Flyers Cup champion Central Bucks South will face Penguin Cup champion Canevin for the Class AA state title at Penn State University on Saturday. Please check back for a game story.
By Scott Huff
Championship hockey.
Central Bucks South has been involved in championship hockey all season long. And the Flyers Cup champion Titans will make the trek to State College Saturday to meet highly touted Penguin Cup champion Bishop Canevin for the Class ‘AA’ state title at the Pegula Ice Arena on the campus of Penn State University.
“The sand in the glass is quickly running down to the last three periods of a long season,” said Central Bucks South head coach Tom Coyne. “I am so proud of this team – and the players have come to learn some of the history of Central Bucks hockey. There had never been a team to win the Flyers Cup from the Central Bucks School District in all the (35) years of the Flyers Cup – until this year.
“The way that we have played in the Flyers Cup has shown the maturity of this team,” added Coyne. “This has been a real team effort – a collection of players that don’t worry about individual achievement. You take a look at our score sheet after a game, and almost everyone has helped us win the game.
“When a team has that kind of balance, we are hard to defend against,” continued Coyne. “Winning builds chemistry – and right now we have a lot of chemistry.”
Perhaps the best evidence of that balance and chemistry comes from the senior first line of Dominic Bova, Jake Bauer, and Kevin Casey. The trio played much of last season together, but this season the threesome has continued to be a wonderful grouping.
“Dominic has shown tremendous leadership this season – and his actions speak much louder than his words,” said Coyne. “He is an extremely tough kid, an extremely committed kid, and makes all the other players on the team accountable.
“Jake has been a giant of a player for us this last month of the season,” added Coyne. “He has finally figured out that he can take over a game – and he has done that.
“Kevin is perhaps the smartest player on the team,” continued Coyne. “He is consistent – has an element of toughness – and shows great patience with the puck.”
The Titan blue line might have been the biggest asset for CB South late in the season.
“The defensemen sometimes don’t get the credit they deserve,” said Coyne in reference to (sophomore) Connor Matsinger, (sophomore) Thomas Liberta, (sophomore) Jared Conroy, and (senior) Brandon Spognardi. “They have pushed the offense so well out of the zone defensively that we have five players working as one team. It has been great to watch.”
Central Bucks South has also featured clutch goaltending from both Aaron King and Jeff Pelkowski during its Flyers Cup run. King has won the last three games for the Titans and looks to be in net for CB South with the state championship on the line.
Ironically, Central Bucks South will be playing for a state title despite the fact that the Titans were neither the Suburban High School Hockey League regular season champion – or the SHSHL playoff champions. Central Bucks East (15-3-0) nipped CB South (14-3-1) in the final SHSHL standings, while North Penn was the SHSHL playoff champion, defeating Souderton.
“We really wanted to be Flyers Cup champion,” said Coyne. “Why not state champions as well?”
Why not?
State Championship Class ‘AA’ Game
Central Bucks South Titans (Flyers Cup champion) [21-4-2] vs. Bishop Canevin Crusaders (Penguins Cup champion) [23-2]
Pegula Ice Arena – State College (Penn State University) – 2:30 pm
Road to the Flyers Cup Championship: Central Bucks South captured the Flyers Cup with a 5-2 victory over Suburban High School Hockey League rival Souderton. Jake Bauer scored a pair of goals for the winners, while Connor Matsinger, Leo Flick, and Kevin Casey each scored single goals. Aaron King was masterful in goal with 25 saves. The Titans opened Flyers Cup championship tournament with a 6-1 victory over Council Rock North. Dominic Bova and John Pohl each scored a pair of goals for the winners, while Flick and Matsinger each scored solo goals. Jeff Pelkowski was in the nets and registered 10 saves. CB South won its second round Flyers Cup game with a 6-4 victory over Cumberland Valley. The Titans had six solo goal scorers that included Bauer, Flick, Casey, Dominic Bova, Damon DeLaurentitis, and Jake Kelinson. King was the goalie for the winners and stopped 18 shots on goal. Central Bucks South advanced to the title game with a 6-2 win over then unbeaten Parkland. Mike Pilla scored a pair of goals for the Titans to lead the offense, while Brendan Clements, Alex Stoll, Tom Liberta, and DeLaurentitis scored single goals. King was the winning goaltender with 11 saves.
Road to the Penguins Cup Championship: Bishop Canevin captured the Penguins Cup with a 1-0 victory over Eric Cathedral Prep. Thomas Krivak was the lone goal scorer for the Crusaders with a first period goal. Nikita Meskin was perfect in goal with 18 saves. Bishop Canevin opened the Penguin Cup championship series with a 7-2 victory over North Hills. Blaine Adams scored a hat trick for the winners to highlight the scoring, while Krivak, Randy Unger, Garrett Godlweski, and Alec Bosnic each scored single goals. Meskin was solid in goal with 20 saves. The Crusaders advanced to the Penguin Cup final with a 7-1 victory over Hampton. Unger scored a pair of goals to lead the winners scoring attack, while Blaine Adams, Brennan Adams, Godlewski, Bosnic, and Ross Langford each scored single goals. Meskin was again solid in goal with 14 saves.
Central Bucks South head coach Tom Coyne says: “Bishop Canevin is a very solid team with an open environment. They can recruit players to play in their program, and we obviously can’t. Randy Unger is a very talented player that has carried the load for them both during the regular season and in the playoffs. We are going to have our work cut out for us. We will have to play our game – shorten the ice on them – and work to our strengths. I have studied some video on them, and we will go in with a game plan as to what we want to do against them. We thought about getting a bus to ride to the game as a team, but we decided against that. We will all get ourselves out to the game a couple of hours before we play and settle in. The kids are really excited about playing in this game at Penn State. This season has been a terrific experience for both this team and our program.”
State Championship Stat Sheet:
Central Bucks South Titans (Flyers Cup Champion) [4-0]: Leo Flick (3 goals – 5 assists – 8 points); Dominic Bova (3-4-7); Mike Pilla (2-5-7); Kevin Casey (2-4-6); and Jake Bauer (3-2-5).
Canevin Crusaders (Penguins Cup Champion) [3-0]: Randy Unger (3 goals – 6 assists – 9 points); Blaine Adams (4-1-5); Liam Walsh (0-5-5); Alec Bosnic (2-2-4); Thomas Krivak (2-2-4).
State Championship Goalie Profile:
Central Bucks South Titans (Flyers Cup Champion) [4-0]: Aaron King (3-0) – 2.66 goals against average – 54 saves; Jeff Pelkowski (1-0) – 1.00 goals against average – 10 saves.
Canevin Crusaders (Penguins Cup Champions) [3-0]: Nikita Meskin (3-0) – 1.00 goals against average – 52 saves.
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