LC defeated Archbishop Wood in the first Winter Classic Thursday. To view photos of all the action, please visit the Photo Gallery.
By Dave Conard for Suburban One Sports
BRYN ATHYN—As bizarre as it may sound in today's ESPN, tweet the highlights ten minutes ago world, sometimes the outcome on the scoreboard means very little in comparison to the significance of the event itself.
A contest that fell into that category had hundreds of fans flocking to the Junge Pavillion on New Year's Day for the first annual winter classic ice hockey game between Philadelphia Catholic League rivals Lansdale Catholic and Archbishop Wood.
The Crusaders - who scored their first goal just 35 seconds into the tilt when Cole Crimlish posted his third goal of the year and closed out the scoring in their 7-4 win with an empty net tally by captain Tim Haney with 15 seconds remaining - had to scrap and fight for the 47 minutes in between to earn the right to be the first team to hoist the “Winter Classic” trophy.
“This is such an awesome thing for both schools,” said LC head coach Rocco Sexton. “We wanted to do something special when our Thanksgiving Eve game got canceled. We contacted Wood about starting an event like this that we could do annually, and they were as excited as we were about getting it together.”
“We then talked to the folks at Academy New Church high school about what we wanted to do and they have been unbelievable. Jared Junge has given us more support than we could have possibly imagined, and we have already talked about next year having two time slots and playing our alumni game before the classic.”
The Vikings got on the board with 9:07 remaining in the opening period on the first of two goals for Evan Capinas when he lifted the puck over the shoulder of senior net minder Helen Cooney on a feed from Tim Cordero. The duo would hit the repeat switch to put Wood in front 2-1 at the 3:54 mark of period one.
The 2-1 lead was short lived as Nick Sexton (1 goal, 1 assist) took a pass from Michael Longhitano and found the back of the Wood net with 2:05 left in the first period to knot the game at two heading into the first break.
“It was awesome to have Nick be involved like that,” said coach Sexton, who was also the proud father. “It's a dream come true to start what is going to be an annual tradition with your son on the team. To have him score that goal is something we will always have as a memory.”
The Crusaders, who controlled play for most of the second period, found themselves in a 4-3 hole as the teams headed into the locker rooms for the second intermission and ice resurfacing, thanks to a pair of goals from Cordero (2 goals, 2 assists) less than a minute apart in a frame where they were outshot by an 11-6 margin.
“Tim (Cordero) is a special player - he is a fighter and hates to lose,” said Wood head coach Sam Gallen. “He really battles in there and just never quits. He really sets the example for the younger players. This was such a great opportunity for us to come here and play in such a rivalry game. We really want to thank LC for asking us to play in this game. It’s something the kids look forward to every year.”
Unlike in league contests, the squads opted to have a 10-minute intermission between periods two and three, allowing time for the ice to be cut as well.
“It's good for the guys to get used to that time in between,” added Gallen. “If they go on and play in college, that's what they do. Unfortunately for us, I think we relaxed a bit during that break and they came out of with some jump and we just did not adjust.”
The experience of the inaugural classic is one that should resonate in the memory Michael Longhitano for a long time to come, as he recorded six points overall (3 goals, 3 assists) while scoring a hat trick, lighting the lamp at the 14:38 mark of the second period with a shorthanded goal and posting two more in the third period, the first on the power-play, to give L-C a 6-4 lead with 5:51 left to play in regulation.
Following two outstanding saves by Helen Cooney with five minutes left, coach Sexton and the Crusaders implemented their best New Jersey Devils trap impression, dropping back into a 1-2-2 defense that the Vikings could not penetrate.
“My guys played great in front of me today,” said 2012 Flyer's Cup winner Helen Cooney. “They let me see the puck, and when I made the save, they pushed it back up into their end. This is just a great thing for us seniors.
“They (Wood) are such a big rival of ours in so many sports. To have a special outdoor game like this is pretty cool and something we will always remember.”
“Once they got the lead and started trapping, it was tough for us to get good scoring chances” said coach Gallen. “We have graduated 16 seniors over the past two seasons, so we know we have some work to do, but these guys are really working hard and we have come a long way in our skills.”
As the clock ticked off the final seconds, the fans in attendance knew that had seen the dawn of a new tradition and another chapter in an already storied rivalry.
The players and coaches, meanwhile, realized an inception of a legacy that will endure long after the 39 young men and woman that stepped onto the rink on the first day of 2015 have moved on to college and their careers.
“This was pretty cool tonight to start a tradition with a rival like Wood,” said senior captain Tim Haney (2 goals) “We have had the chance to be involved with some awesome things over the past few seasons, winning the Flyers cup my sophomore year and starting something like this that we will always be able to say we were the first ones is pretty amazing and something I will never forget.”
“We have tried as coaches to help these kids realize the big picture,” added coach Sexton. “Events and things like this don't come along every day. Someday these guys may work in the same firm or office with each other, and it will always be a source of pride to know that we came out on top today.
“We really want them to learn to enjoy life victories and be ready t bounce back from its defeats, and as coaches that’s what we have to do. This has just been fantastic and we are already looking forward to next year’s rematch.”
Archbishop Wood 2 2 0 – 4
Lansdale Catholic 2 1 4 – 7
Shots on goal Lansdale Catholic 9-6-5 -20 Archbishop Wood 5-11-5-21
Scoring
First Period
15:25 LC Crimlish (3) –Longhitano
9:07 AW Capinas (4)- Cordero
3:54 AW Capinas (5)- Cordero, Schisselberger
2:05 LC Sexton (3)- Loghitano
Second Period
14:38 LC Loghitano (17) SH – Sexton
2:22 AW Cordero (5) –McGettigan
1:39 AW Cordero (6) - Sheehan, Pflugfelder
Third Period
14:55 LC Longhitano (18) PP – Crimlish
7:00 LC Haney (2) –unassisted
5:51 LC Longhiatno (19)- Schimony
:14 LC Haney (3) empty net
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