Flyers Cup Championship Schedule

                              

Monday, March 21          

Class AAA

Malvern Prep vs. St. Joseph’s Prep, 6:30 at Ice Line

Class A

West Chester East vs. Springfield Delco 8:30 at Ice Line

Tuesday March 22

Class AA

Pennridge vs. Council Rock South   7:45 at Ice Line

Pennridge 8 Avon Grove 1

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP— It was hockey’s equivalent of a first-round knockout. Pennridge scored three times before the contest was nine minutes old and went on to an 8-1 win over Avon Grove Wednesday night at Hatfield Ice Arena.

The top-seeded Rams (20-0-1) will face third-seeded Council Rock South in an all-SHSHL final at this same venue, likely next Monday or Tuesday. Fifth-seeded Avon Grove closed at 14-8-0-1.

As impressive as Pennridge has been this season coach, Jeff Montagna felt his team reached a new level on this night.

“I thought was by far the best game they’ve played all year,” he said. “On the biggest stage. And in the biggest game of their lives up until that moment.”

Andrew Savona the Rams off to a fast start when he beat Justin Mackey in the Red Devils’ net 4:16 into the opening period off a feed from Kevin Pico. Shane Dachowski followed at 8:09 and Pico extended the Rams’ lead just 30 seconds later.

Jack Lowery, who assisted on two of the Rams goals, said the Rams were energized by the fast start. “The past few games we’ve been coming out a little slow,” he said, “and going down early. “We talked in the locker room before this game; the biggest thing is to come out here, score a couple goals fast.

“(Avon Grove is looking up to us. We’re the one seed. We want them chasing us, playing our game and get them off theirs. That’s exactly what we did tonight.”

Savona and Dachowski finished the evening with two goals each. Pico had two assists to go with his goal. A total of six players had multi-point games.

Lowery pointed out that the Rams’ fast-paced style is easier to implement with veteran Ryan Pico in goal.

“We can rely on Ryan every game,” he said. “Every game, no matter what, he’s back there making good saves for us. When you have a goalie like that, you can take some chances.”

Avon Grove’s only goal was a power-play effort off the stick of Brendan Chandler 6:33 into the third period.

The Flyers Cup final and possibly a state championship game are still ahead but Lowery, a senior knows his time with the Rams is drawing to a close. That realization has sharpened his focus.

“These are the last games I’m going to be playing competitively in youth hockey,” he said. “All I want to do is win, that’s all we want to do.”

Avon Grove 0 0 1—1

Pennridge 3 1 1 3—8

First-period goals: Andrew Savona (P) from Kevin Pico, 4:16; Shane Dachowski (P) from Aidan Boyle and Jack Lowery, 8:09; Pico (P) from Tyler Manto, 8:39

Second-period goals: Manto (P) from Dachowski, 11:49 (sh)

Third-period goals: Savona (P) from Pico, 1:32; Brendan Chandler (AG) from Will Gorman, 6:33 (pp); Aeryk Lehrhaupt (P) unassisted, 10:57 (pp); Ryan Schuler (PP) from David, 14:22; Dachowski (P) from Lowery and Schuler,16:24

Shots: Avon Grove 26, Pennridge 39; Saves: Justin Mackley (AG) 31, Ryan Pico (Pr) 25

Pennridge 7 Downingtown East 5

On Pennsylvania scholastic hockey’s biggest stage, and with the game in the balance Aidan Boyle came up big. The Pennridge senior delivered two assists and scored the winning goal, all in the third period as Pennridge scored four times in the final stanza to score a 7-5 win over Downingtown East Thursday night in a Flyers Cup Class AA quarterfinal at Hatfield Ice.

The top-seeded Rams (19-0-1) will face Avon Grove in a semifinal game next Wednesday at 8:40 at Hatfield Ice.

The fans that filled the rink Thursday night got their money’s worth. There was little to choose between the Cougars and Rams who went into the tied at 3-3.

Jack Wolf’s third goal of the game gave eighth-seeded Downingtown East a 4-3 lead at the 2:37 mark but goals from Colin Dachowski and Andrew Savona put Pennridge up 5-4 with 6:41 left in regulation. Boyle assisted on both goals.

Parker Nassour tied the game for the Cougars with 5:13 left on a shot from between the circles that Pennridge goaltender Ryan Pico couldn’t handle.

The deciding sequence was set up when the Cougars’ Sean Woods was called for tripping with 3:08 remaining, one of 16 penalties called in the game, all minors. During the subsequent power play, Boyle played the puck to Kevin Pico behind the net who in turn moved to the side of the net and tried to tuck the disk inside the right post before sliding the disk across to Boyle who put it behind Downingtown East goaltender Ian Warter with 1:36 remaining in regulation.

“We know the third period is our best period of hockey that we always play,” Boyle said. “We always come out hot in the third period and we knew we had it. We just had to work hard.”

Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna credited his team for stepping up when Ryan Pico, one of the area’s best goaltenders, was at less than peak form.

“Pico has been our rock for three years,” he said. “He wasn’t on top of his game, we picked him up.

“You watch the NCAA basketball tournament, the team that wins always has one game where they’re on the ropes. The words I like to use are facing their mortality. And they did that, and like they have all year they responded. They do that every game.”

The teams were never separated by more than a goal until Shane Dachowski scored into an empty net in the final minute. But Boyle was confident the Rams would prevail.

“We all knew that we weren’t losing this game,” he said. “We just went out there and said ‘We’re playing next week, we’re not going home tonight.’”

Downingtown East 2 1 2—5

Pennridge 2 1 4—7

First-period goals: Jacob McCallion (DE) from Matthew Sano and Carter Vela, 2:01; Kevin Pico (P) from Tyler Manto, 3:36; Jack Wolf (DE) from Vela and Aaron Harclerode, 7:38; Shane Dachowski (P) from Jack Lowery, 14:06 (pp)

Second-period goals: Aeryk Lehrhaupt (P) from Lowery and Colin Dachowski, 4:55; Wolf (DE) unassisted, 6:16 (sh)

Third-period goals: Wolf (DE) from Parker Nassour and Sean Woods,  2:37; Colin Dachowski (P) from Aidan Boyle, 6:17; Andrew Savona (P) from Boyle, 10:19; Nassour (DE) from Wolf and Brody Matthews, 11:47; Boyle (P) from Pico, 15:34 (pp); Shane Dachowski (P) from Lehrhaupt, 16:05 (en)

Shots: Downingtown East 32, Pennridge 46; Saves: Ian Warter (DE) 39, Ryan Pico (Pr) 27

Pennridge 5 Council Rock South 4 OT

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—There wasn’t much to choose between Pennridge and Council Rock South Thursday night. Perhaps it was fitting that the Rams and the Golden Hawks went into overtime in their SHSHL Class AA championship game. It took 4 minutes, 27 seconds of extra time before Shane Dachowski found the back of the net to give the Rams a 5-4 win in front of a packed house at Hatfield Ice.

The winning sequence began with a long pass from Trey Mikulich from inside the Pennridge blue line up the center of the ice. Dachowski collected it in full stride and went in on goal before beating South netminder Carson Lopez with a backhander.

“We knew we weren’t losing tonight,” Dachowski said. “We just went out there and did it.”

Second-seeded Pennridge, which remained unbeaten at 16-0-1 trailed 3-1 late in the second period before rallying win its third SHSHL title; the previous two came in 2008 and ’19.

Top-seeded Council Rock South (13-2-2) spent much of the first period killing four penalties and portions of the second period killing two more. Matt Constantini gave the Golden Hawks a 1-0 at the 10:34 mark but drew and unsportsmanlike conduct penalty while celebrating the goal.

Jack Lowery tied the game for Pennridge
“You can’t win games shorthanded,” said South coach Joe Houk. ”We literally skated shorthanded the first half of that. You can’t play catchup like that.

But in short order, it was the Rams playing catchup after Daniel Filippov and Gavin Nisenzon scored goals in a span of 2:06 to give the Golden Hawks a 3-1 lead with 3:07 left in the middle period.

Cooper White brought the Rams closer before the second period ended and Andrew Savona tied the game 1:57 into the third when he beat Lopez from the left faceoff circle.
Kevin Pico gave Pennridge its first lead of the lead at the 6:44 mark when he scored off a South turnover.

As the final minute of regulation counted down, the Rams fought to hold their lead but David Vergules emerged victorious from a scramble in front of Ram goaltender Ryan Pico to tie the game with 40 seconds left in regulation. The goal served as a prelude to an overtime session that brought the evening to a dramatic conclusion.

“That was one of the best games I’ve ever been a part of,” said Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna. It was back and forth, it was everything that a championship game should be.”

• Pennridge is seeded first for the Class AA Flyers Cup and will face 16th seeded Ridley Tuesday night at Hatfield Ice. The Golden Hawks are seeded third and will face 14th-seeded Abington on Tuesday, also at Hatfield Ice.

Pennridge 0 2 2 1—5

C.R. South 1 2 1 0—4

First-period goal: Matt Constantini (CRS) from Julian Wagenman and Kevin Koles, 10:34

Second-period goals: Jack Lowery (P) unassisted, 11:23; Dan Filippov (CRS) from Blaise Pepe, 11:47; Gavin Nisenzon (CRS) from Pepe, 13:53 (pp), Cooper White (P) from Andrew David and Andrew Lizak, 14:59

Third-period goals: Andrew Savona (P) from Kevin Pico and Aidan Boyle, 1:57 (pp); Pico (P) from Savona and Tyler Manto, 6:44; David Vergules (CRN) from Kyle Boss, 19:20

Overtime goal: Shane Dachowski (P) from Trey Mikulich, 4:27

Shots: Pennridge 48, Council Rock North 37; Saves: Ryan Pico (P) 33, Carson Lopez (CRN) 43

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!

Pennridge 6 Pennsbury 3

HATFELD TOWNSHIP— One of the mantras of postseason hockey is ‘Don’t take bad penalties.’ Failing to adhere to that axiom cost Pennsbury dearly Wednesday night.

Pennridge scored four goals in the third period and went on to a 6-3 win over the Falcons in an SHSHL National Division semifinal at Hatfield Ice. The second-seeded Rams, still unbeaten at 16-0-1, will take on Council Rock South Thursday night at 7:10 in the same rink for the National Division title. Third-seeded Pennsbury (11-4-1-0), which was defending the division title it won last year, will await the start of the Class AA Flyers Cup tournament next Tuesday.

As the third period commenced, it was anyone’s game with the teams deadlocked at 2-2. Tyler Manto and Kevin Pico produced first-period goals for Pennridge. Brendan Macainsh, who scored for the Falcons just 35 seconds into the opening session, set up his teammate Shane Siegmound 77 seconds into the second.

But not quite a third of the way into the final period, the flow of the game shifted dramatically. At the 5:06 mark, the Falcons drew a bench penalty for too many men on the ice. It took Aeryk Lehrhaupt just 11 seconds to score the goal that put his team ahead for good.

But there was more to come. At the 6:06 mark Lehrhaupt was flagged for hooking.  Fifty-three seconds later Pennsbury’s Andrew Falkenstein knocked a Pennridge player off stride with his knee and was called for tripping, leaving teams skating four on four. Colin Dachowski scored for Pennridge at 7:51 to make it a 4-2 game and for the remainder of the period, play flowed in Pennridge’s direction, like a river flowing downhill.

Andrew Lizak added a goal at 10:49 to give the Rams a three-goal lead. Macainsh brought his team closer when he scored his second goal of the game at 12:27 but that was all the Falcons could muster.

Shane Dachowski finished the scoring with an empty net goal with seven seconds remaining.

There was an ice cut before the start of the third period, which Lehrhaupt said allowed the Rams to regroup.

“We didn’t feel like we played like we were in a tie game,” he said. “As soon as we came out buzzing (in the third period) and got that goal, it made a whole world of a difference.”

Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna used his time out prior to his team’s third-period power play to tell his troops to pick up the pace. “I thought we were going a little too much trying to play defense,” he said. ‘I thought their next five minutes was their best five minutes of the year.”

The game featured 12 minor penalties, six against each team. Pennsbury coach Ryan Daley voiced his displeasure with the work of the officials.

“I don’t want to talk about penalties too much,” he said, “but in my opinion, that was one of the worst officiated games I’ve ever been in.

“The penalties we took, we took, it doesn’t help at all. But it also doesn’t help when the referees are (inattentive) to what’s going on the ice.”

Both goaltenders were sharp. Aaron McDaniel stopped 37 shots for the Falcons. His Pennridge counterpart Ryan Pico was credited with 32 saves.

“Our goalie was keeping us in it,” Daley said, “with some spectacular saves, especially right at the end of the second, and Pico was doing his thing. He stole a few from us as expected.

“We really played great the first two periods. It was just a five-minute span of going brain dead that killed us in the third.”

Pennsbury 1 1 1—3

Pennridge 2 0 4—6

First-period goal: Brendan Macainsh (Pb) from Shane Siegmund, :35; Tyler Manto (Pr) from Kevin Pico and Colin Dachowski, 9:40; Pico (Pr) from Aidan Boyle, 13:25

Second-period goal: Siegmund (P) from Macainsh, 1:17 (pp)

Third-period goals: Aeryk Lehrhaupt (P) from Jack Lowery, 5:17; Colin Dachowski (Pr) unassisted, 7:51; Andrew Lizak (Pr) from Boyle, 10:49; Macainsh (Pb) from Siegmund, 12:27; Shane Dachowski (Pr) from Manto, 16:53 (en)

Shots: Pennsbury 35, Pennridge 43; Saves: Aaron McDaniel (Pb) 37, Ryan Pico (Pr) 32

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!

SHSHL Class AA Quarterfinals

Council Rock South 9 Souderton 0—Samuel Cherkassky, Bobby Gilbert, and Chase Trovsky scored two goals each as the top-seeded Golden Hawks downed the eighth-seeded Big Red Wednesday night at Revolution Ice Gardens. Three other players scored goals and Blaize Pepe contributed four assists as South advanced to the semifinals.

Council Rock North 4 Central Bucks South 3 OT—Zach Weissman scored in overtime as the fifth-seeded Indians edged the fourth-seeded Titans.

Pennridge 5 Central Bucks East 1—Jake Lowery and Shane Dachowswki each scored twice as the second-seeded Rams topped the seventh-seeded Patriots at Hatfield Ice. Aeryk Lehrhaupt also scored for Pennridge. Phil McIntyre scored for the Patriots.

Pennsbury 5 Neshaminy 2—Shane Siegmund scored two goals to help the third-seeded Falcon to the win over sixth-seeded Neshaminy at Grundy Arena. Chris Sarver, Reese Picker, and Brendan Macainsh also scored for Pennsbury. Noah Seewagen and Max Gallagher scored for Neshaminy

Semifinals Wednesday, March 2

Council Rock South vs. Council Rock North

Pennridge vs. Pennsbury

Council Rock South 3 Pennridge 3

Kevin Pico scored with 5:26 remaining in the third period to give Pennridge a 3-3 tie with Council Rock South Wednesday night at Grundy Arena. The result left the teams deadlocked at the top of the SHSHL Class AA standings with identical 9-0-1 divisional records.

Council Rock South will be seeded first for next week’s SHSHL playoffs on the basis of fewer goals allowed in divisional play (15 to 16).

Aeryk Lehraupt and Shane Dachowki also scored for the Rams. Julian Sarne, Kevin Koles and Julian Wagenmann all scored for the Golden Hawks.
Wagenmann’s goal with 5:06 remaining in the second period gave South a 3-2 lead before Pico’s goal tied the game.

Neither team scored during overtime and the SHSHL does not utilize shootouts.

Pennridge 1 1 1 0—3

C.R. South 2 1 0 0—3

First-period goals: Julian Sarne (CRS) from Kevin Koles, 7:01; Aeryk Lehrhaupt (P) from Shane Dachowski and Jack Lowery, 9:33; Koles (CRS) from David Vergules and Julian Wagenmann, 12:49;

Second-period goals: Wagenmann (CRS) unassisted, 11:54; Shane Dachowski (P) from Andrew David, 13:43

Third-period goal: Kevin Pico (P) from Tyler Manto, 11:34

Pennridge 6 Neshaminy 1

HATFIELD—It was business as usual for Pennridge Wednesday night. The Rams scored three times in the first period and rolled to a 6-1 win over Neshaminy in a SHSHL Class AA matchup at Hatfield Ice.

Pennridge remains perfect with a 14-0 overall record (9-0 in divisional play) heading into its regular-season finale with Council Rock South next Wednesday. It’s last lost came to Haverford in the Flyers Cup semifinals last April.

The game was essentially decided in the first 13:55 of the opening period. Pierce McGinley, Andrew Savong, and Tyler Manto scored goals in that stretch, and Rams were never threatened thereafter.

“We got off to a rough start,” said Neshaminy coach Matt DeMatteo. “The one rebound came right out to (McGinley) who buried it. Then we had (a tip-in) and then we had the second or third goal the guy dangled through us and nobody stepped up to play physical. So, I feel like we kind of put ourselves in that hole. It’s tough to battle back against a really good team like that.”

Max Gallagher scored a power-play goal for Neshaminy (9-3-1, 5-4 in the division) 9:49 into the second period but Kevin Pico and Aeryk Lehrhaupt responded for the Rams (Lehrhaupt’s goal came while his team was shorthanded) before Shane Dachowski added a goal in the third period.

The final margin would doubtless have been wider had it not been for the work of Brian Nelson in the Neshaminy net. Nelson was credited with 46 saves while his Pennridge counterpart Ryan Pico was given credit for 41.

Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna said his team got a big boost from its quick start. “Especially after our last game (a 5-3 win over Central Bucks South) where we didn’t,” he said. “We talked about it. I thought it was our best first period of the year. I thought we started the game better than we have all year and it set the tone for the rest of the night.”

After next week, the Rams will cross the threshold into the postseason. Expectations are high in light of last year’s Flyers Cup effort. So, in a very real sense, Wednesday night’s first period was about setting the tone for something beyond a regular-season game in February.

  • Neshaminy’s. A.J. Dougherty was injured in the second period when Pennridge’s Andrew David delivered a shoulder check while Dougherty was standing with his back to the boards in the Pennridge offensive left wing corner. No penalty was called on the play. Dougherty was helped off the ice. According to DeMatteo, he will enter concussion protocol.

•The regular season will conclude next week. The SHSHL playoffs will commence on February 23 and 24 so the results of the Class AA quarterfinals will factor into the Flyers Cup seedings.

 Neshaminy 0 1 0

Pennridge 3 2 1—6

First-period goals: Pierce McGinley (P) from Josh Kelly, 2:59; Andrew Savong (P) unassisted, 9:09; Tyler Manto (P) from Ryan Schuler, 13:55

Second-period goals: Max Gallagher (N) from Dan McColgan and J.J. Hathaway, 9:49 (pp); Kevin Pico, from Manto and Boyle, 13:44; Aeryk Lehrhaupt (P) unassisted, 15:51 (sh)

Third-period goals: Shane Dachowski (P) from Aidan Boyle  Jack Lowery, 9:58 (pp)

Shots: Neshaminy 42, Pennridge 52; Saves:  Brian Nelson (N) 46, Ryan Pico P) 41

Pennridge 5 C.B. East 0

WARWICK—For Pennridge it was all in an evening’s work. The Rams remained unbeaten Wednesday night with a 5-0 win over Central Bucks East in a SHSHL Class AA matchup at Revolution Ice Gardens.

Pennridge is now a perfect 10-0 on the season, 6-0 in divisional play, and sits atop the Flyers Cup Class AA rankings to boot.

Adam Boyle scored two goals and assisted on another. Aerek Lehrhaupt also scored twice as the Rams bested the Patriots for the second time this season; they prevailed 5-1 on December 8.

“We talked before the game,” said Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna. It was a point of emphasis the way we played against them last time. We did not play well and they outworked us last game.

“We stressed that in the locker room all week, about getting off to a better start against this team and not being outworked.”

The Rams dominated the first period although they scored just once. Boyle collected a loose puck in front of the East net and tucked it inside the left post with 4:16 left in the opening session.
As is often case in such circumstances, it was a case of a goaltender keeping his team in the game. In this case was the netminder was Matt Magiacapre who was credited with no few 26 saves in the opening 17 minutes and gave the Patriots (3-7, 2-4 in the division) reason to hope.

But East’s hopes were dashed 5:10 into the second frame when Shane Dachowski scored for the Rams on a breakaway while his team was skating two men short.

Boyle added his second goal of the night at the 14:14 mark before Lehrhaupt added two goals in the third period.

Emotions boiled over with 9:21 left in regulation when the Rams’ Pierce McGinley took the Patriots’ Kyle McIntyre into the wall on the Pennridge’s offensive right wing just beyond the faceoff circle. No penalty was called on the play. Phil McIntyre stepped up in defense of his brother and teammate and wound up drawing nine minutes in penalties; minor penalties for elbowing and roughing, plus a major. As a result, the Patriots were shorthanded virtually all of the rest of the game. but they kept battling.

“I loved how we stayed in the game the whole team,” said Central Bucks East coach Jeff Mitchell. “They put a lot of shots up on us in the first period so I was starting to get a little worried that we were sitting on our heels. But, the boys kept fighting back, it just wasn’t going I for us tonight.”

Montagna works to keep his team focused on the task at hand while also acknowledging what is possible. He’s counting on his seniors to show the way.

“The seniors that we have have been through this,” he said. “They know there’s a bigger goal than just getting through the regular season and they’ve been real good about teaching the other guys that and telling them that. They know what we’re fighting for.”

Ice Chips—Ryan Pico pitched a shutout in goal, making 24 saves while Mangiacapre was credited with 44 … The Rams will make up a game with Pennsbury Monday night at Hatfield Ice (6:20 start).

Pennridge 1 2 2—5

C.B. East 0 0 0—0

First-period goals: Adam Boyle (P) unassisted, 12:44

Second-period goals: Shane Dachowski (P) from Boyle and Colin Dachowski, 5:10 (sh); Boyle (P) unassisted, 14:14

Third-period goals: Aerek Lehrhaupt (P) from Colin Dachowski, 6:43; Lehhaupt (P) unassisted, 12:40

Shots: Pennridge 49, C.B. East 24; Saves: Ryan Pico (P) 24, Matt Mangiacapre (CBE) 44

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!

Jeff Mauro has written a book on the history of the Pennsylvania state high school hockey championship. To find out more and order a copy CLICK HERE

Pennridge 3 Holy Ghost Prep 2 OT

     TRENTON, N.J.—The Pennridge Rams took the ice Wednesday night looking to make a statement. And they did. Andrew Savona’s goal with 1:26 remaining in overtime gave the Rams a 3-2 non-league victory over Holy Ghost Prep. 

The win was Pennridge’s eighth this season without a blemish and it came on a night when the Rams were without veteran forwards Aidan Boyle and Andrew David. And while only a sparse crowd was on hand to witness the encounter inside the cavernous Cure Insurance Arena, the result is sure to reverberate within the area hockey community.

“These guys really wanted to play this game,” said Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna. “They wanted this game. “And (when it was scheduled) they were really excited. Because, they wanted a chance to show that they were as good as anybody and that they could play with anybody.

Montagna was proud of the way his team battled the Firebirds.

“They didn’t back down,” he said. “They went toe to toe with them and they deserved everything they got tonight. I don’t know if it’s making a statement but I hope it showed them they can play with anybody of they do what they’re supposed to do.”

Holy Ghost Prep (9-3) had the better of the in a scoreless period but was the Rams who struck first, 4:50 into the second frame finished off a play that originated deep in the Pennridge defensive zone.

The goal seemed to wake up the Firebirds and Landon Stout tied the game at the 6:25 mark.

 His teammate Brady Baehser gave Holy Prep a 2-1 lead 6:43 into the third period when he scored during a four-on-four situation.

The game seemed to be flowing the Firebirds way at that point but Shane Dachowski tied the game for Pennridge when he beat Holy Ghost Prep goaltender Jason Soule from close range at the 10:42 mark.

Soule and Pennridge’s Ryan Pico each made one big save in overtime before Savona’s game winner.

Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside said his team needs to make some changes.

“(Changes in) how we approach the game,” he said. “How we approach each shift, how we approach each other.

“I thought we were a little two individualistic tonight but they’re high-school kids. And talking to these guys after the game, I know they have each other’s backs.”

• There was a scary moment when Pennridge forward Aeryk Lehrhaupt was taken into the wall with 3:52 left in the second period. Lehrhaupt was down on the ice for several minutes but left the ice surface under how own power … The Rams enjoyed a 35-25 edge in shots.

Pennridge 0 1 1 1—3

Holy Ghost Prep 0 1 1 0—2

Second-period goals: Jack Lowery (P) from Aeryk Lehrhaupt, 4:50; Landon Stout (HG) from Brian Butler and Kieran Mulholland, 6:25

Third-period goals: Brady Baehser (HGP) from Colin Moore and Sean Marshall, 6:43; Shane Dachowski (P) from Ryan Shuler, 10:42

Overtime goal: Andrew Savona (P) from Colin Dachowski and Shane Dachowski, 3:34

Shots: Pennridge 35, Holy Ghost Prep 25; Saves:  Ryan Pico (P) 23, Jason Soule (HGP) 32

Jeff Mauro has written a book on the history of the Pennsylvania state high school hockey championship. To find out more and order a copy CLICK HERE