SHSHL Tournament Preview (3-1-23)

03/01/23 3:19am Posted by editor

By GORDON GLANTZ

And now the plot seriously thickens …

By the end of this week, we will know who the champions are in both divisions of the SHSHL.

Beyond that, the Flyers Cup Tournament awaits, as pairings are hot off the presses.

On Wednesday night, the American division championship game will be played while the two semifinal clashes in the National will take place, with the winners playing the following night for the title.

Beginning March 6, the Flyers Cup will begin.

Here is a closer look at this week’s crucial matchups:

American Conference

Abington vs. Plymouth Whitemarsh, Hatfield Ice Blue, 7:20

Abington

  • 15-0-1-1 overall
  • 10-0-1-1 American
  • Scored 137 goals and allowed 43
  • In just 11 games, Matthew Kramer has 26 goals and 11 assists. In 10 games, Pat Stelacio has 18 goals and 11 assists.
  • The supporting cast includes Ian Heydt (13 goals, 20 assists), Sam Abramson (14 goals, 19 assists), Sam Paulik (18 goals, 14 assists) and Jordan Heydt (17 goals, 8 assists).
  • Additional production has come from defensemen Ryan Portner (5 goals, 11 assists), Brian Murdoch (3 goals, 11 assists) and Sean Doyle (2 goals, 6 assists).
  • Goalie Sam Nemec (10-1-1) boasts a 2.97 goals against average and a .910 save percentage.
  • The Ghosts are 3-0 against the Colonials this year. They posted wins on Nov. 3 (8-5), Jan. 5 (5-1) and Jan. 26 (4-3). In that most recent meeting, PW held leads of 2-1 and 3-2 after the first two periods before two third-period goals by Paulik gave the Ghosts the margin of victory and himself the hat trick.

Coach Ken Brzozowski says: “We are looking forward to a competitive game. We know PW will come with their best game. We hope to match their intensity and leverage our senior leadership.”

Up next: On Tuesday, March 7, the #12 Ghosts will take on #5 Pennsbury at Grundy (6:15 p.m.) in the first round of the Flyers Cup Tournament.

Plymouth Whitemarsh

  • 12-6-0 overall
  • 8-5-0 American
  • Scored 91 goals and allowed 52
  • The Colonials are led by Matthew Flynn, who now has 50 points (28 goals, 22 assists) in 18 games. The supporting cast includes David Branigan (13 goals, 27 assists) and Dylan Novitski (17 goals, 12 assists).
  • Timothy Murphy has 9 goals and 13 assists from the blue line.
  • Goalie Christopher Maslij is now 11-5 and has turned in an outstanding season with a 2.81 goals against average and .898 save percentage.
  • PW advanced to the title clash with an authoritative 7-2 win over Quakertown. Despite being outshot, 24-20, in first period, the Colonials led, 1-0, after one period on a strange even-strength goal from center ice by Isaac Mishkin.  They were up, 3-1, after single goals by both Novitski and Flynn, who also had two assists. The game was broken open on successive goals from Flynn, Branigan and Novitski in the first 10:38 of the final period. After a Quakertown tally, Conlan Carpenter finished off the scoring. Maslij stopped 35 of 37 shots (.946 percentage). Forced into a more regular role due to injury, Charlie Spause stepped up with two assists.

Coach Dave Cox says: “We are very much looking forward to Wednesday night. Every game has been really good with them. They are a strong team, and I have coached a lot of their kids before at the club level, and a lot of our kids now play with some of their kids at the club level. I don’t think we could have picked a better opponent, just for sentimental value. We have been playing pretty good hockey, especially with all of the obstacles we have faced this year. As of late, the boys are really coming together. We’re resilient. Nothing really sticks to us. We know what we have to do. We just have to go out and do it. We’re excited. We’re eager. We’ll have our fans there. This is a memory that they’ll carry with them, win or lose.”

Up next: The Colonials will move on to the Flyers Cup on March 6 (7 p.m., Skatium) against Penncrest. They will go in as the No. 9 seed in Class A. Penncrest is No. 8.

National Conference

Pennridge vs. Pennsbury, 8:30, Hatfield Gray

Pennridge

  • 13-4-0 overall
  • 8-2-0 National
  • Scored 107 goals and allowed 63
  • The attack is spearheaded by Kevin Pico (24 goals, 25 assists), Andrew Savona (18 goals, 27 assists) and Shane Dachowski (19 goals, 14 assists).
  • Depth scoring comes from Dane Fitchett (10 goals, 7 assists), Andrew Lizak (8 goals, 5 assists) and Tyler Manto (6 goals, 6 assists).
  • The defense is led by Colin Dachowski (5 goals, 15 assists, Trey Mikiluch (1 goal, 7 assists) and Nick Young (3 assists).
  • The two Jacobs (Gilbert and Winton) share time in goal with almost identical stats. Winton is 7-1 with a 3.64 goals against average and a .871 save percentage. Gilbert is 6-3 with a 3.77 goals against average and .847 save percentage.
  • The Rams and Falcons split their two regular season meetings. Pennsbury won, 6-3, on Nov. 3 but Pennridge rolled to an 11-4 win on Jan. 12.

Up next: The defending state champions, the Rams , seeded second, will take on #15 Lower Merion in Class AAA in the first round of the Flyers Cup on March 6 or 7 at Hatfield.

Pennsbury

  • 13-5-0 overall
  • 9-2-0 National
  • Scored 66 goals and allowed 42
  • The Falcons are led by sniper Brendan Macainsh, who has 34 goals and added 19 assists in 18 games. Andrew Falkenstein has added 6 goals and 26 assists from the blue line. Depth scoring comes from the likes of Justin Martin (15 goals, 16 assists) and Logan Doyle (11 goals, 12 assists).
  • Primary goalie Aaron McDaniel (11-5) has posted a 3.92 goals against average and a .856 save percentage.
  • Macainsh was one-man wrecking crew in the first period of the quarterfinal game against CB East, potting three power-play goals to stake the Falcons to a 3-0 lead. The Patriots were able to get close, at 4-3, but Shane Gleisnner and Chris Sarver scored to create distance. Macainsh also had a pair of assists, figuring in five of his team’s six goals.

Up next: Abington, seeded 12th, awaits in the first round of the Flyers Cup on March 7 at Grundy (6:15 p.m.). Pennsbury is the 5th seed.

Council Rock South vs. Neshaminy, Grundy, 7:20

Council Rock South

  • 15-1-0-1 overall
  • 9-0-0-1 National
  • Scored 91 goals and allowed 34
  • The attack is led by Blaize Pepe (12 goals, 16 assists), Kevin Koles (11 goals, 16 assists) and Jake Weiner (19 goals, 8 assists).
  • There is plenty of balance in the likes of Jeremy Rayher (8 goals, 9 assists), Chase Tovsky (4 goals, 10 assists), Gavin Nisenzon (8 goals, 5 assists), Illia Mishkin (4 goals, 9 assists) and Bobby Gilbert (7 goals, 5 assists).
  • Key defenders, in support of Koles, include Daniel Filippov (2 goals, 7 assists) and Evan Mosteller (6 assists).
  • Goalie Carson Lopez (12-1) is allowing just 1.82 goals per game and has an impressive .926 save percentage.
  • Council Rock South won both prior meetings – 4-1 on Nov. 30 and 7-2 on Feb. 15.

Coach Joe Houk says: “Neshaminy is a good team. We need to stay in our lane and continue working hard. We need to limit our mistakes, keep pucks deep and control the neutral zone. The boys are excited and ready to go.”

Up next: Houk’s squad will be the top seed in Class AA of the Flyers Cup, taking on #16 Spring-Ford in the first round at Grundy (8:15, March 7).

Neshaminy

  • 12-5-1 overall
  • 7-3-1 National
  • Scored 76 goals and allowed 46
  • Max Gallagher leads the attack with 26 goals and 12 helper. Others include Nolan Geria (11 goals, 17 assists) and Daniel McColgan (7 goals, 14 assists).
  • The defense is sound with Geria, Michael Knipple (2 goals, 8 assists), A.J. Dougherty (3 goals, 4 assists) and J.J. Hathaway (4 goals, 1 assist).
  • Cory Hemberger (2.83 goals against, .909 save percentage) is the main netminder.
  • Neshaminy advanced with a 6-3 win over CB South, building a 3-0 lead after two periods, despite being outshot, 28-13, in those frames. The Titans roared back in the final period, cutting the lead to a precarious 4-3, but the ticket to the next round was secured on goals by Sean Cutter and Gallagher’s second of the game. Nolan Geria also had two goals in the win. Hemberger stopped 33 of 36 shots (.917 percentage) and Neshaminy limited the Titans to two goals on 10 tries with the man advantage.

Coach Matt DeMatteo says: “Huge challenge ahead but we’re prepared to give them our best effort. We just have to focus on the details and put in the work to execute the plan. This is group of guys can get it done. It’s one game. Anything can happen.”

Up next: Neshaminy’s season will continue in Class AA Flyers Cup action with a contest against #7 Haverford on March 7 (7 p.m.) at the Skatium. Neshaminy is the 10th seed.

Stayin’ Alive

Three SHSHL teams recently eliminated from the league’s postseason will also be in the Flyers Cup.

  • Wissahickon is in the Class A fray but will be the No. 15 seed facing No. 2 West Chester Rustin on its home ice at Ice Line Arena on March 6.
  • In Class AA, #14 CB East will be up against #3 Avon Grove at Ice Line (6:30 p.m.) on Tuesday, March 7, while #11 CB South has been matched up against #6 Owen J. Roberts, also Tuesday at Ice Line (8:30 p.m.).

 

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