Tag: Joe Houk

Pennsbury 7 C.R. South 5

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP— It was a comeback that will be long remembered in the history of the Flyers Cup. Trailing 4-1 midway through the second period, Pennsbury rallied for a 7-5 win over Council Rick South Monday night in a Class AA semifinal Monday night at Hatfield Ice. The fifth-seeded Falcons (17-6) will play for the title on Tuesday at this same rink at a time to be announced. The top-seeded Golden Hawks closed the season at 19-2-0-1.

Andrew Falkenstein led the way for the Falcons with three goals an an assist.

“Honestly, we played like underdogs,” the senior said. “Our younger guys wee playing for out seniors. They put their hearts on their jerseys. They played for us. It was a great battle back.”

At the halfway point of the second frame the Golden Hawks seemed to be in control of things. Jaleel Weiner and James Diiulio scored first-period goals, the latter just as the buzzer sounded, to put South up 2-0 after 17 minutes.

Falkenstein got Pennsbury on the s scoreboard 3:03 into the second period on a shot from the right point It was a power-play goal, which, from South’s point of view proved to be an ominous sign of what was to come. When Kevin Koles and Jeremy Rayher scored goals in a span of 2:32 there little indication of what was to come.

But momentum began to shift when Stevie Grosscup and Brendan Macainsh scored goals 1 minute, 50 seconds apart to make it a 4-3 game.

When South’s Jake Mauer was given a five-minute major penalty for kicking, plus a game misconduct, it opened the door wider for the Falcons. It took MacAinsh 58 seconds to take advantage and tie the game.

South also lost Blaize Pepe, one of the top offensive threats in the waning seconds of the period when he drew a 10-minute misconduct

Falkenstein put Pennsbury in front for good 4:45 into the third period an Justin marlin extended his team’s lead at 10:19.

Illia Mukhin let the Falcons know South was still around when he Beaty Aaron McDaniel with 3:39 left in regulation, but Falkenstein beat Carson Lopez foot the third and last time with 2;01 remaining

MacAinsh, Pennsbury’s captain, said he and his teammates want to keep playing hockey. They’ll get their chance to do so in the Flyers Cup AA final.

“We weren’t ready for this to end,” he said. “We worked so hard all season, why should we let it end now?”

MacAinsh said he was confident the team could overcome the three-goal deficit.

“If anybody was going to come back against a team like that, it was us,” he said. “And them taking stupid penalties. They really took themselves out of the game.”

South coach Joe Houk’s accesment of the evening was to the point.

“We controlled the first period,” he said. “The next thing you know, we had a penalty barrage of stupid decision making  and we go down on a five minute major. We didn’t play like a team tonight.”

Pennsbury 0 4 3—7

C.R. South 2 2 1—5

First-period goals: Jake Weiner (CRS) from Jeremy Rayher , 8:03; James Diiulio (CRS) from Blaize Peppe and Kevin Kole, 17:00 (pp)

Second-period goals: Andrew Falkenstein,(P) from Chris Carver and Logan Doyle, 3:03 (pp); Koles (CRS) from Illia Mukhin, 4:09; Rayher (CRS) from Weiner and Jake Maurer, 6:41; Stevie Grosscup (P) from Brendan MacAinsh, 11:36; MacAinsh (P) from Falkenstein and Marlin, 14:26; MacAinsh (P) from Marlin 16:03 (pp)

Third-period goals: Falkenstein (P) from Sarver, 4:54; Justin Marlin (P) unassisted, 10:19; Mukhin (CRS) from Koles and Carson Lopez, 13:21; Falkenstein (P) from Doyle, 14:59

Shots: Pennsbury 41, Council Rock South37; Saves: Aaron McDaniel (P) 32, Carson Lopez (CRS) 34

Council Rock South 5 Pennridge 3

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—The Flyers Cup tournament is just over a month away, but Council Rock South and Pennridge offered a preview on Wednesday night.

The Golden Hawks and the Rams demonstrated why they are serious Class AA Flyers Cup contenders before the Hawks emerged with a 5-3 win in front a of a full house in the Blue Rink at Hatfield ice.

The win lifted South to 12-1-0-1 on the season and 6-0-0-1 in SHSHSL National Division play. The Hawks are listed third in the current Class AA Flyers Cup rankings.

The loss dropped Pennridge 10-4 overall and 5-2 in the division. The Rams stand fourth in the Flyers Cup rankings.

The opening period saw the teams combine for five goals in a span of 8 minutes, 48 seconds.
Evan Mostoller started it off for the Golden Hawks just 1:52 with a shot along the ice from the right point that eluded Pennridge netminder Jacob Gilbert. Jake Weiner made it a 2-0 game at the 3:34 mark.

Dane Fitchett got the Rams on the scoreboard at 4:47 and Shane Dachowski tied the game at 10:13 but Illia Mukhin answered for South 27 seconds later via bad bounce and the Hawks never trailed again.

At period’s end Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna made a goaltender change, inserting Jacob Winton between the pipes.

“He allowed us to regain our equilibrium,” Montagna said. “He did exactly what you need him to do when you come into that situation. It is not an easy spot for a sophomore playing his fourth varsity game.”

Winton and South’s Carson Lopez were virtually impregnable most of the rest of the way. Lopez did not yield another goal while Winton was steadfast until Mukhin and Chase Tovsky scored goals 42 seconds apart to give South a 5-2 lead with 6:42 left in the third period. 

With 48.2 seconds remaining in the game emotions boiled over and a scrum erupted along the boards near the Council Rock South bench. Four players were penalized.

South’s Blaize Pepe received a roughing minor plus a major penalty for fighting. Lopez, the only goaltender the Hawks had dressed, was penalized for leaving his crease and banished for being the third man in a fight.

The Rams lost Dachowski via a fighting major and a game misconduct and Andrew Savona for being a third man in.

What followed was the unique circumstance of the Golden Hawks playing with a three-goal lead and defending an empty net, since they had no one available to replace Lopez in goal. It took just nine seconds for Kevin Pico to score into the empty net to make it a two-goal game.

That turned out to be the last goal of the evening but the fireworks weren’t over; with 10 seconds left in the game Weiner and Gavin Nisenzon drew misconduct penalties for the Golden Hawks.

The late-game histrionics overshadowed Lopez’s work in the South net; he finished with 41 saves.

“He gives confidence to the team,” said South’s Ilya Kudzinau. “It gives us the confidence to push back. It’s really nice to have a goalie like that.”

Montagna noted his team was in the game up to the last.

“We outplayed that team for long stretches,” he said. “We had odd-man rush after odd-man rush but we couldn’t finish.”

In the end, the Rams were unable to get the better of Lopez.

“We know what Carson is,” Montagna said. “We got to him early and he settled in and made big save after big save for them.”

South coach Joe Houk noted his team picked up the pace in the third period.

“I thought we outplayed them in the third period,” he said. “We loved the puck better. We had more opportunities. They had a lot of power plays but they couldn’t (convert).

“Like I told the guys, a good team finds way to win and we found a way to win tonight.”

Council Rock South 3 0 2—5

Pennridge 2 0 1—3

First-period goals: Evan Mostoller (CRS) from Bobby Gilbert and Illia Mukhin, 1:52; Jake Weiner (CRS) from Kevin Koles, 3:34;  Dane Fitchett (P) from Nate McKean and Andrew Lizak, 4:47; Shane Dachowski (P) from Kevin Pico, 10:13; Mukhin (P) unassisted, 10:40

Third-period goals: Mukhin (CRS) from Weiner and Ilya Kudzinau, 9:36; Chase Tovsky (CRS) from Koles, 10:18 (sh); Kevin Pico (P) unassisted, 16:21

Shots: Council Rock South 40, Pennridge 44; Saves: Carson Lopez (CRS) 41, Jacob Gilbert (P) 8 and Jacob Winton (P) 27

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—The Flyers Cup tournament is just over a month away, but Council Rock South and Pennridge offered a preview on Wednesday night.

The Golden Hawks and the Rams demonstrated why they are serious Class AA Flyers Cup contenders before the Hawks emerged with a 5-3 win in front a of a full house in the Blue Rink at Hatfield ice.

The win lifted South to 12-1-0-1 on the season and 6-0-0-1 in SHSHSL National Division play. The Hawks are listed third in the current Class AA Flyers Cup rankings.

The loss dropped Pennridge 10-4 overall and 5-2 in the division. The Rams stand fourth in the Flyers Cup rankings.

The opening period saw the teams combine for five goals in a span of 8 minutes, 48 seconds.
Evan Mostoller started it off for the Golden Hawks just 1:52 with a shot along the ice from the right point that eluded Pennridge netminder Jacob Gilbert. Jake Weiner made it a 2-0 game at the 3:34 mark.

Dane Fitchett got the Rams on the scoreboard at 4:47 and Shane Dachowski tied the game at 10:13 but Illia Mukhin answered for South 27 seconds later via bad bounce and the Hawks never trailed again.

At period’s end Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna made a goaltender change, inserting Jacob Winton between the pipes.

“He allowed us to regain our equilibrium,” Montagna said. “He did exactly what you need him to do when you come into that situation. It is not an easy spot for a sophomore playing his fourth varsity game.”

Winton and South’s Carson Lopez were virtually impregnable most of the rest of the way. Lopez did not yield another goal while Winton was steadfast until Mukhin and Chase Tovsky scored goals 42 seconds apart to give South a 5-2 lead with 6:42 left in the third period. 

With 48.2 seconds remaining in the game emotions boiled over and a scrum erupted along the boards near the Council Rock South bench. Four players were penalized.
South’s Blaize Pepe received a roughing minor plus a major penalty for fighting. Lopez, the only goaltender the Hawks had dressed, was penalized for leaving his crease and banished for being the third man in a fight.

The Rams lost Dachowski via a fighting major and a game misconduct and Andrew Savona for being a third man in.

What followed was the unique circumstance of the Golden Hawks playing with a three-goal lead and defending an empty net, since they had no one available to replace Lopez in goal. It took just nine seconds for Kevin Pico to score into the empty net to make it a two-goal game.

That turned out to be the last goal of the evening but the fireworks weren’t over; with 10 seconds left in the game Weiner and Gavin Nisenzon drew misconduct penalties for the Golden Hawks.

The late-game histrionics overshadowed Lopez’s work in the South net; he finished with 41 saves.

“He gives confidence to the team,” said South’s Ilya Kudzinau. “It gives us the confidence to push back. It’s really nice to have a goalie like that.”

Montagna noted his team was in the game up to the last.

“We outplayed that team for long stretches,” he said. “We had odd-man rush after odd-man rush but we couldn’t finish.”

In the end, the Rams were unable to get the better of Lopez.

“We know what Carson is,” Montagna said. We got to him early and he settled in and made big save after big save for them.”

South coach Joe Houk noted his team picked up the pace in the third period.

“I thought we outplayed them in the third period,” he said. “We loved the puck better. We had more opportunities. They had a lot of power plays but they couldn’t (convert).

“Like I told the guys, a good team finds way to win and we found a way to win tonight.”

Council Rock South 3 0 2—5

Pennridge 2 0 1—3

First-period goals: Evan Mostoller (CRS) from Bobby Gilbert and Illia Mukhin, 1:52; Jake Weiner (CRS) from Kevin Koles, 3:34;  Dane Fitchett (P) from Nate McKean and Andrew Lizak, 4:47; Shane Dachowski (P) from Kevin Pico, 10:13; Mukhin (P) unassisted, 10:40

Third-period goals: Mukhin (CRS) from Weiner and Ilya Kudzinau, 9:36; Chase Tovsky (CRS) from Koles, 10:18 (sh); Kevin Pico (P) unassisted, 16:21

Shots: Council Rock South 40, Pennridge 44; Saves: Carson Lopez (CRS) 41, Jacob Gilbert (P) 8 and Jacob Winton (P) 27

Council Rock South 5 Holy Ghost Prep 4

WARWICK TOWNSHIP—There was an air of anticipation in the building when Holy Ghost Prep and Council Rock South took the ice at Revolution Ice Gardens Monday night.

The matchup brought together two teams who are legitimate Flyers Cup contenders in their respective classes; the Firebirds in Class AAA and the Golden Hawks in Class AA.

It was the Golden Hawks who prevailed on this occasion overcoming am early 2-0 deficit to post a 5-4 win.

Monday’s game was also a meeting of two of the area’s most respected coaches. Joe Houk has been at Council Rock South for 17 seasons. Gump Whiteside has been at Holy Ghost Prep for 15 seasons and spent eight years at Germantown Academy before that.

Both Houk and Whiteside have won scores of games and have Flyers Cup and state titles on their resumes. They share a passion for the game of hockey—and a mutual respect that goes back to when they played against each other in their high-school days.

“Joe’s a pro,” Whiteside. “Quite honestly, he’s been a mentor to me. I’ve coached Joe for many, many, many, many years and he’s always been a pro,

“He always approaches it the right way. He doesn’t have an ego it’s not about him. It’s about his players.

“And you could see it tonight. He had his team prepared. Joe is the ultimate pro, the ultimate mentor, and quite honestly a great guy.”

Whiteside noted the tenaciousness Houk’s teams regularly bring to the rink. 

“They play with grit,” he said.”

Houk similar sentiments.

“Gump is a good guy, a good human being,” he said. “He brings such a good quality of the sport to the game.

“He’s a man of character. And he cares about the kids. It’s not ‘Win at all costs’ with him. It’s more about development and hopefully, you move some of those kids on.

“He’s just a good guy. He’s a good guy for the sport.”

• Jake Weiner scored a pair of goals 45 seconds apart that turned a 2-2 standoff into a 4-2 South lead and the Golden Hawks never trailed again.

The win was South’s 11th of the season against two defeats with one of the losses coming in overtime.

Houk said going against a team the Firebirds said a lot about his own team’s potential for success.

“If we can at that sustained level we played at tonight,” he said. “The physical part of it, keeping things simple, keeping things to the outside, getting the opportunities on transition. I thought we controlled the whole game (but) they’re good. They’ve got some really, really good skill players. They move the puck well. They’re a good team. They’re going to go far too.”

Brady Baehser scored three goals for the Firebirds, who saw their record drop to 13-6.

“We got up 2-0 and that’s when we started to take them lightly,” he said. “And we just fell apart.”
Baehser said the defeat highlighted the importance delivering a solid effort from the start to finish of each game.”

“We’re a very talented team and we think we can win games based off that. But that outworked us all night, all three periods and it showed on the scoreboard.”

Holy Ghost Prep 2 2 0­—4

Council Rock South 2 3 0—5

First-period goals: Landon Stout (HGP) from Patrick Slook and John Seravalli, 1:03; Brady Baehser (HGP) from Seravalli, 5:18; Blaize Peppe (CRS) unassisted, 8:39; Kevin Koles (CRS) from Gavin Nisenson, :41

Second-period goals: Jake Weiner (CRS) from Illia Muckhin, 3:19; Weiner (CRS) from Jeremy Rayher, 4:04; Baehser (HGP) from Seravalli, 8:26 (pp); Joseph Diiulio (CRS) from Weiner and Pepe, 12:04; Baehser (HGP) from Stout, 12:35 (pp)

Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 27, Council Rock South 41; Saves: Jack Unger (HGP) 36 Carson Lopez (CRS) 23

Council Rock South 5 Central Bucks South 2

Council Rock South 5 Central Bucks South 2

BRISTOL— Starting a game with a four-goal advantage is a big edge for a hockey team. Council Rock South was essentially in that situation Thursday night.
The Golden Hawks scored four unanswered goals in the first period and went on to a 5-2 in over Central Bucks South at Grundy Arena.

The win lifted the Golden Hawks to 10-1-0-1 overall and their 5-0-0-1 mark in divisional play kept them in control of their own destiny in the SHSHL National Division chase.

Both teams came to the rink with lineups liberally sprinkled with junior varsity call ups necessitated by injuries and suspensions and it was Council Rock South which found its equilibrium first with its veterans leading the way.

Blaize Pepe scored the Golden Hawks’ first goal with 5:35 left in the opening period. Kevin Koles made it 2-0 just 61 seconds later and Jake Weiner extended his team’s lead 52 seconds after that with his team’s third goal in a span of 1 minute, 53 seconds.

Koles scored his second goal of the game with 47.3 seconds left in the period leaving the Titans (7-6-0-1, 4-3 in the division) in a very deep hole.

The second period was something of a fresh start for Central Bucks South, including a goaltender change; Jason Magaruh replaced Dom Varacallo in goal.

The Titans cut the deficit in half the middle period courtesy of Michael Nemec and Aydon Thierolf but could come no closer.

“(Council Rock South) is a good team,” said Central Bucks South coach Shaun McGinty. “They capitalized in the first period. We lost 4-0 in the first period, won 2-0 in the second period, and we lost 1-0 (on an empty net goal from Gavin Nisenzon) in the third period.

“We were giving chances (In the first period); a good team is going to capitalize and South is a good team.”

Council Rock South coach Joe Houk acknowledged how difficult it was for his team to stay focused after its strong start.

“It’s kind of hard when you get up to 4-0 he said. “You’ve got to find a way to sustain that level of play. When you get up 4-0 you can’t back off.

(Central Bucks South) is a good team. They’ve got some good players on that team and you can’t let them back in the game.”

Golden Hawks forward Bobby Gilbert praised his team’s effort 

“It was a very hard game,” he said. “Everybody was battling hard, the playoffs are coming up. We seemed to dig more deep though, and we got the job done.”

C.B. South 0 2 0—2

C.R. South 4 0 1—5

First-period goals: Blaize Pepe (CRS from Daniel Filippov, 11:25; Kevin Koles (CRS) from Jake Weiner and Jeremy Rayher, 12:26; Weiner (CRS) from Koles and Pepe, 13:18 (pp); Koles (CRS) from Jordan Sarne, 16:13

Second-period goals: Michael Nemec (CBS) from Aydin Thierolf and Justin Keilman, 3:52; Thierolf (CBS) from Colin Mendham, 11:05 (pp)

Third-period goal: Gavin Nisenzon (CRS) from Koles 16:13 (en)

Shots: C.B. South 31, C.R. South 30; Saves: Dom Varacallo (CBS) 7 and Jason Magaruh (CBS) 18, Carson Lopez (CRS) 29

Council Rock South 4 Neshaminy 1

BRISTOL—  A month into the Suburban High School Hockey League season, a lot of knowledgeable observers are looking at Council Rock South as the team to beat.

Nothing the Golden Hawks did Wednesday night would discourage that sentiment.

Jake Weiner scored two goals and Sam Reiter and Chase Tovsky added one goal each as South remained unbeaten with a 4-1 decision over Neshaminy at Grundy Arena.

The win was the fifth without defeat for the Golden Hawks, who were runners up in the SHSHL’s National Division and the Class AA Flyers Cup tournament last season.

The loss was the first for Neshaminy after three season-opening wins. 

The Golden Hawks didn’t create any highlight videos Wednesday night but they moved the puck effectively and did all the little things well. 

“Little things make a difference in whether you win or lose,” said South coach Joe Houk. “I thought our backcheck was pretty good tonight. I thought (goaltender Carson Lopez) was rock solid.”

Lopez, whose GAA now stands at 1.29 points out that hockey games are not decided by style points.

“A goal is a goal, a save is a save,” he said. “I think our goal this season is to score three and let me do the rest.”

The Hawks won a battle for a loose puck in their offensive left-wing corner set up the first goal of the evening. It came off Weiner’s stick with 8:34 left in the opening period.

Reiter made it 2-0 1:37 into the second frame off a feed from Evan Mostoller who was set up in the high slot at the time.

Nolan Geria answered for Neshaminy at the 5:45 mark and with Cory Hemberger matching Lopez with his effort in the ‘Skins net, the game was still very much for grabs.

Tovsky’s goal, which came with 3:35 left in the second period, gave the Golden Hawks some breathing room.

“The third goal was a big one before the end of the second period,” Houk said.

The Golden Hawks went on to dominate the period. The period featured just one goal, from Weiner with 3:35 left in the game, but South outshot Neshaminy 16-3 in the final period.

With four varsity players missing because of injuries and illness, the ‘Skins simply ran out of gas.

“They’re a very good team,” Neshaminy coach Matt DeMatteo said of the Hawks. “There were some things we could have done better. I thought our transition game wasn’t great and I thought our defensive zone was a little shaky. But, tired legs hurt you in the end.”

Ice chips—While Wednesday’s result won’t factor into the SHSHL National Division standings since the teams will play again in February, it will be part of Flyers Cup seedings calculations at year’s end.

Neshaminy 0 1 0—1

C.R. South 1 2 1—4

First-period goal: Jake Weiner (CRS) from Jeremy Rayher and Illia Mukhin, 8:26

Second-period goals: Sam Reiter (CRS) from Evan Mostoller and Blaize Pepe, 1:37; Nolan Geria (N) from David McColligan and Michael Rago, 5:45; Chase Tovsky (CRS) from Bobby Gilbert, 13:25

Third-period goal: Weiner (CRS) unassisted, 4:28

Shots: Neshaminy 26, Council Rock South 39; Saves: Cory Hemberger (N) 35, Carson Lopez (CRS) 25

Council Rock South 7 Council Rock North 5

Council Rock South exploded for four goals in the second period and then held on to knock Council Rock North out of the Suburban High School Hockey League playoffs. The win propels the top-seeded Golden Hawks (13-1-2) into the championship game against Pennridge Thursday at 7:10 at Hatfield Ice.

The Golden Hawks lost to Pennsbury in last year’s final.

The fifth-seeded Indians (9-7) broke out quickly in the first period, when Karson Grainey scored a goal with only 2:28 gone in the period. But CR South came right back with two goals, one by Bobby Gilbert and one by Blaize Pepe in a span of just over rwo-and-a-half minutes.

In the second period, the goals came fast and furious. South got goals from Mike Costantini and Sam Cherassky to get things going before Grainey got one back for North. 

But South scored another, this one from Daniel Vergules and added a second from Blaize Pepe sandwiched around North goals from Jackson Accardi and Grainey.

The Indians attempted teo comeback in the third period as Zach Weissman cut into the Hawks’ lead. But Chase Tovsky finished off the scoring for South and for the game.

“I don’t think at any one time we had control of the game,” said South coach Joe Houk. If we had scored a couple more goals, like four or five, that would have been totally different.”

CR South 7, CR North 5

CR North           1          3          1 — 5

CR South          2          4          1 — 7

First period: Karson Gainey CRN (Noah Epstein) 2:28; Bobby Gilbert CRS (Blaize  Pepe)11:19; B. PepeCRS (Eric Mostoller) 13:57 SH.

Second period: Mike Costantini CRS (Kevin Koles) 2:08; Sam Cherassky CRS (Koles) 5:44; Grainey CRN (Zach Weissman, Epstein) 7:06 PP; Daniel Vergules CRS (Koles) 8:38;Jackson Accardi CRN (Nicholas Hahn, Grainey) 9:42; Grainey CRN (unassisted) 14:02 SH; B. Pepe CRS (Gilbert) 16:47.

Third period: Weissman CRN (Accardi, Grainey) 2:23; Chase Tovsky CRS (B. Pepe, Cherassky)8:34 PP.

Shots: CRN 19, CRS 42. Saves: Ian Goldberg (CRN) 35, Carson Lopez (CRS) 12.

Council Rock South 6 Neshaminy 1

BRISTOL— It’s something that occurs around this time in every hockey season. Council Rock South finds another gear.

The Golden Hawks played one of their best games of the season Thursday night a 6-1 SHSHL Class AA win over Neshaminy at Grundy Arena.

Evan Mostoller scored two goals and four other players scored one goal each as South improved to 9-1-1 overall and stayed unbeaten in divisional play with a 7-0 mark.

The margin of victory might have been greater had it not been for the play of Neshaminy goaltender Brian Nelson who made 41 saves. From the opening faceoff to the final buzzer, the Golden Hawks dominated.

Sophomore Kevin Koles contributed a goal and two assists. 

“We’ve got playoffs soon,” he said. “We’re trying to (play) more like a team. We got the job done.”

South is one of the most balanced teams offensively in the SHSHL. Entering play Thursday night, four different players had scored 11 points or more this season.

Veteran coach Joe Houk says that balance is one of the keys to his team’s success this season.

“I think it’s most important,” he said. “We’ve always talked over the years about how your top guys always (contribute). “I think the second and third liners are the guys that are the most important. And now I have a couple D-men this year that are putting points up on the board also.

“So, at any given time during the game, I don’t have to rely on one or two guys. I can rely on a lot of other people too.”

Thanks in part to Nelson’s 18 saves, the Golden Hawks led just 1-0 after one period; Blaise Pepe put his team in front at the 1:38 mark.

Julian Wagenmann made it a 2-0 game 1:14 into the second frame before South broke the game open late in the period. Jeremy Rahyer, Koles, and Mostoller scored in a span of five-and-a-half minutes to build a 5-0 lead by period’s end.

It marked the first time this year Neshaminy (8-2-1, 5-2 in the division) had surrendered more than three goals in a game this season.

Neshaminy coach Matt DeMatteo was disappointed in his team’s effort.

“(South) is a very good team,” he said. “They played a very disciplined game. They clearly had a game plan and they executed it. We did not. That’s what it looks like when two good teams play and one doesn’t show up.”

Emotions boiled over at the 3:35 mark of the third period. South’ Matt Constantini and Neshaminy’s Nolan Geria were the antagonists. Constantini drew a minor for cross checking plus a 10-minute misconduct. Geria, who had been flagged three times to that point, was called for a minor penalty for a check from behind,  and the automatic misconduct penalty that went with it, plus a double game misconduct.

J.J. Hathaway scored for Neshaminy 8:27 into the final period before Mostoller completed the scoring at 13:20.

Council Rock South 1 4 1—6

Neshaminy 0 0 1—1

First-period goals: Blaise Pepe (CRS) from Alec Pepe and Chase Trovsky, 1:38

Second-period goals: Julian Wagenmann (CRS) from Matt Constantini and Nolan O’Brien, 1:14; Jeremy Rayher (CRS) from Julian Sarne and Kyle Boss, 11:11; Kevin Koles (CRS) unassisted, 12:44; Evan Mostoller (CRS) from Koles and David Vergules, 16:41

Third-period goals: J.J. Hathaway (N) unassisted, 8:27; Mostoller (CRS) from Trovsky and Koles, 13:20

Shots: Council Rock South 47, Neshaminy 19; Saves: Carson Lopez (CRS) 18, Brian Nelson (N) 41

Council Rock South 11, Council Rock North 4

              

WARWICK TOWNSHIP—The evening’s recipe featured hockey with an ample helping of tradition. After a year’s hiatus, Council Rock North and Council Rock South resumed their Thanksgiving Eve series Wednesday night.

The teams did not meet last year because North did field a varsity hockey team last season and because the SHSHL schedule did not begin until January. Thus, Wednesday’s meeting was something of a reunion, for the players, and for the fans who packed Revolution Ice Gardens for the occasion.

The more-experienced Golden Hawks had control of the game by late in the first period and rolled to an 11-4 win to claim the Rock Cup. But the fact that the two teams were sharing a sheet of ice was cause for celebration.

“It’s great,” said South captain Matt Constantini. “I missed it a lot. The fans were amazing. It’s just great to be out here for my senior year and Covid is somewhat gone.”

The flow of the game resembled that of a boxing match in which the champion has to work hard to dispatch the underdog but is not at serious risk of defeat.

The Indians (1-2, 0-1 in divisional play) actually took an early lead with a shorthanded goal. Wilton Pasch was in the box serving an interference penalty when his teammate Lucas Siomos sent the puck the length of the ice toward the Golden Hawks’ crease. South goaltender Carson Lopez muffed the puck and North’s Karson Grainey was on hand to put it behind him just 1:43 into the opening period.

The Golden Hawks (3-0-1, 1-0 in the division) soon returned fire with four goals in a span of 10 minutes, 22 seconds. David Vergules scored twice in between goals from Julian Wagenmann and Gavin Nisenzon.
South extended its lead in the second frame. Julian Sarne, and Nisenzon scored goals to give the Hawks a 6-1 advantage 4:50 into the period.

Zach Weisman scored for North at the 8:39 mark, but Vergules, Constantini, Kevin Koles, and Chase Trovsky rattled off four goals in a span of span of less than four minutes before Grainey scored for the Indians with 30 seconds remaining in the period.

“I think what you saw was a team that was established,” said North coach Greg McDonald, “and a team (North) that was throwing haymakers and trying to find it. But we weren’t organized, they were, and they outlasted us.”

North’s Nick Hahn and Vergules traded goals in the third period.

Vergules left the building with four goals and an assist. NIsenzon and Grainey also finished with two goals.

The Golden Hawks enjoyed a 54-28 advantage in shots. Ian Goldberg stood tall in the North net, making 43 saves.

South coach Joe Houk praised the Indians’ effort. “They got that first goal,” he said, “And then we kind of knuckled down. I think it kind of caught the guys off guard. They had a system as to what they were going to do, but they had a short bench so they kind of ran out of juice after we scored the second or third goal.” 

C.R. North 1 2 1—4

C.R. South 4 6 1—11

First-period goals: Karson Grainey (CRN) unassisted, from Lucas Siomos, 1:43 (sh); Julian Wagenmann (CRS) from Sam Cherkassky, 4:07 (pp); David Vergules (CRS) from Nolan O’Brien, 9:39; Vergules (CBS) from Wagenmann and Evan Mostoller, 12:30; Gavin Nisenzon (CRS) from Matt Constantitni, 14:29

Second-period goals: Julian Sarne (CRS) unassisted, 1:08; Nisenzon (CRS) from Chase Trovsky, 4:50; Zach Weissman (CRN) from Grainey, 8:39; Vergules (CRS) from Wagenmann and Constanrini, 9:06; Constantitni (CRS) from Nisenzon and Vergules, 9:54; Kevin Koles (CRS) from Phillip Mayo and Sarne, 11:38; Trovsky (CRS) from Cherkassky and Blaize Pepe, 12:57; Grainey (CRN) unassisted, 16:30

Third-period goals: Nick Hahn (CRN) from Grainey and Jackson Mosley, 3:51; Vergules (CRS) from Wagenmann and Constantini, 9:46

Shots: Council Rock North 28, Council Rock South 54; Saves: Ian Goldberg (CRN) 43, Carson Lopez (CRS) 24

In other games on Wednesday:

Neshaminy 6, Pennsbury 3

Holy Ghost Prep 9, Father Judge 2

Central Bucks East 2, Central Bucks West 1

North Penn vs. Central Bucks South

Pennridge vs. Souderton

Hatboro-Horsham vs. Upper Moreland

William Tennent vs. Archbishop Wood

Malvern Prep vs. Cardinal O’Hara cancelled

Golden Hawks Open With a Win

Council Rock South got its season off to an impressive start Wednesday night. The Golden Hawks scored four goals in the first period and went on to a 6-1 win over North Penn in a SHSHL non-league curtain raiser at Revolution Ice Gardens.

Julian Sarne and Kevin Koles scored two goals apiece as the Golden Hawks picked up where they left after a 2020-21 campaign that saw then reach the SHSHL Class AA final.

Sarne got his team on the board 9:11 into the first frame off a feed from Koles on a play that started behind the North Penn net. Matt Yothers answered back for the Knights just 64 seconds later but Sarne scored his second goal at the 11:16 mark and the Golden Hawks rolled on from there. Koles made it 3-1 on a breakaway at 11:16 when North Penn got caught in a line change and Bobby Gilbert extended his team’s lead two seconds before the period ended.

Sarne, a senior, stressed the importance of the fast start. “I think it was very important that we came out buzzing today,” he said. “We need a good start to the season. We’ve got to kick it off great. It’s our senior year. We just needed a win in the books.”

Koles scored his second goal 4:24 into the second session and Matt Constanini completed the scoring at 14:36.

South coach Joe Houk was pleased with the win, but offered a qualifier.  “It’s good to get off to a fast start.” he said. “I thought we didn’t play our best game. We were very sloppy, we had a couple selfish players, and stuff like that, But I thought overall, we did a good job.”

Houk said he was concerned about his team maintaining its focus in the late going. “I thought the flow of the game was okay,” he said. “But, when we get games like that, we get real complacent and we start doing stupid stuff. But, we haven’t had a lot of time together yet. By we’ll work on it. We’ll get back at it at practice on Monday.”

The evening’s unsung hero was North Penn goaltender Nick Crist who faced a barrage of 62 shots and stopped 56 of them. It was the junior’s first varsity game.

“He did a great job for us,” said North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis. Sixty-two shots and six goals. “He kept is in it. It could have been worse.”

Vaitis noted that the evening was a learning experience for a young team. “We have some young players that got some quality minutes tonight,” he said, “and we’re going to look to kind of grow and build upon that.”

 North Penn 1 0 0—1

C.R. South 4 2 0—6

First-period goals Julian Sarne (CRS) from Kevin Koles, 9:11; Matt Yothers (NP) from Justin Yothers, 10:15; Sarne (CRS) from Sam Cherkassky, 11:16; Koles (CRS) unassisted, 12:55; Bobby Gilbert (CRS) from Cherkassky, 15:58

 Second-period goals: Koles (CRS) from Blaize Peppe, 4:24; Matt Constantini (CRS) from Koles, 14:36

Shots: North Penn 21, C.R. South 62; Saves: Nick Crist (NP) 56, Carson Lopez (CRS) 20

Council Rock South 2 Central Bucks South 1 OT

HATFIELD—In the end, both teams left every ounce of energy on the ice, like warriors spilling their last drop of blood on the battlefield.

Sam Cherkassky scored a power-play goal 5:23 into sudden-death overtime Wednesday night to give Council Rock South a 2-1 win over Central Bucks South in a Suburban High School Hockey League National/Continental semifinal at Hatfield Ice.

The third-seeded Golden Hawks (9-3-0-2) will try to defend their divisional title when they face top-seeded Pennsbury Thursday night at Grundy Arena (7:20) in the championship game.

The winning goal came as the second-seeded Titans, who had just 11 skaters dressed because of injuries, a suspension, and Covid issues, were dealing with a flurry of penalties; four of them in the last 2:19 of regulation plus overtime.

Trailing 1-0 heading down the stretch with the Titans’ Aydin Thierolf in the box for elbowing, the Golden Hawks pulled goaltender Jimmy Sweeney, giving them a six-skaters-to-four advantage. Julian Wagenmann tied the game with 1:12 left in regulation when he poked in the second rebound of a shot from the right point.

The Titans found themselves shorthanded again when D.J. Bray was whistled for elbowing 3:04 into the 15-minute extra period. Just 11 seconds later, Owen Mendham was called for interference with a bench minor attached, a bench minor that didn’t start until Bray’s penalty expired. Mendham’s penalty lapsed without incident but Emilee Lindenmuth, who was serving the extra penalty, could only watch, along with her teammates, as Cherkassky scored the game winner.

Council Rock South forward Doug Lopez said it was important for he and his teammates to step up their games entering the third period.

“We just knew that they were shorthanded,” he said. “We came into the locker room after the second period and said ‘We’ve got to give it our all.’

“I think them being short and a combination of them being short and us coming out hard really changed the game in our favor.”

Council Rock South coach Joe Houk noted that after a break for an ice cut following the second period, his players found another gear.

“I felt we were not focused the first half of the game,” he said. I thought our puck possession in the third, plus in overtime, whether there were penalties or not. I thought we controlled the entire overtime.”

Central Bucks South coach Shaun McGinty tried to find solace in his team’s work rate. “The boys played a great game,” he said. “The effort was there. Hat’s off to (Council Rock South), we’ll take the loss and move on to the Flyers Cup.”

Notes—The Titans’ goal came from Adam Cusick 63 seconds into the second period. Central Bucks South is seeded sixth for the Class AA Flyers Cup tournament and will face 11th-seeded Own J. Roberts on Tuesday at Hatfield Ice. The Golden Hawks, who are seeded fifth, will take on 12th seed Avon Grove on Tuesday at the same venue.

C.R. South 0 0 1 1—2

C.B. South 0 1 0 0—1

Second-period goal: Adam Cusick (CBS) unassisted, 1:03

Third-period goal: Julian Wagenmann (CRS) unassisted, 14:48 (pp);

Overtime goal: Sam Cherkassky (CRS) unassisted, 5:23 (pp)

Shots: CR South 29, CB South 22; Saves: Jimmy Sweeney (CRS) 21, Mason Moyer (CBS) 27