Lights! Camera! Action! Those three words are a great sum of the atmosphere at tonight's game between the Falcons and the Bensalem Owls. It was quite the lead up to this special event - Pennsbury's senior night game. After a multitude of time and location changes due to the new track being put down in the stadium, the PHS seniors were gifted their special night at home on their turf to celebrate and be honored. Coach Curtis explains, "Up until just a day or two ago we were planning to play the game off site and before that, we were potentially going to play the game on our old grass field. So many scenarios were flying around, but it ended up working out. We all want to thank our athletic director, administration, and everyone involved in helping to get us this game on our turf. It meant a lot to our graduating players and our whole hockey family to be able to have senior night on our new turf that has played a significant role in our season - we are just feeling like we can call it our home." Curtis continues, "It was a beautiful fall night under the lights and the excitement from the players was bouncing off of every surface. Coming off of a team dinner last night and the hype surrounding this moment (that marks the beginning of the end for those 12th graders) is sometimes too overwhelming. Lots of cameras, selfies from every angle, and a haphazard, shortened warm up creates the perfect storm of unpreparedness." The JV set the tone with a great win and awesome performance so we were all extra pumped pre game." Curtis has been around long enough to know that as amazing as senior nights are, they can also be a distraction that places obstacles in the way of the task at hand. "Bensalem always shows up the second time with new found strength and skill. They sneak up on you and force you to adjust your game in real time. They came ready to fight tonight and that they did," Curtis said. The Falcons dominated in possession, shots on goal and penalty corners, but the Owls' packed defense made a ton of strong stops and denied the orange and black over and over. "We were coming on strong, moving the ball well, and using speed, but we just could not penetrate and finish in the circle," Curtis said with frustration. "We were making some mistakes at significant moments that we shouldn't be making at this point in the season and those things will be what keeps us from succeeding. It doesn't matter what happened or why it happened, we just need to do better." Bensalem was able to stop PHS on eleven penalty corner opportunities. They were making defensive saves, using solid sticks in the circle to stop shots, and just leaving their heart on the field. The Falcons returned the effort denying just as much in their defensive end. Goalie Kayla Shaffer faced only a few shots on goal, but every stop she made was a game saver. The score was tied at zeros going into the fourth quarter and the action was continuing to amp up! A little less than half way through the final quarter, Pennsbury had another offensive push into the circle and Chelsea Todd got her stick on the ball in a scuffle in front of the cage and nudged it past the goalie. That would stand as the only goal of the game. "The seniors started and finished the game tonight with heart and that helped us to squeak out this win," said Curtis of her nine graduating players. "We had the edge with the atmosphere, which compensated for the craziness of the evening's events (which included the PHS freshman singing the National Anthem). It is about the moment and acknowledging the significance of this athletic rite of passage - endings are often tricky to navigate, but it's all the small things that get you to the ending that matter most. That's the message for our team right now - we have two more chances - what we do with those chances is up to us. Congratulations to our seniors, Gabby Darling, Riley Henderson, Allison Pakula, Mia Popovich, Rylie Borgman, Chelsea Todd, Lily Abraham, Kaylin Flannery, and Kayla Shaffer - may you always RAISE THE BAR along your journey. Pennsbury will host Council Rock South on Friday and then travel to Council Rock North on Tuesday for their last regular season contest.