Pennsbury 8 C.B. South 2

BRISTOL—It was all systems go for Pennsbury Thursday night. The Falcons lit up the scoreboard at Grundy Arena as if it were a holiday light display in an 8-2 win over Central Bucks South in a SHSHL National Division non-league encounter.

Brendan Macainsh scored four goals and assisted on two others to help Pennsbury to its third straight win and fourth win overall in six starts. Justin Marlin added two goals and two assists. Shane Gleisner and Chris Sarver also scored goals.
The Falcons are averaging five goals a game and have scored 21 times over the course of their last three outings,
Macainsh, a senior and Pennsbury’s captain, says the team’s recent offensive surge stems from aggressive forechecking.

“We weren’t forechecking as much,” he said. “We were just kind of lagging around. We had to pick up our tempo, we had to play the full game, all three periods.”

Justin Marlin put Pennsbury in front just 28 seconds into the first period on a shot from the left point that eluded South netminder Dom Varacallo. Aidan Linso answered for the Titans when he beat Aaron McDaniel with 7:21 left in the opening session, but the Falcons broke the game open in the second frame.

Macainsh, Marlin, Gleisner (with the most picturesque goal of the night off a two-on-one situation), and Macainsh again scored goals in a span of just over six minutes to give Pennsbury a 5-1 lead.

Sean Cutter ended the streak when he scored for the Titans (3-4 overall during a four-on-four situation but Macainsh completed his hat trick with one minute left in the period.

At period’s end the Falcons led 6-2 although their shot advantage was just 23-21. At that point, South coach Shaun McGinty replaced Varacallo in goal with Jason Magaruth before Sarver and Macainsh added goals for Pennsbury in the final period.

McGinty made it clear afterward that Varacallo did not get the defensive support he deserved.

“They were getting two-on-ones, three-on-ones, they were getting odd-man breaks,” he said. “Our defense struggled, they were subpar, and they were outworked.

“I only pulled Dom because it wasn’t fair to him. He gave up (six goals on 23 shots) but on the two-on-ones and the second chances, I’m not putting that on him. Our defense was subpar, we were losing battles, they outworked us.”

Pennsbury coach Ryan Daley expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance.

“We’ve had some good games this year,” he said, “but I think that was the first time we put three full periods together. It seems like the chemistry is finally kind of getting there.”

C.B. South 1 1 0—2

Pennsbury 1 5 2—8

First-period goals: Justin Marlin (P) unassisted, :28; Aidan Linso (CBS) from Brad Cannon and Justin Montagna, 9:39.

Second-period goals: Brendan Macainsh (P) unassisted, :12 (sh); Marlin (P) from Andrew Falkenstein, 2:02; Shane Gleisner (P) from Logan Doyle, 5:04; Macainsh from Chris Sarver and Connor Kane, 6:14; Sean Cutter (CBS) from Linso, 11:10; Macainsh (P) from Marlin, 16:00 (pp).

Third-period goals: Sarver (P) from Jake McCaw and Macainsh, 6:55; Macainsh (P) from Jake Seiler, 13:20 (pp).

Shots: C.B. South 28, Pennsbury 34; Saves: Dom Varacallo (CBS) 17 and Jason Magaruh (CBS) 9, Aaron McDaniel (P) 26

Pennsbury 7 Owen J. Roberts 3

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—The Pennsbury Falcons typically don’t wait for things to happen. Their up-tempo style on ice is one of the keys to their success; they are capable of putting a string of goals together in a hurry.

That trend continued Tuesday night. The Falcons scored five goals in the second period en route to a 7-3 win over Owen J. Roberts in a Class A first-round Flyers Cup encounter at Hatfield Ice.

Senior defenseman Reece Millman says the Falcons’ fast-paced stole is a good fit. “Hockey is all about momentum,” he said. “If you can score goals and build upon it, then you’re just going to score more goals. So, it’s nice to know that we have the ability to do it. It’s not something that happens out of the blue.

So, when we are down, it’s nice to know. Everybody knows that we can bury goals quickly.”

The 14th-seeded Wildcats (10-10-0-1) took a 2-1 lead in a goal from Brady Callahan 3:32 into the second period but the third-seeded Falcons (12-4-1) responded in a big way. Logan Doyle, Brendan Macainsh, Reece Picker and Andrew Falkenstein scored goals in a span of 4 minutes, 16 seconds to give Pennsbury a 5-2 lead.

Riley Vitullo scored for the Wildcats with 1:46 left in the middle period but Macainsh answered for Pennsbury just 16 seconds later. The teams traded goals in the third period.

“I’m never too worried about our offense,” said Pennsbury coach Ryan Daley. “Which is nice right? You’re not too worried about half of your game.

“I’m always a little worried about our defense, but I’m veery happy with out offensive ability.”

Whatever concerns Daley might have had about his team’s play inside its own blue line were alleviated by the work of Aaron McDaniel in goal. The sophomore has done some of his best late in the season. On Tuesday night he stopped 17 of the 20 shots he saw.

“This is his first year starting,” Daley said. “He got to be the backup last year (on a SHSHL championship team). I think he learned a lot from our senior goaltender last year; how to put together a playoff run. This second half of the season, he’s been stellar.”

Pennsbury will face fifth-seeded Avon Grove in a Thursday quarterfinal. The site and time of that game will be announced on Wednesday.

O.J. Roberts 1 2 0—3

Pennsbury 1 5 1—7

First-period goals: Shane Siegmund (P) from Reece Millman, 14:29; Sean Kavanagh (OJR) from Charlie Davis and Ethan Bochanski, 16:18

Second-period goals: Brady Callahan (OJR) from Davis and Andrew Watson, 3:32; Logan Doyle (pp) from Siegmund and Brendan Macainsh, 8:14; Macainsh (P) from Doyle and Justin Marlin, 10:53; Reece Picker (P) from Macainsh, 11:59; Andrew Falkenstein (P) from Millman,14:59; Riley Vitullo (OJR) unassisted, 15:14; Macainsh (P) from Evan Eissler and Millman, 15:30;

Third-period goals: Millman (P) from Eissler, 4:25

Shots: O.J. Roberts 20, Pennsbury 40; Saves: Shane Towler (OJR) 33, Aaron McDaniel (P) 17

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

Owls Enjoying Their Time on Ice

BRISTOL—The result was a disappointment albeit not a totally unexpected one. Bensalem was no match for Pennsbury Thursday night and fell 11-1 in a Suburban High School Hockey League Class AA game at Grundy Arena.

But the result paled in comparison to the reality of the Owls being on the ice, in uniforms that carried their school’s name and its colors of silver and blue.

The team is coached by Jordan Roth, a special education teacher in the district and a man with an affection for the game of hockey.

“Hockey has always been a passion of mine,” he said, “as well as coaching. I’m excited to grow this program to the best of ability.”

The Owls who now stand at 3-9 overall and 1-7 in divisional play, have one of the youngest teams in the SHSHL.

Sophomore goaltender Rickey Gonzalez stood tall for his team Wednesday night despite the score line He allowed 11 goals but also made 39 saves before the contest was terminated via the 10-goal mercy rule 8:11 into the third period.

Gonzalez found himself drawn to playing in goal early on. “When I was little I always had a thing for weird positions,” he said. “When I played football, I always wanted to be a ref.

“So, I guess I ended up picking goalie. But after a while, you see the other guys having all the fun out there and I kind of feel left out. I want to be a (skater) sometimes.”

Gonzalez enjoys the opportunity to step on the ice with the student-athletes he sees in school each day. “I find it a little bit more fun and exciting to play with them,” he said. I get to show off my skills a little bit for my friends and the people who come to our games.”

Alex Hood scored the Owls’ only goal Wednesday night. Hood, who is also a sophomore has collected 12 goals and five assists for 17 points this season.

Hood was elated when he learned Bensalem would field a hockey team this season. “I was really excited,” he said, because I could play with my friends here and it’s something new to do.”

Like Gonzalez, Hood is savoring the chance to play alongside his friends. “I’ve always loved playing with (Gonzalez),” he said. “He’s one of my best friends off the ice. It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do.”
Roth tells his squad to appreciate the opportunity they have to skate for their school. “I tell the guys in the locker room that it’s a privilege to play this game every day,” he said. “Finding ice, being in enclosed arenas. Hockey is a very expensive sport. I’m very thankful to be a part of the program. I like to instill that importance of respect, respect the game and respect the officials on and off the ice.”

The Falcons (7-3-1, 5-2 in the division) took command by scoring six goals in the first period. Brendan MacAinsh, Reece Milkman and Jake McCaw each scored two goals

Bensalem 0 1 0—1

Pennsbury 6 2 3—11

First-period goals: Brendan Macainsh (P) from Colin Michalak and Shane Siegmund, :22; Jake McCaw (P) from Chris Sarver 5:23; Logan Doyle (P) from Connor Coyne, 8:50 (sh); Reece Millman (P) from Macainsh, 11:17; McCaw (P) from Sarver and Millman, 14:02; Sarver (P) from Millman and Duyle, 14:51;

Second-period goals: Alex Hood (B) from Matt Rowan and Alex Bazylevich, 11:31; Millman (P) unassisted, 12:59 (pp); Doyle (P) from Macainsh and Conor Kane, 13:15

Third-period goals: McCaw (P) Doyle, 1:01 (sh); Macainsh (P) from Siegmund and Stephen Grossup, 3:02; McCaw (P) from Siegmound, 8:11

Shots: Bensalem 8, Pennsbury 50; Saves: Ricky Gonzalez (B) 39, Aaron McDaniel (P) 7

Game terminated at 8:11 of the third period

Pennsbury 12 Souderton 2

HATFIELD—Pennsbury entered the season as the defending SHSHL Class AA championship and accompanied by an assortment of expectations. The Falcons had an up-and-down first half of the campaign in part due to injuries. On Thursday night however, they were in fine form.

Brendan Macainsh scored three goals and assisted on another as the Falcons steamrolled Souderton 12-2 at Hatfield Ice in a Class AA game that was terminated with 3:26 left in the third period via the 10-goal mercy rule.

Pennsbury improved to 4-2-1 overall and 2-1 in divisional play. While that record may not raise eyebrows among their SHSHL foes, the level of Thursday night’s performance likely will. The Falcons launched 37 shots in 47 minutes and 34 seconds of playing time.

“I love to have a lot of shots,” said Pennsbury coach Ryan Daley. “A lot of shots equals a lot of opportunities.

They’re really good at it. Kids love to score and it’s not too hard to get them to buy in on that.”

Macainsh echoed those sentiments. “When everything’s working, it’s always fun to play,” he said. “our defense was working tonight and our offense was on point. so, you can’t complain about much.”
The blitz began early. Macainsh put in a rebound of Shane Siegmund’s shot 3:10 into the first frame to give Pennsbury the lead and the Falcons pushed their advantage to 4-0 by period’s end on additional goals from Logan Doyle, Macainsh, and Reece Millman.

Carter Povazan got Souderton (5-5, 3-4) on the scoreboard 3:14 into the middle period but Siegmund and Evan Eisler quickly answered for the Falcons and even after Timothy Alexander scored Souderton’s second goal the outcome was never in doubt. The abbreviated third period was a mere formality.

“We got hit by a truck,” said Souderton coach Ryan Uchniat. “That Pennsbury team is very good.

“It took us a little bit to get our bearings. We had a tough time getting it out of our zone and they crashed our net with a lot of speed. We had problems playing man on down low; I think that’s where it started.

In addition to Macainsh’s four-point night, Siegmund contributed a goal and four assists.

Pennsbury 4 4 4—12

Souderton 0 2 0—2

First-period goals: Brendan Macainsh (P) from Shane Siegmund and Justin Marlin, 3:10; Logan Doyle (P) from Andrew Falkenstein, 4:27; Macainsh (P) from Marlin and Siegmund, 10:37 (pp); Reece Millman (P) from Connor Coyne, 16:02

Second-period goals: Carter Povazan (S) from Sean Ryan, 3:14 (pp); Siegmund (P) from Marcus Roberts, 4:16; Evan Eisler (P) from Marlin, 5:41; Timothy Alexander (S) from Liam O’Neill, 12:47 (pp); Reese Picker (P) from Doyle, 14:21; Eisler (P) from Siegmund, 16:24

Third-period goals: Falkenstein (P) from Eisler, 10:39; Stephen Grosscup (P) from Macainsh, 11:07; Macainsh (P) from Coyne, 11:57; Colin Michalak (P) from Siegmound and Jason Fowler, 13:34.Game terminated with 3:26 remaining in the third period.
Shots: Souderton 12, Pennsbury 37; Saves: Noah Connor (S) 25, Aaron McDaniel (P) 10

SHSHL Sets Alignment for 2021-22

A total of 17 varsity teams will skate under the Suburban High School Hockey League banner this season. Eleven Class AA teams and six Class A squads will be in the fold when the 2021-22 season commences on Wednesday, November 3.

There will be some changes in the makeup of the league; Council Rock North will return to the Class AA sector. Bensalem will skate in Class AA this season while Truman, which was a Class A team a year ago, will not field a varsity team this winter.

The Class AA National Division will include defending champion Pennsbury, along with Neshaminy, Council Rock South, Council Rock North, and Bensalem. The Continental Division will encompass North Penn, Souderton, Central Bucks East, Central Bucks West, and Central Bucks South.

The American Division will feature the league’s Class A schools, including defending champion Wissahickon, Plymouth Whitemarsh, Hatboro-Horsham, Quakertown, William Tennent, and Abington.

Pennsbury 7, Council Rock South 4

BRISTOL— All season long, Pennsbury has relied on offensive firepower for its success. The stakes were higher Wednesday night but the methodology was unchanged as the Falcons outgunned Council Rock South 7-4 in the Suburban High School Hockey League National/Continental championship game at Grundy Arena.

Brendan MacAinsh scored four goals and added two assists to help the Falcons (12-2-0-1), the top seed in the playoffs, to their first SHSHL title since joining the league for the 2007-08 season

It was an emotional moment for Pennsbury coach Ryan Daley, who, in his four seasons as head coach, has seen his team rise from the depths of the standings to the championship level.

“If you had told ne four years ago we’d be in this position, I wouldn’t have believed you,” he said. “No way. I couldn’t be prouder of this group of guys. Especially the seniors that were on that team as freshmen and saw the worst of it and now they’ve had the best of it. I just couldn’t be happier for those guys.”

MacAinsh is just a sophomore, so he wasn’t present for much of the Falcons’ rise from the ashes. But the night was no less special for him.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “It really is. To come in as a sophomore and win it in my second year playing. I didn’t get to play much as a freshman but coming in the second year (and helping the team win a championship) is a great feeling.”

After one period the Falcons and the Golden Hawks (9-4-0-2) were all even after Pennsbury’s Logan Doyle and South’s Kyle Schneider traded goals

After needing overtime to win their respective semifinals 24 hours earlier, both teams were impacted by the game’s physicality as the two officials essentially put their whistled in their pockets for most of the night.

The third-seeded Golden Hawks took a 2-1 lead when Julian Wagenmann poked in a rebound of Brennan Wright’s original shot 48 seconds into the second frame.

But MacAinsh tied the game at 3:20 and put his team ahead for good at the 5:11 mark, just 16 seconds into the game’s first power play.

Shane Siegmund extended Pennsbury’s lead with a shorthanded goal with 56 seconds remaining the second period. At that point, it was apparent that the Golden Hawks, who had just 13 skaters dressed, were running low on energy. MacAinsh went on to score two additional goals early in the first three minutes 10 seconds of the third period to extend Pennsbury’s lead to 6-2.

South coach Joe Houk saw the shorthanded goal as a turning point.

“Letting a shorthanded goal in with (56) seconds left in the second period, that’s like a final in the coffin,” he said. “Now, you’ve got to come back (down) by two. You’ve got to get the next one. The next period. we let them score right of the bat again.”

Schneider and Julian Sarne added power-play goals for South in the third period to make the final margin a little closer before Shane Siegmund scored for Pennsbury to wrap things up.

“You can look at it like you’re out of gas and stuff like that but I thought we didn’t battle hard enough tonight,” Houk said. “They won a lot of loose pucks, the harder you work, the luckier you get and they worked their tails off. They were the better team tonight.

Notes: Both teams will open Flyers Cup play on Tuesday at Hatfield Ice. Second-seeded Pennsbury will face number-15 Conestoga at 8:40 while the fifth-seeded Golden Hawks will take on 12^th seed Avon Grove at 6:30 … Wednesday’s game was played in 17-minute periods with an ice cut after the second period.

Council Rock South 1 1 2—4

Pennsbury 1 3 3—7

First-period goals: Logan Doyle (P) from Andrew Falkenstein, 4:42; Kyle Schneider (CRS) from Bobby Gilbert and Blaize Pepe, 10:44;

Second-period goals: Julian Wagenmann (CRS) from Brennan Wright and Jeremy Purcell, Brendan MacAinsh (P) from Justin Marlin, 3:20; MacAinsh (P) from Reece Millman, 5:11 (pp); Shane Siegmund (P) from MacAinsh, 16:04 (sh);

Third-period goals: MacAinsh (P) from Nillman and Colin Michalak, 1:27; MacAinsh (P) from Eddie Bossler, 3:10; Schneider (CRS) from Wagenmann, 6:42 (pp); Julian Sarne (CRS) from Pepe and Wagenmann, 13:11 (pp) Siegmund (P) from MacAinsh, 16:01

Shots: Council Rock South 30, Pennsbury 37; Saves: Jimmy Sweeney (CRS) 30, Marek Jorgenson (P) 26

SHSHL Semifinal Pairings Finalized

The matchups for Wednesday’s SHSHL semifinals are finalized, along with game sites and times.

National/Continental Division

5 Pennridge vs. 1 Pennsbury 7:20 at Grundy Arena

3 Council Rock South vs. 2 Central Bucks South 6:30 at Hatfield Ice

American Division

4 Hatboro-Horsham at 1 Wissahickon, 8:40 at Hatfield

3 Plymouth Whitemarsh at 2 Abington 9:00 at Bucks County Ice

Sites and times are subject to change

The championship games in both division are scheduled for Thursday with sites and times to be announced.

SHSHL Playoff Schedule

Monday 3-29

Nat/Continental First Round

3 Council Rock South vs. 6 North Penn 7:15 at Rev. Ice Gardens

4. Neshaminy vs. 5 Pennridge 7:20 at Hatfield Ice

Wednesday 3-31

Nat/Continental Semifinals

1 Pennsbury vs. TBD 7:20 at Grundy

2. Central Bucks South vs. TBD 6:30 at Hatfield

American Division Semifinals

1 Wissahickon vs. 4 Hatboro-Horsham 8:40 at Hatfield

2. Abington vs. 3 Plymouth Whitemarsh 9:00 at BCI

Thursday, April 1

Championship games in both divisions; sites, times TBD