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By Ben Reese
HATFIELD — Ice hockey goals can be scored in any number of ways.
They can be scored on slapshots or wrist shots or backhanders. They can be scored at full strength or shorthanded or even on penalty shots.
But the ones you remember the most are the ones that really shouldn’t have gone in. They are the goals that stand out.
It was one of those that actually decided Council Rock South’s 5-3 victory over Pennridge on Wednesday night at Hatfield Ice. It really shouldn’t have gone in … but it did.
With the score tied at 2-2 after the Golden Hawks had netted the first two goals in slightly more than three-and-a-half minutes and the Rams had come back to tie the score, it happened.
Evan Mostoller scored the first goal for South at 1:50 and Jake Weiner put the Hawks up 2-0 at 3:34. However, Dane Fitchett at 4:47 and Shane Dakowski at 10:13 scored for the Rams to even things up.
Then, 27 seconds after Dakowski’s goal, the Hawks’ Illia Mukhin took possession of the puck at the right point in South’s offensive zone. He lofted the puck toward the goal, and it skipped past Pennridge goalie Jacob Gilbert for what proved to be a very important goal.
“It was a gift,” South coach Joe Houk said. “That third goal was big because it put us on top. It doesn’t matter how it goes in.”
Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna had a different perspective on that goal.
“It was a backbreaker,” he said. “We get back to 2-2 and that goes in; it’s a backbreaker.
“It’s a fluky goal. I want to say it can’t happen there. He’s not trying to allow that to go in. Nothing you can do about it.”
Mukhin’s teammate Ilya Kudzinan agreed that the goal was a bit odd.
“It was kind of fluky,” he said. “If you’re going to take a shot, at least get it on net. You never know what’s going to happen.”
When Pennridge scored those two first period goals to tie the game, it appeared that momentum had shifted toward the Rams. But then that third goal took some of the wind out of their sails.
“I thought the momentum had shifted toward us,” Montagna said. “What are you going to do - it happens.”
The second period was scoreless, but it wasn’t because of a lack of chances. Pennridge took 21 shots on goal and Rock South took 14.
“In the second period, we completely outplayed them,” said Montagna. “We had a period and a half worth of chances. We didn’t finish any.
“We had chances all over the place. The difference was Carson (Lopez, the Hawks’ goalie).
“He was great. We knew going in that that was the hurdle to overcome. He was giving up rebounds, but we weren’t getting there.
“He was making the saves that he had to make. If even one of those go (in the net), it’s a different game.”
Kudzinan saw things the same way.
“They got really good opportunities, but our goalie did a good job and protected the net really well,” he said. “He gives confidence to the team to push back at the other end.”
For Houk, it was a different story.
“In the second period, we probably spent three-quarters of that period shorthanded,” he said. “You don’t win games in the penalty box.
“We had to kill penalties the whole second period, but I thought we outplayed them in the third period. We had more opportunities. Good teams find a way to win, and we found a way tonight.”
In that third period, Mukhin punched in another goal for the Hawks and Chase Tovsky netted another to give Rock South a 5-2 lead. Pennridge got the game’s final goal from Kevin Pico with 39.9 seconds left in the game.
The third period was also the scene of a minor battle in the Pennridge offensive zone. Two players from each team were ejected including Lopez, which put forward Bobby Gilbert guarding the net for the final 48 seconds. Gilbert made two saves.
Council Rock South 5, Pennridge 3
CR South 3 0 2 — 5
Pennridge 2 0 1 — 3
First period: 1, Evan Mostoller CRS (Bobby Gilbert, Illia Mukhin) 1:52; 2, Jake Weiner CRS (Kevin Koles) 3:34; 3, Dane Fitchett P (Nate McKean, Andrew Lizak) 4:47; 4, Shane Dakowski P (Kevin Pico) 10:13; 5, Mukhin CRS (unassisted) 10:40.
Second period: No scoring.
Third period: 6, Mukhin CRS (Weiner, Ilya Kudzinan) 8:36; 7, Chase Tovsky CRS (Koles) 10:18; 8, Pico P (unassisted) 16:20.
Shots: CRS 40, P 44. Saves: Carson Lopez (CRS) 39, Bobby Gilbert (CRS) 2; Jacob Gilbert (P) 8, Jacob Winton (P) 27.
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