Pennridge defeated Council Rock South in a rematch of last year’s SHSHL championship game.
By Vince Paravecchia
BRISTOL – Sometimes, there’s only so much you can do.
Council Rock South entered Thursday night’s SHSHL championship game rematch with Pennridge down nine varsity players. Seven of them were away for a club team tournament, while the other two were battling illnesses.
So, coach Joe Houk patched together a one-game roster featuring just one full varsity line and the maximum allowed five JV players. The Hawks held their own, but ultimately, didn’t have enough to avenge Pennridge’s title game victory last year, this time falling 7-4 in a game that was much closer than that.
“I think we handled it as good as we could. Next time we play them, it definitely won’t be a close game,” Hawks freshman Cole Gainsley said after his team’s first loss of the year.
In what was his third varsity game, Gainsley was called up from the JV squad to help deal with the player shortage. A former goalie for the CR South middle school team, he is now a high school forward and looked very much the part in this contest.
Midway through the first period, Gainsley blasted one from the left point and beat Pennridge goalie Jacob Gilbert to give the Hawks a 2-1 lead. Later, he got them back in the game after Pennridge pulled ahead by two early in the third period.
“I just shot it hoping for the best. It went in,” Gainsley said of his first goal.
Pennridge, though, proved to have too much firepower. The Rams answered Gainsley’s first goal just 19 seconds later on a shot by Andrew Savona, who also put things away late in the third with another goal that came from a tough angle near the side of Hawks goalie Carson Lopez that gave the Rams a 6-4 lead. As time went on, the Hawks tired out, and by the end of the game, were struggling to get to loose pucks and stopping counter rushes.
Colin Dachowski added an insurance goal for the 7-4 final.
“We were gassed, but you can only put five guys on the ice at a time,” Houk said. “The game plan was good, but we were tired.
Lopez, who is the Hawks starting goalie and came into the game with a 5-0 record and .947 save percentage, made 28 saves in the losing effort. The game-winner came on a counter rush by Pennridge’s Shane Dachowski, who scored twice and added an assist. His goal with time winding down in the second period broke a 3-3 tie and gave the Rams a lead they would not lose.
“We just had to play defense that worked into our offense,” said Rams junior Kevin Pico, who scored a goal and added three assists in the win. “It’s still good to get that win against them. It boosts our confidence.”
Gilbert added 26 saves for the Rams, who also got a two goal, two assist night from Andrew Savona. They improved to 4-2-0-0 with the win and 2-1 in SHSHL National play.
“I think at the beginning of the season, we didn’t have those bonds,” said Pico. “But now, we’re coming together and getting wins.”
The Hawks dropped to 6-1-0-0 and (1-1 SHSHL National), but anticipate getting their missing nine of Kevin Koles, Jeremy Rayher, Illia Mukhin, James Diiulio, Daniel Filippov, Gavin Nisenzon, Jake Weiner, Chase Tovsky and Ilya Kudzinau back for their next matchup, Dec. 23 against CB West at Bucks County Ice.
“I felt bad for them because they kind of got thrown to the wolves,” Houk said of his team. “It’s good to lose now (rather than later) because it makes you humble.”
Pennridge 3-1-3 7
Council Rock South 3-0-1 4
Shots: Pennridge 35, CR South 30. Saves: Jacob Gilbert (PR) 26, Carson Lopez (CRS) 28.
First period: 1. Andrew Lizak PR 12:50; 2. Jonah Weston CRS (Shaun Epstein/Sam Reiter) 10:35; 3. Cole Gainsley CRS (Evan Mostoller) 6:24; 4. Andrew Savona PR (Shane Dachowski/Kevin Pico) 6:05; 5. Kevin Pico PR (Andrew Savona) 3:28; 6. Blaize Pepe CRS 1:16.
Second period: 7. Shane Dachowski PR (Andrew Savona/Kevin Pico) 1:38.
Third period: 8. Shane Dachowski PR 10:38; 9. Cole Gainsley CRS 9:55; 10. Andrew Savona PR (Kevin Pico/Colin Dachowski) 4:34; 11. Colin Dachowski PR 28.2.
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