Unionville 5 P-W 2

The bigger the stakes, the more missed opportunities and mistakes hurt. Plymouth Whitemarsh learned that season the hard way in its Flyers Cup opener against Unionville Monday night.

The Longhorns turned in in a methodical workmanlike performance over the eighth-seeded Colonials en route to a 5-2 win in a Class A first-round game at Hatfield Ice.

The eighth-seeded Colonials closed their season at 13-5 The ninth-seeded Longhorns (9-11) advance to play top seed and three-time defending champion West Chester East Thursday night at Ice Line at a time to be determined.

Plymouth Whitemarsh found itself in a hole early on. Anthony Kulp beat Colonial netminder Julian Lucks from the left circle just 24 seconds after the opening faceoff.

The Colonials also hurt themselves with penalties. Jason Segal was called for boarding just 1:25 into the opening period, and picked up the 10-minute misconduct that went with it. Segal’s teammate Tim Murphy drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at 3:36 and this time Unionville struck; Alex Tomaszewicz made it a 2-0 game with a power-play goal at the 4:40 mark.

Michael Ta scored twice in the second frame to give the Longhorns a 4-0 lead but the Colonials kept battling; indeed they outshot the Longhorns 31-24. But they were unable to solve Unionville goaltender Zach Tomaszewicz until the third period. By that point, Cole Blackburn tallied the Longhorn’s fifth goal 3:21 into the final session.

Charlie Spause finally got Plymouth Whitemarsh on the scoreboard at the 5:27 mark. Issac Mishkin added a shorthanded effort with 1:20 left in the game.

Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Dave Cox noted that his team battled to the finish despite the steep uphill climb it faced.

“We dug ourselves a hole early,” he said. “We found some momentum and really could have capitalized on the chances that we got.”

After Spause’s goal. Cox wished for just a little more time.

“It’s unfortunate,” he said, “especially for our seniors. I couldn’t be more proud of our leadership group, our senior group.”

Cox said the heart his team displayed will leave him with warm memories of the 2023-24 season.

“Especially [The SHSHL American Division final],” he said. “We never stopped playing. When these guys get going and they band together, it’s truly the most honorable thing for a coach.”

Although they were the home team, the Colonials wore their alternate red jerseys, styled after those of the Montreal Canadians, instead of the customary white. The jerseys are early nominees for the Most Impressive Uniforms in the tournament,

Plymouth Whitemarsh 0 0 2

Unionville 2 2 1—5

Plymouth Whitemarsh 0 0 2

First period goals: Anthony Kulp (U) from Cole Blackburn, :24; Alex Tomaszewicz (U) from Riley Andrews,4:40 (pp)

Second-period goals: Michael Ta (U) from Tomaszewicz, 8:45; Ta (U) from Corrado Ditoro, 16:04

Third-period goals: Blackburn (U) from Tripp Young and Kulp, 3:21; Charlie Spause (PW) from Tim Murphy, 11:33 Issac Mishkin (PW) from Jason Segal, 15:40

Shots: Unionville 24, P-W 31; Saves: Zach Tomaszewicz 29, Julian Lucks (PW) 19

PW 3 Bensalem 2

BRISTOL—Plymouth Whitemarsh and Bensalem dressed to impress Thursday night. The Colonials and the Owls took the ice at Grundy Arena looking to impress each other and future opponents well as members of the Flyers Cup Committee charged with constructing that tournament field.

In that sense, the evening was an all-around success.

Blake Ambler’s goal 3:59 into the third period gave Plymouth Whitemarsh a 3-2 win and, for the time being, first place in the SHSHL’s American Division.

The Colonials and the Owls have split two meetings this season; Bensalem prevailed 4-3 in overtime on December 7, and Thursday’s matchup was just as crisply played; each team had an abundance of opportunities and the flow of the game was interrupted by two just penalties, one of which was not enforced because it occurred as a goal was being scored.

The goaltenders were the stars of the evening. Winning netmimder Julian Lucks made 22 stops, a number of them requiring extraordinary effort. His counterpart at the other end of the ice, Rick Gonzalez was even busier, making 38 saves and standing firm against near constant incoming fire, notably in the third period when the Owls, who had only 11 skaters dressed, were running on fumes.

Bensalem (9-2, 7-2 in divisional play) got off to a hot start when Alex Hood beat Lucks from left wing just 13 seconds after the opening faceoff. Hood made it 2-0 with 1:40 left in the period before David Branigan went top shelf for the Colonials with 13 seconds remaining to make it a one goal game.

Chris London scored for Plymouth Whitemarsh (9-3, 8-1 in the division) with 19 seconds left in the second session, setting up what figured to be a scintillating final chapter.

Lucks described himself as ready for whatever came his way.

“I talked to my team,” he said. “They helped me cool down and just stay rested.”

Rest was a luxury the Owls could not afford.

“I liked our start,” said Bensalem coach Bill Hood. “We jumped out on them pretty well at the beginning of the game.”

Eventually however the Owls were hurt by a lack of numbers.

“We had a short bench,” Hood said. “I think the second period we kind of took a step back. They made their push then.”

That trend continued in the third period when Plymouth Whitemarsh outshot Bensalem 13-4.

Colonial coach Dave Cox celebrated the win.

“This is a true team victory,” he said. “We love it. We’ve been waiting for this rematch since we lost to them the first time.

We know in order to be the team we want to be we have to go through tough teams like this. Hats off to Bensalem. They may have tired bodies but they’re always there.”

Ice chips—The Colonials and the Owls will face each other a third time next Thursday night at Grundy. Both teams are assured of being part of the three-team SHSHL American Division playoffs; as of now the Colonials would be seeded first, the Owls second.
The Colonials are eligible for the Class A Flyers Cup tournament, the Owls are classified Class AA

P-W 1 1 1—3

Bensalem 2 0 0 —2

First-period goals: Alex Hood (B) from Alex Bazylevich, :13; Good (B) from Bazylevich and Nick Gambino. 15:20; David Branigan (PW) from Daniel Guller, 16:47

Second-period goal: Chris London (PW) from Blake Ambler and Luke Smith, 16:41

Third-period goal: Ambler (PW) from London, 3:59

Shots: Plymouth Whitemarsh 41, Bensalem 24; Saves; Julian Lucks (PW) 22, Ricky Gonzalez (B) 38

Bensalem 4 P-W 3 OT

Plymouth Whitemarsh and Bensalem have moved to the head of the pack in the SHSHL’s American Division. On Thursday night at Hatfield Ice, they began finding out about each other.

Alex Hood’s goal 1:38 into overtime gave the Owls a 4-3 win in what is shaping up as an entertaining season-long series. Thursday’s game was the first of three meetings between the two teams.

The result pushed Bensalem to 5-1 overall and in the division; the Owls have been perfect since an opening-night loss to Wissahickon. They came from behind three times on Thursday.

The Colonials (4-2 overall) lost for the first time in five league starts.

Alex Baylevich set up the winning goal when he put the puck on net from his post at the right point. Hood was on hand to score his second goal of the game and his 22^nd of the season. He also contributed two assists to his team’s cause.

Hood described the winning goal.

“All three of their kids were puck watching,” he said, “so I went backdoor. [Baylevich] found me like he always does. Tic tac toe in the back of the net.”

Both teams came into Thursday’s encounter at less than full strength. The Colonials had three regulars out of the lineup including two front-line centers. For their part, the Owls had only eight skaters available. That circumstance forced their coach Bill Hood to do some juggling.

“We had a lot of penalties (8) which hurt,” he said. “But we’ve got kids that play very high level club hockey so they’re used to this kind of pace.”

The scoring started early. David Branigan put Plymouth Whitemarsh in front just 55 seconds into the first period. Hood tied the game at the 2:21 mark.

Jason Segal put the Colonials back in front with 44 seconds left in the middle period and Plymouth Whitemarsh seemed to have the upper hand heading into the third frame, but the momentum shifted dramatically when Cole Salayda tied the game with a shorthanded with 12:13 left in regulation.

Tim Murphy gave Plymouth Whitemarsh the lead for the last time with a one timer from the high slot with 6:33 remaining.

But that wasn’t enough; Lucas Gonzalez poked in a rebound with 4:01 left to kick off the mad dash to the finish line.

Ricky Gonzalez in the Bensalem net might have made the biggest contribution to his team’s win. He finished with 32 saves, many of them difficult.

“Ricky’s been a rock all year,” Bill Hood said. “He definitely gives us confidence back there. We take some risks at times defensively and he’s always back there.”

The loss was a tough one for the Colonials but their coach Dave Cox took a pragmatic view.

“We knew coming in that Bensalem was going to be a tough opponent,” he said, “and I believe it was a good test of our character and what we need to work on.

“I’m proud of our boys for faced the adversity. We had a very short bench tonight, A lot of the boys were playing with different linemate pairs and that took some adjusting to, and our power-play wasn’t working well but they worked hard every shift. Overtime losses are never easy, but we look forward to seeing this team a couple more times.”

Bensalem 1 0 2 1—4

P-W 1 1 1 0—3
First-period goals: David Branigan (PW) unassisted, :55; Alex Hood (B) from Cole Salayda and Brandon Stahl. 2:21;

Second-period goal: Jason Segal (PW) from Tim Murphy and Daniel Molony, 16:16

Third-period goals: Salayda (B) from Lucas Gonzalez and Hood, 4:47 (sh); Murphy (PW) from John Zawislak and Molony, 10:27; Gonzalez (B) from Justin Rapone and Hood, 12:59

Overtime goal: Hood (B) from Alex Baylevich, 1:38

Shots: Bensalem 25, Plymouth Whitemarsh 35; Saves: Ricky Gonzalez (B) 32; Julian Lucks (PW) 21

Plymouth Whitemarsh 7 Wissahickon 5

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—Plymouth Whitemarsh climbed out of a hole Wednesday night. Facing a three-goal deficit late in the first period, the Colonials rallied for a 7-5 win over Wissahickon in a crackling SHSHL American Division game at Hatfield Ice.

Tim Murphy scored the winning goal when he snapped a 5-5 dreadlock with a forehander from between the circles with 2:33 left in regulation time. Dylan Novitsky added empty-net insurance with 42 seconds left to bring down the curtain on a remarkable comeback.

Plymouth Whitemarsh (2-0) was forced to climb a steep hill. Daniel Hussa’s hat trick helped propel the Trojans (1-1) to a 4-1 lead with 2:54 left in the opening period. The Colonials hurt their own cause with a series of early penalties although only one Wissahickon goal came on a power play. That goal, Hussa’s second of the first frame, gave his team a 2-1 lead.

But the Colonials regained their focus.

“We have heart,” Murphy said. “ That’s the mindset on this team, heart. “We play for each other. We play for the name on the front, not the back. We play for the seniors. This could be the last year for them ever playing.”

David Branigan, who spent much of the first period serving a minor penalty plus a misconduct for a check from behind, unleashed some pent-up energy with a goal 31 seconds into the second session to make it a 4-2 game.

Hussa scored his fourth goal of the night at the 6:24 mark but the Trojans would not score again, in no small measure due to the work of Julian Lucks in the Colonial net and just as importantly, the efforts of the defense corps in front of him.

Meantime, Daniel Moloney was scoring two goals and Jason Segal contributed one of his own to tie the game with 12:02 left in the third period and set up the finish.

“It wasn’t the start we wanted,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Dave Cox, “ but once we settled in, we kind of got our feet, we found our stride, and we really came together.

“When they called a timeout I said ‘We need to win our zone over the last five minutes and everything will take care if itself.”

The Trojans were able to take an abundance of positives away from the encounter. Like the Colonials, they gave a workmanlike effort at both ends of the ice and goaltender Fletcher Lynch made some quality saves down the stretch.

James Rumsey, in his second game behind the Wissahickon bench, was smiling at evening’s end despite coming up one goal short.

“We did a really good job,” he said. “We have a few less players (just 15 on the roster) but these guys state their heart out. Every time they play offense, they play defense.

“Our goalie played played defense for me in middle school two years ago. He stood on his head this game. He was awesome. We have a really good team and we’re excited to build on it.”

Ice Chips—The Trojans will honor their seniors Monday night when they will face Boyertown at the Wells Fargo Center,

Wissahickon 4 1 0—5

PW 1 3 3—7

First-period goals: Daniel Hussa from Logan Honeycutt, 3:13 (pp); Isaac Mishkin (PW) from Jason Segal and Tim Murphy, 4:12 (sh); Hussa unassisted, 5:29 (pp); Hussa unassisted, 9:56; Jack Rarberger unassisted, 14:06

Second-period goals: David Brannigan (PW) :31; Hussa from Aiden Brooks, 6:24; Daniel Moloney (P) from Daniel Gullet and Charles Spause, 9:25; Moloney (PW) from Brooks, 11:35

Third-period goals: Jason Segal (PW) unassisted, 4:58; Murphy (PW) from Mishkin, 14:27; Dylan Novitsky (PW) from Mishkin and Murphy, 16:18 (en)

Shots: Wissahickon 29, Plymouth Whitemarsh 30; Saves: Fletcher Lynch 23, Julian Lucks (PW) 24

SHSHL American Division Semifinal: P-W 7 Quakertown 2

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—The moment came with dramatic suddenness, like a bolt of lightning across a clear sky. Isaac Mishkin’ s goal was just the first of the night. But it proved to be a jumping off point as Mishkin and his Plymouth Whitemarsh teammates went on to a 7-2 win over Quakertown Wednesday night in the SHSHL American Division semifinal at Hatfield Ice.

The result puts the second-seeded Colonials (12-6) into next Wednesday’s division final against Abington (7:10 at Hatfield Ice). The Colonials will learn Sunday of they have been selected for the Class A Flyers Cup tournament, which begins the week of March 6.

Quakertown (10-5-1-1) remains eligible for the Class AA Flyers Cup.

Mishkin’s goal came on a shot from center ice that eluded Quakertown goaltender Matt Krem just before the buzzer that ended the first period.

From that moment on, the Colonials had the upper hand.

“Playoffs, you just throw the puck at the net,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Dave Cox. “You never know what can happen.

“I couldn’t be prouder of everyone on that team. They’re resilient. We’ve struggled in practices and at other games. But this is a special group of boys.”

Dylan Novitsky and Matt Flynn scored goals to give the Colonials a 3-0 with 6:44 left in the middle period. Will Shaw got the Panthers on the board seven seconds before the period ended but the Colonials broke the game open in the third frame with goals from their big guns.

Flynn (26 goals 46 points coming into Wednesday), David Branigan (12 goals, 37 points, and Dylan Novitsky (15 goals, 27 points) all found the back of the net before Will Shaw beat Chris Maslij in the Quakertown net.
Maslij stopped 35 of the 37 shots he saw.

“We just wanted to go in and work hard and play our game,” he said. “We really just wanted to get to the net, get as many shots as possible, and just really outwork them if we could.”

Quakertown 0 1 1—2

Plymouth Whitemarsh 1 2 4—7

First-period goal: Isaac Mishkin (PW) unassisted, 16:59

Second-period goals: Dylan Novitski (PW) from David Branigan and Charlie Spause, 6:43; Matt Flynn (PW) from Timothy Murphy, 10:16 (sh); Will Shaw (Q) from Keira Shaw and Jack Dilliberto, 16:53

Third-period goals: Flynn (PW) unassisted, :50; Branigan (PW) from Flynn and Sprouse, 8:41; Novitsky (PW) from Flynn, 10:38 (pp); Will Shaw (Q) unassisted, 11:33; Conlan Carpenter (PW) from Branigan, 15:32

Shots: Quakertown 37, Plymouth Whitemarsh 41; Saves: Matt Krem (Q) 34, Chris Maslij (PW) 35

Abington, PW To Meet at Wells Fargo Center

Senior Nights are special for high-school hockey players, as they are for athletes in other sports, but Abington and Plymouth Whitemarsh are set to have an experience that is truly unique.

The Galloping Ghosts and the Colonials will honor their seniors when they face each other in a non-league game on Wednesday, January 18—at the Wells Fargo Center.

Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Dave Cox the game was arranged by the two club presidents, Abington’s Ed Stelacio and Plymouth Whitemarsh’s Bob Shoemaker.

“We have come together and kind of forged a relationship,” Cox said.

The experience will allow the two teams to recognize their seniors in traditional fashion, prior to game time which is set for 7:30. The SHSHL, at the insistence of local rinks, has prohibited Senior Night observances prior to league games this season because they tended to delay games and force games in later ice slots to start later than scheduled.

Abington coach Ken Brzozowski says each club’s desire to recognize its seniors led to the game being arranged.

“The presidents of the two clubs started talking,” he said, “and said ‘Hey, what can we do to still honor this great tradition?’

“It’s a tremendous opportunity for us. Last year we had a special game against Wissahickon (outdoors at the Spring Mountain resort) and to have this kind of great event again is something to look forward to.”

To cover the cost of purchasing the ice at the Wells Fargo Center for the event, both clubs are selling tickets to Flyers home games in February.

Plymouth Whitemarsh is selling tickets for the matchup between the Flyers and the New York Islanders on Monday, February 6 while Abington is selling tickets for a meeting with the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, February 9. Tickets are $40 and $60 depending on location.

Cox, who played for Plymouth Whitemarsh, is anticipating the emotions the two teams will experience when they step on the ice at the Wells Fargo Center.

“I can only imagine how excited these kids will be,” he said. “Not too many kids can say they had that (experience).”