ICSHL All-Stars Meet

Good hockey for a good cause was the dish that was served at Ice Line on New Year’s Day. Teams representing the Central and Ches-Mont League squared off as part of the ICSHL’s traditional New Year’s card of All-Star games.

The Ches-Mont-Central League matchup was billed as the Hunger Game, with receipts from ticket sales earmarked for donation to an area food bank. Ice Line provided the ice slot free of charge and the two referees who worked the game donated their services.

Toby Myers of Lower Merion scored what proved to be the winning goal 58 seconds into the third period to give the Central League a 4-3 win.

Myers also blocked a shot in the closing seconds to conclude an entertaining 51 minutes of hockey that saw the Central League overcome a 2-0 first-period deficit. It was the senior defenseman’s second consecutive All-Star Game appearance.

“It was pretty cool,” he said. “[The All-Star Game] is always nice. Couldn’t get the ‘W’ last year. So, it was good to win this one.”

While the affair lacked some of the physicality of a typical regular-season contest the contingent of 44 All-Stars worked hard at both ends of the ice.

Haverford’s John Povey was behind the Central League bench along with Steve Mescanti from Penncrest and Chris Francis from Harriton.

“It’s always a good game,” Povey said. “We’ve had overtime games, we’ve had games come down like this one, one goal. As far as I can remember it’s always a tight, one goal, or two-goal game.”

Goals from Hunter Haas (West Chester Henderson) and Lucas Mott (Kennett) gave the Ches-Mont side a 2-0 lead with 2:24 left in the first period.

The Central League responded in the second frame with goals from Stephen Sucher from Radnor, Nash Grant from Penncrest, and Jake Heston from Springfield-Delco to take the lead in the final period.

Myers’ goal extended his team’s lead and as it turned out, the goal was needed. With 1:57 left in the third period, Blake Platz from Henderson was hooked from behind on a breakaway. Jake Rotwitt of Conestoga stopped the ensuing penalty shot to keep it a 4-2 game.

The Ches-Mont wasn’t finished. Brody Matthews scored with 58 seconds to go to make it a one-goal game but his teammates couldn’t come up with the tying goal.

Downingtown East coach Mark Bobko coached the Ches-Mont All-Stars.

“Both teams came out and played hard,” he said. “It’ a friendly game but the effort was there.”

Other games on the program included a girls’ all-star game, a matchup between the Pioneer Athletic Conference and the PCL/Prep Division, and twi junior varsity games.

Central League 0 3 1—4

Ches-Mont League 2 0 1—3

C. R. South 2 Haverford 1 OT

BRISTOL—Haverford and Council Rock South both embrace strong hockey traditions. The Fords are one of the oldest scholastic hockey programs in the area and have won five Flyers Cup titles. The Golden Hawks have been in existence for a little over two decades and have claimed three Flyers Cup titles.

It seemed only fitting that the two schools meet in the ongoing SHSHL-ICHSL series. And so they did Thursday night at Grundy Arena with the host Golden Hawks prevailing 2-1.

Pete Pereborow scored the winning goal amidst a scramble in front of the net with 1:42 remaining in overtime to keep South unbeaten at 5-0.

Haverford’s Joseph Cianciarulo (left) and Council Rock South’s Brendan Rooney take a faceoff Thursday night. Sean Weisner photo

“[The puck] deflected off somebody,” he said. “I don’t know if it deflected off our own player or the underneath netting seam. I just know that I saw that puck going forward. I had to bat it home to secure it, that’s all I had to do.”

The first two periods were scoreless and the two goaltenders, South’s Evan Ayala and Haverford’s Dylan Vieira passed every test.

The Hawks spent a fair amount of time shorthanded. They killed off four penalties in the first period. In the end they were accessed seven of the game’s 12 penalties.

Jordan Sarne scored the evening’s first goal 7:13 into the final period, beating Vieira with a forehander from the right faceoff circle.

Five minutes later South drew its sixth penalty of the game; Jackson Mosley was sent to the box for roughing. It took just 12 seconds for Connor Lill to score the tying goal for Haverford (3-1).

South wound up having to kill one more penalty before regulation play ended. The number of penalties was a source of concern for Jake Houk who filled in for his father Joe behind the Hawks’ bench.

“My dad told me before the game ‘When the cat’s gone, the mice come out to play,’” the younger Houk said. “I think some of the kids on our team that lose their heads a little bit kind of showed it tonight. But, I was proud of them for staying composed after a few of them.”

Haverford coach John Povey took an abundance of positives out of the evening.

“I’m extremely happy with my guys and how they played tonight,” he said. “We battled all the way to near the end there to get into overtime. It’s 50-50 at that point.

“We found a way to tie the game up. I told my guys to walk out of this building with their heads up high because they played a really good game tonight.”

Lill said the early-season test against a quality opponent taught him a lot about his own team.
“I learned we don’t give up,” he said.“

Ice Chips—Haverford claimed Flyers Cup titles in 1992 in Class A, and three consecutive Class AA Crowns from 2005-07, and a fourth Class AA Title in 2021. South’s Cup titles, all in Class AA, came in 2009, ’11, and ’12. They also won a state championship in 2012… The Golden Hawks unveiled a set of gold alternate jerseys Thursday night.

Haverford 0 0 1 0—1

C.R. South 0 0 1 1—2

Third-period goals: Jordan Sarne (CRS) from Jonah Weston and Jeremy Rahner, 7:13; Connor Lill (H) from Brendan McCormick and Shawn Yoder, 12:26 (pp)

Overtime goal: Pete Pereborow (CRS) unassisted, 3:18

Shots: Haverford 26, C.R. South 31; Saves: Dylan Vieira (H) 29 Evan Ayala (CRS) 25

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