Wissahickon 3, Plymouth Whtemarsh 2 OT

By Rick Woelfel

The result left the victors ecstatic and their defeated foes in agony. Two teams played a quality hockey game and left Hatfield Ice Wednesday night separated by the slimmest of margins.

It took Bryan Garry’s power-play goal 26 seconds into overtime to give the Wissahickon a 3-2 win over Plymouth Whitemarsh in a Suburban High School Hockey League Class A semifinal.

The win moves the second-seeded Trojans (12-3-2) into Thursday’s final against top-seeded Lower Moreland (8:40 at Hatfield Ice).

The winning goal came during a four-on three situation that got its start when minor penalties 20 seconds apart late in the third period left each team a man down heading into the 15-minute sudden death (five skaters against five) overtime period.

When John Cubbin was whistled for tripping just 11 seconds into the extra session, the third-seeded Colonials were two men short and the second-seeded Trojans had a lot of open ice to work in.

Gary’s goal came on a wrister from around the left circle and put a damper on a brilliant performance in goal by the Colonials’ Ben Yuter, who made 42 saves and was challenged repeatedly.

“Three goals in 45 shots on net,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Josh Aiello.

Wissahickon coach ken Harrington was impressed Yuter’s effort, as was everyone else in the building. “We got a lot of shots on goal,” he said. “We just couldn’t get the rebounds. He did a superb job, hats off to him.”

 

The teams have now split four meetings this season. Gary said he was not surprised that Wednesday’s game was close.

Garry said he was expecting the fourth meeting of the year between the two teams to be a tightly contested affair

“We’ve played them before and they’ve been close games” he said, “so I just expected it be another close game.”

The Trojans’ Dan Glazer started the scoring just 1:25 into the first frame. Gavin Mulligan tied the game for Plymouth Whitemarsh at the 15:16 mark off a Wissahickon turnover in the neutral zone.

Aidan Keogh scored on a wraparound move from behind the goal 6:05 into the third period to give Plymouth Whitemarsh a 2-1 lead. Sean Gary tied the game for Wissahickon with 3:40 left in regulation but Yuter made some big saves down the stretch to force overtime.

 

Plymouth Whitemarsh 1 0 1 0—2

Wissahickon 1 0 1 1—2

First-period goals: Dan Glazer (W) from Sean Garry, 1:25; Gavin Mulligan (PW) from Peter Troy, 15:16.

Third-period goals: Aidan Keogh (PW) from Jake Weikel, 6:05; Sean Garry (W) from Bryan Garry, 13:20.

Overtime goal: Bryan Garry (W) from Sean Garry, :26 (pp).
Shots: Plymouth Whitemarsh 21, Wissahickon 45; Saves: Ben Yuter (PW) 42, Michael Henderson (W) 19

Pennridge 6, North Penn 4

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—Truly great players step up when it matters. That’s the case in every sport and it was certainly the case when North Penn and Pennridge squared off Wednesday night in their Suburban High School Hockey League semifinal.

Michael Walker scored what proved to be the winning goal with 9:55 left in the third period and followed up by scoring into an empty net with 18 seconds to go to give the Rams a 6-4 win on a night when some of the SHSHL’s elite players showed the audience at Hatfield Ice why they have achieved that status.

Walker provided an assist to go with his two goals. Eric Slater, perhaps the premier sniper in the SHSHL’s Class AA division, helped the Rams’ cause with a goal and an assist while Luke Stranick was impressive in goal.

Meantime, Josh Albano was contributing three goals for the Knights while Nathan Oh was helping out with three assists.

As a result of all this, it was anyone’s game until the late going. With the game tied 4-4 the third-seeded Knights (11-4-3) lost Luke Van Why to a tripping penalty. It took Walker just 17 seconds to put the Rams (13-2-3) in front; he scored via a feed from Slater off a faceoff.

But Stranick knew he and his teammates couldn’t relax. “It definitely keeps me dialed in,” he said. “My defense does a really good job of keeping the pucks coming from the outside and when they do that, it makes it a lot easier for me and the team.”

Blake Stewart and Tommy Pichardo sported the Rams two goals to the good by the 5:18 mark of the first period but Albano answered back, scoring two goals in a span of 2 minutes, 9 seconds to tie the game.

“I thought that early on we struggled a little bit defensively,” said Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna. “We started to settle down. I told them ‘The mark of a good team is when you do struggle and don’t have your ‘A’ game’ … The older guys made a play every single time we needed one.”

Freshman Aidan Boyle scored his first varsity goal to put Pennridge up 3-2 at the 3:02 mark of the second frame. Thomas Boyle answered for the Knights just 41 seconds later.

Slater put the Rams back in front when he scored with 39 seconds left in the period but Albano finished his hat trick at 5:19 of the third frame to set the stage for the conclusion.

“We knew they had a number of talented players up front,” said North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis. “I don’t think you’re ever going to stop them, I think you just look to contain them. I thought we did a decent job of that but they’re still (dangerous).”

The win puts second-seeded Pennridge into Thursday’s championship game (6:50 at Hatfield Ice) against top-seed Central Bucks South which is seeking an unprecedented fifth straight SHSHL title.

Pennridge is seeking to claim its first title since 2008.

Notes: The semifinal featured 17-minute periods (instead of 16) and in ice cut after the second stanza, the same format that will be utilized for the Flyers Cup semifinals and finals … Four officials were on the ice.

North Penn 2 1 1—4

Pennridge 2 2 2—6

First-period goals: Blake Stewart (P) from Matt Guinette, 3:14; Tommy Pichardo (P) from Guinette, 5:56; Josh Albano (NP) from Nathan Oh and Tommy Tuozzo, 10:06; Albano, (NP) from Tyler Greenstein and Oh (pp).

Second-period goals: Aidan Boyle (P) from Frankie Rota, 3:02; Thomas Boyle, (NP) from Oh, 3:44; Eric Slater (P) from Stewart, 16:39.

Third-period goals: Albano (NP) from Oh and Josh Kaufhold, 5;17 (pp); Michael Walker (P) from Slater, 7:05 (pp); Walker (P) unassisted, 16:42.

Shots: North Penn 32, Pennridge 35; Saves: Nick Ebbinghaus (NP) 29, Luke Stranick (P) 28.

 

If you or a family member, or friend are looking for a dentist, Hockey Happenings is proud to recommend All Smiles Family Dentistry. They’re located at 1620 South Broad Street in Lansdale.

Dr. Caroline Hsu, Dr. Azure Pelberg and their staff provide high-quality dental care in a caring, nurturing environment.  They’ve been taking care of my teeth for 25 years and I would recommend them to anyone. Going to the dentist can be an unsettling experience but everyone at All Smiles Family Dentistry will work to put you at ease.

Call for an appointment at 215-616-0609 or e-mail them at allsmilesfamilydentistry@verizon.net. You can also find them on line at www.allsmileslansdale.com.

That’s All Smiles Family Dentistry of Lansdale.

North Penn 4 Pennsbury 2

By Rick Woelfel

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—Prior to taking the ice Monday night in their Suburban High School Hockey League quarterfinal, Pennsbury and North Penn were fully aware they are scheduled to face each other next Wednesday in the opening round of the Flyers Cup tournament. With that fact in mind, the Falcons and the Knights would have been forgiven for playing things close to the vest, since the results of the SHSHL playoffs have no bearing on the Flyers Cup seedings.

Instead, they chose to go another way. Both teams stepped up their games Monday night, the Falcons, who were seeded sixth in the SHSHL tournament, especially so.

It took a third-period goals from Josh Kaufhold and Nathan Oh to give the Knights a 4-2 win in an entertaining affair at Hatfield Ice. North Penn (11-3-3) will face second-seeded Pennridge on Wednesday at 7:00 in the semifinals while Pennsbury (7-8-3) will wait for next Wednesday’s rematch in the Flyers Cup.

Oh, who assisted on Kaufhold’s winning goal, was quick to point out that winning a SHSHL title would mean a lot to the Knights.

“Winning the league would mean so much for us,” he said. “Obviously, (Central Bucks South) has been on top forever and for us to get some hardware, that would be awesome. It would be great for me and the rest of the seniors.”

Jake Nelson gave the Knights an early lead when he scored just 2:02 into the first period but Ben Dous scored twice for the sixth-seeded Falcons (7-7-3) to give them a 2-1 lead after one frame.

Tyler Greenstein tied the game for North Penn with 5:51 left in the second period on the most picturesque play of the night; he skated up the middle of the ice and split the two Pennsbury defensemen before beating Falcon netminder Topher Seiler with a forehander.

At the start of the third period it was anyone’s hockey game.

The teams hadn’t played each other since November 29 and North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis noted that both had evolved since then. “Obviously both teams have changed a lot over the last three months,” he said. “Hats off to them. They came out really ready to play and they kind of went toe-to-toe with us for two periods.”
Kaufhold scored the winning goal on a power play with 9:09 left in the third period. The goal came while the Falcons Beau Yedman was in the box serving a hooking penalty.

Oh added an empty net goal with four seconds remaining.

Despite the loss, and his team’s elimination from the SHSHL playoffs, Pennsbury coach Ryan Daley feels his team has taken some big steps forward of late. The Falcons were 4-1-1 in their last six games prior to Monday night.

“The kids have been on fire,” he said. “I was telling the guys before the game that we’re a dangerous team. We’re an underdog playing extremely good hockey and I knew we had good shot. A couple bounces didn’t go our way, but it’s hockey.”

Notes: Both goaltenders came up with some big saves. Seiler and North Penn’s Nick Ebbinghaus combined to stop 52 shots.

Pennsbury 2 0 0—2

North Penn 1 1 2—4

First-period goals: Jake Nelson (NP) from Tyler Greenstein, 2:02; Ben Dous (P) from Jake Sieger, 11:34; Dous (P) from Sieger and Erik Eisler, 12:51.

Second-period goal: Greenstein (NP) from Jared Albano and Luke Van Why, 10:09.

Third-period goals: Josh Kaufhold (NP) from Nathan Oh, 6:51 (pp); Oh (NP) from Albano, 15:56 (en).

Shots; Pennsbury 25, North Penn 33; Saves: Topher Seiler (P) 29, Nick Ebbinghaus (NP) 23

 

 

SHSHL Playoff Game Times Set

The brackets have been finalized for the 2019 Suburban High School Hockey League playoffs. Action gets underway Monday, February 25 with four Class AA quarterfinal games and continues on Wednesday the 27th with semifinal games in Class AA and Class A. The championship games in each class will be played at Hatfield Ice on Thursday, February 28.

Central Bucks South is the four-time defending champion in Class AA; if they successfully defend this year it will extra blush a new league record. Hatboro-Horsham meanwhile will be trying to defend the Class A crown.

It should be noted that the results of the SHSHL playoffs will have no impact on the Flyers Cup seedings which are scheduled to be announced on Sunday.

 

Monday, February 25

Class AA Quarterfinals

1 C.B. South vs. 8 Council Rock South  7:00 at Rev. Ice Gardens

4 C.B. West vs 5 Neshaminy  8:40 at Rev Ice Gardens

3 North Penn vs 6 Pennsbury  8:40 at Hatfield Ice

2 Pennridge vs 7 Central Bucks East 7:00 at Hatfield Ice

 

Wednesday, February 27

Class AA Semifinals

Upper Bracket winners   7:00 at Revolution Ice Gardens

Lower Bracket winners   7:00 at Hatfield Ice

 

Class A Semifinals

1 Lower Moreland vs 4 Hatboro-Horsham 8:45 at Rev. Ice Gardens

2 Wissahickon vs 3 Plymouth Whitemarsh   8:45 at Hatfield Ice

 

Thursday, February 28

Class AA Final 7:00 at Hatfield Ice

Class A Final 8:45 at Hatfield Ice

If you or a family member, or friend are looking for a dentist, Hockey Happenings is proud to recommend All Smiles Family Dentistry. They’re located at 1620 South Broad Street in Lansdale.

Dr. Caroline Hsu, Dr. Azure Pelberg and their staff provide high-quality dental care in a caring, nurturing environment.  They’ve been taking care of my teeth for 25 years and I would recommend them to anyone. Going to the dentist can be an unsettling experience but everyone at All Smiles Family Dentistry will work to put you at ease.

Call for an appointment at 215-616-0609 or e-mail them at allsmilesfamilydentistry@verizon.net. You can also find them on line at www.allsmileslansdale.com.

That’s All Smiles Family Dentistry of Lansdale.

 

 

 

C.B. West 8, North Penn 7

By Rick Woelfel

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—If you’re the type of hockey fan who favors an abundance of offense, you would have felt right at home at Hatfield Ice Thursday night. Central Bucks West and North Penn took turns finding the back of the net before Chris Trefz’s power-play goal with 1:30 left in the third period gave the Bucks an 8-7 win to bring the curtain down on the Suburban High School Hockey League’s regular season.

The winning goal came on a shot from the top of the right circle that beat North Penn goaltender Andrew Zanoni. The Knights’ Jared Albano was serving a slashing penalty at the time.

“I saw an open look,” Trefz said. “Our game plan was to put pucks on net the whole game. I just put it on and it went in,”

Trefz’s third goal of the game capped a comeback by the Bucks (9-7, 7-4 in SHSHL Class AA), who trailed 4-1 late in the first period before rallying to pick up their seventh win in their last nine games.

“Guys decided to come together,” Trefz said. “Our seniors did a great job of leading us; our goalie, Jeremy Kennard, our captain, Matt McCarthy, and a few other juniors did a great job of getting everybody motivated.

‘We’re doing a great job of buying into (Coach Dave Baun’s) system and we’re looking forward to the playoffs.”

The Knights (10-3-3, 7-2-2) built their early lead on goals from Nathan Oh, Tyler Greenstein, Tony Tuozzo, and Albano.

Joey DeYoung cut into the deficit when he scored for West with 2:40 left in the opening session and Owen Shields followed up with a goal just 12 seconds into the second frame.

Trefz’s first goal of the game 6:32 into the middle period not only tied the game but sent Nick Ebbinghaus, North Penn’s starting goaltender, to the bench.

The teams traded goals the rest of the way.

All told, 10 Bucks and 11 Knights got onto the scoresheet. Trefz had two assists to go with his hat trick. Lang provided three assists along with his goal. Nelson scored twice for North Penn and added an assist, while Oh contributed two assists along with his goal.

The Knights enjoyed a 46-29 shot advantage but Kennard withstood the barrage and finished with 39 saves.

North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis was pleased with much of what he saw. “We’re doing a lot of good things,” he said. “We’ve got to keep building on that. There are things we’ve got to clean up a little bit. We’ll talk about them Monday and be ready to go.

Notes: The SHSHL quarterfinals are set for Monday. North Penn will be seeded third in the field of eight, the Bucks will be seeded fourth.

 

North Penn 4 2 1—7

C.B. West 2 3 3—8

First-period goals: Nathan Oh (MP) unassisted, 2:54; Jake Lang (CBW) from Pavel Serhiayenka and Chris Trefz, 7:15; Tyler Greenstein (NP) from Josh Kaufhold and Jake Nelson, 8:58; Tony Tuozzo (NP) from Jared Albano and Ryan Cunningham, 11:13 (pp); Albano (NP) from Oh and Eric Sarbacker, 12:51; Joey DeYoung (CBW) from Ben Morris, 13:20.

Second-period goals: Owen Shields (CBW) from DeYoung, :12; Trefz (CBW) from Lang and Serhiayenka, 6:32; Trefz (CBW) from Kyle Burton and Lang, 7:04; Jake Nelson (NP) from Albano and Oh, 10:01; Thomas Boyle (MP) from Albano, 12:42.

Third-period goals: Kyle Burton (CBW) from Evan Hee and Trefz, 4:02; Nelson (NP) from Greenstein and Chase Mueller, 9:33; Dan Poliak (CBW) from Keith Orlando, 10:21; Trefz (CBW) from Lang, 14:30 (pp).

Shots: North Penn 46, C.B. West 29; Saves: Nick Ebbinghaus (NP) 8 and Andrew Zanoni (NP) 13; Jeremy Kennard (CBW) 39.

 

If you, a family member, or a  friend are looking for a dentist, Hockey Happenings is proud to recommend All Smiles Family Dentistry. They’re located at 1620 South Broad Street in Lansdale.

Dr. Caroline Hsu, Dr. Azure Pelberg and their staff provide high-quality dental care in a caring, nurturing environment.  They’ve been taking care of my teeth for 25 years and I would recommend them to anyone. Going to the dentist can be an unsettling experience, take my word for it, but everyone at All Smiles Family Dentistry will work to put you at ease.

Call for an appointment at 215-616-0609 or e-mail them HERE. You can also find them on line at www.allsmileslansdale.com.

That’s All Smiles Family Dentistry of Lansdale.

 

 

SHSHL Standings as of 2-21-19

Up to the minute as of 8:55 AM 2-21-19

 

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

Class AA                                                  W     L     T      Its

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*   Pennridge has the tiebreaker over North Penn

* Neshaminy has the tiebreaker over Central Bucks West

• Pennsbury has the tiebreaker over Central Bucks East

 

 

Class A                                                       W     L   T       Pts

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

Wissahickon (11-3-2)                             7      3     2       16

Plymouth Whitemarsh (10-4-1)             6      4     1    13

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

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

 

 Thursday

Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. Upper Dublin 7:10 at Hatfield

Central Bucks West vs. North Penn 8:50 at Hatfield

Pennridge vs. Council Rock South   7:20 at Grundy

If you or a family member, or friend are looking for a dentist, Hockey Happenings is proud to recommend All Smiles Family Dentistry. They’re located at 1620 South Broad Street in Lansdale.

Dr. Caroline Hsu, Dr. Azure Pelberg and their staff provide high-quality dental care in a caring, nurturing environment. They’ve been taking care of my teeth for 25 years and I would recommend them to anyone. Going to the dentist can be an unsettling experience but everyone at All Smiles Family Dentistry will work to put you at ease.

Call for an appointment at 215-616-0609 or e-mail them at allsmilesfamilydentistry@verizon.net. You can also find them on line at www.allsmileslansdale.comThat’s All Smiles Family Dentistry of Lansdale.

 

SHSHL Playoff Ponderings

Next week, the Suburban High School Hockey League will begin its 46th postseason.  The league has been able to account for 43 of its past 45 Class AA champions; we are still working to determine the champions for the 1995-96 and 2006-07 seasons. Class A champions have been accounted for from 2004-05 to the present with efforts ongoing to identify champions from 2003-04 and earlier, if available.

That said, here are some historical notes to pass along as the postseason nears.

Most Class AA Titles

11—Germantown Academy: 1980-83, 1993-95, 1998-2001

8—Central Bucks South: 2005, 2010, 2012, ’13, 2015-18

6—Abington: 1974-76, 1978, 2003, ‘04

Council Rock: 1984, 1987-89, 1991, 1997

 

* Abington also won the championship of the league that played out of Wintersport Arena during the 72-73 season. What was then called the Suburban Collegiate High School Hockey League played its first season in 1973-74.

The Suburban High School Hockey League filed for non-profit status on August 22, 1975.

* Council Rock played for the championship in 1990. The result of that game has not been documented.

 

 

 

Most consecutive Class AA titles

4—Central Bucks South 2015-18

Germantown Academy 1980-83 and 1998-2001

 

Most Class A Titles

2—Wissahickon: 2010, 2015

Archbishop Wood 2013, 2017,

Upper Moreland 2012, 2014

 

Note: The championships of 2003, 2004, and 2007 are still being documented

SHSHL Standings 2-19-18 (Corrected)

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

Class AA                                                  W     L     T      Its

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*   Pennridge has the tiebreaker over North Penn

* Neshaminy has the tiebreaker over Central Bucks West

• Pennsbury has the tiebreaker over Central Bucks East

 

 

Class A                                                       W     L   T       Pts

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

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

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

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

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

 

Wedenesday

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

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

Truman  vs Neshaminy 7:20 at Grundy

Hatboro-Horsham vs. Wissahickon 8:50 at Hatfield

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

 

Thursday

Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. Upper Dublin 7:10 at Hatfield

Pennridge vs. Council Rock South   7:20 at Grundy

SHSHL Statistical Overview

Suburban High School Statistics through 2-17-19

 Scoring                                          GP      G        A      Pts

Coleman Peppelmn LM                14      40      25       65

Sean Garry Wiss                              13       32      28     60

Bryan Garry Wiss                           13       38      22      60

Adam Bostock LM                          15      24      28       52

Vincenzo DeMaio LM                    15       30      18      48

Dean Keller PW                              15      25      21      46

Eric Slater Pr                                   13      27     15      42

Jake Weikel PW                              15      19      22     41

Ari Nordlinger UD                          14      26      14     40

Tyler Greenstein NP                        15      19       19     38

Aidan Keogh PW                              14      26      12      38

Reis Braccio CBS                               15      21      15      36

Perry Carpenter Ab                           15      23       12    35

Chris Trefz CBW                               10      8        26       34

Nathan Oh NP                                  15      12      21      33

Steven Avellino Tr                           13      25       7        32

Robert Seewagen Nesh                  14      19      12      31

Colin Franzoni PW                           15     17      13       30

John Gray Soud                                14      16      13     29

Devin Green LM                               12       11    16     27

Jared Albano NP                               15       9      19     28

Josh Kaufhold NP                             14       10    18     28

 

Goals Against Average                  Min    GAA

Luke Stranik Pr                               556      1.99

Andrew Zanoni NP                       288       2.33

Oscar Levin CBS                            466       2.47

Chris McIntyre CBE                      382       2.51

Nick Ebbinghaus NP                     432       2.78

Joe Gambino HH                           526       3.19

Matt Oganowski CBE                   384       3.25

Jeremy Kennard CBW                  441       3.38

Steve Glik Nesh                             549      3.50

Michel Henderson Wiss              624       4.33

(Min. 240 minutes played)

 

Save Percentage                          Min.    GA     Save Pct.

Chris McIntyre CBE                     336      20       .914

Luke Stranik Pr                            556     23       .913

Steve Glik Nesh                            549     40       .902

Jeremy Kennard CBW                 440      31       .898

Joe Gambino HH                          526     35       .884

Oscar Levin CBS                           466      24       .882

Jonathan Pritchard Soud            629      86       .880

Jeremy Wedul Tr                          624      65       .872

Brett Magloff CRS                         304      23       .872

Andrew Zanoni                              288      14       .865

(Min. 240 minutes played