WC Henderson 7 Hershey 4

When it mattered most, West Chester East found another gear. Leading 4-3 going into their third period of their Class A Flyers Cup semifinal against Hershey, the Warriors scored twice in a seven-minute span and went on to post a 7-4 win at Ice Line.

Second-seeded Henderson (16-6) will face top-seeded Garnet Valley in the Cup final Monday at Ice Line (time TBD). The Warriors previously won the Cup in 2007.

Andrew Denny led the scoring blitz for the Warriors scoring four goals. Three other players scored one goal each, among them Declan Herr, who also contributed a pair of assists. Hunter Haas and Nick DeNardi also chipped in two assists apiece. Haas wound up leaving the game early in the second period with an apparent lower-body injury.

Fans who favor an abundance of scoring got their wish early on; there were five goals scored in the first period. Denny staked his team to a 2-0 lead, his first goal coming 4:53 into the opening frame and his second not quite seven minutes later during a power play.

But the sixth-seeded Trojans (14-8-1), who took the ice as the defending Class A Flyers Cup and state champions, were quick to respond. Bryce Erwin and Lucas scored goals 90 seconds apart to tie the game, albeit briefly.

The Warriors retook the lead on Declan Herr’s goal with 48 seconds remaining in the opening period only to see Brady Cox tie the game for the second time with 8:09 left in the second frame.
Blake Platz, the Warriors’ senior captain, put his team ahead for the third time with just 14 seconds left in the middle period. As it turned out, his goal put his team in front for good.

Going into the third period, the game was still up for grabs but Denny altered that equation when he scored his third goal 31 seconds into the period. Anthony Barthol followed with a goal of his own at the 6:59 mark

“Coming out in the third period we pretty much put two up quick,” Platz said, “and then shut them down.”

Platz said he and his teammates stuck to fundamentals down the stretch after regaining the lead.

“The biggest thing in high-school hockey that I see is playing defensively sound, getting the puck out, and taking care of your D-zone,” he said. “Once that happens, if you’ve got pretty good forward lines, you can take care of the game.”

Henderson coach Tom Aughey felt the game was being played on even terms until the decisive third period.

“Coming out of the ice cut you could tell our boys really wanted it more,” he said. “They really wanted it more than anything else they could have right now.”

Hershey 2 1 1—4

WC Henderson 3 1 3—7

First-period goals: Andrew Denny (WCH) from Hunter Haas, 4:53; Denny from Haas, 11:47 (pp); Bryce Erwin (H) unassisted, 13:42; Tyler Lucas (H) from Cole Umberger, 15:12; Declan Herr (WCH) from Nick DeNardi, 16:12

Second-period goals: Brady Cox (H) from Umberger, 8:51; Blake Platz (WCH) from Miles Donnelly, 16:46

Third-Period goals: Andrew Denny (WCH) from Platz and DeNardi, :31; Anthony Barthol (WCH) from Herr, 6:59; Owen Hulays (H) from Erwin, 9:05; Denny (WCH) unassisted, 15:46 (sh), (en)

Shots: Hershey 24, WC Henderson 45; Saves: Alex Placeros ((H) 38, Matt Cieslukowski 20

Hershey 4 Chartiers Valley 2

First-period goals: Noah Callender (CV) from Dylan Shamonsky, 15:31; Callander (CV) unassisted, 16:30

Hershey scored four consecutive goals to overcome a 2-0 deficit to score a 4-2 over Chartiers Valley on Saturday in the Class A Pennsylvania Cup championship game at Ice Line.

Carson Hummer, Blake Umberger, Kyle Kloss, and Tyler Lucas all scored for the Trojans, who were making their first appearance in state final.

Noah Callander scored two goals 59 seconds apart to give the Colts a 2-0 lead. Umberger’s goal 10:02 into the second frame made it a one-goal game Umberger tied the game with a power-play goal with 3:27 left in the period.

Kloss’s goal 1:47 into the third period proved to be the game winner; it came during a four-on-four situation, Lucas added a goal at the 7:04 mark.

Alexander Placeres earned the win in goal making 31 saves.

Chartiers Vallry 2 0 0—2

Hershey 0 2 2—4

First-period goals: Noah Callander (CV) from Dylan Shamonsky, 15:31; Callander (CV) unassisted, 16:30

Second-period goal: Carson Hummer (H) from Bryce Erwin and Carl Ritner, 10:02; Blake Umberger (H) from Ryan Dhawan and David Maish, 13:33 (pp)

Third-period goals: Kyle Kloss (H) unassisted, 1:47; Tyler Lucas (H) from Tyler Tredway and Carl Ritner, 7:04

Shots: Chartiers Valey 33, Hershey 29; Saves: Matthew Colbert (CV) 25; Alexander Placeres

State Championship Preview

This marks the 48^th year that Pennsylvania has crowned a scholastic ice hockey champion. In 1975 the first state tournament brought together six teams from across the Commonwealth. Baldwin defeated Churchill in the first state championship game. Richland, Erie McDowell, Springfield-Delco and Bishop Neumann were also in the field.

The Flyers Cup tournament was launched in 1980; a year later, Archbishop Carroll became the first Flyers Cup champion to win a Pennsylvania Class AAA state title. While the Flyers Cup was a single-class tournament at the time, the state tournament crowned Class AAA and Class AA champions from 1976-88 (There was no state tournament in 1978, nor in 2020).

In 1989, the state tournament added a third classification (Class A).

Two years later, the Flyers Cup adopted a three-class format and the state championship became a matchup of the Flyers Cup and Penguins Cup champions in each classification.

Saturday’s schedule at the Skatium in Haverford Township is as follows:

All three games will be streamed on the Flyers Cup YouTube Channel

Class A

11:00 Hershey (20-3-1) vs. Chartiers Valley (23-0)

The Trojans, who are competing in their first final. are paced by Blake Umberger who has scored 17 goals and added 25 assists for 42 points. Kyle Kloss has scored 17 goals if his own and added 19 assists for 36 points.

Chartiers Valley is trying for its second state title. The first came in 1986 as a Class AA team. Noah Callander leads the Colts in scoring with 30 regular-season goals and 14 assists for 44 points. Brady Narin has contributed 15 goals and 17 assists for 32 points

Class AA

2:00 Pennridge (22-2-2) vs. Thomas Jefferson (20-2)

This game is a rematch of the 2022 title game, which saw the Rams prevail 4-3 in overtime.

Kevin Pico has scored 40 goals for the Rams this season under the SHSHL umbrella and added 56 assists for 96 points. Andrew Savona has collected 42 goals and added 41 assists for 83 points. Shane Dachowski has provided 37 goal and 42 assists for 79 points.

The Jaguars, who won three consecutive state titles from 1998-2000 are paced by Jake Stock who scored 19 regular-season goals and added 26 assists for 45 points. Andrew Oliver added 20 goals and 23 assists for 43 points.

Class AAA

5:00 La Salle (23-3) vs. Pine-Richland 18-5

The Explorers are trying to become the first team to successfully defend a Class AAA state title since they themselves did so in 2009. They’ve won eight state title, seven of them at the AAA level. Dean Caravalho has scored 20 goals and added 11 assists for 31 points. Patrick Brace has added 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points.

Pine-Richland won back-to-back AA state titles in 2006-07. The Rams are led by Zachary Howard who scored 17 regular-season goals and added 14 assists for 31 points. Cullin Campbell is next with 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points.

The Skatium itself is celebrating its history. One of the oldest high-school hockey facilities in Pennsylvania, it is marking its 50th anniversary this year.

Hershey 5 Unionville 1

Tyler Lucas and Blake Umberger scored first-period goals in a three-minute span and Hershey went on to defeat Unionville 5-1 Wednesday night in the Class A Flyers Cup final at Ice Line.

It marks the first time a team from the Central Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League has won a Flyers Cup championship. The Trojans were finalists last season but fell to West Chester East in the championship game. They’ve reached the finals on three other occasions.

Ryan Dhawan and Brady Cox added third-period goals for the Trojans (21-4) who advance to Saturday’s state championship game.

Lucas opened the scoring for third-seeded Hershey 8:46 into the opening period. Umberger followed with a power-play goal at the 11:20 mark.

Ryan Dhawan, who assisted in Umberger’s goal, added one of his own 3:01 into the third period.

Alex Tomasewicz got ninth-seeded Unionville (10-12) on the scoreboard with 9:48 left in the game before Cox added an insurance goal with 5:17 remaining.

Tucker Valoczki scored am empty-net goal with five seconds remaining.

Unionville 0 0—1

Hershey 2 0 3—5

Second-period goals: Tyler Lucas (H) from Kyle Koss, 8:46; Blake Umberger (H) from Ryan Dhawan and Matt Dalkiewicz, 11:40;

Third-period goals: Dhawn (H) from Umberger and David Maishm 3:01; Alex Tomasewicz (U) unassisted, 7:12; Brady Cox (G) from Dhawan and Dalkiewicz, 11:43; Tucker Valoczki (H) unassisted, 16:55

Shots: Unionville 29, Hershey 23; Saves: Zach Tomaszewicz (U) 18, Alexander Placeres 28

Flyers Cup Class A Final Tuesday 3-19

Hershey vs. Unionville, 7:45 at Ice Line

Hershey (19-4)—The third-seeded Trojans earned a first-round bye before scoring wins over Springfield-Delco and Garnet Valley to reach the finals. Senior Ryan Dhawan has a goal and three assists for four points in the two games. Sophomore Blake Umberger and senior Kyle Kloss have each collected two goals and an assist for three points.

The Trojans are trying to become the first team from the Central Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League to win a Flyers Cup title.

Unionville (10-11)—The ninth-seeded Longhorns Longhorns recorded wins over Plymouth Whitemarsh, three-time defending champion West Chester East, and Marple Newtown to reach the finals. Junior Cole Blackurn has scored five goals and added four assists for nine points in three Flyers Cup games. Senior Anthony Kulp has added seven assists in the tournament plus a goal of his own for eight points.

Unionville won the Class A Flyers Cup title in 1995.

Flyers Cup Schedule Revised in Response to Coronavirus

The Flyers Cup Committee has revised and consolidated the remainder of the tournament schedule. The revisions were made because of ongoing concerns re; the coronavirus. The game times and sites listed below are as of 11:30 AM on March 12.

Thursday, Match 12

Class AAA Semifinals at Hatfield Ice

6:30 Holy Ghost Prep vs. Father Judge

8:45 La Salle vs. St. Joseph’s Prep

Friday, March 13

7:00 Class AAA Final at Hatfield Ice

Saturday, March 14

NJ/DE Semi – Finals at Vorhees

4:45pm – Moorsetown vs Wash Twp

7:00pm – Salesianum vs Shawnee

Girls Semifinals at Iceline

2:00pm – Unionville vs Buxmont

4:00pm- WC East vs WC Henderson

Sunday, March 15

Sun 3/15 – AA Final Perkiomen Valley vs Downingtown West, 4 pm at Iceline

Sun 3/15 – Girls Final – 6pm at Iceline

Sun 3/15 – A Final Hershey vs Palmyra, 7pm at Klick Lewis Arena

Our thanks to the Flyers Cup Committee

Hershey, Palmyra, Win Flyers Cup Class A Semifinals

Evan Saxman’s goal 5:57 into the third period proved to be the game winner as Palmyra bested Bayard Rustin 5-3 Monday night in a Class A Flyers Cup semifinal at Ice Line. The second-seeded Cougars will face Hershey for the title Monday night, assuring that a Central Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League team will win a Flyers Cup title for the first time in the event’s 41-year history.

Third-seeded Bayard Rustin, which was trying to win its seventh straight Flyers Cup title, took a 1-0 lead when Evan Yori scored 2:44 into the opening period but Owen Schmidt and Gabriel Page responded to give the Cougars a 2-1 lead by period’s end.

Yori tied the game 10:25 into the second period before Robert Crook gave the Knights a 3-2 lead with 3:26 left in the period.

Gabriel Page tied the game for the Cougars with 2:26 left to send the teams to the third period tied 3-3.

Saxman’s goal put Palmyra in front for good before Kyle Ziemba scored an empty net goal with 10 seconds remaining.

Jackson Bell got the win in goal, making 37 saves. Rustin had a 40-30 edge in shots.

Bayard Rustin 1 2 0—3

Palmyra 2 1 2—5

——————————————————————–

Jake Kloss, Hank Reed, and Jason Rippon scored two goals each as Hershey defeated West Chester East 6-3 Monday night in a Class A Flyers Cup semifinal at Ice Line. Toby Kauffman added two assists for the fifth-seeded Trojans advanced to next Tuesday’s final against either West Chester Bayard Rustin or Palmyra.

Chase Becnel, Luca Touring, and John Conlon scored goals for the top-seeded Vikings.

Kloss and Reed scored goals in a span of 1:46 to give Hershey a 2-0 lead by the 7:34 mark of the first period

Colon’s power-play goal for Rustin made it a 2-1 game with 3:04 left in the period.

Bechtel tied the game for the Vikings 5:04 into the second period but Reed and Kloss scored goals to give the Trojans a 4-2 lead with 2:21 left in the period.

Touring scored for the Vikings with 6:07 left in regulation to make it a one-goal game but Rippon answered for the Trojans with 4:51 left before scoring into an empty net with 1:43 remaining.

The Vikings outshot the Trojans 32-25.

Flyers Cup Facts Monday, March 9

The Class A Flyers Cup semifinals are set for tonight at Ice Line.

Final Palmyra 5, Bayard Rustin 3

End second period: Bayard Rustin 3, Palmyra 3

End first period: Palmyra 2, Bayard Rustin 1

Final: Hershey 6, West Chester East 3

Starting 3rd period: Hershey 4, West Chester East 2

End 1st period: Hershey 2, West Chester East 1

The start of the first game was delayed due to an issue with the ice. The first game started at approximately 7:00 p.m. The start of the second gamed will be delayed accordingly.

Top-seeded West Chester East will face fifth seed Hershey in the 6:15 opener while second-seeded Palmyra will go against third seed and six-time defending champion West Chester Bayard Rustin at 8:15. The two winners will meet next Tuesday, March 17 at the same venue in the championship game.

Tonight’s games will be streamed on the tournament’s You Tube channel. CLICK HERE FOR THE FEED.

Bayard Rustin has won six consecutive Class A Flyers Cup titles. That streak is a record in boys’ competition. All told, Rustin has won nine Flyers Cup titles, second to the 11 La Salle has won in the Class AA and Class AAA brackets.

West Chester East has won two Cups, in 2008 and ’13. Hershey was a finalist last year.

All told, Intercounty Scholastic Hockey League teams have won 18 consecutive Class A Flyers Cups. Springfield-Delco, which now plays in the Intercounty League, was a member of the Eastern League when it won its first Cup in 2001.

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.

West Chester Rustin 5, Hershey 1

West Chester Rustin 5, Hershey 1—Chris Owens scored two goals to lead West Chester Rustin to a 5-1 win over Hershey Sunday afternoon in the Class A Flyers Cup final at the Wells Fargo Center.
It’s the sixth straight Cup title for the Golden Knights, a Flyers Cup record in any classification.
Tommy Finley and Owens scored goals to give top-seeded Rustin (24-7-1) a 2-0 first-period lead.
Caden Freer scored for Hershey (20-6) to cut the lead in half but Nick Ferraro extended the lead with 1:29 left in the second session.
Owens and Nick Strasinski added third-period goals for Rustin.

Hershey 0 1 0—1
West Chester Rustin 2 1 2—5

Flyers Cup Superlatives

LaSalle which will face off against St. Joseph’s Prep in Sunday’s Class AAA final, holds the record for the most Flyers Cup titles with 10. Malvern Prep is next with 9. West Chester Rustin, which faces Hershey for the Class A title on Sunday, has won eight. The Unionville girls have also won eight. Unionville will face West Chester Rustin for the girls title Sunday.

LaSalle (10)— Class AAA in 1996, ’98, 2008, ’09, 2011-14, 2016

Class AA in 1999.

Malvern Prep (9)— Class AAA in1987, 1992, ’93, ’97, 2001-05

West Chester Bayard Ruston (8)—Class A in 2009, ’10, ’12, 14-18

Unionville Girls (8)— 2010-13, 20015-18

Malvern Prep (2001-05) and West Chester Rustin (2014-18) share the record of five consecutive Flyers Cup titles

Sunday Schedule:

9:45 Girls Final West Chester Rustin vs. Unionville

2:00 Boys Class A Final Unionville vs. Hershey

4:30 Boys Class AA Final Downingtown East vs. Downingtown West

7:00 Boys Class AAA Final LaSalle vs. St. Joseph’s Prep

The three boys’ games will be available for viewing HERE on Sunday