Flyers Cup Continues

The 41st Flyers Cup tournament continues Wednesday night with four Class A quarterfinal games. All four games will be played ar Ice Line in West Goshen Township

West Chester East 5 Lower Dauphin 3

Hershey 4, Strath Haven 0

West Chester Bayard Rustin 4 Unionville 1

Palmyra 4 Springfield Delco 1

Semifinals on Monday at Ice Line

1 West Chester East vs 5 Hershey 6:15

2 Pamyra vs 3 Bayard Rustin 8:15

The Class AA quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday

1 Central Bucks South vs 8 Boyertown 6:20 at Hatfield Ice

4 North Penn vs 5 Downingtown West 8:30 at Hatfield Ice

3 Perkionen Valley vs 6 Council Rock South 6:15 at ice Line

10 Pennridge vs 2 Haverford 6:30 at Skatium

Winners to semifinals on March 11 or 12

The Class AAA quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday

1 Holy Ghost Prep vs 8 Bishop Shanahan 6:30 at Grundy Arena

4 Malvern Prep vs 5 Father Judge 8:15 at Ice Line

3 St. Joseph’s Prep vs 6 Cardinal O’Hara 8:45 at Skatium

2 La Salle vs 7 Roman Catholic 7:30 at Hatfield Ice

Winners to semifinals on March 11 or 12

SHSHL Standings

Suburban High School Hockey League Standings as of 2-5-19

Class AA (National and Continental Divisions)

W L T Pts

Central Bucks South (10-3-1) 8 0 1 17

North Penn (9-2-3) 7 1 2 16

Pennridge (9-2-1) 6 1 0 12

Central Bucks West (7-6) 5 3 0 10

Neshaminy (5-4-3) 4 3 2 10

Central Bucks East (8-4-1) 4 4 0 8

Pennsbury (5-5-3) 3 4 1 7

Council Rock South (5-6-2) 2 4 2 6

Abington (3-7-3) 2 5 2 6

Truman (3-8-2) 2 5 1 5

William Tennent (3-9-2) 1 7 2 4

Souderton (2-11-1) 0 8 1 1

Class A (American Division) W L T Its

Wissahickon (8-2-2) 6 2 2 14

Lower Moreland (8-2-3) 5 2 3 13

Plymouth Whitemarsh (9-3-1) 5 3 1 11

Hatboro-Horsham (7-4-2) 4 4 2 10

Upper Dublin (3-9-0) 0 9 0 0

Downingtown East Wins Flyers Cup

Downingtown East defeated Central Bucks South 4-3 in overtime Thursday night to win the Class 2A Flyers Cup at Hatfield Ice.

Luca Pisai scored the winning goal with 2:10 left in the first sudden-death overtime period.

This account of the game was published in the Intelligencer on Friday, March 16 and the newspaper holds the copyright.

Downingtown East 4, Central Bucks South 3

By Rick Woelfel

HATFIELD— The performance was held on a stage that measured precisely 200 feet long and 85 feet wide. And on that grand stage, Luca Pisani was the brightest star of all. Pisani’s goal, 7 minutes and 50 seconds into overtime, gave Downingtown East a 4-3 win over Central Bucks South Thursday night at Hatfield Ice in a Flyers Cup Class 2A final that was the ultimate advertisement for interscholastic hockey.

The second-seeded and defending championship Cougars, who claimed their four Cup since 2010, went on the power play when the Titans’ Nick Morelli drew a holding penalty at the 7:09 mark when he took down a Cougar on the right wing at the blue line in front of the Titans’ bench and directly in front of one of the referees.

The winning goal came on a slapshot from the left point.

It was Pasani’s second goal of the game; he was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

South coach Sean McGinty directed a stream of verbiage at the officiating crew following the goal and afterwards his emotions were still running on high. “In my opinion… you can’t make that call,” he said. “It’s overtime. It’s the Flyers Cup.”

The Titans took a 1-0 lead at the 5:37 mark of the first period when Joe DeLaurentis parked himself on the goal line to the left of the Cougar net and found Reis Braccio in front, Braccio found the back of the net with a forehander. That was the only goal of a fast-paced opening session.

Downingtown East drew even on a second-period power-play chance. The Titans’ Dominic Patrone was sent to the box for high sticking at the 11:59 mark and it took the Cougars just 28 seconds to score. Pisani launched rocket from the center of the ice just inside the blue line and found his target inches off the ice just inside the right post.

Braccio put the top-seeded Titans (30-4) ahead with 1:08 left in the period on a goal that produced traffic in front of the Cougar net. Goaltender Matt Shandler was knocked to the ice in the midst of he scramble. He regained his feet but Bracio scored in the midst of the scrum. The Cougars argued for goaltender interference but the goal was allowed to stand.

DeLaurentis and the Cougars’ Jack Barton traded goals two minutes, 15 seconds apart in the third period before Patrick Bobko tied the game for Downingtown East on a slapshot from the point with 5:03 left in regulation.

It was a game that saw the two teams push each other to a level that only truly outstanding teams can aspire to. Even in the midst of his disappointment, South captain Matt Stoll sensed that.

“It’s awesome,” he said, “playing at such a fast pace. Knowing that for some players, this is the highest level we’ll ever play at. “It’s awesome. It’s truly an honor to make it this far.”

Notes: South was trying for its third Flyers Cup title in five years. Downingtown East will play in the state championship game on March 24. The Cougars, who held a 35-21 edge in shots, are the first Class 2A team to defend the Flyers Cup title since Council Rock South six years ago.

Downingtown East 0 1 2 1—4

C.B. South 1 1 1 0—3

First-period goal: Reis Braccio (CBS) from Joe DeLaurentis, 5:37.

Second-period goals; Luca Pisani (DE) from Mark Stankiewicz and Eric Stankiewicz,, 12:27 (pp); Braccio (CBS) from Dominic Patrone, 15:52.

Third-period goal: DeLaurentis (CBS) unassisted, 3:30; Jack Barton (DE) from Justin Cohn, 5:45 (pp); Patrick Bobko (DE) unassisted, 11:57.

Overtime goal: Pisani (DE) from MIke Bolger, 7:50 (pp).

Shots: Downingtown East 35, C.B. South 21; Saves: Matt Shandler (DE) 18; Tim White (CBS) 31.

Records: Downingtown East (19-5); Central Bucks South (30-4)

A look back at Thursday’s Flyers Cup 2A final

Downingtown East’s Luca Pisani, who scored two goals, including the game winner, is #6.

His teammate Mike Bolger is # 98. Joe DeLaurentis of Central Bucks South is #66.

Photo by Dara Nappen King

www.DaraNKingPhotography.com
www.facebook.com/DaraNKingPhotography
www.linkedin.com/in/daranking
DaraKing@mac.com

Flyers Cup Day Four

A total of 11 Flyers Cup quarterfinal games are scheduled for tonight in three different classes. Class A and Class 3A semifinal games will be played Monday.

Class 2A semifinals are scheduled for Tuesday.

Historical Notes

Bayard Rustin is going after its fifth straight Flyers Cup in Class A. Only one other team has matched that feat; Malvern Prep won five consecutive Class 3A Cups from 2001-05.

Council Rock South in 2011-12 was the last Class 2A team to win back-to-back Cups.

Class 2A

CB South 5, North Penn 3—Our game story will be posted HERE

Council Rock South 3, Pennridge 2, OT

Conestoga 7, Parkland 2 F

Downingtown East 4, Downingtown West 3 OT

Semifinals Tuesday

Central Bucks South vs. Council Rock South

Downingtown East vs. Conestoga

Class A

Bayard Rustin 5, Palmyra 2

Hershey 5, Springfield 2

Strath Haven 4, Lower Dauphin 1 F

West Chester East 7 vs Unionville 0

Semifinals Monday

Bayard Rustin vs. Hershey

Strath Haven vs. West Chester East

Class 3A

Cardinal O’Hara 3, LaSalle 2 OT F

Malvern Prep 10, Archbishop Ryan 0 F

St. Joseph’s Prep 11, Father Judge 1. F

Semifinals Monday

Holy Ghost Prep vs Cardinal O’Hara

St. Joseph’s Prep vs. Malvern Prep

Our thanks to the administration and staff at Holy Ghost Prep for their support.

Holy Ghost Prep is a private, Catholic, all-boys school located in Bensalem, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Located adjacent to the busy I-95 corridor in metropolitan Philadelphia, Holy Ghost Prep attracts students from more than 100 elementary feeder schools from throughout metropolitan Philadelphia counties and New Jersey

Today is a vibrant community of nearly 500 young men preparing for college and adult life through a challenging program which stresses the cultivation of students’ unique gifts and talents, academic excellence, and generous service to the poor. We continue to be mindful of our founding history as a seminary as we seek to form young men morally, intellectually, and spiritually in the Spiritan tradition.