The Intercounty Scholastic Hockey League is holding its annual set of New Year’s Day All-Star Games.
PCL 11, Pioneer 7
Liberty South 10, Liberty North 5
Girls White Division 5, Blue Division 4
Central 11 Ches-Mont 6
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The Intercounty Scholastic Hockey League is holding its annual set of New Year’s Day All-Star Games.
PCL 11, Pioneer 7
Liberty South 10, Liberty North 5
Girls White Division 5, Blue Division 4
Central 11 Ches-Mont 6
The InterCounty Scholastic Hockey League has the schedule for its traditional All-Star games. All four games will be played at Ice Line in West Goshen Township on New Year’s Day
The varsity all-star games schedule is:
Game 1: 1pm Girls
Game 2: 3pm Liberty North vs Liberty South
Game 3: 5pm Chesmont vs Central
Game 4: 7pm PCL
All four games will be streamed live via HockeyTV.
The Suburban High School Hockey league is officially launching its 45th season this week.
Meantime, the Intercounty Scholastic Hockey League is celebrating its 50th anniversary this season.
The Intercounty Scholastic Hockey League will is kickoff its new season. A total of 36 boys teams and 14 girls teams will skate under the Intercounty League umbrella this season.
The boys’ alignment will include the Ches-Mont, Central, and Philadelphia Catholic Leagues. Some teams, including several from the aforementioned leagues, will compete in the Liberty North and Liberty South divisions, which will include teams from an assortment of existing leagues as well the state of Delaware.
The boys’ season officially begins on Thursday. Defending Class 2A Flyers Cup champion Downingtown East will open its season against Unionville on Friday, November 2 at Ice Line.
The girls’ teams, which in some cases have already begun their seasons, are divided into two seven-team divisions.
The Intercounty League is the oldest scholastic hockey league in the area. It is celebrating its 50th anniversary this season. The league was launched in 1969 as a six-team organization that included Cardinal O’Hara, Conestoga, Haverford High, Marple Newtown, St. Joseph’s Prep, and Swarthmore
The league alignments will be as follows
Boys
Ches-Mont League
Avon Grove
Downingtown East
Downingtown West
Unionville
West Chester Bayard Rustin
West Chester East
West Chester Henderson
Central League
Conestoga
Garnet valley
Haverford
Lower Merion
Penncrest
Radnor
Ridley
Springfield (Delco)
Strath Haven
Catholic League
Archbishop Ryan
Cardinal O’Hara
Delaware Military Academy
Father Judge
Roman Catholic
Salesianum
Liberty North
Boyertown
Owen J. Roberts
Perkiomen Valley
Spring Ford
Archbishop Carroll
Monsignor Bonner
Bishop Shanahan
Liberty South
Harriton
Interboro
Marple Newtown
Appoquinmink
Kennett
St. Mark’s
Girls
National Division
OJR/Boyertown
Unionville
West Chester Bayard Rustin
Garnet Valley
Downingtown West
Lower Merion
West Chester East
American Division
Avon Grove
Bishop Shanahan
Lansdale Catholic
Conestoga
Penncrest-Strath Haven
Radnor
West Chester East 2
Two of the girls’ teams will be co-op teams
The weather forced some postponements in the SHSHL last Friday. Those games will be made up after the start of the new year. With one week remaining before the holiday break, here’s how things are shaping up.
Wissahickon is the only unbeaten team in the league. The Trojans are 8-0 in Class A in the wake of an 11-4 win over Plymouth Whitemarsh last Wednesday night. The Trojans are averaging better than 10 goals per game and have reached double figures six times.
Bryan Gary leads the team in scoring with 30 goals and 18 assists for 48 points. Sean Garry has 23 goals and 16 assists for 39 points.
The Trojans’ scheduled meeting with Council Rock North last Friday was postponed; Wissahickon is now off until January 3.
In Class 2A, the best records belong to Central Bucks South and Pennridge, both of whom are 7-1. The Rams and the Titans are both 4-0 in divisional play.
The Titans are paced by Joe DeLaurentis (13 goals, 1 assist) and Matt Stoll (8g/6a) with 14 points each. Their biggest win was a 1-0 decision over defending state champion Downingtown East back on November 30.
Eric Slater leads the Rams in scoring with 12 goals and12 assists for 24 points. Michael Walker has 12 goals and 11 assists for 23.
The two teams will meet each other on January 17th
Two of scholastic hockey’s most influential figures were behind the benches last Wednesday night when Council Rock South and Hoy Ghost Prep squared off. Joe Houk (Council Rock South) and Gump Whiteside (Holy Ghost Prep) have seen a lot of jockey in their time.
On this occasion, the Firebirds prevailed 9-1 over the Golden Hawks, who were minus six regulars but Houk took a pragmatic view of the occasion, looking at it as learning experience for a team that is young in places.
‘I should have four guys back by the first of the year,” he said.
Houk only has 11 players on his varsity roster; he compensates by utilizing JV call ups to fill out the roster. He noted that fatigue, mental as well as physical, was a factor against the Firebirds after the Golden Hawks fell behind 7-1 after two periods
“I told them, ‘In a case like this your body may be tired but your mind is not,’’ he said, “you’ve got to keep going for another 16 minutes.”
Houk has won three Flyers Cup titles and a state title in his tenure with the Golden Hawks. Joe is a great guy,” Whiteside said. “He’s a friend and a great coach and I just have a lot of respect for him and his program, any team that he’s ever coached. He’s just a quality guy. He’s what high-school hockey is all about. That’s why guys play for him because he’s a great guy. He’s a quality coach, and a good friend.”
Downingtown East is off to a 7-1 start in the Ches-Mont Division of the Intercounty Scholastic Hockey League. The loss to Central Bucks South has been the cougars’ only setback of the season. They’re 2-0 in the Ches-Mont which technically puts them in fourth place because they’ve played so few league games.
Downingtown West is officially on top at 4-2-1-0 in the Ches-Mont (5-2-1 overall) followed by West Chester Bayard Rustin (3-0-1-1) and West Chester East (2-2-1-0).
Lower Merion leads the Central League Northern Division with a 5-0-1-0 mark (7-0-1-0 overall) while Conestoga is next at 5-1 and 7-1. Springfield-Delco leads the Southern Division with a perfect 8-0 mark.
Note that the Intercounty League uses overtime during the regular season.
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