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

SHSHL Playoff Game Times Set

The brackets have been finalized for the 2019 Suburban High School Hockey League playoffs. Action gets underway Monday, February 25 with four Class AA quarterfinal games and continues on Wednesday the 27^th with semifinal games in Class AA and Class A. The championship games in each class will be played at Hatfield Ice on Thursday, February 28.

Central Bucks South is the four-time defending champion in Class AA; if they successfully defend this year it will extra blush a new league record. Hatboro-Horsham meanwhile will be trying to defend the Class A crown.

It should be noted that the results of the SHSHL playoffs will have no impact on the Flyers Cup seedings which are scheduled to be announced on Sunday.

Monday, February 25

Class AA Quarterfinals

1 C.B. South vs. 8 Council Rock South 7:00 at Rev. Ice Gardens

4 C.B. West vs 5 Neshaminy 8:40 at Rev Ice Gardens

3 North Penn vs 6 Pennsbury 8:40 at Hatfield Ice

2 Pennridge vs 7 Central Bucks East 7:00 at Hatfield Ice

Wednesday, February 27

Class AA Semifinals

Upper Bracket winners 7:00 at Revolution Ice Gardens

Lower Bracket winners 7:00 at Hatfield Ice

Class A Semifinals

1 Lower Moreland vs 4 Hatboro-Horsham 8:45 at Rev. Ice Gardens

2 Wissahickon vs 3 Plymouth Whitemarsh 8:45 at Hatfield Ice

Thursday, February 28

Class AA Final 7:00 at Hatfield Ice

Class A Final 8:45 at Hatfield Ice

If you or a family member, or friend are looking for a dentist, Hockey Happenings is proud to recommend All Smiles Family Dentistry. They’re located at 1620 South Broad Street in Lansdale.

Dr. Caroline Hsu, Dr. Azure Pelberg and their staff provide high-quality dental care in a caring, nurturing environment. They’ve been taking care of my teeth for 25 years and I would recommend them to anyone. Going to the dentist can be an unsettling experience but everyone at All Smiles Family Dentistry will work to put you at ease.

Call for an appointment at 215-616-0609 or e-mail them at allsmilesfamilydentistry@verizon.net. You can also find them on line at www.allsmileslansdale.com.

That’s All Smiles Family Dentistry of Lansdale.

C.B. West 8, North Penn 7

By Rick Woelfel

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—If you’re the type of hockey fan who favors an abundance of offense, you would have felt right at home at Hatfield Ice Thursday night. Central Bucks West and North Penn took turns finding the back of the net before Chris Trefz’s power-play goal with 1:30 left in the third period gave the Bucks an 8-7 win to bring the curtain down on the Suburban High School Hockey League’s regular season.

The winning goal came on a shot from the top of the right circle that beat North Penn goaltender Andrew Zanoni. The Knights’ Jared Albano was serving a slashing penalty at the time.

“I saw an open look,” Trefz said. “Our game plan was to put pucks on net the whole game. I just put it on and it went in,”

Trefz’s third goal of the game capped a comeback by the Bucks (9-7, 7-4 in SHSHL Class AA), who trailed 4-1 late in the first period before rallying to pick up their seventh win in their last nine games.

“Guys decided to come together,” Trefz said. “Our seniors did a great job of leading us; our goalie, Jeremy Kennard, our captain, Matt McCarthy, and a few other juniors did a great job of getting everybody motivated.

‘We’re doing a great job of buying into (Coach Dave Baun’s) system and we’re looking forward to the playoffs.”

The Knights (10-3-3, 7-2-2) built their early lead on goals from Nathan Oh, Tyler Greenstein, Tony Tuozzo, and Albano.

Joey DeYoung cut into the deficit when he scored for West with 2:40 left in the opening session and Owen Shields followed up with a goal just 12 seconds into the second frame.

Trefz’s first goal of the game 6:32 into the middle period not only tied the game but sent Nick Ebbinghaus, North Penn’s starting goaltender, to the bench.

The teams traded goals the rest of the way.

All told, 10 Bucks and 11 Knights got onto the scoresheet. Trefz had two assists to go with his hat trick. Lang provided three assists along with his goal. Nelson scored twice for North Penn and added an assist, while Oh contributed two assists along with his goal.

The Knights enjoyed a 46-29 shot advantage but Kennard withstood the barrage and finished with 39 saves.

North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis was pleased with much of what he saw. “We’re doing a lot of good things,” he said. “We’ve got to keep building on that. There are things we’ve got to clean up a little bit. We’ll talk about them Monday and be ready to go.

Notes: The SHSHL quarterfinals are set for Monday. North Penn will be seeded third in the field of eight, the Bucks will be seeded fourth.

North Penn 4 2 1—7

C.B. West 2 3 3—8

First-period goals: Nathan Oh (MP) unassisted, 2:54; Jake Lang (CBW) from Pavel Serhiayenka and Chris Trefz, 7:15; Tyler Greenstein (NP) from Josh Kaufhold and Jake Nelson, 8:58; Tony Tuozzo (NP) from Jared Albano and Ryan Cunningham, 11:13 (pp); Albano (NP) from Oh and Eric Sarbacker, 12:51; Joey DeYoung (CBW) from Ben Morris, 13:20.

Second-period goals: Owen Shields (CBW) from DeYoung, :12; Trefz (CBW) from Lang and Serhiayenka, 6:32; Trefz (CBW) from Kyle Burton and Lang, 7:04; Jake Nelson (NP) from Albano and Oh, 10:01; Thomas Boyle (MP) from Albano, 12:42.

Third-period goals: Kyle Burton (CBW) from Evan Hee and Trefz, 4:02; Nelson (NP) from Greenstein and Chase Mueller, 9:33; Dan Poliak (CBW) from Keith Orlando, 10:21; Trefz (CBW) from Lang, 14:30 (pp).

Shots: North Penn 46, C.B. West 29; Saves: Nick Ebbinghaus (NP) 8 and Andrew Zanoni (NP) 13; Jeremy Kennard (CBW) 39.

If you, a family member, or a friend are looking for a dentist, Hockey Happenings is proud to recommend All Smiles Family Dentistry. They’re located at 1620 South Broad Street in Lansdale.

Dr. Caroline Hsu, Dr. Azure Pelberg and their staff provide high-quality dental care in a caring, nurturing environment. They’ve been taking care of my teeth for 25 years and I would recommend them to anyone. Going to the dentist can be an unsettling experience, take my word for it, but everyone at All Smiles Family Dentistry will work to put you at ease.

Call for an appointment at 215-616-0609 or e-mail them HERE. You can also find them on line at www.allsmileslansdale.com.

That’s All Smiles Family Dentistry of Lansdale.

Neshaminy 4, C.B. West 2

By Rick Woelfel

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—Neshaminy picked up a big win Thursday night, and made a statement in the process. Rob Seewagen scored two goals and added an assist as Neshaminy bested Central Bucks West 4-2 in a Suburban High School Hockey League Class AA encounter at Hatfield Ice.

The win lifted Neshaminy to 5-3-2 in the SHSHL’s Class AA standings (7-4-3 overall) and tied it for fourth place in the standings with one league game remaining for both teams, Neshaminy would own the tiebreaker over the Bucks (8-7, 6-4) if the teams end the season tied.

‘”It’s good to get a win against a quality team like this heading right into the playoffs,” said Neshaminy coach Matt DeMatteo.

Neshaminy made it clear from the opening faceoff that it meant business. Seewagen set up Joey DeMatteo for the evening’s first goal 7:25. Seewagen made a move down the middle of the ice and circled behind the Bucks’ net before sending a pass out front to DeMatteo, who beat Jeremy Kennard with a backhander. Seewagen made it 2-0 at the 12:40 mark when he scored on a shot from the left wing.

“We needed to send a message right away,” Seewagen said. “We needed them to realize this wasn’t going to be a cakewalk for them.”

Jake Lang got West on the board just 15 seconds into the second period before tying the game on a power play at the 6:01 mark while Brian McGrady was in the box serving a tripping minor.

In the midst of it it all, Neshaminy goaltender Steve Glik was holding his ground; after two periods he had made 31 saves. He finished with 44.

Thomas Gallagher scored what proved to be the winning goal on a shot from the deep right wing 2:12 into the third period. Seewagen extended his team’s lead with a power-play goal at the 10:50 mark. Lang was in the box for holding at the time, one of four penalties West took in the final period. Reese Dalzell and Joey DeYoung drew simultaneous penalties with 3:21 left, leaving West two men short for two minutes and thwarting its comeback effort.

“I thought we played a good game,” said West coach Dave Baun. “A few of our youthful mistakes were obvious early on; we gave the puck away a few times and they scored because they have good finishers on that team. But when the game settled down, five on five, I was very happy with the way that we played.”

Seewagen, who transferred to Neshaminy from Holy Ghost Prep, feels he and his teammates are primed for postseason success. “I wasn’t here last year,” he said, “but they made a big step and got in the playoffs. Now, were not just going to the playoffs because we’re going to the playoffs. We’re going to the playoffs to win. It feels good when you’re playing with your brothers and having a good time out there.”

Notes: Neshaminy will finish the regular season against Truman next Wednesday while the Bucks close against North Penn the same evening …West finished with a 48-26 advantage in shots.
Neshaminy 2 0 2—4
C.B. West 0 2 0—2
First-period goals: Joey DeMatteo (N) from Rob Seewagen, 7:25; Seewagen (N) from BRian McGrady, 12:40.
Second-period goals: Jake Lang (CBW) from Chris Trefz, :15; Lang (CBW) from Pavel Serhiayenka, 6:01 (pp).
Third-period goals: Thomas Gallagher (N) from Phillip Oseredzuk and Joey Buddy, 2:12; Seewagen (N) unassisted, 10:50.
Shots: Neshaminy 28, C.B. West 46; Saves Steve Glik (N) 44, Jeremy Kennard (CBW) 24

North Penn 5, Central Bucks West 3

It took the North Penn Knights a while to get going Wednesday night. But once they got their engines going it was full speed ahead.

Jake Nelson, Tony Tuozzo and Jake Albano scored third-period goals to propel North Penn to a 5-3 non-league win over Central Bucks West at Hatfield Ice. The win extended North Penn’s winning streak to five games and improved its record to 8-2-3 overall. The result will not count in the Suburban High School Hockey League Class AA standings but will factor into the seedings for the Flyers Cup tournament in March. The Knights and the Bucks (6-6) will play their league game against each other on February 20 to conclude the regular season.

The first three goals of Wednesday’s affair were of the shorthanded variety. Chris Trefz started things off for West at 5:54 of the first period when he scored off a two-on-one situation following a turnover at the West blue line. The goal came while the Bucks’ Matt McCarthy was in the box serving a hooking penalty.

Pavel Serhiayenka, who assisted on Trefz’s goal, scored one himself with 2:17 left in the opening period on another shorthanded situation, one that arose when the Bucks drew a bench minor for too many men on the ice. Serhiayenka put in a rebound of Jake Lang’s original shot off a two-one-one situation; North Penn goaltender Andrew Zanoni could not be faulted on either goal.

The Knights got on the board exactly two minutes into the second frame on Ryan Cunningham’s shorthanded effort.
Roughly three minutes after that the pace of the game picked up, which worked to North Penn’s advantage. Jared Albano tied the game at the 12:47 mark of the middle period, the first even-strength goal of the game.

Jake Nelson put the Knights in front with a power-play goal just 21 seconds into the final period. Lang responded for the Bucks with a power-play goal of his own at 4:12, but the Knights had the upper hand from there.

“I thought (North Penn) played hard,” said West coach Dave Baun. “They played well, they played hard, they skate hard. But, the game that they play isn’t our game.

“Puck movement is our game. And when our team can move the puck well and skate hard without it, like we did in the first period and half of the second, then we’re a good team. But, as the guys get tired, they sort of lose it a little bit and they default into some other game that isn’t our game.”

Tuozzo, a freshman, scored what proved to be the winning goal for the Knights 9:06 into the third period during a scramble that developed at the doorstep of West goaltender Anthony Kennard. The goal came while Lang was in the box for the Bucks serving a double minor (tripping/unsportsmanlike conduct).

“(Tuozzo) has played well all season for us,” said North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis. “He’s sort of moved up, playing with Albano and (Nathan) Oh the last couple games and he’s contributed, gone out there and worked hard, done the things that we’re asking him to do, and he got rewarded with the game winner tonight.”

Tuozzo said he’s making the adjustment to varsity hockey. “After a couple games I kind of got used to it,” he said. “I know where I should be, know where not to go and stuff like that. It’s very different.”

Albano scored his second goal of the evening for the Knights with 3:57 left in the game to provide insurance.

North Penn had a 47-21 edge in shots. West goaltender Jeremy Kennard made 42 saves. the loss snapped a four-game West winning streak.

C.B. West 2 0 1—3

North Penn 0 2 3—5

First-period goals: Chris Trefz (CBW) from Pavel Serhiayenka, 5:54 (sh); Serhiayenka (CBW) from Jake Lang, 14:43 (sh).

Second-period goals: Ryan Cunningham (NP) from Nathan Oh, 2:00 (sh); Jared Albano (NP) from Tony Tuozzo, 12:07.

Third-period goals: Jake Nelson (NP) from Tyler Greenstein, :21 (pp); Lang (CBW) from Serhiayenka and Trefz, 4:12 (pp); Tuozzo, from Albano, 4:06; Albano (NP) unassisted, 12:53.

Shots: C.B. West 21, North Penn 47; Saves: Jeremy Kennard (CBW) 42, Andrew Zanoni (NP) 18.

Records: Central Buck West (6-6), North Penn (8-2-3)

Two Ex-Ridley Hockey Players Convicted for Roles in 2017 Flyers Cup Brawl

Two former Ridley High School hockey players were convicted Friday in a Montgomery County courtroom of charges stemming from an on-ice brawl during a Flyers Cup quarterfinal game against Central Bucks West in March of 2017

19-year old Brock Anderson of Morton and 20-year old Jake Tyler Cross of Secane were convicted of simple assault and conspiracy to commit simple assault, both misdemeanors.

Both were sentenced to one year probation and 100 hours of community service. A third defendant, 19-year old Ryan Anthony Gricco of Swarthmore, also a former Ridley hockey player, was acquitted of a conspiracy charge. The jury deadlocked on an assault charge against Gricco, he could be retried.

The incident occurred with 7:12 left in the third period of a Class 2A Flyers Cup quarterfinal on March 9, 2017 at Hatfield Ice. Central Bucks West was leading 7-1 at the time; the game was terminated at that point. Several Central Bucks West players were injured in the incident

Central Bucks South Beats Central Bucks West in SHSHL Matchup

The final score did not reflect what transpired at Revolution Ice Gardens Wednesday night.

Central Bucks South bested Central Bucks West 5-1 in a Suburban High School Hockey League Class AA matchup while outshooting their opponents 51-12. But the win didn’t come easily to the Titans (1-2, 1-0 SHSHL), who broke the game open with four goals in the third period but had their hands full until then.

That was due primarily to the work Jake Coddington in the Bucks’ net. The junior turned aside 46 of 51 shots.

“Jake Coddington was spectacular,” said West coach Dave Baun. “I wanted to keep it close at the end just for Jake Coddington because I thought that 5-1 didn’t do him justice.”

The Bucks (1-1, 0-1) kept the game close for two periods. The Titans dominated the first frame, outshooting West 19-1, but wound up with just one goal for their efforts. That goal came from Reis Braccio at the 11:23 mark.

The Bucks tied the game just 72 seconds into the second period. The Titans’ D.J. Loverdi was in the box for high sticking when Pavel Serhiayenka scored on a wrister from the left point.

South continued to dominate the game but couldn’t get the puck past Coddington. At period’s end, the shot margin was 34-8 in South’s favor but the score remained 1-1, a circumstance South coach Shaun McGinty found perplexing.

“All the credit to West,” he said, but my guys, I don’t feel as though they came ready, they weren’t prepared.”

Between the second and third period, McGinty encouraged his troops to pick up their intensity level. The result was four goals in a span of 13:49. Ryan Gingras started the flurry at the 1:11 mark. Daniel Kvecher followed up at 5:49, Matt Milanesi on a power play at 8:01 and finally Colin Abbonizio with exactly one minute left in the game.

Braccio, who was stymied by Coddington on at least four occasions after the first period, assisted on the last two goals.

“My approach to the third was ‘No one cares what happened in the past,’” McGinty said. “’No one owes you anything, you earn respect.’

They have to find the culture of their team, they have to develop their unity.

“To struggle in the first two periods the way they did, it can’t happen. The shot totals were there, but they weren’t productive, they weren’t playing hard.”

Notes—Oscar Levin was in goal for South … Wednesday’s game was the only scheduled regular-season meeting between the Bucks and the Titans

C.B. West 0 1 0—1

C.B. South 1 0 4—5

First-period goal: Reis Braccio (CBS) from Dominick Liberta, 11:23.

Second-period goal: Pavel Serhiayenka (CBW) from Christopher Trefz, 1:12 (pp).

Third-period goals: Ryan Gingras (CBS) from Harry McLaughlin and James Schuler, 1:11; Daniel Kvecher (CBS) from Alex Glushek, 5:49; Matt Milansei (CBS) from Braccio and Schuler, 8:01 (pp); Colin Abbonizio (CBS) from Liberta and Braccio, 15:00.

Shots: C.B. West 12, C.B. South 51; Saves: Jake Coddington (CBW) 46, Oscar Levin (CBS) 11.