Tag: Council Rock South

C.R. South 9 C.B. South 7

By Karen Sangillo

Council Rock South scored early and often, and it was a good thing for them. 

The Golden Hawks struggled to find the net later in the game and escaped with a 9-7 victory over Central Bucks South in Wednesday’s matchup at Grundy Arena. 

CR South got out of the gate quickly, scoring three consecutive goals by Jake Weiner, Jeremy Rayher and Jackson Mosley before the Titans’ Jeffrey Kvecher found the cage for their only goal of the period. Rayher and Weiner added one more apiece to give the Golden Hawks a 5-1 advantage at the end of the first. 

It looked like a comfortable lead, but it wasn’t. CB South scored four unanswered goals in four and a half minutes to tie it up in the second frame. Peter Herring (on a power play), Sean Cutter, Dominic Gibson and Cutter were the goal scorers for the Titans, whose defense stymied the Golden Hawks for much of the second period. 

Weiner finally broke the deadlock with a goal for CR South, and Jordan Sarne added another on a power play to give the Golden Hawks a 7-5 lead after two periods. 

Both teams took a lot of shots on goal in the third period, with CR South taking 17 of its 45 and CB South 12 of its 35 in that frame. Both teams struck twice. CR South’s Weiner scored the first goal of the period while the Golden Hawks were shorthanded and Mosley had the last, while CB South’s Ryan Frey scored back-to-back goals in between the two, the first of which was on a power play. 

“This was probably the hardest game we’ve played all year,” said Jonah Weston, a senior for CR South. “We got a big lead but then they came back and tied it. When that happened, I knew we’d come back and start playing our game and as soon as the third period started we were right back in there. 

“This is definitely a very satisfying win.”

CR South won the first meeting of the year between the two 6-0, on Nov. 14. 

“We definitely did not expect that second period,” said Mosley, a senior. “I think we got a little complacent, but we got right back in it and played hard. 

“Even when it was tied, we absolutely thought that we were going to win. It was definitely nerve-wracking, though.    

“This was the closest game we’ve had all year and definitely a tough one. This was a lesson learned for us. We need to stick to what we do best.” 

The Golden Hawks remain undefeated at 14-0 in SHSHL National Division play, They are 15-1 overall

“We think about being undefeated to build on our confidence, but I think that we really want to just stick to the basics and do what we do to get those wins,” Mosley said. 

The loss snapped a five-game win streak for the Titans (11-3 in the division, 11-5 overall).

“We started off really slow, but I’m proud of how we came back and battled,” said Cutter, a senior captain for the Titans. “They had a big lead after the first period and I think we had a reality check. The second period we knew what we had to do. We had to play simple hockey and it worked for us. 

“When we tied it up (the game was 5-5 in the second period) we had a lot of energy and we were going strong but then I think we fell off what we were working on and that was the end. 

“This one hurts a little more than the last time they beat us because we this time we battled back and then we gave it away again. When you play a good team like this, mistakes kill you and that’s what happened to us. 

“We made it a real game this time and scoring seven goals against the top team in the league shows what we can do.”

Central Bucks South 1 4 2—7

Council Rock South 5 2 2—9

First-period goals: Jake Weiner (CRS) from Jagger Smith and Jonah Weston, 1:50; Jeremy Rayher (CRS) from Jackson Mosley, 6:18; Jackson Mosley (CRS) from Jeremy Rayher, 6:37; Jeffrey Kvecher (CBS), unassisted, 10:05; Jeremy Rayher (CRS), unassisted, 11:01; Jake Weiner (CRS) from Jeremy Rayher and Jackson Mosley, 13:54

Second-period goal: Peter Herring (CBS), unassisted, 1:32; Sean Cutter (CBS) from Ryan Frey and Dominic Gibson, 3:18; Dominic Gibson (CBS) from Sean Cutter, 4:11; Sean Cutter (CBS) from Joseph Silobodrian and Jamison Crouch, 5:57; Jake Weiner (CRS) from Jake Maurer, 12:39; Jordan Sarne (CRS) from Jeremy Rayher and Jackson Mosley, 13:44 

Third-period goals: Jake Weiner (CRS) from Jonah Weston, 4:06; Ryan Frey (CBS) from Sean Cutter, 5:59; Ryan Frey (CBS) from Sean Cutter, 9:15; Jackson Mosley (CRS) from Jordan Sarne, 12:49

Shots: Central Bucks South 35, Council Rock South 45; Saves: Jake Matkowski (CBS) 9, Trey Prozzillo (CRS) 38

C.R. South 6 Pennridge 5 OT

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—There was little to choose between Council Rock South and Pennridge Wednesday night. The contest was not decided until its final seconds.

Jeremy Rayher’s shortanded goal with three seconds left in overtime gave South a 6-5 win at Hatfield Ice Arena.

Rayher’s goal, his 16th of the season, concluded the first meeting of the year between the Golden Hawks and the Rams. The two teams split four games a year ago with South prevailing in the SHSHL National Division championship game before falling to the Rams in the Class AA Flyers Cup finale.

 Ironically, Rayher and Pennridge goaltender Jacob Winton are club hockey teammates.

“I was chirping at him during [club team] practice all week,” Rayher said. “I missed him [Tuesday].

“He made a couple saves but there was no pressure. I played it like he was a regular goalie and made a move and tucked it in.”

Both teams had moments of brilliance and moments that were something less. The Hawks (11-1 overall, 10-0 in the division) used goals from Daniel Filippov and Jake Weiner to build a 2-0 lead 83 seconds into the second period but squandered their advantage by surrendering a pair of shorthanded goals to Shane Dachowski that tied the game with 9:58 remaining in the second frame.

“The two shorties really killed us,” said South coach Joe Houk. “Nobody ever scores shorthanded goals against us and they got two of them. It was mental breakdowns there.”

The goals came fast and furious for the reminder of the period. Jordan Sarne have the Hawks a 3-2 lead for a time but Dachowski and James Rush scored goals one minute, 14 seconds apart to give Pennridge (9-3, 8-3) its first and only lead of the night at 4-3 with 4:54 left in the period.

Weiner’s second goal of the night tied the game with 2:20 left in the second session before Jonah Weston put South in front once more 5:01 into the third. Nick Young tied the game for the Rams off a turnover with 4:45 left in regulation.

Winton and Trey Prozzillo, his South counterpart, had some difficult moments during the course of the evening but both stepped up in overtime. The Rams got a power-play chance when the Hawks’ Jagger Smith was flagged for hooking with 1:52 left in the extra session, giving the Rams a four-skaters-to-three advantage. Rayher’s game-deciding goal came an offensive right-wing faceoff and an ensuing scramble in front of the net. Houk told his team to be aggressive even though it was shorthanded.

“I told them ‘Don’t sit back,’” he said. “Because if the puck goes out of the [South defensive zone] it’s a one-on-one or two-on-two. It’s not a four-on-three. We looked like the ones who were on the power play.”

Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna celebrated his team’s effort, and the way it  has rebounded from a shutout loss to north Penn si days before Christimas.

“I’m proud of the way we played tonight, he said. “All I asked of these guys before the game was to compete.

“We were outclassed [against North Penn.] I didn’t think we showed up. And to come out against our biggest rival tonight, come back from 2-0 down and play as well as we did and have opportunities to win the game, that’s all I can ask for.

• South had a 47-38 advantage in shots … The Rams’ three losses have come against Central Bucks South, North Penn and Council Rock South. Two of the three have come in overtime.

C.R. South 1 3 1 1—6

Pennridge 0 4 1 0—5

First-period goal: Daniel Fillipov (CRS) from Peter Pereborow and Jake Weiner, 13:50 (pp)

Second-period goals: Weiner (CRS) from Pereborow, 1:23; Shane Dachowski (P) unassisted, 3:10; Dachowski (P) from Jared Garber and Nick Young, 7:02 (sh); Jordan Sarne (CRS) from Jeremy Rayher and Peterborow, 8:37 (pp); Dachowksi  (P) from Josh Kelly and Landon Bishop, 10:52; James Rush (P) from Kelly, 12:06; Weiner (CRS) from Wesley Mallon, 14:40 (pp)

Third-period goals: Jonah Weston (CRS) from Sarne, 5:01; Young (P), unassisted, 12:15

Overtime goal Rayher (P) from Filippov, 4:57

Shots: C.R. South 47, Pennridge 38; Saves: Trey Prozzillo (CRS) 33, Jacob Winton (P) 41

Flyers Cup Class AAA/AA Finals Preview

Wednesday, March 20

Class AAA Final

  1. La Salle vs. 2. Malvern Prep

 6:00 at Hatfield Ice

La Salle (22-3)—The defending champion Explorers are trying for their 13th Flyers Cup title, an achievement that would expand on their all-time record of 12 , the most of any school in any classification.

Head coach Wally Muehlbronner has been on the winning side in a final on 10 occasions.

This year’s team bested Perkiomen Valley 5-1 and Holy Ghost Prep 5-2 to reach the finals.

Seven different players have scored goals in the two Flyers Cup games. Grant Lagreca has two goals and two assists. Dean Carvalho has scored three goals while James Carpenter has provided two goal and an assist.

Malvern Prep (11-8)

The Friars have claimed 10 Flyers Cup titles, second only to La Salle on the all-time list. Victories over Devon Prep 8-0 and St. Joseph’s Prep 3-1 put them in the finals.
Ten different Malvern Prep players have scored goals in the tournament. Jeremy Jacobs leads the way with a goal and three assists. Aidan Kelly has added a goal and two assists.

This marks the third meeting of the season between the two teams. La Salle won the two regular-season meetings.

11-22 La Salle 4 Malvern Prep 1

1-17 La Salle 3 Malvern Prep 0

Class AA Final

  1. Pennridge vs. 2 Council Rock South

8:45 at Hatfield Ice

Pennridge 21-2-2

The top-seeded Rams claimed the Class AA Flyers Cup and state titles in 2022 and reached the Cup finals last season.

This year’s team reached the finals with wins over Bensalem 10-2, Downingtown East 5-1 and Downingtown West 10-1

The Rams feature one of the most explosive lines that has ever skated for any area high-school team. Shane Dachowski has six goals and five assists for 11 points in three Cup games. Kevin Pico has five goals and five assists for 10 points, while Andrew Savona has provided four goals and four assists for eight points.

Council Rock South 24-1

The second-seeded Golden Hawks are seeking their fourth Flyers Cup. The previous three came in 2009, ’11, and ’12.

This year’s squad reached the finals with wins over Spring-Ford 12-0, Cherokee 7-1, and Boyertown 3-1. Kevin Koles is the team’s top tournament scorer with three goal and nine assists for 12 points. Blaise Pepe has accumulated three goal and five assists for eight points, while Jake Weiner has provided five goals and two assists for seven points.

This marks the fourth time the Ram and Golden Hawks have faced one another this season.

12-13 Pennridge 7 Council Rock South 3

2-7    Council Rock South 8 Pennridge 7

2-29 Council Rock South 7 Pennridge 2*

*For the SHSHL National Division championship

C.R. South 3 Boyertown 1

One of the unique elements of the Flyers Cup tournament is the finality of it. All season long there is another game or another round of playoffs to nurse the pain of defeat.

The stakes are starkly different come March. Win or go home. And on Thursday night, Boyertown and Council Rock South made it clear they didn’t want to go home.

It was the Golden Hawks who prevailed, 3-1 in a Class AA Flyers Cup semifinal at Hatfield Ice. Second-seeded South (24-1) will face top-seeded Pennridge next Wednesday at 8:45 at this same venue in what is expected to be a scintillating final.

Third-seeded Boyertown closes the season at 20-3.

Thursday’s game wasn’t bad as an appetizer.

The Hawks had the better of the play offensively but encountered a hot goaltender in Tyler Griffith who recorded 41 saves, few of which were of the routine variety.

“That’s kid’s probably the best goaltender we’ve seen all year,” said South coach Joe Houk. “We got [44] shots today, they were quality shots. He was phenomenal.

“And people warned me about him ‘If he’s hot, he’s going to steal a game from you.’ But, we persevered, we dug deep, and we survived to play next week.”

Largely due to Griffin’s efforts (16 saves) the first period was scoreless, and it was the Bears who grabbed the evening’s first lead when Noah Cutillo beat Trevor Rakszawski 1:19 in to the second frame. Jake Weiner answered for South at the 6:31 mark.

The score remained deadlock to period’s end. By that point, the Hawks had a 32-13 shot advantage.

As the teams took the ice for the third period following an ice cut, the enormity of the moment hung in the air.

“Their goaltender had a solid game,” said South’s Evan Mostoller. “I’ll give him that. But we just had to find that back of the net.”

Mostoller did just that from outer edge of the right circle 4:31 into the final period.

“It’s may last year here and I kind of want to make a run to states and everything,” he said. I’ve been in the Flyers Cup three times now …. This the year I think we’re going to make it.

As the clock counted down the Bears found themselves stymied by not only Rakszawski but the defense in front of him; Boyertown managed but our shots in the third period.
South’s final goal, which came with 38 seconds remaining, was credited to Gavin Nisenzon when he was pulled down from behind in the Boyertown defensive while skating toward an empty net; the referee on the play awarded goal.

Boyertown 0 1 0—1

C.R. South 0 1 2—3

Second-period goals: Noah Cutillo (B) from Luke Hennessy, 1:44; Jake Weiner (CRS) from Nikita Volobuiev, 6:31

Third-period goals: Evan Mostoller (CRS) from

 Peter Pereborow and Blaise Pepe, 4:31; Gaven Nisenzon (CRS) unassisted, 16:22

Shots: Boyertown 20, Council Rock South 44; Saves: Tyler Griffith (B) 41, Trevor Rakszawski, 19

Flyers Cup Schedule Thursday 3-14

Thursday, March 14

Class AAA Semifinals

La Salle 5 Holy Ghost Prep 2

 Malvern Prep 3 St. Joseph’s Prep 1—Teague Murray and James Young scored first-period goals and the second-seeded Friars went on to beat the third-seeded Hawks Thursday night in a Class AAA Flyers Cup semifinal at Ice Line.

Henry Tesoriero also scored for Malvern Prep (11-8) which will meet La Salle in the final.

Tristan Winata scored for St. Joseph’ Prep (16-7)

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 0 1—1

Malvern Prep 2 0 1—3

First-period goals: Teague Murray (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs and Jonathan Holt, 12:11 (pp); James Young (MP) from Logan Love, 13:47

Third-period goals: Henry Tesoriero (MP) unassisted, 15:25 (en); Tristan Winata (SJP) unassisted. 16:09

Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 36, Malvern Prep 35; Saves: Jacob Aranda (SJP) 32; Matt Crawford (MP) 35

Class AA Semifinals

Penneidge 10, Downingtown West 1—

The top-seeded Rams scored six goals in the first period and rolled to the win over the fourth-seeded Whippets in a Class AA semifinal Thursday night at Hatfield Ice.

Shane Dachowswki scored four goals for Pennridge (21-2-2) and added an assist. Nolan Shaw provided two goals. Kevin Pico, Josh Kelly, Tyler Manto, and Andrew Savona all scored goals.

Joseph Butter scored for Downingtown West (18-5)

Downingtown West 0 1 0

Pennridge 6 2 2

Council Rock South 3 Boyertown 1

Championship games will be played Tuesday, and Wednesday, March 19, and 20.

C.R. South 12 Spring-Ford 0

It didn’t take long for Council Rock South to assert its superiority Tuesday night. The Golden Hawks scored goals on their first three shots and five of their first seven en route to a 12-0 rout of Spring Ford in a Class AA Flyers Cup first-round game at Grundy Arena that was called after the second period.

South (22-1), the second seed in the tournament, advances to a quarterfinal game on Thursday against Cherokee at a site and time to be determined

Tuesday’s 12-goal output produced a plethora of impressive numbers. Kevin Koles scored the first goal of the night just 31 seconds after the opening faceoff. He went on to score an additional goal and add five assists for seven points.

“We’ve got to take every game,” the senior defenseman said, “so we know what we’re up against. We can’t take any game lightly because we know we’re going to have tougher competition later down the road, so we’ve got to play every game the same.”

Koles assisted on Nikita Volobuiev’s scoring effort and added a second goal himself to put South up 3-0 just 2:54 into the opening period. Blaise Pepe and Jeremy Rayher added additional goals before the period ended.

 The 15th-seeded Rams did not record their first shot on goal until less than 90 seconds remained in the opening period.

Evan Mostoller assisted on Koles’s first goal and Pepe’s. The senior defenseman noted that postseason success requires that everyone on the roster pitch in.

“You just have to know what your role is on the team,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if the [opponent] is not the best team, you’ve just got to play your hardest.”

Mostoller says that one element of a player learning his role and fitting in involves not worrying about making a mistake.

“Play your game,” he said. “Play the way you play.  If you make a mistake, someone will tell you what you did wrong.”

Volobuiev scored two goals to complete a hat trick. Rayher, Jordan Sarne (twice), Jonah Weston, and Jake Weiner all scored goals.

Volobuiev’ second goal made it am 8-0 game with 6:17 left in the period.

Spring-Ford coach Todd Lambart lifted starting goaltender Grant Olson at that point; the junior received a round of applause from the spectators and the South bench as he left the ice after facing 27 shots.

For the Hawks however, the postseason journey continues. Koles and his teammates are aware they’re being targeted by the rest of the tournament field.

“We know everybody’s trying to beat us,” he said. “It’s been like that for the last four years I’ve been in the league.

“We’ve got to stay focused and do what we can.”                                                                                                                                                           

Spring Ford 0 0—0

C.R. South 5 7—12

First-period goals: Kevin Koles (CRS) from Evan Mostoller, :31; Nikita Volobuiev (CRS) from Koles, 1:37; Koles (CRS) unassisted, 2:54; Blaise Pepe (CRS) from Mostoller and Koles, 6:14; Jeremy Rayher (CRS) from Pepe and Koles, 6:45

Second period goals: Jake Weiner (CRS) from Volobuiev, 2:56; Jonah Weston (CRS) from Chase Tovsky and Blaise Pepe, 5:09; Volobuiev (CRS) from Jake Weiner, 10:43; Volobuiev (CRS) from Koles,  10:48;  Rayher (CRS) from Pepe and Tovsky, 11:15; Jordan Sarne (CRS) from Koles and Jackson Mosley, 11:53; Sarne (CRS) from Rayher and Weston, 16:17

Shots: Spring Ford 3, Council Rock South 33; Saves; Grant Olson (SF) 19 and Casey Dunleavy (SF) 2; Trevor Rakszawski 3

Council Rock South 7 Pennridge 2

Late in the second period, Thursday night’s SHSHL National Division championship game was still up for grabs. Council Rock South and Pennridge were deadlocked at 2-2. The Golden Hawks had had the better of the play to that point, but the Rams made it clear they weren’t going anywhere.

Then Jake Weiner took matters into his own hands. The sophomore scored off a feed from Illia Mukhin on a play that originated from behind the Pennridge net to give South the lead, one it would never give up. Four additional goals followed in the third period as the Hawks rolled to a 7-2 win in front of a full house at Hatfield Ice.

Weiner scored four goals and assisted on another to lead second-seeded South (21-1) to its second consecutive division crown. It marks the first time in six years a National Division team has made a successful title defense. The top-seeded and defending-champion Rams fell to 18-2-2 with both defeats coming to South who have won two of three meetings this season.

Weiner was quick to point out that his five-point night wasn’t a solo effort.

“The boys came out flying too,” he said. “It wasn’t just me, it was all them. Hitting, forechecking. They played great.”

Both coaches viewed Weiner’s tie-breaking goal as the turning point in the game.

“The big goal I thought was that third goal,” said South coach Joe Houk. “Going into the intermission it was really, really big and we knew we had to come out in [the third period] and either get the first goal or first couple and see what happened.”

Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna blamed himself for his team’s defeat.

“I flat out cost us the game,” he said. “It’s a 2-2 game, I put the wrong combination out there. The, scored, it took the life completely out of us.

“I flat out cost is the game. I feel terrible for the kids. It was my fault.”

Council Rock South played a great game, they played a phenomenal game. But, I can’t do that to our team.”

Senior Blaize Pepe scored one of South’s third-period goals. Even as the Hawks extended their lead in the third period, Pepe was wanting more.

“We were all over them all game,” he said. “We knew we were the better team and we knew we were going to wear them down and that’s what happened. We pumped in three quick and knew we just had to play good defense after we got that fifth and sixth goals.”

Houk said Thursday’s win was the high point of his team’s season in terms of performance.

“I thought it was probably the best game they played all year,” he said. “They stayed out of the box. The referees really did a good of letting us play at both ends.”

• The Rams and the Golden Hawks will be the first and second seeds respectively in the Class AA Flyers Cup which begins on Tuesday. Pennridge will face Bensalem at Hatfield Ice (8:30) while South will go against Spring Ford at Grundy Arena (6:00) … This year’ championship is the third for South in school history. The first came in 2010.

Council Rock South 1 2 4—7

Pennridge 1 1 0—2

First-period goals: Jeremy Rayher (CRS) from James Diiulio and Ilya Kudzinau, 2:03; Kevin Pico (P) unassisted, 5:31

Second-period goals: Jake Weiner (CRS) from Gavin Nisenzon and Evan Mostoller, 3:09 (pp); Pico (P) from Andrew Savona, 5:15 (pp); Weiner (CRS) from Illia Mukhin, 14:47

Third-period goals: Jake Maurer (CRS) from Weiner and Nikita Volobuiev :52; Blaize Pepe (CRS) from Chase Tovsky, 2:20; Weiner (CRS) from Kevin Koles and Mukhin, 11:21; Weiner (CRS) from Peter Pereorow, 14:25

Shots: C.R. South 47, Pennridge 22 Saves: Trevor Rakszawski (CRS) 20, Jacob Winton (P) 40

Playoff Ponderings SHSHL 2-27-24

Wednesday, February 28

National Division Semifinals

  1. Pennridge vs. 4. Central Bucks East

8:45 at Hatfield Ice

Pennridge (17-1-2)

The Rams will put one of the most potent lines in SHSHL history on ice. Kevin Pico has scored 28 goals and added 47 assists for 75 points. Andrew Savona has added 40 goals and 31 assists for 71 points while Shane Dachowski has provided 27 goals and 33 assists for 60 points. The trio finished first, third, and fifth respectively in the SHSHL in regular-season scoring.

Goaltender Jacob Winton carries an .897 save percentage and a 2.64 GAA.

Pennridge went 1-0-1 against East this season.

Central Bucks East 12-5-2

The Patriots will be without three players and Head Coach Jeff Mitchell Wednesday night due to suspensions but they will have the services of Corey Kosick who has scored 27 goals and added 12 assists for 39 points. Jaden Young has provided 10 goals and added 16 assists.

Goaltender Cole Breen carries an .895 save percentage and a 3.43 GAA.

The Patriots are hoping to get a chance to play for their first SHSHL title since 2011.

2. Council Rock South vs. 3. Central Bucks South

7:20 at Grundy Arena

Council Rock South (18-1)

The Golden Hawks are hoping for a chance to successfully defend their division title, something no National Division team has done since Central Bucks South won four straight division crowns from 2015-18.

Kevin Koles leads his team in scoring with 24 goals and 26 assists for 50 points.  Jake Weiner is next with 28 goals and 20 assists for 48 points while Blaize Pepe has contributed 16 goals and 27 assists for 43 points.

Trevor Rakszawski is the probable starter in goal. He’s maintaining a 2.34 GAA with an .876 save percentage.

The Golden Hawks own two wins over the Titans this season.

Central Bucks South (13-7-1)

It’s been six years since the Titans last won an SHSHL title; they’re looking for a chance to play for another.

D.J. Lindenmuth paces the team in scoring with 22 goals and 15 assists for 37 points. Sean Cutter has added nine goals and 19 assists for 28 points. Nathan Napolitano carries an .883 save percentage and a 2.75 GAA in goal.

Dom Varacallo maintains an .880 save percentage and a 3.08 GAA.

The two semifinal winners will play for the National Division title Thursday night at a site and at a time TBD.

All four semifinalists will move on to the Class AA Flyers Cup on March 5

1.Pennridge will play 16. Bensalem

2. Council Rock South will play 15. Spring Ford

6.  Central Bucks South will play 11. Avon Grove

8. Central Bucks East will play 9. Downingtown East

American Division Final

  1. Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. 3. Bensalem

6:50 at Hatfield Ice

Plymouth Whitemarsh (13-3)

The Colonials will be trying for their first American Division title since 2020. David Branigan leads the team in scoring with 23 goals and 16 assists for 39 points. Dylan Novitski is next with 19 goals and 12 assists for 31 points. Jason Segal has contributed 14 goal and 16 assists for 30 points.

Goaltender Julian Lucks carries an .882 save percentage and a 3.21 GAA into the final.

The Colonials won two of three meetings with Bensalem during the regular season.

Bensalem (13-3)

The Owls will try and make history Wednesday night as they seek their first SHSHL title. Alex Hood was second in scoring in the entire SHSHL during the regular season; he’s scored 53 goals and added 20 assists for 73 points. Bensalem will be without second-leading scorer Alex Bazylevich who is serving a suspension but Lucas Gonzales has contributed 12 goal and 19 assists for 31 points.

Goaltender Ricky Gonzalez maintains a .907 save percentage and a 2.87 GAA.

Both teams are assured of moving on to the Flyers Cup. The Colonials are seeded eighth in the Class A field and will face Unionville on March 4. The Owls are seeded 16th in the Class AA field and will go against Pennridge on March 5.

Pennridge 7 C.R. South 3

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—The level of anticipation could not have been higher for a regular-season game, particularly one being played nearly two weeks before Christmas.

A full house at the Hatfield Ice Blue Rink greeted Pennridge and Council Rock South when they took the ice Wednesday night for a matchup between two bona fide SHSHL and Flyers Cup title contenders.

On this night, it was Rams who emerged victorious by a count of 7-3 to remain unbeaten at 9-0 overall and in SHSHL National Division play. The Golden Hawks suffered their first setback of the season; they stand at 8-1 overall and 7-1 in the division.

Both teams rely on potent offenses and the stars were shining brightly. Shane Dachowski collected a hat trick for the Rams and added two assists. Andrew Savona’s two goals were accompanied by three assists.

Kevin Koles and Blaize Pepe had two-point nights for South; each contributed a goal and an assist.

But even amidst all this firepower, a goaltender stood out, namely Pennridge’s Jacob Winton. The Rams were outshot 40-30 but Winton a junior, finished his evening’s work with 37 saves.

“They’re an absolutely amazing high-output team,” Winton said of his opponents. “We knew that coming into it. They’re an absolutely great hockey team.”

Winton made some big stops at key times when the outcome was still in doubt. Among them was his denial of Illia Mukhin on a backhander five minutes into the second period.

“Obviously, that boosts my confidence,” he said, “giving me that extra jump when they come down. And I think it gives my team an extra jump when they go down to the other end of the ice.”

The Golden Hawks drew first blood when Jackson Mosley beat Winton 6:54 into the opening period. Colin Dachowski answered for Pennridge when he put in his own rebound with 1:37 left in the period, allowing his team to draw even in a period that saw it outshot 12-9.

Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna noted that his netminder stepped up on a night when the spotlight was shining bright.

“He was never in this environment,” Montagna said, “even in the Flyers Cup finals. He was awesome tonight.

“In a 1-1 game I thought he made one of the best toe saves that you’ll see a goalie make. I thought that was the turning point in the game.”

Kevin Pico’s goal 5:33 into the second frame gave Pennridge the lead for good. Shane Dachowski extended the lead at 9:00 before Kevin Koles put in a rebound to make it a one-goal game with 8:22 left in the middle session.

Shane Dachowski took over from there, completing his hat trick before the period ended.

The Hawks found themselves shorthanded more than they would have preferred, they drew 14 penalties for 36 minutes. The Rams were whistled for nine infractions for 26 minutes. The two teams will have a rematch on February 7 at Grundy Arena.

C.R. South 1 1 1—3

Pennridge 1 4 2—7

First-period goal: Jackson Mosley (CRS) from Blaize Pepe, 6:54; Colin Dachowski (P) unassisted,15:23

Second-period goals: Kevin Pico P) from Nick Young and Andrew Savona, 5:33; Shane Dachowski (P) from Pico, 8:00; Kevin Koles (CRS) from Jake Weiner and Illia Mukhin, 8:38; Shane Dachowki (P) Savona 9:26; Shane Dachowski (P) from Pico and Savona, 14:56 (pp)

Third-period goals: Savona (P) from Shane Dachowski and Pico, 1:04; Savona (P) from Pico and Shane Dachowski, 6:15 (pp); Pepe (CRS) from Koles, 14:52

Shots: C.R. South 40, Pennridge 30; Saves: Trevor Rakszawski (CRS) 32, Jacob Winton (P) 37

SHSHL Update

National Division         W   L   T  OW   OL  Pts

Council Rock South (7-0)    6    0    0   0   0   12

Pennridge  (6-0)                   6    0    0   0   0   12

Cent. Bucks South (4-2-1)     4    1    1    0    0   9 

Central Bucks East (4-2)     4    2    0    0   0   8

North Penn (3-2)               3    2    0    0   0   6

Pennsbury  (2-4)                 2   4     0    0    1   5

Cent. Bucks West (1-4-1)      1    4    1    0   0    3

Souderton  (1-4-0)                 1    4    0    1     0  2

Neshaminy (0-4-2)                 0    4    2    0    0   2

Council Rock North (0-6)  0   6      0   0     0   0

American Division           W    L   T  OW OL  Pts

Bensalem (4-1)                3     1   0     0    1   7

Plymouth White. (4-1)  3     0   0     0    0   6

Wissahickon (2-2)         2   2   0   0     1       4

Abington (1-2-1)            1     1   0    0     0   2

Springfield (0-6)             0     5   0   0     0    0 

 National Division Scoring   G   A   Pts

Kevin Pico (Pr)                     11    16 27

Andrew Savona (Pr)           12  14 26

Shane Dachowski (Pr)       12   12  24

Kevin Koles (CRS)               10   14  24

Jake Weiner (CRS)             11   6   17

Corey Kosick (CBE)           12   4   16

Blaize Pepe (CRS)               8   7   15

Maxwell Ryon (Soud)        8    6   14

Seth Grossman (Soud)      7    5   12

Chase Tovsky (Soud)         3    9   12

Gavin Nisenon (CRS)         5    5   10

Jordan Sarne (CRS)            3   7    10

American Division Scoring  G   A   Pts

Alex Hood (Bens)                 16   5   21

David Branigan (PW)            8    4   12

Daniel Hussa (Wiss)             9    2   11

Alex Bazylevich (Bens)       2    8     10

Tim Murphy (PW)                2     7     9

Seamus Donofry (Ab)        2    6       8

Cole Salayda (Bens)           3    4       7