Pennridge 4, Neshaminy 3

BRISTOL—Since the calendar turned to 2020 Pennridge has been a hockey team in the rise. On Tuesday night the Rams took another step forward, a big one, by coming from behind in the third period for a 4-3 win over Neshaminy in a Class AA Flyers Cup first-round game at Grundy Arena.

The 10th-seeded Rams trailed 2-0 and 3-2 before Aeryk Lehrhaupt scored on a shot from the right faceoff circle with 55 seconds left in regulation to send he and his mates into the quarterfinals on Thursday against second seed Haverford (7:00 at the Skatium).

Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna praised his team’s effort after being eliminated in the opening round of the SHSHL playoffs by Council Rick South. “It says so much about them,” he said. “I don’t have words of how proud I am of them. That young, they shouldn’t be making all the plays they did.”

The seventh-seeded ‘Skins used a methodical approach to build a 2-0 first-period lead. David McColgan got his team on the scoreboard 4:46 into the opening period, beating Pennridge goaltender Ryan Pico from close range. Thomas Gallagher gave his team a two-goal lead at 10:07.

The Rams responded in the second frame. Andrew Lizak beat Brian Nelson from the deep right circle off a right corner dump to get the Rams on the board 3:18 mark before Richie Shanks tied the game at 9:51.

Neshaminy retook the lead when Joey DeMatteo scored with 6:10 left in the middle session and stayed in front when Nelson denied Lehrhaupt on a two-on-one with 14 seconds left in the period.

The Rams got their second power play chance of the third period at the 8:31 mark when Neshaminy drew a bench minor for having too many men on the ice. Blake Stewart, the Rams’ captain, scored the tying goal with 5:40 left in regulation as the prelude to the finish.

Stewart noted that Pennridge opened its season back in October with a loss to Neshaminy but had natured since then. “We came to this game a much stronger team,” he said. “We just wanted it more, we came out hungry, and we just wanted to move on. No one really wanted us here and no one thought we would be here.”

It was a frustrating evening for Neshaminy coach Matt DeMattteo. “They were the hungrier team today,” he said of the Rams. “They skated harder. They did the things you need to do to win the game and we just did not play a good game as a team.”

Pennridge 0 2 2—4
Neshaminy 2 1—3
First-period goals: David McColgan (N) from Rob Seewagen and J.J. Hathaway, 4:46; Thomas Gallagher (N) from Matt Buchinski and Joey DeMatteo, 10:07;
Second-period goals: Andrew Lizak (P) unassisted, 3:18; Richie Shanks (P) from Blake Stewart and Andrew David; DeMatteo (N) from Nolan Geria and Seewagen, 11:50.
Third-period goals: Stewart (P) from Shanks, 10:20 (pp); Aeryk Lehrhaupt from Jack Lowery and Conrad Frisch, 15:05.
Shots: Pennridge 32, Neshaminy 30; Saves: Ryan Pico (P) 27, Brian Nelson (N) 28

Updated Playoff Schedule

Wednesday, February 26

4:00 APAC Founders Cup Final: La Salle vs Holy Ghost Prep at Grundy Arena

At Hatfield Ice

6:30 SHSHL Class AA Semifinal C.B. South vs. Neshaminy

8:30 SHSHL Class AA Semifinal North Penn vs C.R. South

At Revolution Ice Gardens

7:20 SHSHL Class A Semifinal Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. Truman

9:00 SHSHL Class A Semifinal Hatboro-Horsham vs. Wissahickon

Thursday, February 27

6:30 SHSHL Class AA Final at Hatfield Ice

8:30 SHSHL Class A Final at Hatfield Ice

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.

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Neshaniny 11, Abington 1

WARWICK—Neshaminy had things pretty much its own way Wednesday night. The ‘Skins scored four goals in just under six minutes and went on to an 11-1 win over Abington in a Suburban High School Hockey League Class AA game at Revolution Ice Gardens that was halted following the second period via the 10-goal mercy rule.

The result was not unexpected. Neshaminy (11-3, 9-2 in divisional play) is assured of a top-four seed at worst in next week’s SHSHL playoffs and is seemingly in line for a high seed in the upcoming Flyers Cup tournament. The Galloping Ghosts, who have 15 underclassmen on their roster, slipped to 3-13 overall and 2-9 in the division; each team has one regular-season game remaining.

Thursday’s meeting was something of a bridge between two eras of SHSHL history. Neshaminy knew its share of sorrows before taking giant strides forward this season and last. And while Abington has struggled in recent seasons, the Galloping Ghosts have a rich historical legacy that is tied to the origins of the league. Abington won the championship in the SHSHL’s inaugural reason in 1974 and went on to win the first three league titles and four of the first five. There was no Flyers Cup tournament in those days but the Galloping Ghosts claimed two state titles as well.

All told, Abington has won six SHSHL titles of one sort or another, the last of them the second of back-to-back Class AA crowns in 2004. That trails only Germantown Academy (11), Central Bucks South (8) and possibly Council Rock (six documented titles and a possible seventh) on the all-time list.

That a history that Abington coach Ken Brzozowski wants his team to embrace. “I shared that with the tonight,” he said, “and hopefully that will mean something to them.

“For us, we’ve got little goals. Next year, to improve our record, compete for a playoff spot. And then from there, maybe try to restore some of that glory that Abington had in the past.

“We’ve got a few kids that have some talent, we mix in some hard work, and maybe we can get back to that point.”

Jacob Helms scored two goals for Neshaminy while nine other players scored one goal each.

Neshaminy coach Matt DeMatteo urged his team to maintain its focus. “You start to get into a lack of team play,” he said, “where everybody wants to skate up and try and get on the scoresheet. That leads to bad habits, which (Thursday) night against Council Rock South could come back to hurt us.”

Griffin Carpenter scored the Abington goal with 1:12 left in the second period.

The ‘Skins outshot the Galloping Ghosts 35-3. Abington didn’t record its first shot on goal until 2:05 remained in what turned out to be the final period.

Neshaminy, which has won four straight and five of its last six, closes the regular season against Council Rock South on Thursday while Abington finishes against Quakertown on Friday.

Neshaminy 7 4 x—11

Abington 0 1 x—11

First-period goals: J.J. Hathaway (N) unassisted, 1:21; Joseph Hornung (N) from Joey DeMatteo, 2:25; Michael Knipple (N) from Nolan Geria, 5:14; Jacob Helms (N) from Hathaway, 5:59; DeMatteo (N) from Noah Seawagen, 8:23; Geria (N) from Hathaway, 12:32 (pp); Helms (N) from DeMatteo and Knipple, 14:15.

Second-period goals: Thomas Gallagher (N) from Ryan McColgan, 4:09; Matt Buchinski (N) from Gallagher, 4:50; Noah Seawagen (N unassisted, 7:38; Horning (N) unassisted, 7:38; Griffin Carpenter (A) from Joe Stelacio and Tom Rourke, 14:18.

Shots: Neshaminy 35, Abington 3; Saves; Brian Nelson (N) 0 and Andy Nau (N) 2; Sam Nemec (A) 24

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Neshaminy 5, Pennsbury 2

BRISTOL— The atmosphere resembled that of a Flyers Cup game, Which was not surprising; any contest between Pennsbury and Neshaminy, whatever the sport, is sure to be crackling with intensity.

It was Neshaminy that had the better of things Thursday night, 5-2 in a SHSHL Class AA Division game before a large and energetic audience at Grundy Arena. Joey DeMatteo scored three goals to help the Skins (9-3, 7-2 in divisional play) avenge a Thanksgiving Eve loss to the Falcons (8-4-1, 4-4-1)

The game was tight for 32 minutes before Neshaminy scored three goals in the third frame.

Neshaminy coach Matt DeMatteo said his team responded to the emotions of the evening without being overwhelmed by those emotions.

“We’re still a bit of a younger team,” he said. “We only have three seniors and part of learning how to win is learning how to play mature, and learning how to play the way the game dictates.”

The first period was played on even terms with the ‘Skins looking for open ice while the Falcons employed a dump-and-chase strategy. Neshaminy’s Robert Seewagen scored the period’s only goal with 40 seconds remaining off a Pennsbury turnover, It was one of a series of miscues that hurt the Falcons’ cause and undermined a solid performance by Topher Seiler, their goaltender.

“Our goalie stood on top of his head,” said Pennsbury coach Ryan Daley. “He couldn’t have played any better.”

Thomas Gallagher extended Neshaminy’s lead 1:40 into the second period when he found open space in the right circle and put the puck in the top right corner of the net. Erik Eisler answered back at 11:46 to make it a one-goal game heading into the third period.

Joey DeMatteo took over from there, scoring twice in a seven-minute span to put his team up 4-1 with 6:44 left in regulation. Eisler scored his second goal of the game on a power play with 4:57 left but DeMatteo fired the puck into an empty net with 37 seconds remaining.

The senior said his team took a different approach to the rematch with the Falcons. “We focused on emotion way too much in that game,” he said, “and we just kind of put all that aside and just played the game and focused on the game.”

Neshaminy came into the game ranked sixth in the Class AA Flyers Cup power rankings. The Falcons were ranked 10th this week.

Pennsbury 0 1 1—2
Neshaminy 1 1 3—5
First-period goal: Robert Seewagen (N) unassisted, 15:20.
Second-period goals: Thomas Gallagher (N) from Trevor Kuhn, 1:40; Erik Eisler (P) from Beau Bruslius and Ben Dous, 11:46.
Third-period goals: Joey DeMatteo (N) unassisted, 2:15; DeMatteo (N) from J.J. Hathaway and Matt Buchinski, 9:16; Eisler (P) unassisted, 11:03 (pp); DeMatteo (N) from Michael Knipple, 15:23 (en).
Shots: Pennsbury 21, Neshaminy 38; Saves: Topher Seiler (P) 33, Brian Nelson (N) 19

North Penn 4, Neshaminy 3

HATFIELD—Call it a postseason preview. Two of the top teams in the Suburban High School Hockey League shared the stage at Hatfield Ice Thursday night and the evening lived up to expectations. Thomas Boyle scored a power-play goal with 58.5 seconds left in regulation to hand the Knights a 4-3 win in the only regular-season meeting of two teams that figure to be SHSHL and Flyers Cup contenders.

The game-winning goal came when Boyle put in a rebound of Luke Van Why’s slapshot from the left point. “I didn’t think it was going to go in,” Boyle said. “I was so excited I had something left at the end of the game.”

It was a night when special teams play proved decisive. Five of the game’s seven goals, including all four of North Penn’s, came on power plays. Kevin Vena and Adam Brock kept a tight rein on the proceedings by whistling 19 penalties.

“We take as lot of pride in our power play,” said North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis, “getting it in, setting it up. We had four power-play goals so it goers to show you that the work we put in on the power play can be the difference in a game like tonight’s and it was.”

North Penn’s Josh Kaufhold and Neshaminy’s Robert Seewagen traded goals in the first period and that was all the scoring until the third frame.

Neshaminy (7-3, 5-2 in league play)) squandered an opportunity late in the second session when it failed to score during a two-man advantage that last for 1 minute, 41 seconds (two seconds of which carried over into the third period).

“I thought the power play played fairly well except for the five-on-three,” said Neshaminy coach Matt DeMatteo. “The five-on-three we just couldn’t get our rhythm for once reason or other. We weren’t moving the puck well on that and I think that was kind of a turning point for us.”

Tyler Greenstein gave North Penn (6-2, 5-0) the lead for the second time when he scored at the 3:04 mark of the third period. Thomas Gallagher tied the game for Neshaminy 47 seconds later.

Greenstein scored his second goal of the game on a shot from the left point at 5:45 before Neshaminy drew even on Nolan Geria’s effort with help from Matt Bunchinski at 9:45.

The Knights scored their three third-period goals on just four shots; they were outshot 26-15. At the other end, Nick Ebbinghaus recorded 23 saves.

It would not be a surprise to see these two teams meet again when the stakes are higher. “No doubt, we’ll definitely see these guys,” DeMatteo said. “We’ll see them in the playoffs hopefully, we’ll see them in the Flyers Cup.”

Ice Chips—North Penn is ranked fourth in this week’s Class AA Flyers Cup power rankings while Neshaminy is listed fifth. Seewagen’s goal was his 20th of the season.

Neshaminy 1 0 2—3
North Penn 1 0 3—4
First-period goals: Josh Kaufhold (NP) unassisted, 2:39 (pp); Robert Seewagen (N) unassisted, 7:24 (pp).
Third-period goals: Tyler Greenstein (NP) unassisted, 3:01 (pp); Thomas Gallagher (N) from Daniel McColgan, 3:31; Greenstein (NP) from Thomas Boyle, 5:45 (pp); Nolan Geria N) from Matt Buhiiski, 9:04; Boyle (NP) from Greenstein and Luke Van Why, 15:02 (pp).
Shots: Neshaminy 26, North Penn 15; Saves: Brian Nelson (N) 11, Nick Ebbinghaus (NP) 23.

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 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.

Wednesday’s Neshaminy-Pennsbury Game Will Send a Powerful Message

Like the other games being played around the Suburban High School Hockey League on Wednesday night, the matchup between Pennsbury and Neshaminy (7:20 at Grundy Arena) won’t count in the league standings. But it will be a special occasion, and an emotional one.

The two teams will play for the Gannon Cup, which is named for Patrick Gannon a former Neshaminy Middle School hockey player who tragically died in an accident at age 13. He played club hockey with many of the players on both teams who will be in uniform Wednesday night.

“We thought it would be a great way to remember him during the game every year,” said Neshaminy coach Matt DeMatteo.

Neshaminy won the inaugural Gannon Cup game last year

As tragic as Patrick Gannon’s death was, he gave back to others via organ donation. The game is being played in part to benefit the Donate Life and the Gift of Life Foundation in his memory. There will be an assortment of gift basket raffles and a Chuck-a-Duck fund raiser.,

Patrick Gannon will be recognized prior to game time along with Phil Oseredzuk, a former Neshaminy player who was killed in a kayaking accident last May at age 16. His jersey will be retired before the game and will thereafter be displayed at Grundy Arena.

Parkland 6 Neshaminy 4

By Rick Woelfel

BRISTOL— the combatants battled to the final bell. At the end, it was Parkland that was left standing.

Eric Dennis scored his third goal of the game with 4:24 remaining in the third period and that proved to be the game winner as the Trojans downed Neshaminy 6-4 Wednesday night in the opening round of the Class AA Flyers Cup tournament at Grundy Arena.

The ninth-seeded Trojans (18-3-1) will face top-seeded Downingtown East in Monday’s quarterfinals. Eighth-seeded Neshaminy closed at 7-6-4.

NHS vs Parkland_IH_03062019_4516

Neshaminy’s Charlie Potash (in white) and Parkland’s Tom Boyer (in red) face off during Wednesday’s Flyers Cup game. Parkland won 6-4. Photo by Jesse Garber

The winning goal came on Dennis’s shot from the high slot. Neshaminy goaltender Steve Glick could not be faulted on the play.

The teams traded goals twice through the first period and change with Neshaminy getting tallies from Joey DeMatto and Thomas Gallagher while Joshua Bower and Dennis scored from Parkland.

Both goaltenders, Parkland’s Vincent Byelick and Neshaminy’s Steve Glick, were sharp early on and had to be to keep their respective teams in the game.

Neshaminy coach Matt DeMatteo said his team was hurt by some early mistakes. “We had some problems with turnovers early on that coast us a couple goals,” he said. “I’d like to have those back but I couldn’t be more proud of the boys.”

Dennis scored his second goal of the game at the 9:34 mark of the second period on a rebound of Matt Zager’s original shot to give Parkland a 3-2 lead. Jason Dratch scored just 29 seconds later off a turnover to give the Trojans a two-goal advantage.

Neshaminy looked to have an opportunity when back-to-back tripping penalties gave it a two-man advantage for 1:31. But it managed just one shot on goal during that span and the deficit remained until Matthew Duke scored from the slot midway between the faceoff circles to make it a one-goal game with 1:38 left in the period.

Joey DeMatteo tied the game with his second goal of the night just 36 seconds into the final period.

From that moment on, Glick kept his team in the game; he made 12 saves in the third period. he finished the game with 30. Parkland had a 36-16 advantage in shots.

“I thought it was a good offensive battle back and forth,” Matt DeMatteo said. “I thought the boys played really hard. I couldn’t be more proud of the effort.”

Parkland 1 3 2—6

Neshaminy 1 2 1—4

First-period goals: Joey DeMatteo (M) from Josh Haines and Rob Seewagen, 6:02 (pp) Joshua Bower (P) from Koby Staivecki and Eric Dennis, 10:04.

Second-period goals: Dennis (P) from Staivecki and Gus Schwartz, :35; Thomas Gallagher (N) from Matthew Duke, 2:29; Dennis (P) from Matt Zager and Jason Dratch 9:343; Dratch (P) from Dennis and Zager, 10:03; Duke (N) unassisted, 14:22.

Third-period goals: DeMatteo (N) from Charlie Potash, :36; Dennis (P) unassisted, 10:36; Zager (P) from Dratch, 15:49.

Shots: Parkland 36, Neshamony 16; Saves: Vincent Byelick (P) 12, Steve Glick (N) 30.

SHSHL Standings 2-19-18 (Corrected)

Suburban High School Hockey League Standings as of 2-19-19

Class AA W L T Its

Central Bucks South (11-3-2) 9 0 2 20

*Pennridge (11-2-2) 8 1 1 17

North Penn (10-2-3) 7 1 2 16

*Neshaminy (7-4-4) 5 3 3 13

Central Bucks West (8-7) 6 4 0 12

*Pennsbury (6-7-3) 5 5 1 11

Central Bucks East (9-5-2) 5 5 1 11

Abington (4-7-4) 3 5 3 9

Council Rock South (6-7-2) 3 5 2 8

Truman (3-10-3) 2 7 2 6

William Tennent (3-10-2) 1 7 2 4

Souderton (2-13-1) 0 10 1 1

* Pennridge has the tiebreaker over North Penn

* Neshaminy has the tiebreaker over Central Bucks West

• Pennsbury has the tiebreaker over Central Bucks East

Class A W L T Pts

Lower Moreland (10-2-3) 7 2 3 17

Wissahickon (10-3-2) 6 3 2 14

Hatboro-Horsham (9-4-2) 5 4 2 12

Plymouth Whitemarsh (10-4-1) 6 4 1 11

Upper Dublin (3-12-0) 0 11 0 0

Wedenesday

North Penn vs C.B. West 7:10 at Hatfield

Pennridge vs. C.B. South 7:20 at Rev. Ice Gardens

Truman vs Neshaminy 7:20 at Grundy

Hatboro-Horsham vs. Wissahickon 8:50 at Hatfield

Pennsbury vs. William Tennent 9:00 at Revolution Ice Gardens

Thursday

Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. Upper Dublin 7:10 at Hatfield

Pennridge vs. Council Rock South 7:20 at Grundy

Neshaminy 4, C.B. West 2

By Rick Woelfel

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—Neshaminy picked up a big win Thursday night, and made a statement in the process. Rob Seewagen scored two goals and added an assist as Neshaminy bested Central Bucks West 4-2 in a Suburban High School Hockey League Class AA encounter at Hatfield Ice.

The win lifted Neshaminy to 5-3-2 in the SHSHL’s Class AA standings (7-4-3 overall) and tied it for fourth place in the standings with one league game remaining for both teams, Neshaminy would own the tiebreaker over the Bucks (8-7, 6-4) if the teams end the season tied.

‘”It’s good to get a win against a quality team like this heading right into the playoffs,” said Neshaminy coach Matt DeMatteo.

Neshaminy made it clear from the opening faceoff that it meant business. Seewagen set up Joey DeMatteo for the evening’s first goal 7:25. Seewagen made a move down the middle of the ice and circled behind the Bucks’ net before sending a pass out front to DeMatteo, who beat Jeremy Kennard with a backhander. Seewagen made it 2-0 at the 12:40 mark when he scored on a shot from the left wing.

“We needed to send a message right away,” Seewagen said. “We needed them to realize this wasn’t going to be a cakewalk for them.”

Jake Lang got West on the board just 15 seconds into the second period before tying the game on a power play at the 6:01 mark while Brian McGrady was in the box serving a tripping minor.

In the midst of it it all, Neshaminy goaltender Steve Glik was holding his ground; after two periods he had made 31 saves. He finished with 44.

Thomas Gallagher scored what proved to be the winning goal on a shot from the deep right wing 2:12 into the third period. Seewagen extended his team’s lead with a power-play goal at the 10:50 mark. Lang was in the box for holding at the time, one of four penalties West took in the final period. Reese Dalzell and Joey DeYoung drew simultaneous penalties with 3:21 left, leaving West two men short for two minutes and thwarting its comeback effort.

“I thought we played a good game,” said West coach Dave Baun. “A few of our youthful mistakes were obvious early on; we gave the puck away a few times and they scored because they have good finishers on that team. But when the game settled down, five on five, I was very happy with the way that we played.”

Seewagen, who transferred to Neshaminy from Holy Ghost Prep, feels he and his teammates are primed for postseason success. “I wasn’t here last year,” he said, “but they made a big step and got in the playoffs. Now, were not just going to the playoffs because we’re going to the playoffs. We’re going to the playoffs to win. It feels good when you’re playing with your brothers and having a good time out there.”

Notes: Neshaminy will finish the regular season against Truman next Wednesday while the Bucks close against North Penn the same evening …West finished with a 48-26 advantage in shots.
Neshaminy 2 0 2—4
C.B. West 0 2 0—2
First-period goals: Joey DeMatteo (N) from Rob Seewagen, 7:25; Seewagen (N) from BRian McGrady, 12:40.
Second-period goals: Jake Lang (CBW) from Chris Trefz, :15; Lang (CBW) from Pavel Serhiayenka, 6:01 (pp).
Third-period goals: Thomas Gallagher (N) from Phillip Oseredzuk and Joey Buddy, 2:12; Seewagen (N) unassisted, 10:50.
Shots: Neshaminy 28, C.B. West 46; Saves Steve Glik (N) 44, Jeremy Kennard (CBW) 24

SHSHL Standings as of 1-29-19

Suburban High School Hockey League Standings

Class AA Continental and National Divisions

Won Lost Tied Pts

C.B. South (9-3-1) 7 0 1 15

North Penn (8-2-3) 6 1 2 14

Neshaminy (5-4-2) 4 3 1 9

Pennridge (7-2-1) 4 1 0 8

C.B. East (8-3-1) 4 3 0 8

C.B. West (6-6) 4 3 0 8

Pennsbury (4-5-2) 3 4 0 6

Council Rock South (5-5-2) 2 3 2 6

Abington (3-6-3) 2 4 2 6

Truman (3-6-2) 2 4 1 5

William Tennent (3-8-2) 1 6 2 4

Souderton (1-11-1) 0 8 1 1

Class A American Division Won Lost Tied Pts

Wissahickon (8-1-2) 6 1 2 14

Lower Moreland (7-2-3) 4 2 3 11

Plymouth Whitemarsh (9-3) 5 3 0 10

Hatboro-Horsham (7-4-1) 4 4 1 9

Upper Dublin (3-9) 0 9 0 0