P-W 6 Wissahickon 2

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—Coaches in all sports talk a lot about remaining disciplined. Plymouth Whitemarsh was in a winner in that department Thursday night and eventually prevailed on the scoreboard.

Blake Ambler scored two goals and assisted on another as the Colonials prevailed over Wissahickon 6-2 in a SHSHL American Division matchup at Hatfield Ice Arena.

The win kept Plymouth Whitemarsh unbeaten at 8-0 overall and most importantly, head and shoulders above the rest of the division with a 7-0 mark.

The key moment of the game came with 4:49 left in the second period just moments after Logan Discus scored a goal to left the Trojans (5-4, 5-3 in the division) into a 1-1 tie.

Discus and one of the Colonials exchanged pleasantries and what began as pushes and shoves evolved into a skirmish in front of the Plymouth Whitemarsh bench. When the dust had settled, the Trojans found themselves without Aiden Brooks and Joseph Gambino, two of their top four scorers. The Colonials were minus Charles Spause but also were granted a five-minute power play.

Ambler’s first goal of the night came with 49 seconds left in the second frame when he carefully put the puck to the right of Wissahickon netminder Fletcher Lynch to give his team a lead it would hold for the balance of the evening.

Ryan Jagher made it a 3-1 game 2:39 into the final period. Logan Honeycutt scored for the Trojans two minutes and change later to make it a one-goal game once more but the Colonials answered emphatically with three goals in a span of 4 minutes, 41 seconds and left their opponents in their wake.

“With the holiday break you could tell there was a little bit of rust, aid Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Vince Forti. “But, I think halfway through the second, we started picking it up and getting back to our game. And, I think it showed by the end result.

Forti credited his team for the way it moved the puck.

“I would say that’s been one of our strengths all season,” he said. “Our puck movement has been great. We try to work on it a lot at practice but {the players} deserve a lot of credit too because they’ve been really good about that.”

Wissahickon coach James Rumsey said the altercation impacted his team’s cohesion.

“We have too small a team to lose two people,” he said. “Especially key people. That hurt us a lot. But we felt good for the time we were playing. We had a close game the whole time up until then.”

Ambler noted the importance of the Colonials maintaining their composure following the altercation.

“If we started brawling and fighting everyone, then it would just turn into penalty after penalty, after penalty” he said. “You wouldn’t be able to do anything, you wouldn’t be playing hockey. You’ve just got to play hockey if you want to go out and win.”:

Plymouth Whitemarsh 1 1 4—6

Wissahickon 0 1 1—2

First-period goals Daniel Molony (PW) from Daniel Guller, 13:51

Second-period goals: Logan Discus unassisted, 12:11; Blake Ambler (PW) from Luke Smith and Chris Londen, 16:11 (pp)

Third-period goals: Ryan Jagher (PW) from Londen, 2:39; Logan Honeycutt unassisted, 4:54; Guller (PW) from Smith and Ambler, 9:16; Cooper Kanzee (PW) unassisted, 9:30; Ambler (PW) from Londen and Kanzee, 13:57

Shots: Plymouth-Whitemarsh 49, Wissahickon 26; Saves: Julian Lucks (PW) 24, Fletcher Lynch 40

Hatboro-Horsham 8, Wissahickon 7

By Amanda Graham

Hatboro-Horsham and Wissahickon got their second look of the season at each other on Thursday night and while the game held the same excitement and back-and-forth action it was the Hatters that walked away with the victory this time around, 8-7 Thursday night at Hatfield Ice.

Nathan Nemchinov’s goal with 45 seconds left in regulation was the game winner.

With the win, the Hatters improved to 5-3 in SHSHL American Division play and 5-4 overall. The Trojans dropped to 5-3 overall and 5-2 in the division.

Looking to avenge their overtime loss the last time the two teams met, Hatboro-Horsham came out of the gate hot and dominated the offense with the only shots in the first two minutes.

The tides quickly turned in favor of Wissahickon when Jack Raebiger took the puck up ice for the unassisted goal, 1-0. Hatboro-Horsham continued to dominate the offense over the course of the next three minutes tallying eight more shots, but the Trojans’ Benjamin Raebiger collected the puck from Logan Honeycutt converting their second shot of the game for the 2-0 lead.

Penalty trouble hit Wissahickon hard doing down by two players but the team’s grit prevailed when Benjamin Raebiger found the back of the net for his second goal of the game to put the Trojans in a three-goal advantage.

The Hatters took advantage of the power play and began mounting their comeback scoring three goals in the final five minutes of the first period to even the score. Darius Graziani started the resurgence with a goal off the assist of Victor Wilkins before going on to help Nathan Nemchinov, the Hatters top scorer of the night, with one of his two goals over a 45- second span.

“I knew the team was better than what they were playing. We called a timeout to help settle it in and we kept chipping away to get us back to even again,” said Hatboro-Horsham coach Shane Smith.

Penalty trouble continued to plague the Trojans, a holding call in the final 18 seconds of the first period to begin the second a player short. Benjamin Raebiger broke the tie in favor of the Trojans with his third goal of the night just under four minutes into the second period. A slashing call on Wissahickon gave the Hatters a chance to even the score with Victor Wilkins answering the call for the power-play goal.

With 6:19 left to play in the second, Benjamin Raebiger collected the loose puck off a blocked shot and found the back of the net for his fourth goal to break the tie and put the Trojans back on top, 5-4. Logan Honeycutt followed up two minutes later with the unassisted shot creating the first two-goal advantage for Wissahickon for the first time since early in the first period, 6-4.

The scoring didn’t slow in the final period. Vincent Graziani and Nathan Nemchinov found the stick of Darius Graziani (6-5) just a minute and a half in to start what would become a four-goal comeback for the Hatters. Offense slowed over the ensuing two minutes, but Graziani and Nemchinov converted their shots within 45 seconds of one another to push Hatboro-Horsham into the lead, 7-6. Scoring machine Raebiger capitalized on the power play a minute later to keep Wissahickon in reach evening the score at seven apiece.

Just 15 seconds later and down a player, Vincent Graziani and Darius Graziani worked together to get the puck to the stick of Nemchinov for the Hatters game-winning goal, 8-7. The goal marked the fourth of the game for Nemchinov.

“The game winning goal, we needed it. It was a clutch goal. Three minutes left in the game, we needed to burry one and luckily we got it and capped off the game,” Nemchinov said.

Coming back from an overtime let down the last time these teams faced one another, Hatboro-Horsham knew a victory was key for them tonight.

“They knew that this was a big game for them,” Smith said. “They knew that this was an important game for them. It was exciting to see my captains and upperclassmen take the lead. I didn’t have to do much cheering on for the boys. They really cheered each other on and pumping each other up.”

“I thought we played great,” said Wissahickon head coach James Rumsey. “We were down a lot of people and played late last night, but I think they all played extremely well and tried their hardest. [Goaltender] Fletcher did great and he kept us in there a lot.”

Lynch finished the game with 39 saves.

Hatboro-Horsham 3 1 4 – 8

Wissahickon 3 3 1 7 – 7

First Period Goals: Jack Raebiger unassisted, 13:39; Benjamin Raebiger from Logan Honeycutt, 10:08; Benjamin Raebiger unassisted, 05:58 (sh); Darius Graziani (HH) from Victor Wilkins, 05:01(pp); Nathan Nemchinov (HH) unassisted, 01:30; Nathan Nemchinov (HH) from Vincent Graziani, 00:45.

Second Period Goals: Benjamin Raebiger unassisted, 13:31; Victor Wilkins (HH) unassisted, 11:17 (pp); Benjamin Raebiger unassisted, 06:19; Logan Honeycutt unassisted, 04:12.

Third Period Goals: Darius Graziani (HH) from Vincent Graziani and Nathan Nemchinov, 15:24; Vincent Graziani (HH) from Darius Graziani and Nathan Nemchinov, 04:54; Nathan Nemchinov (HH) from Vincent Graziani, 04:09; Bejamin Raebiger from Joseph Gambino IV, 03:19 (pp); Nathan Nemchinov (HH) from Vincent Graziani and Darius Graziani, 03:04 (sh).

Shots: Hatboro-Horsham 47, Wissahickon 17; Saves: Eric Miller (HH) 10, Fletcher Lynch 39

Wissahickon 7 H-H 6, OT

Hatboro-Horsham and Wissahickon got their first look at each other Thursday night, a month into the SHSHL season.

The wait was worth it.

The Trojans and the Hatters matched each other shift for shift and goal for goal for 51 minutes and beyond before Jack Raebiger’s goal 51 seconds into overtime gave Wissahickon a 7-6 win at Hatfield Ice Arena.

The third period and overtime served as a fitting climax to the evening. There were seven goals scored in the final period including three on power plays and two in shorthanded situations.

There were five penalties called in the third period, one of them a misconduct that accompanied a boarding call.

Raebiger’s winning goal, his second goal of the game came after a puck caromed out of the Wissahickon defensive zone to center ice. Raebiger, the Wissahickon captain, won a closely contested sprint for the puck and beat Hatter goaltender Eric Miller to send the Trojan fans home happy.

“I saw that puck and my legs were cramping up,” he said. “My calves were cramping up, but I did not want to lose to that team.”

The Trojans (3-2, 3-1 in the SHSHL’s American Division) took a 3-2 lead into the third frame. Ben Raebiger’s goal 2:11 into the period extended his team’s lead but Reid Rochestie and Darius Graziani scored goals for the Hatters (3-3, 3-2) 20 seconds apart to tie the game with 5:34 remaining in regulation. Graziani’s goal came during a power play.

Plenty of fireworks remained. Ben Raebiger and the Hatters’ Aidan North traded goals before Joseph Gambino’s rocket from the left wing seemingly put the Trojans over the finish line with 47.6 seconds remaining.

But Hatboro-Horsham got a last chance when a stoppage resulted in a faceoff in the circle to the right of Trojan goaltender Fletcher Lynch. The Hatters won the faceoff and the ensuing scramble near the crease and Nathan Nemchinov scored just before the final buzzer.

Jack Raebiger said he was anticipated a right game with the Hatters who returned to the American Division as a unified team this season.

“We saw their record,” he said. “We saw they beat the teams that we beat and we lost to the team that we lost against [Plymouth Whitemarsh] and we thought this was a crucial game for us.”
Thursday’s game was the first of three meetings between the Trojans and the Hatters. The next is set for December 19 and Hatboro-Horsham coach Shane Smith was not surprised with how Thursday’s game evolved.

“When we looked at the other games that we both played we kind of had similar scores,” he said. “So, we knew it was going to be a dogfight and a battle all the way through.”

Wissahickon 0 3 3 1—7

Hatboro-Horsham 1 1 4 0—6

First-period goal: Vincent Graziani (HH) from Darius Grazianai, 7:58

Second-period goals: Jack Raebiger unassisted, 2:15; Evan McCutcheon unassisted, 7:47; Victor Wilkins (HH) from Nathan Nemchinov and Joseph MaGinn, 8:50; Logan Honeycutt from John Kuffner, 16:54

Third-period goals: Ben Raebiger from Jack Raebiger, 2:11 (pp); Reid Rochestie (HH) from MaGinn, 11:06; Vincent Graziani (HH) from William Moffa and Darius Graziani, 11:26 (pp); Ben Raebiger from Honeycutt and Aiden Brooks, 12:20 (pp); Aidan North (HH) from Vincent Graziani, 15:27 (pp); Joseph Gambino from Jack Raebiger, 16:13 (sh); Nemchinov (HH) from North and Darius Graziani, 0:00

Overtime goal: Jack Raebiger (W), :51

Shots: Wissahickon 25, Hatboro-Horsham 35; Saves: Fletcher Lynch 29, Eric Miller (HH) 18

Abington 10 Wissahickon 2

Call it Mission Accomplished

Abington took the ice against Wissahickon Friday night knowing a win, a tie, or an overtime loss would assure it of a slot in the SHSHL American Division playoffs.

The Galloping Ghosts went out and took care of business, posting a 10-2 win at the Bucks County Ice Sports Center.

The win lifted Abington to 5-3 in American Division play and 6-5 overall. More importantly. The Galloping Ghosts will join Plymouth Whitemarsh in the divisional playoffs on February 21 or 22 with the championship game set for February 28. The seeds of the three teams are still to be determined.

Wissahickon dropped to 2-11 overall and 2-9 in the division.

Leading 2-1 after the first frame, the Galloping Ghost broke the game open with six goals in the middle period against a young Wissahickon team that had just nine players in uniform.

Sam Abramson led the way for the victors with a four-goal effort. Shane Meltzer and Devin Bates added two goals each; Jude Large and Ben Biko also scored goals.

Abington coach Ken Brzozowski took advantage of the score line to give his younger skaters some extra ice time.

“It gave us the opportunity to play our third and fourth lines a little bit more,” he said. “It’s great to see them get some ice time. They’re working hard in practice. So, getting some real game opportunity experience is important.”

Officially earning a spot in the postseason with four regular-season games remaining will give Brzozowski’s troops a chance to refocus.

“We’re looking forward to it,” Brzoowski said. “Being able to make the playoffs again and have the opportunity to get some experience. Once you get there, you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Dryden Jaisle and Nolan Pounds scored goals for Wissahickon. Jaisle’s effort gave the Trojans a 1-0 lead 4:19 into the first period but Wissahickon was undermined by its youth and lack of manpower.

Trojan coach James Rumsey says his young team has had to grow up quickly.

“We have no seniors,” he said, “nobody graduating, so all these kids are going to be playing with us for the next two years at minimum.

“It’s definitely a young team, definitely a good group. We lost one of our guys to juniors this year and just another for the same reason. We have a little less players but a lot of heart.”

Wissahickon 1 1 0—2

Abington 2 6 2—10

Plymouth Whitemarsh 7 Wissahickon 5

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—Plymouth Whitemarsh climbed out of a hole Wednesday night. Facing a three-goal deficit late in the first period, the Colonials rallied for a 7-5 win over Wissahickon in a crackling SHSHL American Division game at Hatfield Ice.

Tim Murphy scored the winning goal when he snapped a 5-5 dreadlock with a forehander from between the circles with 2:33 left in regulation time. Dylan Novitsky added empty-net insurance with 42 seconds left to bring down the curtain on a remarkable comeback.

Plymouth Whitemarsh (2-0) was forced to climb a steep hill. Daniel Hussa’s hat trick helped propel the Trojans (1-1) to a 4-1 lead with 2:54 left in the opening period. The Colonials hurt their own cause with a series of early penalties although only one Wissahickon goal came on a power play. That goal, Hussa’s second of the first frame, gave his team a 2-1 lead.

But the Colonials regained their focus.

“We have heart,” Murphy said. “ That’s the mindset on this team, heart. “We play for each other. We play for the name on the front, not the back. We play for the seniors. This could be the last year for them ever playing.”

David Branigan, who spent much of the first period serving a minor penalty plus a misconduct for a check from behind, unleashed some pent-up energy with a goal 31 seconds into the second session to make it a 4-2 game.

Hussa scored his fourth goal of the night at the 6:24 mark but the Trojans would not score again, in no small measure due to the work of Julian Lucks in the Colonial net and just as importantly, the efforts of the defense corps in front of him.

Meantime, Daniel Moloney was scoring two goals and Jason Segal contributed one of his own to tie the game with 12:02 left in the third period and set up the finish.

“It wasn’t the start we wanted,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Dave Cox, “ but once we settled in, we kind of got our feet, we found our stride, and we really came together.

“When they called a timeout I said ‘We need to win our zone over the last five minutes and everything will take care if itself.”

The Trojans were able to take an abundance of positives away from the encounter. Like the Colonials, they gave a workmanlike effort at both ends of the ice and goaltender Fletcher Lynch made some quality saves down the stretch.

James Rumsey, in his second game behind the Wissahickon bench, was smiling at evening’s end despite coming up one goal short.

“We did a really good job,” he said. “We have a few less players (just 15 on the roster) but these guys state their heart out. Every time they play offense, they play defense.

“Our goalie played played defense for me in middle school two years ago. He stood on his head this game. He was awesome. We have a really good team and we’re excited to build on it.”

Ice Chips—The Trojans will honor their seniors Monday night when they will face Boyertown at the Wells Fargo Center,

Wissahickon 4 1 0—5

PW 1 3 3—7

First-period goals: Daniel Hussa from Logan Honeycutt, 3:13 (pp); Isaac Mishkin (PW) from Jason Segal and Tim Murphy, 4:12 (sh); Hussa unassisted, 5:29 (pp); Hussa unassisted, 9:56; Jack Rarberger unassisted, 14:06

Second-period goals: David Brannigan (PW) :31; Hussa from Aiden Brooks, 6:24; Daniel Moloney (P) from Daniel Gullet and Charles Spause, 9:25; Moloney (PW) from Brooks, 11:35

Third-period goals: Jason Segal (PW) unassisted, 4:58; Murphy (PW) from Mishkin, 14:27; Dylan Novitsky (PW) from Mishkin and Murphy, 16:18 (en)

Shots: Wissahickon 29, Plymouth Whitemarsh 30; Saves: Fletcher Lynch 23, Julian Lucks (PW) 24

Flyers Cup Results Monday, March 6

Class A First Round

Penncrest 4 Plymouth Whitemarsh 0

Lower Dauphin 5 vs Unionville 1 6:30

Marple Newtown 7 vs. WC Henderson 2

Hershey 4 Strath Haven 2

Council Rock North 7 Radnor 2

7. Garnet Valley vs. 10. Springfield-Delco 9:00 at Skatium

WC Rustin 10 Wissahickon 0

Class AA First Round

Conestoga 6 Downingtown West 3

Class AAA First Round

Holy Ghost Prep 10 Cardinal O’Hara 1

Malvern Prep 6 Father Judge 2

All Tickets for Flyers Cup games must be purchased online via the Box Office link on the Flyers Cup web site. Make sure you select the correct game. Flyers Cup Programs will also be sold only online. The link for that is at the top of the Box Office. You can pick your program up by showing your Program purchase ticket at any Flyers Cup venue.

Abington 6 Wissahickon 3

HATFIELD Township—With two of its leading scorers idled by injury, Abington needed a big game from its goaltender Thursday night, and it got it. Sam Nemec came up big as the Galloping Ghosts remained unbeaten with a 6-3 decision over Wissahickon in a SHSHL American Division encounter at Hatfield Ice.
Abington stands a perfect 8-0 on the season heading into the Christmas break and 7-0 in divisional play. The Galloping Ghosts’ last loss came to Council Rock South last March in the opening round of the Class AA Flyers Cup tournament.

On Thursday, they were without Pat Stelacio, the SHSHL’s leading scorer, and Matt Kramer, who between them have combined for 26 goals and 17 assists this season. That scenario raised expectations for Nemec and the senior delivered. Officially, he was credited with 37 saves against a Wissahickon team that came in averaging better than seven goals a game.

“It was definitely one of my busier games this year,” Nemec said, “and I felt I had it locked in as soon as the puck dropped. I felt good in warmups tonight.”

Like many goaltenders, Nemec prefers a lot of work.

“I would much rather be busy, rather than stay cold and face a couple shots a period,” he said. “I enjoy being busy down there.”

Abington coach Ken Brzozowski called Nemec’s effort the best game of his Abington career.

“I told him that was the best game I’d ever seen him play,” Brzozowski said. “I’ve been watching him play for four years and we asked him before the game; we said ‘We need one, we need a good game.’ And that’s what he did tonight, he gave us a great game.”

Jordan Heydt gave Abington a 1-0 lead 4:58 into the first period. Danny Hussa answered for Wissahickon (4-4, 4-3 in the division) five-and-a-half minutes later.

The Trojans took the lead when Hudson Honeycutt scored of a setup from Jack Raebiger 3:04 into the second period on a play that started when Raebiger made a rush up the left wing. But Sam Paulik tied the game for Abington with a power-play goal less than two minutes later before Heydt scored his second goal of the night to put the Galloping Ghosts back in front with 3:52 remaining in the period.

Ian Heydt extended Abington’s lead to 4-2 1:29 in to the third period but the Trojans weren’t finished. Will Hussa scored off a setup from Danny Hussa and it was a one-goal game once more with 5:14 still left in regulation. But Ian Heydt responded for Abington just 19 seconds later.

Devin Bates added an empty-net goal just before the final buzzer.

Wissahickon coach Ken Harrington said his team ran out of energy in the late going.

“We were gassed,” he said. “We had a short bench tonight. They were (fatigued) on the bench

“But, we just couldn’t get the puck over the goalie.”

Wissahickon 1 1 1—3

Abington 1 2 3—6

First-period goals: Jordan Heydt (A) unassisted, 4:58; Danny Hussa from Nolan Pounds and Griffin Lynch, 10:31

Second-period goals: Hudson Honeycutt from Lynch, 3:04; Sam Paulik (A) from Sean Doyle 4:56 (pp); Jordan Heydt (A) unassisted, 12:08

Third-period goals: Ian Heydt (A) from Sam Abramson, 1:29; Will Hussa from Danny Hussa, 11:46; Ian Heydt (A) from Abramsom and Brian Murdoch, 12:05; De vin Bates (A) unassisted, 16:59 (en)

Shots: Wissahickon 39, Abington 18; Saves: Fletcher Lynch 12, Sam Nemec (A) 36

Wissahickon 3 Quakertown 1

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—The goaltenders were the stars at Hatfield Ice Thursday night. Goaltending duels are rare in the SHSH’s American Division, a division best known for offensive accomplishments.

On this occasion, Wissahickon’s Fletcher Lynch and Quakertown’ Matt Krem came up big. Lynch, a freshman, playing in goal for just the fourth time in his life, stopped 22 shots in his team’s 3-1 win while Krem, an experienced senior netminder, made 37 saves.

Wissahickon coach Ken Harrington, who saw his team advance to 3-1 on the year both overall and in the division, had expected to see more than four goals scored but credited both goaltenders.

“They were going head to head,” he said. “I’d pay money to watch it,”

John Kufner gave the Trojans the lead 6:33 into the first period on a shot off an offensive left-circle faceoff. It took Brandon McNally just 50 seconds to respond for the Panthers (3-1, 2-1 in the division).

For most of the rest of the evening, Lynch and Krem were in charge with Krem was particularly busy in the Panther net.

“We’ve had a good stretch of goaltending here at Quakertown said Krem’s coach and father, Keith Krem. “It’s kind of been the one thing we’ve always had to rely on in games.

“Their guy, I give him a lot of credit. I know he’s new to the position. For him to play over the 90 percent (save percentage) is a huge stride for him.”

By the start of the third period both teams were starting to feel the impact of having just nine skaters each available.

The Trojans took the lead for good when Will Hussa beat Krem off a setup from Griffin Lynch 5:33 into the final session. The goal came just five seconds after the Panthers’ Cole Stemmer was sent to the box for slashing.

Like his coach, Hussa expected more scoring over the course of the evening.

“It definitely surprised us,” he said. “We’re used to scoring a lot of goals but you’ve just got to do what you have to do to win.”

Danny Hussa gave his team insurance with a goal with 3:44 remaining in regulation.

“Our failure just came down to, we had a game plan and we didn’t execute it,” Krem said. More so, we failed to manage the puck. They spent a lot more time in our zone we did in theirs.”

The Trojans have now faced every and Will Hussa says he and his teammates like where they stand.

“Now that we’ve seen everybody we know we can beat everybody,” he said. “We had a close game against Abington (a 12-10 loss). We lost that game but we know we can get them next time.”

Quakertown 1 0 0—1

Wissahickon 1 0 2—3

First-period goals: John Kufner from Danny Hussa 6:33; Brandon McNally (Q) from Connor Elmore, 7:23

Third-period goals: Will Hussa from Griffin Lynch and Hudson Honrycutt, 5:33 (pp); Danny Hussa from Nolan Pounds, 13:16 (sh)

Shots: Quakertown 23, Wissahickon 40; Saves: Fletcher Lynch 22, Matt Krem (Q) 37

Abington 4 Wissahickon 2

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP —Abington worked a very long time, all season in fact, for the right to hoist the SHSHL American Division (Class A) championship trophy, all season in fact.

But in the wake of their 4-2 win over Wissahickon Thursday night at Hatfield Ice, could be argued the top-seeded Galloping Ghosts had been working for far longer than that; Thursday’s win gave Abington its seventh SHSHL title but its first since 2004.

“It’s a huge win for our program,” said Abington coach Ken Brozowski. “We talked about before the game, about the history that Abington has. And it was important for us to come through and win this game.

Matt Cholaj and Pat Stelacio each scored two goals and each added an assist as top-seeded Abington won its 15^th straight game after opening the season with a loss to new SHSHL Class AA champion Pennridge.

“We lost the first game of the season,” Chelaj said, “but we came out hot after that We really didn’t let much get to us. We kept our heads in every game.

“It’s good when all four of our lines can really get going and score goals. All four of our lines are putting up points this year and it was just an overall good season.”

Cholaj put Abington in front 5:19 into the opening period. A.J. Pounds answered for third-seeded Wissahickon (9-8) at the 9:42 mark.
Abington’s next three goals came on power plays. Stelacio put his team in front for the second and last time with 3:11 left in the opening session before Abington broke the game open early in the second stanza thanks to consecutive Trojan penalties that gave the Galloping Ghosts a two-man advantage; Cholaj and Stelacio each scored goals during that interlude to put their team up by three goals just 3:01 into the middle period.

Will Hussa made it a 4-2 game at the 6:34 mark. Wissahickon had no further success against Ben Panella in the Abington net although the Trojans had two goals disallowed during the game.

Abington is classified Class AA for the Flyers Cup and as the 14^th seed will face third seed Council Rock South on Tuesday at Hatfield Ice. Wissahickon is seeded 10^th in Class A and will go against seventh-seeded West Chester Henderson Monday at Ice Line

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!

Wissahickon 6 Plymouth Whitemarsh 4

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP— Wissahickon charged out of the starting gate Thursday night and maintained its momentum all night long. The Trojans scored three times in the first period and went on to a 6-4 win over Plymouth Whitemrsh in a SHSHL American Division semifinal at Hatfield Ice.

Third-seeded Wissahickon (9-7) will face top-seeded Abington next Thursday at the same venue for the American Division title; the Trojans are the defending champions. The second-seeded Colonials dropped to 11-5.

Both teams are hoping to land bids in the Class A Flyers Cup tournament; the field will be revealed Sunday night.

Wednesday’s game wasn’t as close as the final score might have indicated. Ty Schiff, Will Hussa, and Nick Hussa scored the Trojans’ early goals and the Colonials spent the rest of the evening playing catchup.

“We’ve been turning it on lately,” said Wissahickon coach Ken Harrington,” and playing more as a team.”

The Trojans have won four of their last five games and Harrington says his players have enjoyed the emotions that that success has generated.

“They may not know it, but they know the feel of winning,” he said.

Luke Weikel scored consecutive goals for the Colonials, the first with nine seconds left in the first period, the next at the 3:01 mark of the second, to make it a one-goal game for a time. Hudson Honeycutt and Will Hussa responded for the Trojans however and while Plymouth Whitemarsh stayed close enough to force their opponent to stay focused, the Colonials never posed a serious threat.

That was due in part to the work of Michael Bonnani in the Wissahickon net, the senior made 32 saves. Bonnani was pressed into service as a goaltender two-and-a-half seasons ago. He says he’s grown as a player since then.

“I definitely have felt improvement,” he said. “I’ve come a long way from just flopping around in the net and getting hit in the face with pucks. I still get hit in the face but I’ve learned to deal with it better.”

Bonnani had a stout defense corps in front of him. “We played a defensive game,” said. “That’s how you beat these teams in this league. You have to play defense.

“We learned that throughout the season. We were getting scored on a lot and we had to switch it up and play team defense.”

Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Josh Aiello said the Trojans quick start proved too much to overcome but he was impressed with his players’ collective efforts.

“There’s no quit in the team,” he said. “(The game) didn’t start off favorably for us but we were dedicated and continued to nettle.

“We knew there would be a lot of back and forth especially with Wissahickon. They got the better of us tonight but I’m proud of our players.”

Wissahickon 3 2 1—6

Plymouth Whitemarsh 1 2 1—4

First-period goals: Ty Schiff from Nick Hussa, 6:22 (pp); Will Hussa from Schiff, 9:37; Nick Hussa unassisted, 15:48; Luke Weikel (PW) from Aidan Keogh, 16:51

Second-period goals: Weikel (PW) from Dylan Novitski, 3:01; (PW); Hudson Honeycutt from Griffin Lynch, 5:50 (pp); Will Hussa from Honeycutt, 12:09; Timothy Murphy (PW) from Weikel, 13:45

Third-period goals: Nick Hussa from A.J. Pounds, 4:34; Isaac Mishkin (PW) from Weikel, 16:46

Shots: Wissahickon 43, Plymouth Whitemarsh 36; Saves: Michael Bonnani 32; Kolton Galie (PW) 37

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