Rick Woelfel preview the 2018 Flyers Cup that begins on Monday. Seven SHSHL teams will compete in the 2018 Flyers Cup AA and three SHSHL team will compete in the 2018 Flyers Cup A.
Flyers Cup Preview
By Rick Woelfel
The Flyers Cup tournament was intended to bring together the finest high-school teams in the area and promote high-school hockey. It has been a resounding success on both counts.
The 39th edition of the tournament gets underway Monday. This year’s extravaganza will have a more streamlined look. The boys’ field has been reduced from 50 teams to 39 across three divisions. The Class 2A and Class 1A brackets will include 16 teams each (down from 20) while the Class 3A bracket for private schools will feature seven teams (down from 10 a year ago). There will also be a three-team girls’ division.
First-round games are set for Monday, March 5 in Class A and the following night in Class 2A. Quarterfinal games will be played Wednesday, March 7 (in Class A) and Thursday the 8th (Class 2A).
Semifinal games are scheduled for March 12 and 13. The Class A championship game is scheduled for Wednesday, March 14 at Ice Line in West Chester while the Class 2A tournament will conclude the following night at Hatfield Ice
Nine Suburban One teams will compete in this year’s event. Two-time Class 2A Flyers Cup champion Central Bucks South has earned the number-one seed. The Titans, who won both the Flyers Cup and state titles in 2014 and ‘16 dominated the Suburban High-School Hockey League again this season.
Coach Shaun McGinty says a big key to postseason success is doing the little things well. “It’s just a number and the kids have to come ready to go,” he said. “It’s all about playing disciplined this time of year, it’s the special teams, it’s the power [play, the penalty kill, it’s the line changes, it’s the small things.”
The Titans will open the tournament against 16th-seeded Boyertown in a 7:15 game at Warwick on March 6.
In other first-round games, Pennridge has drawn the third seed and will face number-14 Central Bucks East in a 7:10 game at Hatfield. Veteran coach Tom Coyne stepped behind the Rams’ bench in midseason and it took his players some time to adjust to the coaching change. But he feels things are moving in the right direction.
“It was a short run for me as far as when I came in,” he said, “but I just had to get an evaluation done and from there just kind of put the pieces together. Right now, it seems like we have found some of the things that are going to help us go forward.”
Fifth-seeded Council Rock South will face number-12 Haverford in a 9 p.m. game at Warwick. Central Bucks West, the 11th seed, will take on sixth-seeded Parkland in an 8:50 game at Hatfield. Number-nine North Penn travels to Ice Line to face number-eight Avon Grove (7:00 start) while 10th-seeded Council Rock North will be at the same venue at 8:50 to face seventh-seeded Downingtown West.
For some teams, appearing in the Flyers Cup is a regular occurrence. That’s not the case at Council Rock North however; the Indians have struggled in recent seasons. But this year has been different.
“Our team is very happy that we were able to qualify for the Cup,” said North coach Chris Gallagher. “And hopefully we can make a good showing in that first game against game against Downingtown West.”
Gallagher said past adversity strengthened this season’s team. “I think going through those lumps help them develop the resolve to come back in a lot of games. They came back in the third period and put a couple of teams away.”
Wissahickon has drawn the seventh seed in the Class A tournament. The Trojans will open Flyers Cup play against 10th-seeded Unionville in an 8:50 game next Monday at Hatfield Ice.
Upper Dublin is making its first Cup appearance in eight years. The Flying Cardinals missed the SHSHL Class A playoffs but earned a playoff invitation while two playoff qualifiers, Hatboro-Horsham and Abington, did not.
Upper Dublin coach Anthony Richichi, says there’s a lot of excitement around the program. “Here we are this year going 9-7 and beating two (Class 2A) teams,” he said. We’re really excited to be part of this now.”
Chris Barbera, Upper Dublin’s captain, is especially excited for the program’s return to the Flyers Cup. “My brother played (in the Flyers Cup) when I was younger,” he said. There was a really strong team when he played. Then when I came up they were not doing too hot and the second year the same way. So, to see us get in this year means a lot. We knew we were going to do all right with the freshmen coming up, but we didn’t know we were going to do this good.”
After not being part of the tournament for close to a decade, Barbera says this year’s return is especially meaningful. “Definitely,” he says. “We didn’t really know what to expect going into this year but now that we’re here, it really means a lot.”
Suburban One teams have won 11 Flyers Cup titles. In some instances they were part of the SHSHL, in others the now-defunct Lower Bucks County Scholastic Hockey League
2016 Central Bucks South Class 2A
2014 Central Bucks South Class 2A
2012 Council Rock South Class 2A
2011 Council Rock South Class 2A
2009 Council Rock South Class 2A
2000 Pennsbury Class 1A
1993 Pennsbury Class 1A
1992 Council Rock Class 2A
1991 Council Rock Class 3A
1989 William Tennent Class 3A
1988 Council Rock Class 3A
2018 FLYERS CUP AA
First round - Tuesday, March 6, 2018
(1) Central Bucks South vs. (16) Boyertown at Warwick, 7:15 p.m.
(8) Avon Grove vs. (9) North Penn at IceLine 3, 7 p.m.
(4) Pennridge vs. (13) Central Bucks East at Hatfield, 7:10 p.m.
(5) Council Rock South vs. (12) Haverford High at Warwick, 9 p.m.
(3) Conestoga vs. (15) Springfield at IceLine 1, 6:45 p.m.
(6) Parkland vs. (11) Central Bucks West at Hatfield, 8:50 p.m.
(7) Downingtown West vs. (10) Council Rock North at IceLine 3, 8:45 p.m.
(2) Downingtown East vs. (15) Perkiomen Valley at IceLine 1, 8:30 p.m.
2018 FLYERS CUP A
FIRST ROUND – Monday, March 5, 2018
(1) WC Rustin vs. (16) Radnor at IceLine 1, 7 p.m.
(8) Lower Merion vs. (9) Palmyra at Skatium, 8 p.m.
(4) Springfield vs. (13) West Chester Henderson at Aston 3, 6:30 p.m.
(5) Hershey vs. (12) Upper Dublin at IceLine 3, 6:45 p.m.
(3) Lower Dauphin vs. (14) Penncrest at IceLine 3, 8:30 p.m.
(6) Strath Haven vs. (11) Lower Moreland at Aston 3, 8:15 p.m.
(7) Wissahickon vs. (10) Unionville at Hatfield, 8 p.m.
(2) West Chester East vs. (15) Kennett at IceLine 1, 8:45 p.m.
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