Class AA Flyers Cup Finals Preview

Tuesday’s Class AA Flyers Cup championship game between second-seeded Pennridge and defending champion and fifth-seeded Pennsbury (6:00 at Hatfield Ice) figures to be quite a shootout. Rams and the Falcons have scored a combined 37 goals in their three meetings against each other this season. Pennsbury has won two of the three, including in the SHSHL National Division semifinals on March 1.

Pennridge’s Flyers Cup win last March is the only one in school history. Pennsbury won titles as a Class A team in 1993 and 2000. The Falcons were members of the Lower Bucks League at the time. They joined the SHSHL for the 2007-08 season.

Pennridge (16-5)

Coach: Jeff Montagna

Players to watch: So. Jacob Winton (G); Jr. Colin Dachowski (D); So. Shane Dachowski (F); Jr. Kevin Pico (F); Jr. Andrew Savona (F)

Pennsbury (17-6)

Coach: Ryan Daley

Players to watch: Jr. Aaron McDaniel (G); Sr. Justin Marlin (D); Sr. Brendan MacAinish (F); Sr. Andrew Falkenstein (F); Jr. Logan Doyle (F)

11-3 Pennsbury 6 Pennridge 3

1-12 Pennridge 11 Pennsbury 4

3-1 Pennsbury 8 Pennridge 5

Council Rock South 4 Pennsbury 2

BRISTOL—The defense never rested. And at evening’s end, Council Rock South was rewarded for its defensive work with a 4-2 win over Pennsbury in the SHSHL National Division championship game before a packed house at Grundy Arena.

Thursday’s win gave the top-seeded Golden Hawks (17-1-0-1) the third SHSHL title in their history. The previous two came in 2010 and 2020.

Third-seeded Pennsbury fell to 14-6. Three of the Falcons’ defeats have been at the hands of the Hawks.

Not that the victors had an easy time of it. The game plan was to contain the Falcons’ Brendan Macainsh, who came into the game with 38 goals. He finished with two more but the Hawks were able to neutralize the Falcons’ high-flying attack to come extent; many of Pennsbury’s shot attempts were from long range or outside the faceoff dots; the Falcons finished with just 22 shots on goal to South’s 40.

The Hawks congratulate each other after Thursday’s 4-2 over Pennsbury for the SHSHL NAtional Division title

Hawks’ netminder Carson Lopez was in good form, but got plenty of help from his blue-line corps.

“(Pennsbury) likes to stretch the ice out a lot,” Lopez said, “So, about halfway through the game, we told our defense ‘Enough with the pinch and start backing off. Play in the neutral zone.’ And it worked.”

South defenseman and captain Kevin Koles said the key to the win involved giving the Falcons and Macainsh as few opportunities as possible.

“Limiting them to (22) shots was very crucial,” he said. “We had to stop one of their best players. They obviously played him a lot and we locked him down. He only had two goals on us.

Pennsbury coach Ryan Daley noted his team needed more chances than it got.

“We only had 22 shots,” he pointed out, “And we’re used to putting 15 a period up. “They played us very, very well. But, we didn’t quit.”

Chase Trovsky scored a pair of first-period goals to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead after the first frame.

It appeared a clock malfunction might have cost South a third goal. A scramble in the Falcons crease was in progress in the waning seconds of the period and the puck wound up in the net but the buzzer failed to sound. After a lengthy consultation, the goal was disallowed.

Joseph Weston extended South’ lead with a goal at the 8:02 mark of the second period.

Macainsh got Pennsbury on the board with 3:42 left in the middle period when his shot from the deep right-wing corner caught Lopez by surprise.

Macainsh briefly made it a one-goal game 5:20 into the third period when he scored a power-play goal after the Hawks were caught with too many men on the ice.

It took Blaize Pepe just 48 seconds to respond for the Hawks however and Lopez was impregnable the rest of the way.

Koles said he and his teammates knew how dangerous the Falcons were after Pennsbury scored eight goals against Pennridge on Wednesday in the semifinals.

“We heard about what happened yesterday,” he said, “and how they beat Pennridge. So, we knew what we had to do coming into the game, and that’s what we did.”

Ice chips—Both teams will be back at Grundy Arena on Tuesday for first-round Class AA Flyers Cup games. The top-seeded Hawks will face number-16 Spring Ford at 8:15 while the fifth-seeded Falcons will face number-12 Abington at 6:15.

Pennsbury 0 1 1_2

C.R. South 2 1 1—4

First-period goals: Chase Tovsky (CRS) from Blaize Pepe, 8:03; Tovsky (CRS) from Kevin Koles and Pepe, 16:37;

Second-period goals: Jonah Weston (CRN) from Bobby Gilbert and James Diiulio, 8:02; Brendan Macainsh (P) unassisted, 13:18

Third-period goals: Macainsh (P) from Chris Sarvere, 5:20; Pepe (CRS) unassisted, 6:08

Shots: Pennsbury 22. Council Rock South 35; Saves: Aaron McDaniel (P) 31; Carson Lopez (CRS) 20

Council Rock South 6 Pennsbury 3

BRISTOL—After one period against Pennsbury Tuesday night, Council Rock South was reeling, staring at a 2-0 deficit and playing at less than full strength; four regulars were out of the lineup.
In the end, none of that mattered. The Golden Hawks exploded for four goals in the second period and went on to a 6-3 win over the Falcons in a SHSHL National Division game at Grundy Arena.

With the win, South (9-1-0-1 overall, 4-0-0-1 in divisional play) is once more atop the divisional standings. And at a point in the season where every game matters just a little bit more and teams are starting to think more seriously about where they might fit in the SHSHL playoff and Flyers Cup brackets, the Golden Hawks displayed their resiliency.

“We clearly had to learn from what we did wrong in that first period,” said junior Kevin Koles. “We stuck to our game plan, stuck to what our coach (Joe Houk) said and we came out with a win.”

Koles had much to do with his team’s comeback, scoring three goals, two in the decisive second period and one in the third.

Blaize Pepe assisted on all three of Koles’ goals and scored a goal himself.

“We just didn’t get rattled,” Pepe said. “We kept our heads and we outplayed them the whole second and third periods. And we controlled the whole pace of the game.”

Pennsbury (8-4, 4-2 in the National Division) jumped in front when Aidan Macainsh scored twice in a three-minute span off South netminder Carson Lopez to put the Falcons up 2-0 with 4:45 left in the first period.

But the Hawks took over the game in the second stanza. Koles scored twice in a stretch of three-and-a-half minutes to tie the game with 8:25 left in the period

Pepe put the Hawks in front for good with a power-play goal with 1:34 left in the period, but Jagger Smith struck another blow for South when he beat Aaron McDaniel in the Pennsbury net with 18.4 seconds left in the period to give his team a 4-2 lead.

Macainsh completed a hat trick 6:52 into the final period to make it a one-goal game but Gavin Nisenzon scored an insurance goal for South with 3:41 left in the game.

Koles completed his hat trick by scoring into an empty net with 1:50 remaining.

Pennsbury coach Ryan Daley took away a number of positives, despite the result.

“The first period was awesome,” he said. “Lopez is a stellar goalie, we knew that going in. It’s always hard to score on him.

“The second period, we obviously weren’t too thrilled about it. But I wouldn’t even say we couldn’t keep up with them it was just kind of the way it went. It was a tough second period, but overall, I’m happy with the way we played.”

Pepe credited his teammates for bouncing back after the slow start.

“Coach gave us a nice little speech,” he said. “It set us straight and we didn’t look back from there. Once we got one, we just kept putting them in. And Carson played outstanding.”

Council Rock South 0 4 2—6

Pennsbury 2 0 1—3

First-period goals: Brendan Macainsh (P) from Justin Marlin, 9:25; Macainsh (P) from Andrew Falkenstein and Chris Sarver, 12:15

Second-period goals: Kevin Koles (CRS) from Blaize Pepe, 4:58; Koles (CRS) from Pepe, 8:35; Pepe (CRS) from Illia Mukhin, 15:26 (pp); Jagger Smith (CRS) from Jake Maurer and Jordan Sarne, 16:42

Third-period goals: Macainsh (P) from Falkenstein, 6:52; Gavin Nisenzon (CRN) unassisted, 13:19; Koles (CRS) from Pepe, 15:10 (en)

Shots: C.R. South 31, Pennsbury 27; Saves: Carson Lopez (CRS) 24, Aaron McDaniel (P) 25

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

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

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Pennsbury 10 C.B. West 3

HATFIELD—Reece Millman had a big night Wednesday night. The Pennsbury senior scored three goals and assisted on another as the Falcons downed Central Bucks West 10-3 in a SHSHL Class AA game at Hatfield Ice.

The win was another step for the Falcons (6-3-1, 4-2-1 in divisional play) as the seek to keep pace with the SHSHL’s elite and impress the committee that will select and seed the Flyers Cup tournament field.

“We just of kind of kept the momentum we started since coming back from the holiday break,” said Pennsbury coach Ryan Daley. “It was kind of a little bit of a hiccup (Monday night in a loss to Pennridge) but we picked up where we left off. (Pennsbury is 3-1 in January).
Millman said the Falcons are jelling at the right time as they focus on what’s ahead.

“The Flyers Cup is the end goal,” he said. “The league is cool and all but it’s just like (club hockey) districts, you want to go to nationals. Just like the Flyers Cup we want to compete to win that. That’s the end goal.”

Millman stressed the importance of the veterans on the Pennsbury roster showing the way for their younger teammates.

“I think it’s very important,” he said. “It’s like a family when you’re playing ice hockey here, or ice hockey at any high school where there’s many different ages. The freshmen and sophomores obviously are going to look up to the juniors and seniors because we’re kind of leading the way and I think it’s good. Because they’re picking up the pace too and kind of follow our footsteps.”

The Bucks (3-8, 0-7) actually took the early lead; Zane Sanders found the back of the net 2:30 into the opening period. But the Falcons scored nine straight goals over two-and-a-half periods, including three from Millman.

Evan Eisler scored two goals for the Falcons and added an assist while five other players scored one goal each.

West coach Dave Baun noted that his team played better than the score indicated; Pennsbury’s shot advantage was just 32-27.

“All in all, I think we played pretty well,” he said, “and my sense of it was that the shots were more indicative of the game than the score.

“The score got away from us during the game. But, I was happy. It’s another game we can build on.”

Pennsbury 3 3 4—10

C.B. West 1 0 2—3

First-period goals: Zane Sanders (CBW) from Grant Funseth, 2:30; Reese Picker (P) from Logan Doyle, 11:25; Brendan Macainsh, 14:19; Reece Millman (P) from Doyle and Conor Kane, 15:51

Second-period goals: Colin Michalek (P) unassisted, 1:58; Marcus Roberts (P) from Frankie Kolanko, 12:49; Millman (P) unassisted, 16:55

Third-period goals: Evan Eisler (P) from Kane, 2:58 (pp); Eisler (P) unassisted, 5:08; Millman (P) from Eisler, 6:59; Billy Loughnane (CBW) from Nick Bruno, 8:19; Andrew Falkenstein (P) from Millman, 9:48; Anthony Dowd (CBW) from Evan Hee and Loughnane, 11:08

Shots: Pennsbury 32, C.B. West 27; Saves: Aaron McDaniel (P) 24, Kyle Fasolak (CBW) 22

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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

Neshaminy 5, Pennsbury 4

BRISTOL— It was a rivalry game that matched all expectations. Noah Seewagen scored with 7:52 remaining in the third period to give Neshaminy a 5-4 win over Pennsbury Thursday night at Grundy Arena in a Suburban High School Hockey League game that had significant ramifications.

The ‘Skins improved to 6-4-1 overall and 5-2 in National/Continental Division play and, it should be noted, 2-0 against Pennsbury this season. The Falcons (9-1-0-1, 6-1 in divisional play) suffered their first regulation loss.

Both teams were trying to strengthen their case for a favorable placement on the Flyers Cup bracket when the field is revealed on March 28.

Neshaminy was taking the ice 24 hours after a loss to Central Bucks East and ‘Skins coach Matt DeMatteo said the loss gave his team a jolt.

“I think (Wednesday) night was a huge wakeup call,” he said. “I think the older guys realized how few games are left and they knew they had to being it tonight.”

The key sequence in the game commenced 63 seconds into the second period. With Pennsbury holding a 1-0 lead, the Falcons’ Eddie Bossler drew a five-minute major penalty for high sticking.

It took Nolan Geria just 30 seconds to tie the game and Matt Buchinski put Neshaminy in front just 26 seconds after that.

The ‘Skins never trailed again.

Brendan MacAinsh tied the game for the Falcons at the 5:29 mark of the period while the teams were skating four on four but goals from Max Gallagher and Jacob Helms gave Neshaminy a two-goal lead before the period ended.

Erik Eisler and Justin Marlin scored third period goals for the Falcons but Seewagen’s goal off a Pennsbury turnover proved decisive.

“They came to play and we were just a little undisciplined,” said Pennsbury coach Ryan Daley. No matter the circumstances, these games are always tight and that’s what makes a great rivalry.”

•Thursday’s game was the third annual Gannon Cup game, played in memory of former Neshaminy School District students and hockey players Patrick Gannon and Phil Oseredzuk. Both would have been seniors this year and both played club hockey with many of the players who took the ice Thursday night,

Gannon died as the result of an an accident in July of 2016 at age 13 and Oserdzuk perished in an accident in May of 2019 at age 16.

More than $6,100 was raised Thursday night for charitable organizations that were established in memory of the young men who perished.

Neshaminy’s Rob Seewagen noted that while Thursday’s win meant a lot to he and his teammates, the evening was about something more important.

“At the end of the day, it’s more remembering Pat and Phil,” he said. “They were our age group in terms of the class of 2021. It hurts that they’re not here but this why we come out and do this every year. We love them and we want to honor them and their families.”

The Gannon Cup is named for Mike Gannon, Patrick’s father a longtime coach with the Grundy Senators youth program.

Neshaminy 0 4 1—5

Pennsbury 1 1 2—4

First-period goal: Brendan MacAinsh (P) from Shane Siegmund and Reece Millman, 13:51

Second-period goals: Nolan Geria (N) from Thomas Gallagher, 1:43 (pp); Matt Buchinski (N) from Max Gallagher and Geria, 2:09, (pp); MacAinsh (P) from Shane Siegmund and Reece Millman, 5:29; Max Gallager (N from Michael Knipple, 7:15; Jacob Helms (N) unassisted, 13:57

Third-period goals: Erik Eisler (P) from Justin Marlin, :33 (pp); Marlin (P) from Jake McCaw, 7:49; Noah Seewagen (N) from Max Gallagher, 8:08
Shots: Neshaminy 40, Pennsbury 36; Saves: Brian Nelson (N) 32, Marek Jorgenson (P) 35

Pennsbury 5, C.B. South 2

HATFIELD— The eruption came with dramatic suddenness. Pennsbury soured four goals in the third period and went on to a 5-2 win over Central Bucks South Wednesday night in a SHSHL National/Continental matchup that featured two teams with serious postseason aspirations.

The Falcons have not lost a game in regulation all year; they stand at 8-0-0-1 overall (6-0 in league play).Wednesday’s win was their seventh straight. The Titans stand at 4-3-1-0 overall but Wednesday’s loss wast their first in divisional play after three wins.
For two periods, the teams battled on even terms. The Falcons’ Justin Marlin and the Titans’ D.J. Lidenmuth traded goals at either end of the second period to send the teams into third stanza deadlocked at 1-1. Both goals came on power plays

But then Reece Millman trigged the eruption with a sprint down the left wing which concluded with him beating Mason Moyer in the South net just 22 seconds into the period. Millman’s effort was also a power play goal. It was also the game-winner.

Connor Coyne made it a 3-1 game at the 5:09 mark and Brendan MacAinsh extended Pennsbury’s lead just 17 seconds later. Both goals came during four-on-four situations; the game featured 14 minor penalties.
Marlin scored his second goal of the night to make it a 5-1 game with :57 remaining,

“I like the way we played the entire game,” said Pennsbury coach Ryan Daley. “Their goalie was having a great night, and I kept telling the guys ‘The more shots we get, they’re going to go in’ and it all came together. Getting four quick ones is nice.”

Lidenmuth scored his second goal of the game with 6:43 remaining but the Titans couldn’t get any closer.

The Titans were missing several players because of injuries but Titan coach Sean McGinty refused to dwell on that topic. “Pennsbury came to play,” he said. “Our shot total should have been better in the first period to help us set the tone. It wasn’t what we wanted and then second period they shut us down. They tripled us in shots (19-6 in the second period) and they kept coming. Unfortunately, our defense wasn’t good as a whole.”

Daley described his players as “Hungry.”

“A lot of these guys haven’t been in this position,” he said. “We’ve had two good years before this and a not-so-good year before that. So, a lot of these guys know where they came from. They don’t forget that. And they’re really fired up.”

Pennsbury 0 1 4—5
C.B. South 0 1 1—2
Second-period goals: Justin Marlin (P) from Shane Siegmund and Brendan MacAinsh, :26 (pp); D.J. Lidenmuth (CBS) from Aydin Thierolf, 14:52 (pp)
Third-period goals: Reece Millman (P) unassisted, :22 (pp); Connor Coyne (P) from Jake McCaw and MacAinsh, 5:09; MacAinish (P) from McCaw, 5:26 (pp);Marlin (P) from Andrew Falkenstein, 7:03 (pp); Lidenmuth (CBS) from Daniel Kvecher, 9:17
Shots: Pennsbury 44, C.B. South 29; Saves: Marek Jorgensen (P) 27; Mason Moyer (CBS) 39

Pennsbury 7, Souderton 4

HATFIELD— Much of the evening was filled with drama, but in the end, Pennsbury continued to reign supreme in the Suburban High School Hockey League. The Falcons scored four goals in the third period Thursday night to overcome stubborn Souderton 7-4 in a SHSHL National/Continental clash at Hatfield Ice.

Pennsbury won its sixth straight game and improved its record to a division-best 7-0-0-1 overall and 5-0 in divisional play. But the winless Big Red (0-7 overall, 0-5 in the division) gave their foes all they wanted and more.

Souderton scored the game’s first goal and led four times, including 4-3 after two periods, before running out of gas in the final stanza.

For Pennsbury coach Ryan Daley, Thursday’s result brought recollections of the teams’ first meeting, a 6-5 Pennsbury win on January 20 in a non-league encounter.

“Some teams just have your number,” Daley said, “and they have ours. “I don’t think their record really reflects how good a team they are.

“They’re young, their goalie (Noah Connor) had an outstanding night. They’ve got a bright future.”

For much of the evening, Souderton’s future was the present. The teams traded goals through the first two periods. Seth Grossman found the back of the net twice for the Big Red to give him 12 goals for the season in just five games. Liam O’ Neill and Tim Alexander also contributed Souderton goals, while Andrew Falkenstein, Logan Doyle, and Evan Eisler all scored for Pennsbury.
In the third period the Falcons stepped on the gas. Reece Millman tied the game at the 3:01 mark before Connor Coyne put his team in front for good at 5:50. Jake McCaw extended Pennsbury’s lead at 11:55 before Eric Eisler added an exclamation point with 30 seconds remaining in the game.

The Falcon outshot the Big Red 16-7 in the final period and 30-10 over the last two. Pennsbury finished with a 38-20 edge in shots.

Despite the loss Souderton coach Ryan Uchniat took away an abundance of positives. “That’s a good team there,” he said of the Falcons. “You look at their stats and everything. They’re balanced, they get scoring contributions from a lot of different players.”

The scoresheet confirmed Uchniat’s impressions; Pennsbury’s seven goals were scored by seven different players.

The Big Red went into the game without defensemen Jaden Garick and Ben Fadden and lost another blueliner during the game.

“Pennsbury wore is down,” Uchniat said.

The Falcons meanwhile have much to reflect on after Thursday’s win. “We didn’t get the start we wanted,” Daley said. “We pride ourselves on being a fast team, with a lot of offense, a lot of shots. That first period we had 10 shots and let up the first goal, just the complete opposite of what we were trying to do.”

Pennsbury 1 2 4—7

Souderton 2 2 0—4

First-period goals: Seth Grossman (S) from Rodney Reiff and Tim Alexander, 7:26; Andrew Falkenstein (P) unassisted, 9:41; Liam O’ Neill (S) from Matt Malagna, 12:10.

Second-period goals: Logan Doyle (P) from Justin Marlin, 1:20; Grossman (S) from Jamie Avaria O’ Keefe, 5:05 (sh); Evan Eisler (P) from Eddie Bossler, 6:33; Alexander (S) unassisted, 8:42.

Third-period goals: Reece Millman (P) from Shane Siegmund and Brendan MacAinsh, 3:01; Connor Coyne (P) unassisted, 5:50; Jake McCaw (P) from Reese Picker, second assist unavailable, 11:55; Eric Eisler (P) from Colin Michalak and Bossler, 15:30.

Shots; Pennsbury 38, Souderton 20; Saves: Marek Jorgenson (P) 16, Noah Connor (S) 31

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