#8 Hatboro-Horsham 9, #25 Bishop Shanahan 7
Don’t be fooled by seeds.
Hatboro coach David Sowers wasn’t. He knew his team would have its hands full with the Eagles in Tuesday’s opening round.
“I knew going in it was going to be a good game,” the Hatters’ coach said. “Any time you have someone from the Delaware County area, and their coach – John Hesiman – is a great coach, so I knew it wasn’t going to be a walkover game in the first round like some teams were going to get. They were going to be good.
“It was a great first-round game for us. It really kept us on our toes, and basically in my eyes challenged us. Our true character came out and what really came out was our senior leadership.”
Sowers pointed to captains Eddie Coombs, Ryan Mullen and Ryan Kreston as the catalysts.
“They basically took over the game and willed us to win,” Sowers said. “This is such a special group. I can say those three, but that entire senior class is just great.
“I’ve said this before. This is a special group to me. I love them like they’re my sons.”
Coombs led the Hatters with the hat trick while Kreston added two goals and two assists. Greg Cutilli also added a pair of goals while Kyle Schwarz and Robert Nagle each had single goals. Kevin Sweeney had an assist.
Coombs and Kreston, along with Cutilli, set the tone offensively while Mullen, Dom Defazio and Dino Vitale sparked the defense. Both Mullen and DeFazio were asked to cover Shanahan’s top players.
Vitale was outstanding in goal, turning away 14 shots.
The Hatters will take on the winner of Wednesday’s Pennsbury/Perkiomen Valley game.
#6 Spring-Ford 12, #27 Council Rock North 4
Dan Brenner and Tyler Shablin both scored a pair of goals while goalie Mark McDonald turned away 12 shots for the Indians, who more than held their own against the PAC-10 power in their first ever trip to the playoffs.
The Indians trailed by just a 5-2 score at halftime, and it was a 6-3 game heading into the final quarter.
“It was actually a really close game,” coach Joe Kivlen. “They scored a bunch of garbage goals at the end of the game, but we just went out and competed with one of the best teams in the state for four quarters.
“I am definitely proud of the way our guys played this game and all season. I actually think we outplayed them in the first half, especially the first quarter, but we didn’t finish and they did.
“Congratulations to them. They deserve to move on, but this is a great step up for our program. It was 6-3 going into the fourth quarter, and I think that says something. We definitely played well. We’re proud of what we did. It just didn’t go our way. Looking back, we feel this was a game we could win, but it is what it is.”
#13 Downingtown West 9, #20 Plymouth Whitemarsh 4
The Colonials – sparked by the 14-save effort of goalie Kevin Hennessy – turned in a credible enough defensive effort, but their offense never did get untracked.
Colin Joka scored a pair of goals and contributed an assist. Andrew Cox and Pat Kennedy both scored single goals while Shawn Kaplan added an assist.
#14 Downingtown East 10, #19 Wissahickon 5
The Trojans took a quick 1-0 lead, but the Cougars responded and – despite a four-goal fourth quarter by the Trojans – won the game.
Jeff Gebert and Garrett Rosiek led the Trojans with two goals each while Shane Ziegler added a single goal. Nick Lucchesi had a pair of assists while Brian Dick and Brian Frankenfield each had an assist.
Sean Smith turned away 10 shots in goal for the Trojans, who closed out the year with a 12-2 record in league play (12-7 overall).
#10 Ridley 11, #23 Upper Dublin 4
Alex Faust scored a pair of goals for the Flying Cardinals. Willy Buery and Jake Long each had single goals.
#16 Owen J. Roberts 12, #17 Upper Merion 7
Nate Hare (one assist), Luc Minnich and James Brennan each scored a pair of goals for the Vikings. Wes McDowell added a single goal while Trevor Kupecky had a pair of assists.
Conor Crowe turned away nine shots in goal.
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