C.B. South 4 Pennridge 3

In some aspects, mid-January is the most difficult part of the high-school hockey season. The postseason is still a month away and the players are feeling the grind of the long campaign, particularly if they also play club hockey.

Amidst this atmosphere, Pennridge and Central Bucks South squared off Thursday night at Hatfield Ice in a SHSHL National matchup with potentially long-range implications.

It was the Titans who ground out 4-3 win. Ryan Frey and Jeff Kvecher scored goals 40 seconds apart early in the third period to give South its 11^th victory of the season against five setbacks (11-2 in divisional play).

The Rams, who are listed fifth in the newest Class AA Flyers Cup rankings, slipped to 10-4 overall and 9-4 in the division.

It marked the second time the Titans have bested the Rams; the first was a 5-4 overtime win on November 7. In Kvecher’s view, the caliber of the opponent made Thursday’s win particularly satisfying.

“That’s a tough team,” he said of Pennridge. “They put a lot of pressure on us. They have some great guys that can wheel and we did a great job of shutting them down.

“We also sent a message to the league, and the Flyers Cup, that we’re a top team.”

Thursday game came 72 hours after many of the participants completed a full weekend of club tournament play, a circumstance that required an enhanced level of focus.

“Everyone had to dig deep,” Kvecher said. “Everyone was tired, everyone’s legs were tired. We dug deep and we were able to get the win.”

The Titans once more had to come from behind. Pennridge’s Nolan Shaw delivered the only goal of the first period, a power-play effort 3:51 after the opening faceoff that came while South’s Joe Slobodrian was serving a two-minute sentence.

Kvecher and Slobodrian scored power-play goal two-and-a-half minutes apart to give South the lead 5:09 onto the second period before Ryan Burke tied the game for the Ram three-and-a-half minutes later.

Ryan Frey put the Titans in front for good 49 seconds into the final period. Kvecher extended his team’s lead just 40 seconds later and the insurance proved valuable and necessary; Josh Kelly scored for Pennridge with 8:14 remaining. But Jake Matkowski in the South net and his mates in front of him stood tall the rest of the way.

Josh Sklar was in charge behind the Titan bench Thursday night, replacing the absent Shaun McGinty. He said his team had the energy it needed in the third period.

“They definitely had a little more spring in their step, a little more energy,” he said. “They brought the energy all game long but toward the end [two third-period goals] pushes the boys to finish the game out.”

The Titan had a 47-25 edge in shots. Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna says the Titans’ up-tempo style regularly gives his team problems.

“C.B. South is a bad matchup for us,” he said. “They’ve always been a bad matchup for us. They’re deep, they’re good defensively.

“I say this every time we play them; they’re going to get a lot of shots on us by design … We changed defensively how we were going to do things. I thought we did a really good job defensively keeping pucks out of dangerous area. But, they’re a tough team to play.”

Pennridge 1 1 1—3

C.B. South 0 2 2—4

First-period goal: Nolan Shaw (P) from Nick Young and Landon Bishop, 3:51 (pp)

Second-period goals: Jeff Kvecher (CBS) from Ryan Frey and Joe Slobodrian, 2:34 (pp); Slobodrian (CBS) from Frey, 5:09; Ryan Burke (P) from Shane Dachowki and Jared Garber, 8:42.

Third-period goals: Frey (CBS) from Dominic Gibson and Jamison Crouch, :49; Kvecher (CBS) from Peter Herring and Ryan Montagna, 1:29 (); Josh Kelly (P) from James Rush and Dachowski, 8:46

Shots: Pennridge 25, C.B. South 47; Saves: Jacob Winton (P) 43, Jake Matkowski (CBS) 22

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 16^th 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

North Penn 5 Pennridge 0

It took North Penn most of two periods to solve the puzzle. But once the Knights did, the goals came in rapid-fire succession.

Three goals in the final three minute of the second period propelled North Penn to a 5-0 win over Pennridge Thursday night ay Hatfield Ice in a battle of SHSHL National Division heavyweights.

Daniel Cabrales scored two goals and Aidan Quigley was perfect between the pipes as the Knights improved to 8-2 overall and 7-2 in divisional play. The Rams boast an identical record at the season’s halfway mark.

The Rams were ranked third and the Knights fourth in the season’s first set of Class AA Flyers Cup rankings

“That probably was the best game we’ve played all year from a 51-minute perspective,” said North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis. “We knew [Pennridge] was a good hockey team. They weren’t going to give it to us, we had to come out and earn it.”

North Penn took control at the start, outshooting Pennridge 22-6 in the first period. That trend continued in the middle period as the Knights launched shots at James Winton from all angles.

It took them until the waning minutes of the period however to get the better of him.

Nolan Shingle scored the first goal of the night, a power-play effort with 2:51 left in the period. Cabrales made it a 2-0 game with 1:05 remaining when he poked in a rebound that Winton couldn’t control. Half a minute later Samuel Norton stole the puck and center ice and launched a shot from long range that beat Winton on his glove side. It was North Penn’s third goal in a span of 2:25.

Vaitis credited his troops for the way they moved the puck.

“The big thing we focus on is puck movement,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of skill players [and we tell them] don’t try to do anything on their own. When we move the puck well, good thigs happen for us.”

By this point, the Rams were operating on auxiliary power offensively, having lost catalyst Shane Dachowski in the second period to a shoulder injury. No one in the lineup was able to fill the gap created by his absence.

“These guys need to learn how to do things for themselves,” said Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna. ”Without waiting for someone else to do it. We’re not going to make excuses about it. We have a bunch of guys that have to learn how to go through this.”

Luke Haftel and Carbrales provided goals for North Penn in the third period. Meanwhile, Quigley was stopping all 17 shots he saw.

“I didn’t face a whole lot of shots,” he said. “It’s hard, trying to stay with it when you’re not getting a ton of shots. But, the team played strong and helped me out.”

Quigley credited his defense for minimalizing potential rebounds.

“My defense helped me out,” he said. “Any rebounds they got out. No bad turnovers.”

• With 13:02 remaining in the third period, Winton left the ice because of asthma issues. He returned after approximately. five minutes North Penn utilized its time out after the Rams had used theirs to allow Winton extra time to recover.

Pennridge 0 0 0—0

North Penn 0 3 2—5

Second-period goals: Nolan Shingle (NP) from James Boyle and Daniel Cabrales, 2:51 (pp); Cabrales (MP) from Samuel Norton and Cole Pluck, 1:05; Norton (NP) unassisted, :21

Third-period goals: Luke Haftel (NP) from Christopher Silvotti, 7:27, Cabrales (NP) from Norton, 1:36

Shots: Pennridge 17, North Penn 51; Saves: James Winton (P) 46, Aidan Quigley (NP) 17

Pennridge 6 Boyertown 3

HATFIELD—A fast start paid big dividends for Pennridge Wednesday night. The Rams jumped in front with two early goals and went on to a 6-3 win over Boyertown at Hatfield Ice Arena as a part of the SHSHL-ICSHL series.

James Rush scored twice for the defending Class AA Flyers Cup and state champions. Shane Dachowski added two goals and two assists as Pennridge improved to 2-1 on the season.

The Rams got off to a fast start. Rush scored off a turnover at center ice, beating Boyertown netminder Tyler Griffith to give his team a 1-0 lead 3:01 into the first frame. He made it a 2-0 game just 18 seconds later.

Logan Brown answered for the Bears (3-2) 8:59 into the period but Dachowski made it a 3-1 game with 1:53 remaining.

“It’s always great to get those early goals,” Rush said. “It gives your team the momentum for the rest of the game and you just try to maintain the lead from that point on.”

The Rams had just 12 skaters a available because of injuries and their coach Jeff Montagna was pleased with how his team stepped up in one of the most anticipated matchups of the interconference challenge series, against an opponent that reached the Flyers Cup semifinals last spring. The Bears were limited to just six shots in the opening period

“I thought we played a tremendous game,” Montagna said. I thought we did a great job in the slot area.

“I told [his team] Thais is a a blueprint for us. The starters scored, everyone else keep the puck out of our net and do the dirty work, the dirty things that not every team wants to do.”

Dachowski and Rush scored goals not quite six minutes apart to increase the Pennridge lead to 5-1 with 7:45 left in the middle period. Joseph Bilotta scored for Boyertown with 5:24 left in the second session and added his second goal of the night with exactly two minutes remaining in the game, Ladan Bishop brought down the curtain when he added a goal with 56 seconds remaining,

Boyertown coach Joe Slowik praised the way his team competed.

“I thought our team competed very well,” he said. “They’re the defending state champs so you’ve got to give them some credit.

“But I thought we competed really well and I thought we had a lot of self-inflicted wounds. We turned a lot of pucks over, we didn’t get exits when we should have and definitely weren’t very good in front of either net.”

Rush said the win against a top-tier opponent told the Rams a lot about themselves.

“You get to see what our team is going to look like this year,” he said, “what kind of opponents you can really handle. I think we got a good understanding of how good we will be this year.”

• The win was the first for the SHSHL in the three games that were played through Wednesday night; ICSHL teams won the first two.

Slowik commented on what the crossover games do to promote high-school hockey.

“I love it,” he said. “I think it’s great. When they put this on our schedule, the crossover game, I thought it was great because the only time we play each other is in the Flyers Cup and that’s in March.

“I would like to see maybe even a little more of these crossover games. I think it’s great for high-school hockey here in Pennsylvania.”

Boyertown 1 1 1—3

Pennridge 3 3 1—6

First-period goals: James Rush (P) unassisted, 3:01; Rush (P) Shane Dachowski and Ladan Bishop, 3:19; Logan Brown (B) from Lucas Remick, 8:01; Dachowski (P) from Jared Garber, 15:07

Second-period goals: Dachowski (P) unassisted, 3:28; Ruah (P) from Garber and Dachowski, 9:15; Joseph Bilotta (B) from Evan Kurtas and Riley Berger, 11:36

Third-period goals: Bilotta (B) from Weston Bieber and Jax Drost,15:00 Logan Biahop (P) from Dachowski, 16:06 (pp)

Shots: Boyertown 29, Pennridge 32; Saves: Tyler Griffith (B) 26, Jacob Winston (P) 26

SHSHL and ICSHL to Stage Interleague Series

Tonight marks the start of a new partnership between the Suburban High Hockey League and the Inter County Scholastic Hockey League; the first two in a series of 12 interleague games between the two leagues as part of the regular-season schedule that will be played between tonight and December 5.

Tonight, Wissahickon from the SHSHL will face Strath-Haven from the ICSHL at Ice Works in Aston and Downingtown West from the ICSHL will host Central Bucks South from the SHSHL at Ice Line (the full schedule is listed below).

The two leagues square off against each other annually in the Flyers Cup tournament and regular-season interleague games are not new. This year’s series of games however, have more significance because the results will be considered by the Flyers Cup Committee when evaluating potential invitees.

Beyond the Flyers Cup tournament however, the series shines a spotlight on high-school hockey. Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna is looking forward to the crossover games.

“We go into the Flyers Cup every year blind [against the Inter County League teams] and how we match up,” he said. I know they’ve talked about it for a couple years and the coaches were all on board. It’s something I think is long overdue.

“I think for both leagues, to get a chance to see teams from the other league and it breaks up the monotony of the season and it gives you a different look altogether. It’s really cool thing they’re doing.”

Montagna likes playing interleague games as a change of pace,

“We maybe go down to Ice Line and whoever we’re playing brings a lot of fans in for a regular-season game,” he said. “It’s a playoff atmosphere you don’t always get when we’re playing teams two or three times a year.”

Haverford High coach John Povey says the series will be a boost for the high-school version of the sport.

“It’s something we’ve been trying to do for some time now,” he said. We just think it’s great for high-school hockey. When you get teams from each league, you’re going to get good hockey games and all that does promote the league promote the sport.

“It’s something we’ve been trying to do for a while and being able to make it happen this year is really good and it’s good for high-school hockey.”

Povey is no stranger to interleague games.
“We’ve been doing preseason games with each other for the last 10-plus years,” he says. “This is just a little bit different because it’s going to have a lot more meaning to it.”

When Shaun McGinty was playing high-school hockey at Council Rock High in the mid-1990s under legendary coach Paul Gilligan the Indians competed regularly against teams from throughout the area, including Delaware and Chester Counties.

McGinty notes that Gilligan wanted his teams to face the strongest opposition available.

“His mindset was to compete with the best to be the best.” McGinty said. “He always pushed his program and us as players.”

As a head coach himself, McGinty has regularly sought out top-flight non-league opposition.

“I’ve done it here from the time I was here with [former coach Tom Coyne},” said, “and since Tom’s left I’ve kept it going with Haverford and Father Judge. I’ve played Ghost and La Salle and those teams are great.

We’ve played Haverford and we’ve played Conestoga. It’s good that the leagues are doing it again. It’s great for the kids and good for the coaches to see what others leagues have.”

McGinty notes that games like the one his team will play Friday night against Downingtown East are tutorials of sorts for younger players who aspire to compete at the school varsity level.

“We try to sell our middle school here,” he said. When we’re in playoffs, we try to get the middle school kids come out to see the big boys play and promote the idea that ‘This is where I’ve got to get too, this is where I have to work to to get to this level of play. You’re going to see some talent. It’s a great way to promote the game and I think it’s huge.”

Crossover Schedule

Friday 11-8 Strath Haven 3 Wissahickon 1 at Ice Works

Friday 11-8 Downingtown East 6 C.B. South 1 at Ice Line

Wednesday 11-13 Prnnridge 6 Boyertown 3 at Hatfield

Thursday 11-14 Marple-Newtown at Hatboro-Horsham 7:10 at Hatfield

Thursday 11-14 Conestoga at Neshaminy 7:20 at Grundy

Friday 11-15 North Penn at Downingtown West 7:50 at Ice Line

Friday 11-15 Pennsbury at Spring-Ford 7:15 at Oaks

Friday 11-15 Central Bucks East at Avon Grove 8:00 at Ice Line

Wednesday 11-20 Lower Merion at Souderton 7:20 at Hatfield

Thursday 11-21 Radnor at Plymouth Whitemarsh 7:10 at Hatfield

Thursday 11-21 Haverford at Council Rock South 7:20 at Grundy

Thursday 12-5 Abington at Harriton 8:00 at Skatium

C.B. South 5 Pennridge 4 OT

HATFIELD—For drama, this one was hard to top. J.D. Crouch scored on a shorthanded breakaway just before the overtime-ending buzzer to give Central Bucks South a stunning 5-4 win over Pennridge Thursday night in a SHSHL National Division meeting at Hatfield Ice Arena.

The Titans overcame a 3-0 second-period deficit to post their second consecutive win of the young season. The Rams (1-1) saw a four-point effort from Shane Dachowski go unrewarded; the senior delivered three goals and an assist. And Pennridge goaltender Jacob Winton was credited with 57 saves in the losing effort.

Dachowski was at the forefront of the game’s penultimate sequence; he had a clear path to the net when he was taken down by the Titans’ Sean Cutter, who was called for tripping with 9.6 seconds remaining in the five-minute overtime. allowing the Rams to put an extra skater on the ice. Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna’s lobbying effort for a penalty shot was unsuccessful.

Crouch got control of the puck off the ensuing offensive right-circle faceoff and headed for the other end of the ice, hoping to win the race against time.

“It was kind of just a lucky bounce,” he said. “I chipped it of the wall and the [defensemen] stepped and gave me all the time. There was not much time on the clock so I just had to shoot it. I heard my teammates on the bench yelling to shoot it, so I just ripped it.”

After a scoreless first period, it was the Rams, who took command in the second frame with a goal from Shane Venner followed by a pair from Dachowski to build a three-goal advantage. But Dominic Gibson and Joey Slobodrian scored goals for the Titans 51 seconds apart to make it a one-goal game with 3:41 left in the period.

Dachowski and Slobodrian traded goals before the second period ended; Gibson tied the game with 6:19 left in regulation.

Pennridge started the overtime with a four-skaters-to-three advantage after the Titans’ Logan Hood was flagged for interference with 42 seconds left in regulation but the Rams couldn’t take advantage.

South coach Shaun McGinty celebrated his team’s comeback.

“That’s a never-give-up attitude,” said. “That’s a team effort. [62] shots to 36, obviously, we’re getting the shots and controlling that end of the game. But [Winton] is an unbelievable goaltender. They obviously have guys that are going to do damage when they have the puck.

“Dachowski is a phenomenal player and he’s just going to do what he does.”

Montagna credited his team for its effort, Winton in particular.

“Jacob was obviously unbelievable in net,” he said. “I can’t say enough good things about our team tonight. They played a phenomenal game. I’m proud of them, I really am.

C.B. South 0 3 1 1—5

Pennridge 0 4 0 0—4

Second-period goals: Shane Venner (P) from Kaden Gunning, 2:00; Shane Dachowski (P) unassisted, 4:42; Dachowski (P) from James Rush, 11:02; Dominic Gibson (CBS) from Jeff Kvecher and Sean Cutter, 12:28 (pp); Joey Slobodrian (CBS) from Cutter, 13:19; Dachowski (P) from Rush, 14:43; Slobodrian (CBS) from Logan Hood and Jake Stepp, 16:02

Third-period goal: Gibson (CBS) from Slobodrian, 10:41

Overtime goal: J.D. Crouch (CBS) unassisted, 0:00

Shots: C.B. South 62, Pennridge 36; Saves: Nate Neapolitan (CBS) 32, Jacob Winton (P) 57

Pennridge 7 C.R. South 3

Some are of the opinion that a hockey goaltender occupies the most important position in any team sport. Those who hold that view had it reinforced Wednesday night over the course of the Class AA Flyers Cup final.

At evening’s end, the scoreboard at Hatfield Ice indicated that top-seeded Pennridge had defeated second-seeded Council Rock South 7-3 to win its second Cup title in three years. It also indicated that the Golden Hawks had outshot the Rams 52-29 over the course of the 51-minute game.

All this is indicative of the performance Jacob Winton in the Pennridge net. When the Hawks were surrounding him like birds targeting their prey, Winton held firm, even as his team was being outshot 9-1 in the early going.

When the Rams (22-2-2) finally broke through at the other end, on Shane Dachowski’s goal 9:14 into the first period and not incidentally the first goal of the game, the tone of the evening shifted dramatically.

Even after the Golden Hawks’ Chase Tovsky tied the game with 6:43 left in the period the Rams were not deterred. Kevin Pico put Pennridge back in front with 90 seconds left in the opening session and his team never trailed again.

Ilya Kudzinau tied the game for South (24-2) 23 seconds into the second frame but momentum continued to flow in the Rams’ direction. Dachowski and Pico scored goals to give their side a 4-2 advantage.

At that point South coach Joe Houk used his timeout and pulled goaltender Trevor Rakszawski, who had surrendered the four goals on 13 shots. Trey Prozzillo took his place.

At the other end of the ice, Winton remained resolute. He allowed a single goal over the final 33:37 of regulation.

“Making some of those [early] saves kind of set the tone for later in the game,” he said. “I think it just kind of put us in the right mindset going into the second and third periods.”

Houk felt a number of his players’ shots misfired. “We shot just as many pucks over the net as at him,” he said. “We pressured the goalie with less shots last game (in a semifinal win over Boyertown) than we did this game.

“We beat ourselves. I think we’re a better team than them but they got all the bounces tonight, they got the opportunities, and my goaltender was not very strong.”

Winton spoke to the momentum shift that occurred after Dachowski scored the game’ first goal.

“As soon as you score a goal momentum shifts,” he said. “We just kind of kept going from there.”

The Rams did just that. Colin Dachowski’s goal made it a 5-2 game 3:35 into the third period. Ilya Muhkin answered for South and it was a 5-3 game with 8:20 still remaining but Shane Dachowski and Pico closed the door on the Hawks and opened another for themselves; Pennridge will face Penguins Cup champion Thomas Jefferson Saturday at the Skatium in the state championship game (2:00 start).

Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna said Wednesday’s win should eliminate any doubt about the credibility of his program.

“We graduated eight really important guys two year ago,” he said. “The team had to listen, for two years, about us being a one-line hockey team. To win again tonight is a complete and total validation of this program.”

Ice chips—Winton was named the Bobby Clarke Award winner as the tournament’ Most Valuable Player. The rest of the All-Tournament team included Shane Dachowki (the tournament’s leading scorer), Colin Dachowski, Pico, and Blaise Pepe and Kevin Coles from Council Rock South.

Council Rock South 1 1 1—3

Pennridge 2 2 3—7

First-period goals: Shane Dachowski (P) from Andrew Savona, 9:14; Chase Tovsky (CRS) from Blaize Pepe, 10:17; Kevin Pico (P) from Tyler Manto and Savona, 15:30

Second-period goals: Gavin Nisenzon (CRS) from Ilya Kudzinau :23; Shane Dachowski (P) unassisted, 4:18 (pp); Pico (P) from Shane Dachowski, 13:38

Third-period goals: Colin Dachowski (P) from Ryan Mikulich, 3:35; Ilya Muhkin from Nikita Volbuiev and Kevin Koles, 8:40; Shane Dachowski (P) from Pico and Nick Young, 9:20; Savona (P) from Colin Dachowski, 14:30

Shots: Council Rock South 52, Pennridge 29; Saves: Trevor Rakszawski (CRS) 9 and Trey Prozzillo (CRS) 13, Jacob Winston (P) 49

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

Pennridge 10 C.B. East 0

Pennridge overwhelmed shorthanded Central Bucks East Wednesday night and rolled to the win in a SHSHL National Division semifinal at Hatfield Ice that was halted with 5:48 remaining in the third period.

Kevin Pico had a five-point night for the top-seeded Rams (18-1-2) with three goals and two assists. Andrew Savona contributed two goals and two assists.

Shane Dachowski, Ian Brouse, Josh Kelly, James Rush, and James Embert also scored goals.

The fourth-seeded Patriots (12-6-2) were without several players and coach Jeff Mitchell because of suspensions and injuries.

“We knew they were going to be down,” said Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna, “but we knew we could not look past them. We played very well and got scoring from all four lines.

Pennridge will face Council Rock South for the National Division title Thursday night at Hatfield Ice. Game time is 7:45.

C.B. East 0 0 0—0

Pennridge 4 4 2—10

First-period goals: Andrew Savona (P) unassisted, 5:22; Savona from Kevin Pico, 8:46 (pp); Pico from Savona and Shane Dachowski, 12:24; James Rush (P) from Jared Garber and Pico, 14:28

Second-period goals: Dachowski (P) from John Mikulich and Savona, 1:04; Ian Brouse (P) from Dhilan Howard and Ryan Mikhulich, 4:08; Josh Kelly (P) gtom Dachowski and John Mikulich, 5:50; Pico from Dachowski and Tyler Manto, 10:14

Third-period goals: James Embert (P) from Nathan McKean and Kelly, 8:16; Pico (P) unassisted, 11:12

Game terminated with 5:48 remaining in the third period

Shots: C.B. Est 11, Pennridge 67 Saves: Cole Breen (CBE) 57, Jacob Winton (P) 11

Pennridge 7 C.B. South 1

The last pieces of the SHSHL playoff puzzle are now in place.

Pennridge turned in a solid, workmanlike, effort Wednesday night, en route to a 7-1 win over Central Bucks South at Hatfield Ice.

The Rams closed the SHSHL regular season at 16-1-1 in divisional play (17-1-2 overall) and will be seeded first when the National Division playoffs commence next week.

Andrew Savona once more occupied center stage, scoring four goals and assisting on another.

His linemate, Kevin Pico, assisted on three goals while Shane Dachowski, the third member of the trio, scored two goals and assisted on another.

Pico spoke to the significance of the win with the playoffs at hand.

“It was huge,” he said. “Our last game of the season. To put up that many goals and get that first seed locked in.

Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna noted his team’s effort over the full 51 minutes.

“Tonight was probably our best game of the year,” he said. “One thing this team does really well is, when the goal is in front of them and they know what they’re playing for, they take it to a different level. They’ve done that for three years, they did that tonight. It was a great game all around.”

Dachowski gave the Rams the lead with 2:26 left in the opening period. In the second session, the floodgates opened when Savona, James Rush, and Savona again, scored three unanswered goals in a span of 11 minutes, 21 seconds. The first two were shorthanded, the third, Savona’s second coming just as a South penalty expired. For all intents and purposes it was game, set, and match Pennridge at that point.

The Titans (12-5-1 in the division, 12-7-1 overall), who will be seeded third for the playoffs never really got things started. Their only goal came off the stick of Ryan Montagna with 6:36 left in the third period.

“You’ve got to show up,” said South coach Shaun McGinty. “We lost three periods in a row. Defensively, we weren’t there. We gave up two shorthanded goals on four power plays. I said to the boys, ’There’s no mathematical equation that’s going to issue a W.

“You lose three periods in a row, you can’t win a game; you’ve got to take it one period at a time.”

The Rams, who were Class AA Flyers Cup finalists a year ago, and Flyers Cup and state champions the tear before, will now have a week-long break before beginning another postseason challenge.

“I think it will be a good week to have off,” Pico said, “resting up and then get going again.

“Some of our guys’ club seasons are over so now that we have [only] high school, it’s definitely a nice time that we can rest. Looking forward to playoffs, definitely.”

Ice chips: Pico leads the entire SHSHL in scoring with 28 goals and 47 assists for 75 points. Savona is next with 40 goals and 31 assists for 71 points, followed by Shane Dachowski (27-33-60).

“You can watch high-school hockey for a long time,” Montagna said. “You’re not going to find a better line than those three. It’s amazing, some of the things they do on the ice.”

C.B. South 0 0 1—1

Pennridge 1 4 2—7

First-period goal: Shane Dachowski (P) from Kevin Pico, 14:34

Second-period goals: Andrew Savona (P) from Pico, 1:47 (sh); James Rush, unassisted, 2:04; Savona (P) from Pico and Colin Dachowki, 13:08; Savona (P) from Nick Young, 16:05

Third-period goals: Savona (P) unassisted, 8:18; Ryan Montagna (CBS) from Colin Mendham and Sean Cutter, 10:24; Shane Dachowski (P) from Savona, 15:08

Shots: C.B. South 31, Pennridge 37; Saves: Nathan Neapolitan (CBS) 30, Jacob Winston (P) 30

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