Flyers Cup Schedule for Thursday, April 8. NOTE UPDATE

Today’s originally scheduled Class AAA quarterfinal game between #3 Holy Ghost Prep and #6 Cardinal O’Hara has been postponed. The game will be played at a later date to be determined that will not affect the current and ongoing Flyers Cup timeline.

Class A Quarterfinals

1 West Chester East vs. 8 Penncrest 6:15 Ice Line 1

4 Spring.-Delco vs 5 Sun Valley 8:50 Ice Works 3

West Chester Henderson 5, Wissahickon 1

2 Strath Havem vs 10 WC Bayard Rustin 8:50 Ice Works 4

Class AA Quarterfinals

1 Downingtown West vs 9 Neshaminy 8:45 at Ice Line 3

Avon Grove 4, Spring Ford 2

3 Haverford vs 6 Central Bucks South 8:15 at Ice Line 1

Pennridge 9, Pennsbury 6

All these games can be seen on the Flyers Cup YouTube channel

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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

2021 Flyers Cup Selections

A total of 40 teams will take part in the 42nd annual Flyers Cup tournament. The field for the scholastic hockey showcase was announced Sunday evening. Then tournament is scheduled to begin on Monday, April 5.

Malvern Prep, the regular-season champion of the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference, is the top seed in the eight-team Class AAA bracket. Downingtown West will be on top of the Class AA bracket, which will feature 16 teams. The 10-team Class A bracket is headed by West Chester East, while Downingtown West will head the six-team girls’ bracket.

The Class AA tournament begins on April 6 with eight first-round games.

1 Downingtown West vs 16 Ridley 6:15 at Ice Line

8 Perkiomen Valley vs 9 Neshaminy 6:45 at Ice Line

4 Spring Ford vs. 13 Downingtown East 8:45 at Ice Line

5 Council Rock South vs. 12 Avon Grove 6:30 at Hatfield Ice

3 Haverford vs. 14 North Penn 8:15 at Ice Line

6 Central Bucks South vs 11 Owen J. Roberts 8:10 at Hatfield Ice

7 Central Bucks East vs 10 Pennridge 6:00 at Hatfield Ice

2 Pennsbury vs 15 Hatfield 8:40 at Hatfield Ice

The Class AA quarterfinals are set for Thursday, April 8, the semifinals for Wednesday, April 14 and the championship game for Tuesday, April 20.

The Class A Tournament will also commence on Monday, April 5 with two play-in games

8 Pencrest vs 9 Plymouth Whitemarsh 7:00 at Aston Ice Works

7 Radnor vs. 10 West Chester Bayard Rustin. 8:45 at Aston Ice Works

Monday’s winners will advance to the quarterfinals on Thursday, April 8

1 West Chester East vs. Pencrest/Plymouth Whitemarsh 6:15 at Ice Line

4 Springfield-Delco vs. 5 Sun Valley. 8:50 at Ice Works

3 Wissahickon vs 6 West Chester Henderson. 7:10 at Hatfield

2 Strah Haven vs Radnor/West Chester Rustin 8:50 at Ice Works

The semifinal round is scheduled for Tuesday, April 13 and the finals for April 20.

The Class AAA tournament kicks off on Thursday, April 8 when third seed Holy Ghost Prep face sixth-seeded Cardinal O’Hara. The rest of the quarterfinal round is set for Tuesday, April 13

1 Malvern Prep vs 8 Salesianum 6:15 at Ice Line

4 St. Joseph’s Prep vs 5 Roman Catholic 8:15 at Ice Line

3 Holy Ghost Prep vs 6 Cardinal O’Hara 8:40 at Hatfield (on 4-8)

2 La Salle vs 7 Father Judge 6:30 at Hatfield

The Class AAA semifinals are set for April 15 and the championship game for April 19

The girls’ tournament begins on Monday, April 12 with two first-round games

4 Avon Grove vs. 5 West Chester Bayard Rustin 6:30 at Ice Line

3 West Chester Henderson vs 6 West Chester East 8:30 at Ice Line

The semifinals are scheduled for Wednesday, April 14

1 Downingtown West vs. Avon Grove/West Chester Rustin 6:30 at Ice Line

2 Bux-Mont vs. WC Henderson/WC East 8:30 at Ice Line

The championship game for the following Wednesday, April 21

The champions in the three boys’ divisions will travel to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins Cup winners in the state championship games on Saturday, April 24.

Abington Using Win over Truman to Launch Playoff Push

Abington 6, Truman 1

The postseason doesn’t officially begin for another week and a half but Abington has already adopted a playoff mindset. The Galloping Ghosts are in a stretch that wills see than play four games in a span of 10 days. The results will determine not only their status for the SHSHL American Division playoffs but perhaps earn them a place on the Class AA Flyers Cup bracket,

The first step in the process took place Wednesday night as Abington scored a 6-1 decision over Truman at the Bucks County Ice Sports Center.

Griffin Carpenter scored twice and four other players added one goal each as Abington improved its record to 6-3

“Tonight’s game started Monday night,” said Abington coach Ken Brzozowski. “We had an outstanding practice. We knew that we had four games coming up, games we know that we can compete in. We had an outstanding practice and that transferred into tonight. They did everything that I asked them to do.”

The Galloping Ghosts were forced off the ice for a time earlier this year because of Covid issues. But the team made the most of the down time,

“We got shut down for 10 days,” Brzozowski said. “we got together, we watched some game film over Zoom. I think that helps as well, whenever the kid can see themselves on the ice, and then come to practice and try to fix those things, as simple as they may be, I think paid dividends tonight.”

Senior Defenseman Holden Brooker said the Monday practice helped he and his teammates get their skates back under them following the layoff.

“We didn’t have a game for one week and we were looking a little sluggish,” he said. That practice definitely helped us out a little bit. It definitely got us moving tonight and hopefully we can do that our next game too.”

With three games remaining in the regular season, the Galloping Ghosts still have hopes of a Flyers Cup invitation; despite the fact they are competing the SHSHL’s American Division they are classified as a Class AA team for Flyers Cup purposes.

“I can’t remember the last time we were in the Flyers Cup,” Brooker said. “it would be great, it would keep (our) spirits up. We’ll try to do the best we can.”

• The SHSHL playoffs will be contested the week of March 29. Four American Division teams and six National/Continental teams will qualify and play for separate championships.

Truman 0 1 0—1

Abington 1 3 2—6

First-period goals: Colin Bruton (A) from Ian Heydt, 10:47

Second-period goals: Ian Heydt (A) from Nick Kleinwski and Jordan Heydt, :25; Jarrett Wolf (T) from James Gallagher and Jeremy McCartney, 2:28; Griffin Carpenter (A) from Joe Stelacio, 8:38; Sam Pavlik (A) from Stelacio, 10:59

Third-period goals: Carpenter (A) unassisted, 1:40; Sean Faye (A) from Pavlik and Ian Heydt, 7:59 (pp)

Shots: Truman 19, Abington 46; Saves: Connor Pilla (T) 40, Sam Nemec (A) 18

Council Rock South 5, C.B. East 2

WARWICK— Council Rock South stepped up Wednesday night, just when it mattered most. Jeremy Purcell scored three times in the third period as the Golden Hawks bested Central Bucks East 5-2 at the Bucks County Ice Sports Center in a Suburban High School Hockey League National/Continental matchup.

The evening was virtually a case of two games in one. After a scoreless first frame the Golden Hawks (5-3-0-2 overall, 3-2-0-1 in divisional play) got a breakaway goal from Blaize Pepe 27 seconds into the second period.

Stephen DiRugeris answered for the Patriots at 3:29 bit the biggest moment of the period and perhaps of the game occurred 5:32 into the period when the Hawks’ Douglas Lopez drew a major penalty for catching the Patriots’ Phil McIntyre with a high stick. The Patriots failed to score during the five-minute power play.

The first part of the third period featured three goals in a span of just 54 seconds. Purcell gave the Golden Hawks the lead when beat Matt Mangiacapre from close range at the 1:23 mark. Chris Mangiacapre drew the Patriots even with a shot from the slot midway between the two faceoff circles at 2:03 but James Diiulio gave South the lead for good just 14 seconds later. Purcell scored his second goal of the game with 2:26 left and completed his hat trick with an empty net goal with 16 seconds remaining.

Purcell said he and his teammates found the energy they needed in the third period. “Everyone was tired,” he said, “but we knew we had to keep going. The boys were just buzzing tonight I guess. Everyone was feeling it, everyone had the hot hand.”

Under head coach Joe Houk, the Golden Hawks have a tradition of playing their best hockey late in the season. Purcell, a senior, says it’s a matter of all the pieces fitting together. “Everything slowly starts to merge together,” he said. “Everyone starts to feel better out on the ice together.”

Purcell says that chemistry is particularly important late in the season. “We work hard in practice,” he said. “We work hard every week. It’s just a matter of everything merging together better.”

The win was South’s second in three games, but the team is just 2-3 since February 17.

“We had a rough couple weeks,” Houk said. “We lost a couple close games, there were too many mistakes. We had a real strong practice on Monday. We (worked the kids hard) and that brought the same intensity to this game.

“I thought we really controlled the game right from the start to the end.”

Council Rock South 0 1 4—5

Central Bucks East 0 1 1—2

Second-period goals: Blaize Pepe (CRS) from Chase Tovsky, :27; Stephen DiRugeris (CBE) from Connor Keiser, 3:29

Third-period-goals Jeremy Purcell (CRS) from Pepe, 1:21; Chris Mangiacapre (CBE) from Adam Bostock and Tyler Godown, 2:03; James Diiulio (CRS) from Purcell and Kevin Koles, 2:17; Purcell (CRS) from Koles, 13:34; Purcell (CRS) unassisted, 15:44 (en)

Shots: Council Rock South 29, C.B. East 39; Saves: Jimmy Sweeney (CRS) 37; Matt Manigacapre 24

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SHSHL Update

Standings through 1-15-21

National/Continental Divisdions W L T OTL Pts

Central Bucks East 1 0 0 0 2

Council Rick South 1 0 0 0 2

Neshaminy 1 0 0 0 2

North Penn 1 0 0 0 2

Pennridge 0 0 0 0 0

Pennsbury 0 0 0 1 1

Central Bucks South 0 1 0 0 0

Central Bucks West 0 1 0 0 0

Souderton 0 1 0 0 0

American Division W L T OTL Pts

Wissahickon 1 0 0 0 2

Abington 1 0 0 2 2

Hatboro-Horsham 1 1 0 0 0

Quakertown 0 0 0 1 1

Truman 0 0 0 1 1

Plymouth Whitemarsh 0 1 0 0 0

William Tenennt 0 1 0 0 0

Here’s the Lineup

Here’s the cast of characters for the Suburban High School Hockey League’s 48th season.

National/Continental Divisions

Council Rock South

Coach: Joe Houk (15^thseason)

Last Year: 14-6-0-1

Key players: Jr. Jimmy Sweeney (G); So. Carson Lopez (G); Sr. Brennen Wright (D); Sr. Kyle Schneider (D); Sr. Doug Lopez (F); Sr. Jeremy Purcell (F).

Outlook: The defending SHSHL Class AA champions will be dealing with numbers issues this season. Five players who played key roles on last year’s team and were eligible to return did not. But there is experience on hand, including Sweeney and Lopez in goal, Wright and Schneider on the blue line and Purcell up front.

“We’ll be competitive,” Houk said, “but we’ll need to work for every win. It’s a good group of hardworking boys and I look forward to getting started.”

Central Bucks East

Coach: Jeff Mitchell (first season)

Last year: 10-6-1-1

Key players: Sr. Chris McIntyre (G); Sr. Conner Keiser (D); Sr. Conner Hausner (F); Jr. Phil McIntyre (F).

Outlook: Mitchell takes over for Ken Latchum who in two tours of duty spent a total of 12 years behind the Patriots’ bench. His roster will feature a solid corps of seniors led by Chris McIntyre in goal and Keiser on the blue line.

“These young men are looking to make a statement this year” Mitchell said. “They have a lot to prove before they move onto their everyday lives”

Central Bucks West

Coach: Dave Baun (17^thseason)

Last year: 7-7-2

Key players: Sr. Keith Orlando (F); Jr. Evan Hee (D); Jr. Grant Funseth (D); Sr. Ben Morris (F); Jr. Reese Dalzell (D).

Outlook: Baun, the senior coach in the SHSHL in terms of longevity, will be directing one of the youngest teams he’s ever had.

“We are as young and as new as we’ve been in years,” he said. “But, we also have some of the best attitudes and hardest workers we’ve seen in a while and when you have that, a lot of good things are possible.”

Central Bucks South

Coach: Shaun McGinty (seventh season)

Last year: 21-4

Key players: Sr. Mason Moyer (G); Jr. Daniel Kevecher (F); Jr. Aidan Gaffney (F); Sr. Owen Mendham (D); So. Matt Crouch (D).

Outlook: The Titans suffered some graduation hits in the off season but dome key veterans return, including Moyer in goal. The seven-time SHSHL Class AA champions should be as dangerous as usual.

“Our goal each tear is to win,” McGinty said. “Our focus is on hard work, sacrifice, and discipline. There is no other way.”

Neshaminy

Coach: Matt DeMatteo

Last year: 12-4-0-1

Key players: Sr. Robbie Seewagen (F); Sr. Thomas Gallagher (F); Sr. Matt Buchinski (D); So. Brian Nelson (G); So. Nolan Geria (F); So. J.J. Hathaway (D).

Outlook: The ‘Skins blossomed into a potent offensive force and that trend should continue this season. Four of the top five scorers on last year’s team return, led by Seewagen, perhaps the league’s premier sniper, along with Gallagher and Geria. Buchinski is solid on the blue line and Nelson was impressive in goal last year.

“Our goal is to build on the success of the last few years,” DeMatteo said, “and take another step forward this season.”

North Penn

Coach: Kevin Vaitis (12^thseason)

Last year: 15-4-0-1

Key players: Sr. Ryan Cunningham (D); Sr. Chase Mueller (D); Jr. Nicholas Ebbinghaus (G); Jr. Tony Tuozzo (F); Sr. Jeromy Porubski (F); Sr. Zach Cline (F); So. Ryan Kaufhold (F).

Outlook: The Knights lost some key pieces from last year’s roster but they will not be bereft of talent. Cunningham and Mueller are two of the SHSHL’s top defensemen Ebbinghaus is an experienced goaltender.

Pennsbury

Coach: Ryan Daley (fourth season)

Last year: 10-6-1

Key players: Jr. Shane Siegmound (F); Sr. Erik Eisler (F); So. Brendan Macainsh (F); Jr. Reece Millman (D); Jr. Connor Coyne (D).

Outlook: The Falcons continue to improve on the offensive side of the puck with some young freshman talent coupled with some veteran leadership.

“We’ve made big moves in the right direction every season since I took over as head coach,” Daley said, “and we expect to do the same this year.”

Pennridge

Coach: Jeff Montagna (third season)

Last year: 9-6

Key players: Sr. Blake Stewart (F); Sr. Jeff Manto (F); Sr. Conner Frisch (D); Jr. Jack Lowery (F); Jr. Aiden Boyle (D); Jr. Ryan Schuler (D); Jr. Ryan Pico (G).

Outlook: The Rams may be the most experienced team in the SHSHL. All but one player returns from last year’s team. Stewart, Manto, and Lowery are solid up front and there is a wealth of experience on the blue line with Boyle and Schuler, and in goal with Pico.
“As always, how well we play defensively will dictate how successful we are as a team,” Montagna said.

Souderton

Coach: Ryan Uchniat (third season)

Last year: 3-7-1-1

Key players: Jr. Carter Povazan (D); So. Tim Alexander (F); So. Noah Connor (G); Sr. Amanda Kaminsky (G)

Outlook: The Big Red will be a young team; there are eight freshmen on the roster. Circumstances will require they play major roles.

“Our goal is to continuously improve,” Uchniat said, “and bring a high compete level. We’ll be relying on good defense and goaltending.”

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American Division

Plymouth Whitemarsh

Coach: Matt Aiello (seventh season)

Last year: 18-2

Key Players: Sr. John Cubbin (F-D); Sr. Zach Spera (F); Sr. T.J. Corcoran (D); Sr. Jack Mishkin (D); Jr. Luke Weikel (F); Jr. Aidan Keogh (F).

Outlook: The defending division champions likely won’t display the firepower they did a year ago, but with seven seniors returning the Colonials should still be formidable.

“We have high expectations for the coming season,” Aiello said.

Weikel and Keogh figure to be the top offensive threats.

Abington

Coach: Ken Brzozowski(fourth season)

Last year: 4-13

Key players: Sr. Colin Bruton (F), Sr. Holden Brooker (D); Jr. Tommy Rourke (D-F); Jr. Joe Stelacio (D-F); So. Griffin Carpenter (F).

Outlook: The Galloping Ghosts move back to the American Division this year and bring an abundance of experience with them. Bruton will offer a veteran presence up front and Carpenter saw a lot of ice time there last year as a freshman. Brooker will head up the defense corps while Rourke and Stelacio will utilize their experience in a variety of roles.

“The team will look to grow from its experience last year at the AA level,”Brzozowski said. “They’ve been working hard off the ice withindividual training and zoom team sessions through the pandemic and are looking forward to getting back on the ice.”

Hatboro-Horsham

Coach: Gianni Lafratta (third season)

Last year: 12-5-1

Key players: Sr. Aidan Esack (F-D), Sr. Seth Lerner (F-D), Sr. Alex Howieson (F) Sr. Vincent Tarsi (F-D), Hannah Gurt (D).

Outlook: The Hatters will have an abundance of experience in the lineup. Lafratta is hoping to add some scoring punch to go with a traditionally strong defense corps.

Quakertown

Coach: Keith Krem (second season)

Last year: 2-12-1

Key players: Sr. Eric Orezehoski (D); Jr. Anthony Pagliei (F); Fr. Kira Shaw (F).

Outlook: The Panthers return for their second SHSHL season skating in the American Division and featuring a mix of experienced veterans and eager newcomers. Pagliei will be the primary scoring threat but Krem is also excited by Shaw, who is making her high-school debut.

Truman

Coach: Bill Keyser (10^thseason)

Last year: 4-12
Key players: Sr. Frank Gallagher (F); Sr. Brent McGoldrick (D); Sr. Sean Doughery (D); Jr. Justin Reid (F).

Outlook: The Tigers are customarily lacking in numbers but they traditionally make up for it with sustained effort.

“We hope to have a good showing,” Keyser said. “Our goal is to play hard and have fun.”

William Tennent

Coach: Nick D’Aurizio (11^thseason)

Last year: 5-11

Key players: Sr. Zach Devor (D); Sr. Justin Carrelli (F); Sr. John Kreider (D); Jr. Matt Castan (F); Jr. Tom Lomas (G).

Outlook: The Panthers shift into the American Division this season and are primed to compete for a division title against schools of similar size.

“We’re excited to compete against some really good teams in the American Division,” D’Aurizio said, “and hopefully be in the position by the end of the season to play for a league championship. We have a strong core of seniors this year that have been 4 year lettermen and I’d love nothing more than to send them off with a title.”

Wissahickon

Coach: Ken Harrington (sixth season)

Last year: 10-10

Key players: Jr. Michael Bonanni (G); Sr. Bryan Garry (F); Jr. Nick Hussa (F); Sr. Nolan Ryan (D); Jr. Ty Schiff (D); Sr. Chris Shea (G).

Outlook: The Trojans scored a lot of goals last year in a division where goals are traditionally plentiful. With Garry and Hussa returning, this year’s team should score a lot of goals as well but Harrington believes the strength of his squad will be on the blue line where Ryan and Schiff return. Bonnani and Shea should both see time in goal.

After Long Wait The SHSHL Season is at Hand

The road to where the Suburban High School Hockey League is now, the threshold of the start of its 48^thseason, was long, arduous, and at times seemingly filled with insurmountable obstacles. But, thanks to the efforts of league officials, coaches, and rink staffs, the league will kick off its 48^thseason Wednesday night.

Barring any interruptions, each of the nine teams in the Class AA division will play a 12-game schedule, facing four opponents once and the other four twice. In the latter scenario, the first meeting between the two teams will be a non-league game, the second meeting will be the game that will count in the league standings.

The seven teams in the American Division will play each other twice each; all the games will count in the league standings.

North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis admits it will take time for the players to get their skates under them again.

“It’s definitely going to take a while,” he said. “we’ve had two practices (last week), we had another practice this past Monday so we’ll have three practices under our belt before our first game on Thursday.

“All the other teams are kind of in the same situation, it’s not like it’s a North Penn-only type thing.”
Vaitis says the compressed schedule will bring with it a sense of urgency. “It’s a 12-game season,” he said, “so we’ve got to really focus in on the things we need to do on the ice.

“We’ve had a lot of chalk talk off ice to clean up things that we need to.

“We’re going to have limited practice time this year. The second week of January is our first game and by the third week of March the (regular season) is over. “We’re looking at six or seven practices, that’s it.”

Senior defenseman Ryan Cunningham is North Penn’s captain this season. A four-year varsity players, Cunningham embraces the responsibility of encouraging his younger teammates.

“It puts me in a good position of being able to help the younger players feel comfortable and advance with their games,” he said.

Until the Knights resumed practices after the holidays, Cunningham had been off the ice for over a month. But he maintained his focus on hockey, doing off-ice workouts and taking in the recently completed World Junior championships.

He’s looking forward to stepping on the ice Thursday night when the Knights open their season against Souderton.

“It’s definitely going to be awesome,” he said. “The main thing is to go out and skate as a team,” he said. “It will definitely be exciting to be back on the ice.”

Start of SHSHL Season to be Delayed

The start of the upcoming Suburban High School Hockey League season will be delayed until January 3, 2021. SHSHL President Kenny Haas said the19 clubs that will skate under the SHSHL umbrella this season are committed to doing so in a safe manner.

“We all agree that the safety of our student-athletes, coaches, officials and their families is most important,” said. “Unfortunately, the current trend of this pandemic requires us to delay the season at this time.”

“I am very proud that 100 percent of our member clubs have made the difficult decision to delay the season and place the safety of our participants and their families as the highest priority.”

Traditionally, the SHSHL Season commences in late October or early November. This year’s season was originally scheduled to begin on Thanksgiving Eve, November 25.

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Hatfield Ice to Close for Two Weeks

Hatfield Ice, the primary venue for Suburban High School Hockey League games, and other hockey events will be closed for two weeks, from Saturday, November 7 through Friday, November 20.

The closing was ordered by the Montgomery County Department of Health.

All facilities, including the rink, the pro shop, and cafe will be closed during this period.

Rink general manager Brian Pecca issued a statement/press release via Twitter.

“During this shutdown, we will continue to clean and sanitize our facilities, as have done since reopening back in June,” he said. “We are extremely disappointed in this decision, but we will continue to do everything we can to reopen and provide a safe environment for our customers.”

“