I’m very, very thankful to be in this spot today.”
Marek’s greatest concern is that his senior season of high-school hockey will be further interrupted. “I want a season,” he said. “I don’t just want a couple games, I want a season, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
Brady Baehser and E.J. Pohl scored twice for the Firebirds. Bobby Baehser got the win in goal. Mason Moyer was in goal for the Titans, his first action of the season.
The Firebirds and La Salle will open the APAC season Friday night at Hatfield Ice with a scheduled 6:50 start.
Holy Ghost Prep 4 2 2—8
C.B. South 0 0 0—0
First-period goals: Brady Baehser (HGP) from Brian Butler. 5:42; E.J. Pohl (HGP) from Jason Soule and Evan Mudrick, 8:17 (pp); Sean Marshall (HGP) and Sean Moore, 12:57 (sh); Baehser (HGP) unassisted, 14:47.
Second-period goals: Anthony Sparo (HGP) from Mudrick, 10:25; Pohl (HGP) from Moore and Mudrick, 15:58.
Third-period goals: Landon Stoudt (HGP) from Carlos Rodriguez, Jr., 5:32; Patrick McAneny (HGP) from James Littley, 8:30.
By Rick Woelfel
HATFIELD—It wasn’t a flashy performance. But it was a model of efficiency.
Blake Stewart and Arek Lehrhaupt each scored twice to lead Pennridge to a 5-1 win over Central Bucks South in a SHSHL National/Continental matchup Thursday night at Hatfield Ice.
It was the second win for the Rams (2-1 overall, 0-1 in league play) in two nights.
Rams coach Jeff Montagna was pleased his team stepped up after a subpar, albeit winning effort against Central Bucks West on Wednesday.
“It was boring in a good way,” he said. “I have not been happy at all the first two nights (including an opening night-loss to Pennsbury), especially defensively. They did a really nice job just keeping things simple, and once we got the lead, not giving (South) a whole lot of life.”
Aidan Boyle got things started for the Rams when he beat Madison Ambler with a forehander from midway between the two circles 9:13 into the first frame. Lehrhaupt made it 2-0 at 11:50 with a shot from the edge of the right circle on an odd-man situation.
The Titans got on the board when Garrett Sklar beat Ryan Pico in the Pennridge net 6:31 into the middle period but that was all they could manage.
“We were outworked and outplayed,” said South coach Shaun McGinty, “and only a few players showed up. We need to win the corner battles and the battles in the defensive zone.”
Stewart restored the Rams’ two goal lead at the 7:59 mark of the period., then widened the margin with his second goal of the game 8:10 into the third frame. Stewart, who is the Pennridge captain, was pleased to see his team bounce back after an off night 24 hours earlier, but still wasn’t satisfied
“(Wednesday night) was pretty sloppy,” he said, “but we went home, we thought about the game and came out here and forced things that we needed to do tonight. It was much better, but without being on the ice very much, all that’s a little tough.”
Lehrhaupt finished the scoring with 1:09 left in the game.
The Rams are one of the most experienced teams in the SHSHL Montagna is counting on leadership from his veterans to help them reach their potential. “I told them ‘It’s on you guys’” he said. “Guys that have played for me for three, four years, they have to lead this team and have to set the example … and I didn’t think the first nights they did that.”
Montagna cited Stewart’s leadership abilities but also the responsibility that comes with wearing the captain’s C.
“He has to lead us and a couple of the other guys have to lead us,” Montagna said, “And they did that tonight.”
Pico and Ambler made 21 saves apiece. Ambler was in goal in place of veteran Mason Moyer who has been unavailable for the Titans’ first two games.
Pennridge 2 1 2—5
C.B. South 0 1 0—1
First-period goals: Aidan Boyle (P) from Andrew David, 9:13; Arek Lehrhaupt (P) from Jeff Manto, 11:50.
Second-period goals: Garrett Sklar (CBS) from Aydin Thierolf, 6:31; Blake Stewart (P) from Andrew David, 7:59.
Third-period goals: Stewart (P) from Richie Shanks and Boyle, 8:10; Lehrhaupt (P) from Manto, 14:51.
Shots: Pennridge 26, C.B. South 22; Saves: Ryan Pico (P) 21, Madison Ambler (CBS) 21.
The Class AA quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday
Boyertown 5, Central Bucks South 4 OT
Downingtown West 3, North Penn 2
Perkiomen Valley 4, Council Rock South 3
Haverford 8, Pennridge 1
Winners to semifinals on March 11 or 12
The Class AAA quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday
Holy Ghost Prep 8, Bishop Shanahan 0
Father Judge 6, Malvern Prep 2
St. Joseph’s Prep 3, Cardinal O’Hara 2
La Salle 8, Roman Catholic 1
Winners to semifinals on March 11 or 12
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Tuesday, March 3 Class AA
Central Bucks South 4, Conestoga 1
Boyertown 4 Central Bucks East 1
North Penn 4, Ridley 1
Downingtown West 7, Pennsbury 3
Perkiomen Valley 8, Dowingtown East 5
Council Rock South 7, Parkland 5
Pennridge 4, Neshaminy 3
Haverford 8 Central Bucks West 0
We’ll have recaps of the two games at Grundy Arena later this evening at www.hockeyhappenings.wordpress.com
The Grundy Skate Shop is a full-service hockey pro shop inside the Grundy Arena, offering a great selection of equipment, brands and various services. We do a full range of repairs as well as offer custom hockey jerseys. Owner Bill Keyser, has over 25 years experience in the industry and specializes in skate sharpening, including profiling. Please visit our Facebook page or stop in and check us out!
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HATFIELD— If one word were used to describe Council Rock South’s performance Thursday night it would be efficient. One shift at a time one period at a time, all the way to a 3-1 win over Central Bucks South to claim the Suburban High School Hockey League Class AA title in front of a full house at Hatfield Ice.
Jeremy Purcell scored twice for the third-seeded Golden Hawks (13-5-0-1) who did a lot of little things right up and down the lineup to claim the second SHSHL championship in school history. Its first came in 2010.
“You win championships, you win big games like this with you second and third lines,” said Joe Houk, Council Rick South’s veteran coach. “Our second and third lines won the game tonight.”
Purcell, who centers the Hawks’ second line, is a case in point. He had just four goals and six assists in 13 games prior to Thursday. His contributions were needed because two Council Rock defensemen were out of the lineup.
“It’s a team game,” Purcell said. “We’ve all got to work together. C.B. South is a very good team. We’ve got to put it all together to win in the end.”
The opening 17-minute period featured an abundance of physicality but just a single goal, a power-play effort from the Golden Hawks’ Antii Autere who made a rush from his own zone, all the way down the left wing and took the puck behind the Titans’ net before beating Mason Moyer at the 6:05 mark.
Purcell scored his first goal 1:54 into the second period off a left circle faceoff which set up a wraparound from behind the net with the junior tucking the puck inside the right post. At that point, the Golden Hawks had scored twice on just six shots.
A key moment in the game occurred 7:33 into the second period when the Titans’ Nathan Fievitz drew a five-minute major penalty plus a match penalty for butt ending that gave the Golden Hawks an extended power play and brought Fievitz an indefinite suspension pending a review by USA Hockey.
Purcell scored his second goal of the game during the ensuing power play with Bill Harrelson’s help at the 10:39 mark to give his team a three-goal lead.
The Titans, to their credit, kept battling and got on the board via a goal from Aidan Gaffney with 3:05 left in regulation and kept Golden Hawks’ goaltender Jimmy Sweeney busy down the stretch.
Titan assistant Tyler Skroski praised the Golden Hawks’ effort. “They came out buzzing,” he said. “They came out buzzing against North Penn (in the semifinals) and they carried it right over into this game. They’ve got some really dynamic scoters mixed in with solid goaltending and veterans on defense.”
Ice Chips—The Golden Hawks are the sixth seed in the upcoming Flyers Cup tournament and will face 11th-seeded Parkland Tuesday night at 8:45 at Grundy Arena. The top-seeded Titans will take on 16th seed Conestoga at 6:40 at Hatfield Ice the same evening.
C.R. South 1 2 0
C.B. South 0 0 1
First-period goals: Antii Autere (CRS) from Matt Constantini, 6:05 (pp)
Second-period goals: Jeremy Purcell (CRS) unassisted, 1:54; Purcell (CRS) from Bill Harrelson, 10:39 (pp)
Third-period goals: Aidan Gaffney (CBS) from Colin Abbonizio and Daniel Kvetcher, 13;55
Shots: C.R. South 19, C.B. South 30; Saves: Jimmy Sweeney (CRS) 29, Mason Moyer (CBS) 16
Hockey Happenings has received some new verified historical information. Consequently, this article has been revised.
Central Bucks South, which will face Council Rock South for the SHSHL Class AA title tonight at Hatfield Ice (6:30) is trying to win a league title for the eighth time.
The Titans previously won titles in 2005 ’12, ’13, and four straight form 2015-18. That Germantown Academy also claimed four straight titles from 1998-2001, the last four of the 11 recorded SHSHL championships in their history. That is an all-time record
Council Rock South’s only SHSHL title as a distinctly separate entity came in 2010. Before the Council Rock School District opened its second high school, Council Rock won SHSHL titles in 1984, ’87, ’88, ’89, 90′ ’91 and ’97. The Indians’ five consecutive titles from 1987-91 is a record.
Most Championships
Germantown Academy 11
Central Bucks South 7
Council Rock 7
Abington 6
Wissahickon and Plymouth Whitemarsh will meet Thursday night for the SHSHSL Class A title. The Trojans, who are the defending champions, also won SHSHL Class A titles in 2006, 2010, and 20015 and possibly 2003 (the historical record is unclear).
Plymouth Whitemarsh, which was part of the SHSHL in 1973-74, claimed its only title in Class A in 2008-09
The documentation of the history of the SHSHL is an ongoing effort. Anyone with information on the history of the league is urged to contact us HERE or contact Commissioner Kenny Haas.
We are still seeking definitive answers to the following questions.
* The teams that won the Class AA championships in 1996 and 2007.
* The team that won the Class A titles in 2003 and 2004.
Please feel free to contact is if you have information that would help us resolve these questions (clippings, game programs, notes, etc).
HATFIELD—Central Bucks South had some high-performance fuel in their gas tanks Monday night. The Titans built a 5-0 first-period lead and went on to defeat Central Bucks West 13-3 in a Suburban High School Hockey League Class AA quarterfinal at Hatfield Ice that was terminated with 8:17 left in the third period. The top-seeded Titans (15-0-0-1) will advance to a Wednesday semifinal against Neshaminy in this same venue Wednesday night (6:30). Neshaminy, the fourth seed, bested fifth seed Central Bucks East 5-3 in another Monday quarterfinal.
Colin Abbonizio scored six goals and assisted on another for the Titans, who are seeking their ninth SHSHL title. Dominic Patrone and Connor Gaffney scored two goals each.
Jake Lang, who had been out of the lineup for several weeks for the eighth-seeded Bucks, was on the ice for the opening faceoff and wound up scoring two goals.
The Titans are already assured of the top seed in the upcoming Flyers Cup tournament; the SHSHL playoffs do not impact the Flyers Cup seedings. But any notion that South might coast through the league tournament was immediately dispelled.
Abbonizio scored the game’s first goal at the 6:23 mark of the first period and Aidan Gaffney made it 2-0 just 10 seconds later. Abbonizio completed a hat trick before the first period ended.
“We were so fired up- to get playoffs going,” he said. “We really had everyone going. Everyone is just so excited that we put everything out there.”
Abbonizio, the Titans’ captain, emphasized that the SHSHL title matters a lot to he and his teammates. “We never look past this tournament,” he said. “Obviously, South has gad a lot of success in past years. These trophies (for winning the regular season and league titles) are an appetizer. We want to get those trophies and we want more.”
By the end of the second period South had built a 10-0 lead but they maintained their focus to the final buzzer. Their coach, Shaun McGinty, would have it no other way.
“We break it down season by season,” he said. “Tonight is the second season. Everybody is 0-0-0. What happened last week is over We all know each other in this second season.”
Both teams are locked into their Flyers Cup seeds. The top-seeded Titans will host number-16 Conestoga next Tuesday at Hatfield Ice (6:40 start). The 15th-seeded Bucks (7-7-2-1) will face second seed Haverford at the Skatium at 7:00 that same evening.
C.B. West 0 3 0—3
C.B. South 5 5 3—13
First-period goals: Colin Abbonizio (CBS) unassisted, 6:23 (pp); Aidan Gaffney (CBS) from Ryan Gingras and Connor Gaffney, 6:36; Daniel Kvecher (CBS) from Abbonizio, 7:17; Abbonizio (CBS) unassisted, 14:11; Abbonizio (CBS) unassisted, 14:56.
Second-period goals: Keith Orlando (CBS) from Evan Hee and Chris Trefz, 1:13; Abbonizio (CBS) unassisted, 1:18; Jake Lang (CBW) from Ben Morris and Sammy Poliak, 4:03; Dominic Patrone (CBS) from Nick Klein and Gingras, 5:44; Lang (CBW) from Trefz and Hee, 6:52; Patrone (CBS) from Matt Milanesi and Gingras, 11:31 (pp); Connor Gaffney (CBS) from Max Levitz, 12:09; Abbonizio (CBS) from Stephen McMillan, 13:37
Third-period goals: Gaffney (CBS) from Owen Mendham, 3:47 (pp) Abbonizio (CBS) from McMillan, 6:30; Aidan Gaffney (CBS) from Connor Gaffney 7:43
Shots: C.B. West 25, C.B. South 54; Saves: Jake Coddington (CBW) 41, Mason Moyer (CBW) 22
HATFIELD—The evening was a fitting conclusion to the regular season. Daniel Kvecher scored 72 seconds into overtime to give Central Bucks South a 3-2 win over North Penn Thursday night in a SHSHL Class AA game at Hatfield Ice.
With the win the Titans (14-0-0-1 overall) completed a 12-0 run through the Class AA division, claimed the regular-season division title and the top seed for next week’s SHSHL playoffs, and enhanced their claim on the top seed for the Flyers Cup tournament next month. That’s a lot to accomplish in one evening of work.
The Titans controlled play in the overtime. The game-winning sequence started when Colin Abbonizio made a move down the left wing and the puck didn’t leave the North Penn defensive zone thereafter. Kvecher beat Knight goaltender Nick Ebbinghaus on a shot from the right circle.
“Something we stress as a team is just getting it in the zone,” Abbonizio said. “Get it on net and once you get it in the zone, keep it there.”
The Titans we’re playing their second game in 24 hours but Abbonizio, the Titans’ captain, said he and his teammates found the energy they needed late in the game. “We were exhausted,” he said, but you know in a game like that you’ve got to push through, you’ve got to give it your all. Something that I personally look at is you just go hard for those last couple minutes. You’ve got a couple days to rest and you’ve got to give it your all.”
North Penn had tied the game with 10:06 left in the third period when Tony Trozzi scored after corralling a lose puck in his offensive right-wing corner, darting in front of the net and putting in a rebound after South netminder Mason Moyer stopped his original shot.
Both teams worked hard at both ends of the ice and scoring chances were minimal. Ryan Gingras gave the Titans a 1-0 lead 2;53 into the first period off as turnover and a bounce. Abbonizio made it 2-0 40 seconds into the second frame when he put in a rebound off his own initial shot but Josh Kaufhold got North Penn (12-3, 11-1) on the scoreboard at the 4:59 mark on shot from the right faceoff circle.
Both teams gave the impression they’d like to play hockey for a while longer, say, another month.
“It’s a great way to end the season,” said South coach Shaun McGinty. “Obviousy, going to (overtime) is a lot of fun for the kids. It’s great for high-school hockey as well and we. We’re fortunate to come out on top.”
The Knights aren’t planning on going away anytime soon either.”It was a great hockey game,” said North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis. “A well-played game by both teams, coming down to the end of the season, first place on the line. It’s everything you want in a hickey game and I think everybody got to see that tonight.”
Ice Chips: The win was the Titans’ 14th straight. Their only loss has been to La Salle in overtime in their season opener. North Penn’s three losses include two to the Titans and one to Hioly Ghost Prep. The Titans won a no-league game from the Knights 5-1 on November 27.
North Penn 0 1 1 0—2
C.B. South 1 1 0 1—3
First-period goals: Ryan Gingras (CBS) unassisted, 2:53
Second-period goals: Colin Abbonizio (CBS) unassisted, :40; Josh Kaufhold (NP) from Tyler Greenstein, 4:59 (pp)
Third-period goals: Tony Tuozzo (NP) unassisted, 5:54
Overtime goal: David Kvecher (CBS) from Abbonizio and Gingras, 1:12
Shots: North Penn 23, C.B. South 31; Saves: Nick Ebbinghaus (NP), Mason Moyer (CBS) 21
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