CB South, North Penn and Wissahickon were winners in Flyers Cup play on Monday night. To view photos of the CB South/Haverford and Wm. Tennent/Downingtown East games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
By Ben Reese
HATFIELD -- Playing a team from your league in the quarterfinals of the Flyers Cup could be a big advantage.
After all, you played them before and should know what to expect. The key word is "should.”
North Penn had played Pennsbury earlier in the season. In fact, it was in the first game of the year on Nov. 13 – a 7-6 Pennsbury win in a shootout.
So while the Knights had faced them before, it was a long time ago, and any ideas they had about Pennsbury were undoubtedly taken with a grain of salt.
In Monday’s rematch at Hatfield Ice, North Penn broke a 2-2 tie in the third period to earn a 4-3 win, advancing into Wednesday’s Flyers Cup semifinals against Ridley. The Green Raiders were a 3-2 overtime winner over Central Bucks West.
"We had a shootout with them the last time," North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis said. "We haven't seen them for four months so we didn't know exactly what to expect.
"I knew they were going to come out and work hard; they always do. They gave us a battle for 48 minutes."
The Falcons grabbed a 2-1 lead after the first period and looked to be primed for an upset of the No. 3 ranked Knights. But North Penn tied the game in the second period and then took a 4-2 lead early in the third before Pennsbury came back with a late goal.
"Playing a game last week like we did and winning 11-1 (over Abington) – the only bad thing about that is when you get down to the final eight, they’re much tougher games," Vaitis said. "Pennsbury came out and played well for 48 minutes and jumped on us.
“Going into the third tied was not exactly where we wanted to be, but the guys fought through it and we were able to get the win."
A lot of the credit for the victory goes to North Penn goalie John Roberts. He faced 41 shots and stopped 38 of them, negating the Falcons’ 41-32 advantage in shots.
"We got down early," Roberts said. "They scored two quick ones after we got up one.
"Our team rallied. The defense got the puck out and really helped me see the puck and I made the saves when I needed to. They came out firing. We had to come back at them."
Pennsbury coach Joe Deery was understandably disappointed.
"We outplayed them but we got stupid penalties," the Falcons’ coach said. "That hurt us all season.
"Our best player goes into the penalty box for 10 minutes. That killed us the whole third period. I thought the kids played well. We played a little dumb. That's about it."
Michael Raimo (Jared Barkley/Andrew Galetta assists) put North Penn on the board first with a goal only 1:49 into the first period. But the Falcons came storming back, using goals from Anthony Bench and Jack Kelly to take a 2-1 lead. Timmy Hynes assisted on Bench’s goal, and Kevin Koerner was credited with an assist on Kelly’s.
In that first period, Pennsbury also did some defensive work. The Falcons killed off a five-minute major penalty, refusing to allow the Knights to tie the game.
North Penn tied the game in the second on Jared Barkley's goal (Matt Fox assist) and broke it open in the third with back-to-back goals by Alex Peterson – the first with a Jake Heckenberger assist and the second with assists from Ryan Nowicki and Heckenberger. A goal with 1:30 left in the game by Bench (Nathan Raccagno assist) only got the Falcons close.
North Penn 4, Pennsbury 3
Pennsbury 2 0 1 – 3
North Penn 1 1 2 – 4
First period: Michael Raimo NP (Jared Barkley, Andrew Galetta) 1:49; Anthony Bench P (Timmy Hynes) 3:11; Jack Kelly P (Kevin Koerner) 5:30.
Second period: Barkley NP (Matt Fox) 13:06.
Third period: Alex Peterson NP (Jake Heckenberger) 2:21; Peterson NP (Ryan Nowicki, Heckenberger) 4:18 PP; Bench P (Nathan Raccagno) 14:30.
Shots: P 41; NP 32. Saves: Trevor Schadler (P) 28; John Roberts (NP) 38.
RIDLEY 3, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 2 (OT)
HATFIELD -- It might have been one of the strangest ending to a Flyers Cup game ever.
It certainly wasn't your typical ending.
With 5:50 left in the first overtime period, Central Bucks West was called for a penalty on a Ridley breakaway, which gave the Raiders a penalty shot. Jake Cross cashed in on it to move the Green Raiders into the semifinals against North Penn on Wednesday.
Actually, West goalie Jonah Brous made the save on the penalty shot. But the puck bounced up and over his left shoulder and into the net to end the game.
"I thought Jonah played it well," said West coach Dave Baun of his goalie who was credited with 38 saves. "I heard the shot hit his blocker and I thought it was a save. I was surprised to see it end up in the net."
Baun was a bit befuddled about the way the game ended.
"I don't remember the last time I saw an overtime game decided by a penalty shot," he said. "It was very unfortunate for us.
"He (the referee) made the call he thought was the right call, and if we'd stopped it, we'd probably still be playing."
Bucks’ captain Patrick Smith was disappointed with the outcome but not the effort.
"It was definitely a heartbreaker," he said. "Our team played our hearts out.
"I can't be disappointed. Sometimes games like these come down to one play and we were just on the unlucky side this time.”
The two teams were evenly matched throughout regulation. Both scored a goal in the first period and both scored a goal in the second.
However, Ridley goalie Brendahn Brawley ensured that the Raiders were still alive when the third period started. With 10:47 gone in the second period, he dove across the goal mouth to glove save a shot off a rebound by Smith, keeping the game tied at 2-2.
West had scouted the Raiders in their win over CB East on Sunday.
"We knew coming out they were going to be a tough defensive matchup," Smith said. "We weren't surprised."
Baun echoed similar sentiments.
"They played a very disciplined game," he said. "Their defense is very smothering.
"They collapse on the net. You see a lot of blocked shots out in front."
And Brawley played an outstanding game in net for Ridley.
"The goalie's a great goaltender," Baun said. "He does really well.
"He gets in front of the puck, and he doesn't let a lot of rebounds go. I give Ridley a lot of credit."
The Raiders jumped out to an early 1-0 lead as Michael Giampapa scored with 6:42 gone in the opening stanza. West came back in the waning seconds of the period with Smith netting the tying goal, using assists from Ryan Trefz and Scotty Cappuccio.
In the second period, the Bucks got their only lead of the game as Eddie Shields got credit for a goal that was knocked into the Ridley net by a Raider player. Slightly more than six minutes later, Ridley tied it up on Nick Catona's goal, setting the stage for the scoreless third period and the overtime.
Ridley 3, CB West 2 OT
Ridley 1 1 0 1 – 3
CB West 1 1 0 0 – 2
First period: Michael Giampapa R (Nick Catona) 6:42; Patrick Smith CBW (Ryan Trefz, Scotty Cappuccio) 15:32.
Second period: Eddie Shields CBW (unassisted) 2:46; Catona R (Jake Cross) 8:52.
Third period: No scoring
Overtime: Cross R (penalty shot)
Shots: R 41; CBW 32. Saves: Brendahn Brawley (R) 30; Jonah Brous (CBW) 38.
#1 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1, #8 HAVERFORD 0 (OT)
Sparked by the performance of Joey Harant in goal, the eighth-seeded Fords gave the Titans all they could handle. Harant turned away the first 39 shots the Titans sent his way until Leo Flick found the net 8:43 into overtime. Connor Matsinger had an assist on the game winner.
South goalie Aaron King turned away all 22 shots he faced in a strong effort, and the Titans needed every one of those to stay alive in Monday’s contest.
South will face Downingtown East in Wednesday’s semifinal found. The 13th-seeded Cougars upset fifth-seeded William Tennent.
GAME DETAILS
SCORING
08 Haverford High 0 0 0 0 0
01 Central Bucks South 0 0 0 1 1
SHOTS
08 Haverford High 7 6 8 1 22
01 Central Bucks South 11 11 7 11 40
POWERPLAYS
08 Haverford High 0 for 1 : 01 Central Bucks South 0 for 0
SCORING SUMMARY
Period 1
(no scoring)
Period 2
(no scoring)
Period 3
(no scoring)
Overtime
01 Central Bucks South - Leo Flick (Connor Matsinger) 8:43
GOALIES
31 Joey Harant LOSS 56:43 40 39
30 Aaron King WIN 56:43 22 22
PENALTY TOTALS
08 Haverford High 0 minutes on 0 infraction(s) 01 Central Bucks South 2 minutes on 1 infraction(s)
#13 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 6, #5 WILLIAM TENNENT 0
The Panthers never could find their offensive stride in Monday’s quarterfinal game. They managed just 13 shots, and Cougar goalie Jeff Cummings stopped all of them.
Joey Kubachka, who finished with the hat trick, put the Cougars on the scoreboard with a goal in the closing seconds of the opening period. His shorthanded goal 6:58 into the second period put the Cougars on top 2-0, and they upped that lead to three when Kubachka connected on a power play goal midway through the second period.
Downingtown East closed it out with third-period goals by Jack MaGee, Thomas Rocco and Jonathan Carreiro.
The Cougars will face top-seeded Central Bucks South in a semifinal game Wednesday.
GAME DETAILS
SCORING
13 Downingtown East 1 2 3 6
05 William Tennent 0 0 0 0
SHOTS
13 Downingtown East 8 6 11 25
05 William Tennent 5 6 2 13
POWERPLAYS
13 Downingtown East 1 for 1 : 05 William Tennent 0 for 2
SCORING SUMMARY
Period 1
13 Downingtown East - Joey Kubachka (Ben Robertson, Ottaviano Macchia) 15:58
Period 2
13 Downingtown East - Joey Kubachka (shorthanded) (Jack MaGee) 6:58
13 Downingtown East - Joey Kubachka (powerplay) (Collin Harple, Jack MaGee) 8:59
Period 3
13 Downingtown East - Jack MaGee (Luca Pisani) 2:39
13 Downingtown East - Thomas Rocco (Bobby Kiefer, David Rosati) 4:07
13 Downingtown East - Jonathan Carreiro (Collin Harple) 12:43
GOALIES
1 Jeff Cummings WIN 48:00 13 13
30 Benjamin Silver (b)
43 Christopher Lineman LOSS 48:00 25 19
30 Eric Lineman (b)
PENALTY TOTALS
13 Downingtown East 6 minutes on 3 infraction(s) 05 William Tennent 4 minutes on 2 infraction(s)
Class A
#5 WISSAHICKON 5, #12 HATBORO-HORSHAM 2
The Trojans scored three unanswered goals in the third period, breaking a 2-2 tie and earning a win that propelled them into Tuesday’s contest against fourth-ranked Springfield.
The Trojans struck first with a goal by Brandon Rosoff (Jacob Segelbaum assist) just 55 seconds into the opening period. That 1-0 lead stood until Hatboro’s Jacob Mueller connected on a power play goal 1:56 into the second period, using assists from Nathan Reilly and Max Thalheimer.
Jake Flancer scored an unassisted goal to put the Trojans on top 2-1, but Zach Aubry answered with an unassisted goal for the Hatters to knot the score 2-2. Keeping the Hatters in the game was goalie Ryan McElroy, who turned away 26 shots over the opening two period.
Rosoff (Matt Wilson/Dylan Alioto assists) scored 31 seconds into the third period to give the Trojans a lead they would not lose. Andrew Cade and Wilson (Kevin Schaeffer assist) added late goals to give the Trojans their final margin of victory.
Wissahickon held a lopsided 38-14 advantage in shots, but McElroy turned away 33 of those. Noah Katz turned away 12 of 14 shots in a winning effort for the Trojans.
GAME DETAILS
SCORING
12 Hatboro-Horsham 0 2 0 2
05 Wissahickon 1 1 3 5
SHOTS
12 Hatboro-Horsham 1 9 4 14
05 Wissahickon 17 11 10 38
POWERPLAYS
12 Hatboro-Horsham 1 for 2 : 05 Wissahickon 0 for 9
SCORING SUMMARY
Period 1
05 Wissahickon - Brandon Rosoff (Jacob Segelbaum) 0:55
Period 2
12 Hatboro-Horsham - Jacob Mueller (powerplay) (Nathan Reilly, Max Thalheimer) 1:56
05 Wissahickon - Jake Flancer (unassisted) 5:01
12 Hatboro-Horsham - Zach Aubry (unassisted) 6:57
Period 3
05 Wissahickon - Brandon Rosoff (Matt Wilson, Dylan Alioto) 0:31
05 Wissahickon - Andrew Cade (unassisted) 13:51
05 Wissahickon - Matt Wilson (Kevin Schaeffer) 15:31
GOALIES
30 Ryan McElroy LOSS 48:00 38 33
55 Noah Katz WIN 48:00 14 12
PENALTY TOTALS
12 Hatboro-Horsham 34 minutes on 9 infraction(s) 05 Wissahickon 6 minutes on 3 infraction(s)
Sunday, March 8, 2015
#10 RIDLEY 5, #7 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 2
The Green Raiders broke a scoreless tie with a pair of goals in the second period and never trailed the rest of the way, bringing an end to the Patriots Flyers’ Cup run.
Defense was the name of the game in the opening period as the two teams battled to a scoreless tie. Ridley’s Michael Desio and Brett Dunning scored back-to-back goals late in the second period before East’s Austin Chase connected on a shorthanded goal at the 14:36 mark of the period, using a Luke Rossi assist.
Angelo DeMucci’s power play goal early in the third period gave the Green Raiders a 3-1 lead before Chase found the net for his second goal of the game, this time using a Nick Esposito assist. The Green Raiders put the finishing touches on the win with late goals by Michael Desio (power play) and Nick Catona (empty net) for the 5-2 final.
The Patriots held a 28-26 advantage in shots. Winning goalie Brendahn Brawley turned away 26 shots.
GAME DETAILS
SCORING
10 Ridley 0 2 3 5
07 Central Bucks East 0 1 1 2
SHOTS
10 Ridley 8 9 9 26
07 Central Bucks East 9 11 8 28
POWERPLAYS
10 Ridley 2 for 10 : 07 Central Bucks East 0 for 5
SCORING SUMMARY
Period 1
(no scoring)
Period 2
10 Ridley - Michael Desio (Colin McCann, Nick Woods) 11:08
10 Ridley - Brett Dunning (Dante Giannantonio, Sean Dolan) 11:51
07 Central Bucks East - Austin Chase (shorthanded) (Luke Rossi) 14:36
Period 3
10 Ridley - Angelo DeMucci (powerplay) (Nate Dunning, Colin McCann) 1:34
07 Central Bucks East - Austin Chase (Nick Esposito) 12:17
10 Ridley - Michael Desio (powerplay) (Colin McCann, Sean Dolan) 14:00
10 Ridley - Nick Catona (emptynet) (unassisted) 15:19
GOALIES
1 Brendahn Brawley WIN 48:00 28 26
33 Evan Angotti LOSS 47:20 25 21
PENALTY TOTALS
10 Ridley 20 minutes on 6 infraction(s) 07 Central Bucks East 50 minutes on 13 infraction(s)
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