CR South defeated William Tennent in a battle of National Conference powers. Check our gallery to view photos of the Pennridge vs CB East game...CLICK HERE!
By Ben Reese
WARWICK -- It should have been a good game.
After all, it pitted the top two teams in the Suburban High School Hockey League's National Conference against each other. The top team, William Tennent, had 25 points and had only lost once while the second place team, Council Rock South, had 23 points with three losses.
However, one team came out strong and the other, well, the other didn't. The one that came out strong, Council Rock South, dominated the other team, William Tennent, 9-0 at Revolution Ice Gardens Thursday night.
What the Golden Hawks' victory means is that the two teams are now tied atop the National Conference with 25 points. Rock South's regular season is over but Tennent has one more game, against Archbishop Wood. A win for the Panthers would give them the title.
For Rock South Joe Houk, things couldn't have gone better. Everything the Golden Hawks tried worked.
"We've been struggling all year and we lost to these guys the first time," Houk said. "So we knew we had to play good.
"I thought tonight was a solid win. I thought everybody played solid - goaltending, defense, offense.”
Throughout the game, the puck seemed to find the Rock South sticks at just the right places. That was especially true on offense as the Hawks scored four goals in the first period, three in the second and two in the third.
Meanwhile South goalie Mason Procz was shining in the nets. He kicked away all 26 Tennent shots to earn the shutout.
Alex Keck and Max Bergman led the way for South with two goals each. Keck got things rolling with only 1:45 elapsed in the game with his first goal.
"We came out strong," Keck said. "We came in thinking it was going to be a tough game.
"We came out and we all worked together real well. It's definitely nice to come out strong, going strong on offense, attacking the net."
The Golden Hawks attacked the net so much that they drove starting Tennent goalie Eric Lineman to the bench in the second period.
There were so many things that Rock South did well, but Houk liked the way they played a smart brand of hockey.
"We didn't over pursue a lot of stuff," he said. "The kids were being smart and limiting their time on the ice.
"We managed the game properly. When you manage your shifts, the game, overall I think you have the upper hand in every battle."
Of course, for everything to go right for Council Rock South, everything had to go wrong for William Tennent. And that pretty much sums up the game.
"In hockey, there are bad nights and we had ourselves a bad night," said Tennent coach Nick D'Aurizio. "They beat us in every facet of the game.
"We didn't have an answer. They buried every opportunity they could. Before we knew it, we blinked and we were down by six.
"They had an answer for everything we did. They won every battle. They wanted it and we didn't."
As mentioned, Keck opened the scoring early in the first period off an assist from Michael Kauffman for a 1-0 lead. It remained that way for more than nine minutes.
During that span, the Golden Hawks had to kill off a two-man disadvantage, which they did.
At the 10:54 mark, Austin Price added the second goal of the game. In short order after that, Bergman got his first goal and Keck finished off the scoring in the period with a short-handed tally.
Things didn't improve for Tennent in the second period. Rock South took 15 shots on goal in the period and scored on three of them.
Nicholas Meli scored South's fifth goal at 1:52 of the second. That spelled the end for Lineman who was replaced in net by Bryan Davis.
Dylan Varian beat Davis with the first shot the Panther net-minder faced, and Bergman netted his second goal, scoring off the face-off from the circle to Davis' right.
The Golden Hawks continued to put the pressure on the Panthers in the third period. Trey Elmer and Justin Adams completed the scoring with their third-period goals.
Both teams will participate in the SHSHL playoffs next week. The only question will be where they will be seeded. Tennent's game against Wood could decide that.
Council Rock South 9, William Tennent 0
William Tennent 0 0 0 – 0
Council Rock South 4 3 2 – 9
First period: 1. Alex Keck CRS (Michael Kauffman) 1:45; 2. Austin Price CRS (Trey Elmer, Jake Houk) 10:54; 3. Max Bergman CRS (Justin Adams, Matthew Owens) 12:59; 4. Keck CRS (Darren Barder) 13:37 SH.
Second period: 5. Nicholas Meli CRS (Barder, Joe Marcella) 1:52; 6. Dylan Varian CRS (Adams) 2:44; 7. Bergman CRS (unassisted) 6:00.
Third period: 8. Elmer CRS (Marcella, Meli) 4:58; 9. Adams CRS (Josh Vergules) 8:52 PP.
Shots: WT 26; CRS 41. Saves: Eric Lineman (WT) 5; Bryan Davis (WT) 22; Mason Procz (CRS) 26.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 5, HARRY S TRUMAN 4
Things just got real interesting in a battle for the top spot in the American Conference standings. With one game remaining – against each other on Friday night, the two teams are separated by just one point. The Tigers (13-1) have 26 points and a tenuous hold on first place while the Indians (12-1-1) have 25.
The Indians needed a three-goal third period to eke out the dramatic come-from-behind win.
Truman struck first with a pair of goals in the opening three minutes of the game. Kyle Bennett scored both – both had Michael Roarty assists. The second, which came just 2:53 into the period, was a short-handed goal. The Tigers led 3-0 when William Findlay scored 10 minutes into the period, using assists from Steven Avellino and Roarty. The Indians had an immediate response as Zachary Herman (Daniel Guest/Mark Tosti assists) scored 13 seconds later. Cavan Tully (Kameron Bontempo/Andrew Speeney assists) found the net to make it a 3-2 game at the end of one period.
Neither team scored in the second period, and it was still a 3-2 game late into the third period when the Indians’ offense erupted. Tosti scored the equalizer 9:21 into the period with assists from Tully and John Vanni. Tully’s goal just over a minute later (Speeney assist) gave the Indians their first lead, and when Herman scored at the 12:05 mark (Tosti/Guest assists), the Indians led 5-3. A goal by Avellino 13:39 in made it a 5-4 game, but the Indians held on for the win.
Rock North goalie Chase D’Arcangelo was credited with 24 saves in a winning effort.
Counci Rock North 2-0-3 5
Harry S Truman 3-0-1 4
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 3, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1
In a classic battle between the Continental Conference’s top squads, the Titans earned a hard-fought win that kept them unbeaten. A high-powered Titan attack generated 42 shots, but the glittering 39-save effort of goalie Jonah Brous kept the Bucks in the game until the end.
Jason Bechtel put the Titans on the board 14 minutes into the opening period, scoring a short-handed goal with a Matt Stoll assist. Twenty-eight seconds later, Joseph DeLaurentis connected on an even strength goal, and the Titans led 2-0.
Ryan Trefz found the net on a power play goal 50 seconds in the second period, using a John McCreadie assist, and just like that, it was a 2-1 game. That, however, would be the extent of the Bucks’ scoring, and Damon DeLaurentis turned a Joseph DeLaurentis pass into a goal 7:31 into the third period for the 3-1 final.
Kevin Dorozinsky turned away 23 of the 24 shots he faced to earn the win in goal for the Titans.
Central Bucks West 0-1-0 1
Central Bucks South 2-0-1 3
PENNSBURY 7, NESHAMINY 6
The Falcons solidified their spot in the SHSHL playoffs with a hard fought win over their archrivals on Thursday night. Jack Kelly led the Falcons with one goals and three assists for four points while Ian Dixon had a big night for the ‘Skins, finishing with three goals and two assists for five points.
Dixon’s power play goal 3:11 into the game with an Antonio Alicea assist gave the Redskins an early 1-0 lead, but Nathan Raccagno (Zach Wilkins/Jack Kelly assists) answered for the Falcons. Eleven seconds later, Anthony Bench (Ryan Michael) found the net, and the Falcons led 2-1. A late goal by Neshaminy’s Aric Miller (Dixon assist) knotted the score 2-2 at the end of one period.
Back-to-back-to-back goals by Michael (Zach Wilkins/Griffin Foll assists), Jake Sieger (Raccagno assist) and Raccagno (Kelly/Wilkins assists) put the Falcons on top 5-2, but the Redskins closed out the period with a pair of Dixon goals, the second on a power play, to make it a 5-4 game heading into the final period.
Ryan Mudrick’s power play goal just over a minute into the period (Sieger/Kelly assists) put the Falcons on top 6-4, but the Redskins came roaring back. Anthony Sabatini turned a Dixon pass into a power play goal, and when Miller scored with a Conor Loftus assist less than a minute later, the two teams were deadlocked. Kelly’s goal 4:50 into the period gave the Falcons a lead they would not lose.
Both teams took 48 shots, underscoring just how tightly contested the contest was between the neighboring rivals. Pennsbury goalie Trevor Schadler turned away 42 shots in the win.
Pennsbury 2-3-2 7
Neshaminy 2-2-2 6
Wednesday, Feb. 17
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 4, HATBORO-HORSHAM 2
The Colonials led from wire to wire in Wednesday’s contest against the Hatters.
A goal by Joseph Eisenlohr (Christopher Zawislak assist) 19 seconds into the contest gave PW an early lead. PW’s Will Jowett (Christopher Ward assist) scored the only goal in the second period.
That 2-0 lead stood until Eisenlohr found the net for his second goal 3:20 into the third period, once again benefitting from a Zawislak assist. The Hatters battled back gamely. Jordan Brenner (Jacob Mueller assist) and Mueller (Brenner/Alexa Foster assists) scored back-to-back goals in a six-second span nine minutes into the period to make it a 3-2 game, but the Colonials sealed the Hatters’ fate when Zawislak scored 12:11 into the period, using a Christopher Ward assist.
The Colonials held a 33-13 advantage in shots, but Hatter goalie Ryan McElroy kept his team in it with 29 saves. Cole Shula turned away 11 shots to earn the win.
Hatboro-Horsham 0-0-2 2
Plymouth Whitemarsh 1-1-2 4
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 8, NESHAMINY 3
Justin Adams scored four goals to lead the Golden Hawks to a convincing win over the Redskins on Wednesday.
Dylan Varian (Joe Marcella/Josh Vergules assists) put the Hawks on the scoreboard, and Rock South led 2-0 after Alex Keck scored on unassisted goal 2:53 into the opening period. Neshaminy’s Aric Miller found the net on a power play goal, using assists from Anthony Sabatini and Ian Dixon to make it a one-goal game, but Keck got that goal back late in the period, using a Marcella assist to give the Golden Hawks a 3-1 lead after one period.
The second period belonged to Adams, who scored three goals – the first with a Karl Martin assist, the second on a power play with assists from Parker Defilice and Michael Kauffman and the third unassisted on a power play that put the Hawks on top 6-1.
The two teams exchanged goals in the third period with Adams and Nicholas Meli scoring for the Hawks. Martin assisted on the Adams goal, and Jared Wagenmann assisted on Meli’s short-handed goal. Neshaminy received goals from Miller (Anthony Blickle assist) and Ian Dixon (Blickle/Sabatini assists). Dixon’s was a short-handed goal.
Rock South held a lopsided 65-36 advantage in goals. Neshaminy goalie Steven Glik turned away 57 shots in a gutsy performance. Mason Procz earned the win in goal, turning away 33 shots.
Council Rock South 3-3-2 8
Neshaminy 1-0-2 3
PENNRIDGE 4, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 3 Check our gallery to view photos of the Pennridge vs CB East game...CLICK HERE!
The Rams used a three-goal explosion in the third period to earn the come-from-behind win on Wednesday.
Bryan McIntosh spotted East a 1-0 lead early in the first period, and that lead stood until Michael Padgeon (Josh Finlayson assist) scored the equalizer early in the second period. Jake Semrow’s power play goal with assists from McIntosh and Colin Quinn put the Patriots on top 2-1 heading into the third period.
Quinn turned a Brendan Lynch pass into a goal early in the period to put the Patriots on top 3-1, but the rest of the game belonged to the Rams. Michael Walker (Luke Slater/Max Hill assist) scored to make it a 3-2 game, and back-to-back goals by Finlayson (Walker/Connor Lordi assists) and Nathan Runk (Eric Slater assist) gave the Rams a lead they would not lose. Finlayson scored the equalizer with 4:20 remaining, and Runk’s game winner came with 1:44 remaining.
The Patriots held a 46-17 advantage in shots. East goalie Zach Treger kept his team in it with 42 saves. Luke Stranick earned the win for the Rams, turning away 14 shots.
Central Bucks East 1-1-1 3
Pennridge 0-1-3 4
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