North Penn, Souderton, CB South, CB East and CR South were winners in Wednesday night’s opening round Flyers Cup games. To view photos of the Souderton/Neshaminy and North Penn/Downingtown East games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
By BEN REESE
HATFIELD -- North Penn went into its first Flyers Cup game of the year against a team it knew little about.
The Knights played Downingtown East, the 14th seed in the tournament, scoring a goal in the second period and one in the third to offset an East tally for a 2-1 victory at Hatfield Ice on Wednesday night.
The Cougars gave North Penn all it could handle and then some. The Knights, seeded third, had to battle to get the lead and then hold onto it in the final minutes of play.
"They're a very good team," North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis said. "They played us extremely tough.
"I'll tell you what. That's a pretty good 14th seed.
"It's interesting with some of the matchups that come out. We knew going in that they would be a good team. We had to come out and bring our 'A' game."
And even their "A" game almost wasn't enough.
Jake Heckenberger scored the first goal of the game with 8:07 gone in the second period. The two teams had played a scoreless first period with Downingtown outshooting North Penn 9-6.
When Alex Peterson scored only 2:15 into the third period, the Knights exhaled. But then breathing got tight again when Alex Rocco scored for the Cougars seven minutes later.
Peterson's goal proved to be the winning one. And it was one that almost didn't happen.
"The puck got shot and ended up in the back of the net," Peterson said, explaining how he scored. "I kind of threw it out front.
"It bounced off a couple of their guys and barely crossed the line before their kid pulled it out. Lucky goal - still counts. That's all that matters."
Vaitis knew it was going to be an important goal for the Knights.
"The referee was in great position to keep that play alive," he said. "Alex did a great job playing until the whistle.
"The puck was still loose and he was able to tuck it in. That was a big goal for us.
"It was 1-0 there for a while. That goal gave us a little breathing room.
"We had a little breakdown and they came back to make it 2-1 and we were able to hold on for the win."
The play of North Penn goalie Jake Snyder was also key to the victory. He kicked out 24 of the 25 shots that he faced.
"Jake played awesome," Vaitis said. "He's been great all year.
"I've said this before that I think I've had the best goalies in the league. I think this year I have the best goalies.
"He's been phenomenal all year and he's really stepped up when we need him."
Peterson also appreciated the play of his team's net-minder.
"He basically won us that game," Peterson said of Snyder. "Twenty-five shots, 24 saves. He's been playing well all season."
After the scoreless first stanza, North Penn struck first. Heckenberger circled behind the net and stuffed the puck into the corner from behind, beating Downingtown goalie Jeff Cummings.
The score stayed that way until the 2:15 mark of the third period. Peterson got his goal to give the Knights a 2-0 lead.
That margin lasted until there was 9:21 gone in the period. Rocco fired a shot into the upper right corner to get the Cougars as close as they would get.
The North Penn defense rose to the occasion in the third period, especially in the final 45 seconds of the game when Downingtown pulled its goalie.
North Penn will face Parkland, a 7-4 winner over Spring-Ford. The game will be played Friday at Hatfield Ice.
Downingtown East 0 0 1 – 1
North Penn 0 1 1 – 2
First Period
No scoring. Penalty: Jake Heckenberger (NP) too many men bench minor 8:16.
Second Period
1. Heckenberger NP (Matt Stella, Alex Peterson) 8:07. Penalties: Austin Redilla (NP) roughing 14:58; Bobby Kiefer (DE) roughing 14:58.
Third Period
2. Peterson (Stella, Heckenberger) 2:15; 3. Alex Rocco DE (Tom Tapper) 9:21. Penalties: Peterson (NP) roughing 10:42; Ryan Nowicki (NP) unsportsmanlike conduct misconduct 10:42; Trevor Cohn (DE) roughing 10:42.
Shots: DE -- 25; NP -- 29. Saves: Jeff Cummings (DE) 27; Jake Snyder (NP) 24.
#4 Souderton 5, #13 Neshaminy 1
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
In their previous meeting, Souderton hammered Neshaminy 11-1. But this one was different.
Souderton still won the game, advancing in the Flyers Cup competition. But Neshaminy, coming off a come-from-behind win over Wilson in the play-in game, gave the Indians all they could handle for much of the game.
Souderton got two goals each from Alex Politsky and Daniel Rock and one from Charles Kakreka. Neshaminy's goal was scored by Alex Verdi.
"We knew it was going to be (a different game)," Souderton coach Matt Montagna said. "It was a tough game.
"It's the Flyers Cup. Win or go home."
Ploitsky who scored the first and third goals for the Indians, agreed with his coach.
"It was closer this time," he said. "We were in the (penalty) box. That was kind of bad."
Basically, that's how the third period went for the teams, especially Neshaminy. The Redskins were called for 13 penalties in the third period, leaving them short-handed for much of the final 16 minutes.
It also fueled Souderton's three-goal third period. Politsky, Rock and Kakreka all scored in the third.
"We've always been a good third-period team," Politsky explained. "Even if we get off to a slow start, by the third period we're picking it up."
Montagna certainly appreciates his two snipers, Politsky and Rock.
"They have (come through) all season," he said. "I thought that when we needed them, they came through."
Souderton plays Haverford, a 6-1 winner over Central Bucks West, on Friday at Hatfield Ice.
GAME DETAILS
SCORING
13_Neshaminy 0 1 0 0 1
4_Souderton 2 0 3 0 5
SHOTS
13_Neshaminy 8 12 0 1 21
4_Souderton 12 12 15 4 43
POWERPLAYS
13_Neshaminy 1 for 5 : 4_Souderton 2 for 19
SCORING SUMMARY
Period 1
4_Souderton - Alex Politsky (Kyle Milosek, Daniel Rock) 8:31
4_Souderton - Daniel Rock (Alex Politsky) 12:35
Period 2
13_Neshaminy - Nick Verdi (powerplay) (Mark Hullings) 8:36
Period 3
4_Souderton - Alex Politsky (powerplay) (Chris Malanga) 1:40
4_Souderton - Daniel Rock (Chris Malanga) 4:20
4_Souderton - Charles Kakreka (powerplay) (Chris Malanga) 8:19
Overtime
(no scoring)
GOALIES
30 Matt Sheley (NESH) LOSS 58:00 43 38
38 Dawson Anders (SOU) WIN 58:00 21 20
#1 Central Bucks East 5, #17 Pennsbury 2
The top-seeded Patriots opened up a 4-0 lead after two periods before the Falcons scored a pair of third period goals. Andrew Bily contributed three assists to lead the Patriots.
Shaun Bily scored the only goal of the first period, using Zach Davis and Andrew Bily assists. Three unanswered goals by Nick Chimera (Joe Ridolfi/Liam Kolar assists), Brennan Kolar (Zach Davis assist) and Sean Parahus (John Hughes/Andrew Bily assists) made it a 4-0 game after two periods.
Kevin Koerner (Cameron Borusiewicz assist) put the Falcons on the scoreboard four minutes into the third period, but Austin Chase (Andrew Bily/Ridolfi assists) answered for the Patriots. Pennsbury’s Larry Kolk (Luke Ledes/Borusiewicz assists) scored a late goal for the 5-2 final.
East held a 35-27 advantage in shots. Pennsbury goalie Trevor Schadler turned away 30 shots while his counterpart, East’s Steve Gilchrist, had 25 saves.
GAME DETAILS
SCORING
17_Pennsbury 0 0 2 2
1_Central Bucks East 1 3 1 5
SHOTS
17_Pennsbury 6 9 12 27
1_Central Bucks East 7 15 13 35
POWERPLAYS
17_Pennsbury 0 for 2 : 1_Central Bucks East 0 for 0
SCORING SUMMARY
Period 1
1_Central Bucks East - Shaun Bily (Zach Davis, Andrew Bily) 12:15
Period 2
1_Central Bucks East - Nick Chimera (Joe Ridolfi, Liam Kolar) 0:46
1_Central Bucks East - Brennan Kolar (Zach Davis) 1:11
1_Central Bucks East - Sean Parahus (John Hughes, Andrew Bily) 7:34
Period 3
17_Pennsbury - Kevin Koerner (Cameron Borusiewicz) 3:57
1_Central Bucks East - Austin Chase (Andrew Bily, Joe Ridolfi) 4:13
17_Pennsbury - Larry Kolk (Luke Ledes, Cameron Borusiewicz) 14:07
GOALIES
48 Trevor Schadler (PENNS) LOSS 48:00 35 30
49 Steve Gilchrist (CBE) WIN 48:00 27 25
#2 Central Bucks South 6, #15 Council Rock North 1
Dom Bova scored a goal and assisted on two others to lead the Titans while teammates Kevin Casey (two assists), Brandon Spognardi (two assists) and John Pohl (two goals) each had two-point nights. Only the dazzling 61-save effort in goal by Kyle McQuillan kept the Indians within striking distance.
The first period belonged to the Titans, who opened up a 3-0 lead while holding a 27-0 advantage in shots. South received single goals from Leo Flick (Spognardi/Mike Pilla assists), Bova (Kevin Casey/Jared Conroy assists) and Pohl. The Titans’ lead grew to 5-0 after goals by Bova (Casey/Jake Bauer assists) and Pohl (Spognardi/Tom Liberta assists) before Rock North got on the scoreboard on a Tristan Wieczorek goal late in the second period. Connor Matsinger (Bova assist) connected on a power play goal early in the third period to close out the scoring.
South held a 67-11 advantage in shots.
GAME DETAILS
SCORING
15_Council Rock North 0 1 0 1
2_Central Bucks South 3 2 1 6
SHOTS
15_Council Rock North 0 8 3 11
2_Central Bucks South 27 22 18 67
POWERPLAYS
15_Council Rock North 0 for 4 : 2_Central Bucks South 1 for 0
SCORING SUMMARY
Period 1
2_Central Bucks South - Leo Flick (Brandon Spognardi, Mike Pilla) 12:40
2_Central Bucks South - Dom Bova (Kevin Casey, Jared Conroy) 15:33
2_Central Bucks South - John Pohl (unassisted) 15:41
Period 2
2_Central Bucks South - Dom Bova (Kevin Casey, Jake Bauer) 2:04
2_Central Bucks South - John Pohl (Brandon Spognardi, Tom Liberta) 3:33
15_Council Rock North - Tristan Wieczorek (unassisted) 11:34
Period 3
2_Central Bucks South - Connor Matsinger (powerplay) (Dom Bova) 2:55
GOALIES
42 Kyle McQuillan (CRN) LOSS 48:00 67 61
13 Jeff Pelkowski (CBS) WIN 48:00 11 10
#8 Council Rock South 2, #9 Boyertown 1
Jason Brockman scored an unassisted goal 4:11 into overtime to propel the Golden Hawks to the dramatic win in a classic Flyers Cup battle at Bucks County Ice Sports Center.
Neither team scored in the opening period, although the Golden Hawks held a 10-3 advantage in shots. Nick Keck (Brian McBride assist) put the Golden Hawks on the scoreboard with a goal 6:34 into the second period. Stephen Moyer scored the equalizer on a power play goal in the closing seconds of regulation, setting the stage for overtime.
Rock South held a 29-21 advantage in shots. Rock South goalie Zack Magro turned away 20 of 21 shots he faced.
GAME DETAILS
SCORING
9_Boyertown 0 0 1 0 1
8_Council Rock South 0 1 0 1 2
SHOTS
9_Boyertown 3 5 12 1 21
8_Council Rock South 10 3 12 4 29
POWERPLAYS
9_Boyertown 1 for 3 : 8_Council Rock South 0 for 1
SCORING SUMMARY
Period 1
(no scoring)
Period 2
8_Council Rock South - Nick Keck (Brian McBride) 6:34
Period 3
9_Boyertown - Stephen Moyer (powerplay) (unassisted) 15:59
Overtime
8_Council Rock South - Jason Brockman (unassisted) 4:11
GOALIES
1 Thomas McLarnon (BOY) LOSS 52:11 29 27
46 Zack Magro (CRS) WIN 52:11 21 20
#5 Haverford 6, #12 Central Bucks West 1
The Fords jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two periods before the Bucks got on the scoreboard early in the third period on a power play goal by Tanner Ginn (Shawn Germann/John McCreadie assists). Haverford’s Mitchell Estes answered with a goal for the 6-1 final.
The Fords held a 38-29 advantage in shots. Goalie Jonah Brous turned away 32 shots.
GAME DETAILS
SCORING
12_Central Bucks West 0 0 1 1
5_Haverford 2 3 1 6
SHOTS
12_Central Bucks West 0 0 29 29
5_Haverford 2 3 33 38
POWERPLAYS
12_Central Bucks West 1 for 5 : 5_Haverford 1 for 7
SCORING SUMMARY
Period 1
5_Haverford - Joe Gibbs (powerplay) (John Gattone, Ryan McNelis) 4:42
5_Haverford - Joe Gibbs (Mickey McShane) 14:43
Period 2
5_Haverford - John Gattone (Joe Moran) 4:56
5_Haverford - Joe Moran (Shane Moran) 7:40
5_Haverford - Frankie McVeigh (Mitchell Estes, Colin Daly) 12:21
Period 3
12_Central Bucks West - Tanner Ginn (powerplay) (Shawn Germann, John McCreadie) 4:04
5_Haverford - Mitchell Estes (Stephen McCrossin) 10:46
GOALIES
31 Jonah Brous (CBW) LOSS 48:00 38 32
31 Joey Harant (HAV) WIN 48:00 29 28
#2 West Chester Rutin 8, #7 Upper Moreland 2
The Golden Bears fell behind early and spent the rest of the game playing catch-up. They trailed 4-1 after one period and saw that deficit grow to 6-1 before Matt Iehle scored late in the second period. It would be the Golden Bears’ last hurrah.
Iehle accounted for both of his team’s goals while Sean Lloyd assisted on both. Matthew Schilling also had an assist.
Rustin held a 37-24 advantage in shots. Upper Moreland goalie Patrick Beissel turned away 29 shots.
GAME DETAILS
SCORING
7_Upper Moreland 1 1 0 2
2_WC Bayard Rustin 4 2 2 8
SHOTS
7_Upper Moreland 1 1 22 24
2_WC Bayard Rustin 4 2 31 37
POWERPLAYS
7_Upper Moreland 1 for 8 : 2_WC Bayard Rustin 3 for 7
SCORING SUMMARY
Period 1
2_WC Bayard Rustin - Joel Sheriko (Harrison Layne) 2:37
2_WC Bayard Rustin - Brett Christie (powerplay) (Michael Grande, JR Barone) 9:13
7_Upper Moreland - Matt Iehle (powerplay) (Sean Lloyd) 9:54
2_WC Bayard Rustin - Michael Grande (unassisted) 11:13
2_WC Bayard Rustin - Armen Asdourian (Brett Christie, JR Barone) 14:06
Period 2
2_WC Bayard Rustin - JR Barone (powerplay) (Sergei Kern) 10:13
2_WC Bayard Rustin - Brett Christie (Michael Grande, Armen Asdourian) 13:32
7_Upper Moreland - Matt Iehle (Sean Lloyd, Matthew Shilling) 15:53
Period 3
2_WC Bayard Rustin - Brett Christie (Armen Asdourian, JR Barone) 0:26
2_WC Bayard Rustin - Michael Grande (powerplay) (JR Barone, Armen Asdourian) 13:54
GOALIES
31 Patrick Beissel (UMO) LOSS 48:00 37 29
30 Jason Grande (B_RUS) WIN 48:00 24 22
#6 West Chester Henderson 9, #14 Lansdale Catholic 6
Andrew Hart had a five-point night for the Crusaders, connecting for the hat trick and also contributing a pair of assists. Mike Longhitano added a goal and two assists.
Hart accounted for LC’s lone goal in a first period that saw Henderson go on top 2-1. That lead grew to 3-1 early in the second period, but LC’s Alex Slowik (Hart assist) scored to make it a one-goal game. Henderson’s Drew Wallace connected to put his team on top 4-2, but a John Volpe goal trimmed that lead to one. Henderson closed out the period with two unanswered goals to go on top 6-3.
LC made things interesting when Hart scored back-to-back goals to open the third period, but Henderson, which held a 35-31 edge in shots, had an answer for every Crusader comeback attempt.
GAME DETAILS
SCORING
14_Lansdale Catholic 1 2 3 6
6_WC Henderson 2 4 3 9
SHOTS
14_Lansdale Catholic 9 12 10 31
6_WC Henderson 17 9 9 35
POWERPLAYS
14_Lansdale Catholic 1 for 2 : 6_WC Henderson 0 for 1
SCORING SUMMARY
Period 1
6_WC Henderson - Matt Carreras (Eric Carreras) 0:16
14_Lansdale Catholic - Andrew Hart (Anthony Valerio, Mike Longhitano) 6:47
6_WC Henderson - Eric Carreras (Drew Wallace, Matt Carreras) 8:17
Period 2
6_WC Henderson - Eric Carreras (Kyle Wicka) 5:18
14_Lansdale Catholic - Alex Slowik (Andrew Hart) 5:27
6_WC Henderson - Drew Wallace (Eric Carreras, Kyle Wicka) 6:06
14_Lansdale Catholic - John Volpe (Andrew Hart) 7:40
6_WC Henderson - Eric Carreras (Drew Wallace) 9:02
6_WC Henderson - Eric Carreras (Kyle Wicka, Brendan Bolon) 12:38
Period 3
14_Lansdale Catholic - Andrew Hart (powerplay) (Mike Longhitano, Joe Nace) 2:59
14_Lansdale Catholic - Andrew Hart (unassisted) 3:34
6_WC Henderson - Kyle Wicka (Eric Carreras, Colin Applebee) 8:17
14_Lansdale Catholic - Mike Longhitano (John Volpe) 9:21
6_WC Henderson - Eric Carreras (emptynet) (Dylan Teeter) 14:49
6_WC Henderson - Drew Wallace (emptynet) (unassisted) 15:24
GOALIES
35 Helen Cooney (LC) LOSS 46:50 33 26
0 Tyler Bonjo (WCH) WIN 48:00 31 25
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