SOL SHSHL Ice Hockey Notebook (2-6-19)

CB East, William Tennent & Wissahickon are featured in this week’s notebook that includes scoring and goalie stats.

Continental Snapshot:
Young Patriots have sights set on playoffs - With three games left on the schedule, Central Bucks East is working to solidify its hold on a playoff spot. The Patriots stand at 9-4-1 and 4-4 in league play heading into a matchup against Abington on Thursday.

East is putting a young lineup on the ice, but the underclassmen have been effective. Freshman Sean Gorman leads the team in scoring with 18 goals and five assists for 23 points.

“That’s definitely been a big factor,” said East coach Ken Latchum.

Rob Kern is next in scoring with seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points. He and Gorman are the team’s only double-figure scorers, but the Patriots have been getting solid efforts at the other end of the ice.
Owen Connor has been impressive on the blue line and the Patriots have also been getting excellent work between the pipes.

Matt Oganowski has been the starter over the last month and is carrying a goals-against average of 3.25 (sixth in the league) with a save percentage of .855 in 12 appearances. Chris McIntyre saw a lot of time in net the first half of the season and is maintaining a goals-against-average of 2.60 and a save percentage of .912 in eight appearances. He leads the league (both divisions) in save percentage and stands third in goals- against average.

Heading into this week, East is allowing exactly three goals per game. If the playoff seeding were to be finalized now, the Patriots would be seeded seventh in the wake of a 4-1 loss last Wednesday to Central Bucks West, the team they’re tied with in the standings.

“We took a bit of a stumble against West,” Latchum said, “but overall, we’ve played pretty well.”

National Snapshot:
Inexperienced Panthers persevere - It’s been a difficult winter at William Tennent. The Panthers were just 3-9-2 overall and 1-7-1 in divisional play heading into Wednesday’s game against Council Rock South.

But coach Nick D’Aurizio is pleased with the leadership he’s been getting from his veterans.

“Bobby Markus is our senior captain,” he said, “and guys like Mason McKeever and Jared George are good team guys that we really rely on.

“We have a few juniors that are starting to break out like Tom Hartenstein and David Gray.”

Markus leads the team in scoring with 13 goals and nine assists for 22 points.

The Panthers are particularly thin on defense. Stephen Skiba was lost for the season with a leg injury. Zach Dever has stepped in to help fill the breach; he’s played both on the blue line and up front.

Trey Smith meanwhile has been one of his team’s unsung heroes. A junior who never played organized hockey before this winter, he stepped in goal at the start of the season because no one else was available. Thomas Lomas has also been spending time in goal, making five appearances. But Smith’s willingness to step into a tough situation may have literally saved Tennent’s season early on.

*****

Pennsbury and Truman squared off in their annual cancer benefit last Friday at Grundy Arena.  The Falcons prevailed 3-2 in the contest which raises funds for cancer patients in Bucks County, to cover services that insurance does not (paying someone to shop for a cancer patient, mow their yard, etc).

As usual, the game drew a standing room only crowd.

“They filled the stands and around the walkway,” said Truman coach Bill Keyser. There was a lot of fan energy on both sides.”

*****

A reminder, the SHSHL’s Class AA playoff qualifiers will be determined by points only, not by division finish.

Up-to-date standings are available at www.hokeyhappenings.wordpress.com

American Snapshot
Trojans atop conference standings —Wissahickon continues to set the pace in the SHSHL’s Class A American Division. The Trojans are 8-2-2 overall and 6-2-2 in divisional play, one point in front of Lower Moreland, two in front of Plymouth Whitemarsh and four clear of Hatboro-Horsham.

Sean Gary has scored 24 goals and added 17 assists for 41 points which ties him for third in the league scoring race, His brother has 25 goals and 15 assists for 40 points while Matt Cade had chipped in 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points.

As is often the case in the American Division, the Trojans are thin on defense. Senior Calle Kuffner is the most experienced blueliner but Coach Ken Harrington says his team has gotten a big boost from sophomore Nolan Ryan. A forward for his club team, Ryan volunteered to move to the blue line when it became clear the Trojans needed help here.

“He’s done fantastic,” Harrington said. “Last year he was very good too.”

Switching from forward to defense can be challenging for a player since a defenseman spends a lot of time skating backward. But Harrington says that hasn’t been a problem for Ryan.

“He works on his skating,” the Trojans’ coach said. “He really works hard.”

Michael Henderson has been solid in goal with a 4.33 goals-against average with an .833 save percentage.

The Trojans were scheduled to face the Upper Moreland/Wissahickon co-op team Wednesday night in a non-league game

Class AA Scoring Leaders

Class A Scoring Leaders

Goals Against Average

(Min. 240 minutes played)

Save Percentage

(Min. 240 minutes played)