CR South Captures Harrington Cup

Council Rock South defeated CR North 5-1 to capture the program’s ninth Harrington Cup on Wednesday. To view photos of all the action, please visit the Photo Gallery.

By Mary Jane Souder

WARWICK – This one matters.

That much was apparent long before the opening face-off of Wednesday night’s annual Harrington Cup game pitting neighboring Council Rock North against Council Rock South.

From the packed parking lot and the overflow crowd inside the Rink at Warwick to the raucous fans cheering their team’s every move, there’s something special about the annual rivalry game.

“It always starts during warm-up,” Rock South’s Brian McBride said. “We’ve got our shiny shoes on, we go to warm-ups, we do our thing, we get back in the locker room – the music’s going.

“When you look up and see the crowd cheering, you just gain a lot more momentum. It just helps you all throughout the game.”

The Golden Hawks continued their dominance in Rock Cup play, winning their ninth cup with a 5-1 win, and if it seems as though this would be old hat, you don’t know a whole lot about this rivalry.

“To me, it’s the biggest game of the season,” Rock South’s Chad Weiner said. “Really, nothing else matters besides this game.

“Obviously, once we get past this game we move on, but this is something – since I’ve been on the team – that I’ve looked forward to every single year. It’s just the best feeling when we go out and beat them over and over again.”

The Golden Hawks set the tone early, getting on the scoreboard just 79 seconds into the contest on a Jay Jenkins goal (Kyle Bradley assist).

“I think that first goal is always the most important goal,” Rock South’s Justin Adams said. “When you look up and see the crowd cheering, you just gain a lot more momentum. It just helps you all throughout the game.”

If the Indians needed additional momentum, they got it when Dylan Varian (Adams assist) scored a short-handed goal on a breakaway, giving the Golden Hawks a 2-0 lead just over seven minutes into the game.

When Brady scored an unassisted goal – also shorthanded, Rock South led 3-0 ten minutes into the contest. The tone was set, according to coach Joe Houk, with the early goal by Jenkins.

“I think that helped us,” the Golden Hawks’ coach said. “It kind of set the tempo of the game. It gives you energy.

“You come out sometimes in games like this, and it goes the other way, and it just takes the wind out of your sails. Plus when you’re playing guys you know, you’re friends and everybody lives in the same neighborhood – you just wear a different color, it’s a key to get the early goal.”

The Golden Hawks took that three-goal advantage into the second period when they added their third straight shorthanded goal – this one by Weiner (Jenkins assist) 10:33 into the period.

“On penalty kills, you just have to be patient,” Adams said. “You have to wait for their mistakes, and you have to capitalize when they mess up.”

Weiner’s goal – into the top corner – came moments after a Rock North turnover in the Indians’ defensive end.

“We scored three shorthanded goals, and they weren’t flukes either,” Houk said. “They were really good shots.”

The Golden Hawks led 4-0 after two periods, and Varian made it 5-0 when he scored a power play goal (Adams assist) early in the final period. Zach Herman broke up the Golden Hawks’ shutout bid when he scored 6:21 into the third period for the 5-1 final.

All but lost in the shuffle in the Hawks’ big win was their stellar defensive effort that limited the Indians to just nine shots.

“Honestly, it all starts with the strong offense,” said Weiner, a defenseman. “With their help, we can accomplish anything.

“It all starts at the beginning of the game where – if we pick up the intensity, their offense will be scared of us the whole game.”

The Golden Hawks held a commanding 40-9 advantage in shots. Goalie Mason Procz turned away eight of nine shots he faced.

“I thought our defense tonight was awesome,” Houk said. “Our goaltender, Mason, did an excellent job.

“I just thought all in all it was a team effort. We got in a little bit of trouble penalty-wise in the beginning, but it always evens itself out, and it did. I had two seniors that play on the jayvee team, and they were part of everything. They play hard.”

Houk also had high praise for his third and fourth lines.

“Your top two lines are always supposed to put points on the board,” he said. “I thought our third and fourth lines did a really good job today, and that’s always the key to success.

“Our third and fourth lines are doing a great job the last couple of games. We have a lot of work to do this year. We don’t have any real superstars, but we’re pretty deep. If I can get good goaltending, we’ll be okay in the long run.”

The players admit they have high hopes.

“Personally, I think we have the opportunity to succeed throughout the whole year,” Weiner said. “I think we have the ability to go further than we did last year. I believe in my team.”

EXTRA SHOTS:  The evening began with a check presentation by Council Rock North to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Association in the amount of $2,814…Rock North goalie Andy Cicconi turned away 35 shots in a busy night…The Harrington Cup, better known as the Rock Cup, is named after a man whose son, who played for Council Rock, died tragically in a drowning accident. It began with the family giving a $10,000 scholarship to a college-bound senior at the team’s annual banquet. The recipient wrote an essay as part of the application process. When Council Rock split into two schools, the family chose to give a $10,000 scholarship to a college-bound senior from both Rock North and Rock South. It’s the story of a family creating a remarkable legacy out of tragedy.

Council Rock South 5, Council Rock North 1
GAME DETAILS
SCORINGCouncil Rock South    3           1           1           5
Council Rock North    0           0           1           1
SHOTS
Council Rock South    7         16        17         40
Council Rock North    3           3           3           9
POWERPLAYS
Council Rock South 1 for 5 : Council Rock North 0 for 5
SCORING SUMMARY
Period 1
Council Rock South - JAY JENKINS (KYLE BRADLEY) 1:19
Council Rock South - DYLAN VARIAN (shorthanded) (JUSTIN ADAMS) 7:18
Council Rock South - KYLE BRADLEY (shorthanded) (unassisted) 10:01
Period 2
Council Rock South - CHAD WEINER (shorthanded) (JAY JENKINS) 10:33
Period 3
Council Rock South - DYLAN VARIAN (powerplay) (JUSTIN ADAMS) 4:52
Council Rock North - Zach Herman (unassisted) 6:21
GOALIES
30 MASON PROCZ     (CRS)       WIN      48:00    9       8
33 CHRISTIAN GEORGE (b)
35 Andy Cicconi   (CRN)           LOSS      48:00   40    35
PENALTY TOTALS
Council Rock South 18 minutes on 9 infraction(s) Council Rock North 18 minutes on 9 infraction(s)

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