Scott Huff features Pennsbury, CB East and Wissahickon in this week’s SOL SHSHL Notebook that also includes the top goal scorers.
By Scott Huff
The Suburban High School Hockey League has reached its unofficial intermission as the calendar flips from 2015 to 2016.
In the SHSHL Continental Conference,there are three teams with unbeaten records as North Penn, Central Bucks West, and Central Bucks South have yet to taste defeat. The trio of combined for a stunning 20-0-1 record – and a five-win Pennridge Ram team is also an exceptional team.
In the SHSHL National Conference,William Tennent and Council Rock South look to be the contenders for a conference title. Both the Panthers and the Golden Hawks should do well against National Conference opponents – and have the talent to compete with teams in the Continental Conference.
In the SHSHL American Conference, Harry S Truman, Council Rock North, and Wissahickon all have a shot to contend for a conference title. The three teams have combined for a record of 19-3-0 to date and feature 10 of the 11 top scorers in the conference.
And the beat goes on…
SHSHL National Conference ‘Snapshot’
Pennsbury Falcons
Pennsbury head coach Joe Deeryboasts one of the elite seniors in the conference in Jack Kelly and can also boast of one of the premier sophomores in the conference in Anthony Bench.
“Jack is one of the best players in our league,” said Deery of the top scorer in the SOL National Conference. “He has great hands, tremendous speed, and is just a good, smart hockey player.
“And Anthony Bench is a big, strong kid that is going to continue to develop into an excellent player,” added Deery. “We knew we had something special when he played in middle school.”
Pennsbury (3-5-0, 6) is currently in third place in the conference behind William Tennent (4-1-1, 9) and Council Rock South (3-3-1, 7) – but Deery has his sights set higher.
“If we come to play every night, we can win our division,” said Deery. “The other division (North Penn, CB West, CB South, & Pennridge) is loaded with the ‘big boys’, but I feel that we are more than competitive with the teams in our division.
“We haven’t seen much of our division yet,” added Deery. “I know that Tennent and Council Rock South are good – but we should really be able to play with them.”
The Falcon blue line has been anchored by senior captain Kyle Wilkins and sophomore Ryan Murdrick – while the goaltending duties have been divided up between senior Trevor Schadler and sophomore August Dous.
“Kyle is our leader on the ice and is our strongest defenseman,” said Deery. “And Ryan is a sophomore who has done a very nice job for us.
“Trevor is our senior goaltender – but Gus has created some good competition in goal,” added Deery. “Whoever plays better is going to stay in goal.
“We open the new year with CB East and William Tennent,” continued Deery. “Those are both going to be interesting games.”
SHSHL National Conference Standings
William Tennent Panthers 4 1 1 * 9
Council Rock South Hawks 3 3 1 * 7
Pennsbury Falcons 3 5 0 * 6
Neshaminy Redskins 2 4 1 * 5
Abington Ghosts 0 7 1 * 1
Archbishop Wood 0 8 0 * 0
SHSHL Continental Conference ‘Snapshot’
Central Bucks East Patriots
Central Bucks East head coach Sean Mullinhas the unenviable task of trying to rebuild a proud Patriot hockey team in the most dominant conference in the SHSHL.
“The running joke at practice is that we have only have two guys who have their driver’s license,” said Mullin. “We lost a lot of players from last year’s team – and right now we have some injuries and a lot of double shifts.
“Playing our schedule is going to be challenging,” added Mullin. “But I keep telling the kids that you don’t always have to be the most talented to win games. Just keep it simple and good things can happen.”
The biggest plus Central Bucks East has on its roster is junior Bryan McIntosh.
“Bryan is a phenomenal player,” said Mullin of his team captain. “He is a great leader not only on the ice – but off the ice as well.
“Bryan has great hockey sense and a great shot that he needs to take more,” added Mullin. “And when we need to play defense, he steps in and does a great job. He is a real team player.”
McIntosh has been paired with a couple of promising sophomores in Zach Egber and Colin Quinn. Junior Richard Keiser anchors the defense.
“Richard is a good stay-at-home defenseman,” said Mullin. “He bodies up well – and is also a good skater. He plays with the younger guys, and he makes them better.”
CB East has a pair of sophomore goaltenders that have split the netminding duties this season. Kyle Gilcrest has received the most time in net, but Zach Treger has also received his fair share of playing time.
“Kyle and Zach are both part of the rebuilding process,” said Mullin. “We want both of them to get ice time and experience.”
SHSHL Continental Conference Standings
North Penn Knights 7 0 1 * 15
Central Bucks West Bucks 7 0 0 * 14
Central Bucks South Titans 6 0 0 * 12
Pennridge Rams 5 3 1 * 11
Central Bucks East Patriots 2 5 0 * 4
Souderton Indians 2 5 0 * 4
SHSHL Varsity ‘AA’ Top Ten Scorers
1. Alex Peterson North Penn Knights 26 16 * 42
2. Jack Kelly Pennsbury Falcons 12 11 * 23
Spencer Silver North Penn Knights 12 11 * 23
4. Matt Stoll Central Bucks South 9 10 * 19
5. Alec Dugan William Tennent 13 5 * 18
Michael Padgeon Pennridge Rams 12 6 * 18
7. Damon DeLaurentis CB South Titans 9 8 * 17
8. Bryan McIntosh CB East Patriots 11 5 * 16
Troy Crossen Pennridge Rams 13 3 * 16
Jason Bechtel CB South Titans 6 10 * 16
Shawn Phillips CB West Bucks 7 9 * 16
SHSHL 2016 Varsity AA Schedule
January 6, 2016
Archbishop Wood Vikings vs. Pennridge Rams @ Hatfield – 7:20 pm
Central Bucks West Bucks vs. Neshaminy Redskins @ Grundy – 7:20 pm
Central Bucks East Patriots vs. Pennsbury Falcons @ Grundy – 9 pm
January 7, 2016
North Penn Knights vs. Central Bucks South Titans @ Revolutions Ice Garden – 7:10 pm
Neshaminy Redskins vs. Souderton Indians @ Hatfield – 7:20 pm
Council Rock South Golden Hawks vs. Abington Ghosts @ Wintersport – 7:20 pm
William Tennent Panthers vs. Pennsbury Falcons @ Grundy – 7:20 pm
January 8, 2016
Central Bucks East Patriots vs. Central Bucks South Titans @ Revolutions Ice Garden – 7:10 pm
William Tennent Panthers vs. Souderton Indians @ Hatfield – 7:20 pm
SHSHL American Conference ‘Snapshot’
Wissahickon Trojans
Wissahickon head coach Mike Wolf was pleased to discover that three of his top players were going to limit their ice time this season to playing only for the Trojans.
“We have three excellent players in Brandon Rosoff, Kyle Wolf, and Ed Burkhart that are strictly playing high school hockey,” said Wolf – father of defenseman Kyle. “Those three players are going to be a huge part of our success.
“Brandon is our top offensive player,” added Wolf of his senior center. “He is a goal producer and really gets to the net.
“Kyle is one of our best players – and we like to play our best players on defense,” added Wolf of his son who will play lacrosse next season at Monmouth University. “And Ed is simply a fantastic hockey player.”
Wolf is also happy with the defensive end of the ice so far this year. The trio of goaltender Noah Katz and defensemen Matt Wilson and Nolan Piakowski have anchored the defensive effort.
“Noah had never been on skates before playing here – and now he is a three-year starter,” said Wolf. “I don’t know what it is, but he is really a much better goaltender this year. He is a good athlete and plays with a lot of confidence.
“Matt is a force on the ice at 6-1 and 225 pounds – and he can skate,” added Wolf of his junior. “And Nolan is a pure defenseman who has given us a solid foundation.
“Alex Myham is an interesting freshman,” continued Wolf. “He comes from Finland and has been a goal scorer for us. We are limited on offense and he has been fun to watch.
“There really isn’t a question that both Council Rock North and Truman are the two best teams in the league,” added Wolf. “We want to be able to compete with them later in the season.
“But for now – it isn’t about the wins – it is about developing the kids,” continued Wolf. “I just want the kids to play.”
SHSHL American Conference Standings
Harry S Truman Tigers 8 0 0 * 16
Council Rock North Indians 6 1 1 * 13
Wissahickon Trojans 5 2 0 * 10
Hatboro-Horsham Hatters 2 6 0 * 4
Plymouth Whitemarsh 2 6 0 * 4
Lower Moreland Lions 0 8 1 * 1
SHSHL Varsity ‘A’ Top Ten Scorers
1. Michael Roarty Truman Tigers 21 15 * 36
2. Mark Tosti CR North Indians 12 11 * 23
3. Kyle Bennett Truman Tigers 16 6 * 22
4. Steven Avellino Truman Tigers 9 10 * 19
5. Cavan Tully CR North Indians 7 10 * 17
Brandon Rosoff Wissahickon Trojans 13 4 * 17
Kyle Wolf Wissahickon Trojans 4 13 * 17
8. John Vanni CR North Indians 7 9 * 16
9. Ross Koenig Truman Tigers 4 11 * 15
Daniel Guest CR North Indians 9 3 * 12
Chris Rinaldi Plymouth Whitemarsh 8 4 * 12
SHSHL 2016 Varsity ‘A’ Schedule
January 6, 2016
Harry S Truman Tigers vs. Wissahickon Trojans @ Hatfield – 9 pm
January 7, 2016
Hatboro-Horsham Hatters vs. Lower Moreland Lions @ Revolutions Ice Garden – 8:50 pm
Council Rock North Indians vs. Plymouth Whitemarsh @ Hatfield – 9 pm
January 8, 2016
Council Rock North Indians vs. Wissahickon Trojans @ Bucks County Ice – 6:50 pm
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