To view action photos of both games, visit the photo gallery and click on the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/
By Scott HuffCentral Bucks East Claims SHSHL Class AA Championship
Central Bucks East entered the 2010-2011 Suburban High School Hockey League season as one of the elite teams in the Class AA Division - along with Council Rock South – and the Patriots realized those ‘Great Expectations’ Wednesday night with a convincing 5-0 victory over Pennsbury that crowned the Pats as SHSHL champions.
CB East swept the best of three series with the Falcons to capture the title. The Patriots bested Pennsbury 4-1 in the opening game of the series. Both games were played at the Bucks County Ice Sports Center in Warminster.
“To be honest, when everyone thinks you are one of the best teams, there is only one way to go – down,” smiled Central Bucks East head coach Ken Latchum. “One of our team goals at the beginning of the season was to win the league title, and the other was to win a Flyers Cup championship. We accomplished the first one, and the second one is going to be a challenge.
“(CB East senior) Austin Cinalli was in the locker room after the game telling the players that ‘we’re not done yet’,” added Latchum in reference to the Flyers Cup goal. “We have already put this game behind us.”
East captured the SHSHL championship with a terrific defensive and offensive effort.
The cornerstone of the Patriot defense was senior Mike Esposito. Esposito helped the East defense keep the high-scoring Ken McCormick off the scoreboard. McCormick was the leading scorer in the SHSHL this season.
“Winning a championship is a great feeling for the seniors on this team,” said John Esposito. “Austin (Cinalli), myself, and my brother Vince (Esposito) have played together for years, and it was great to be able to win a championship.”
The cornerstone of the Patriot offense was junior Mike Palmer who scored a pair of goals and added an assist. In fact, all five East goals were scored by the ‘P’ line of Palmer, Alex Piccione, and Nick Patullo.
“This was a great win for our seniors,” added Palmer. “And it was good for our junior line to help out and play well tonight.”
“East came out flying, and (they) were the better team tonight,” said Pennsbury head coach John Bria. “They had the ability to get the puck faster than us on both offense and defense. You have to give them all of the credit for a well-played game.
“My players gave it their best effort,” added Bria. “There isn’t a player that can look in the mirror and be disappointed with the effort they gave tonight. We are going to have to look forward and get ready for our Flyers Cup appearance.
“Our biggest accomplishment in the playoffs was beating CR South to get to the finals,” added Bria in reference to the Falcons 4-1 win over the Golden Hawks in the league semifinals. “That was a great win for us, and it showed the players that they can play with anyone.”
“Pennsbury is a very good team, but we would have loved the get a chance to play South again,” said Latchum. “Maybe that will happen down the road in the Flyers Cup.”
Score By Periods
Pennsbury 0 0 0 * 0
Central Bucks East 2 1 2 * 5
First Period:
CBE: Nick Patullo (Mike Palmer)
CBE: Alex Piccione (Palmer & Harry Moore)
Second Period:
CBE: Piccione (Patullo & Moore)
Third Period:
CBE: Palmer (unassisted)
CBE: Palmer (Joe Ridolfi & Patullo)
Shots On Goal:
Pennsbury – 26.
Central Bucks East – 38.
Saves:
Pennsbury – Ben Herring – 33.
Central Bucks East – Justin Golia – 26.
Crusaders Top Hatters to Extend Series
Lansdale Catholic was on the brink of SHSHL Class A playoff elimination, but the Crusaders had no parts of that exit as LC dominated regular season SHSHL American Division champion Hatboro-Horsham in a 5-2 victory. The best of three series is knotted at a game each.The third and final game of the series will be played a 7 pm at the Bucks County Ice Sports Center in Warminster. The original starting time of the game was changed from 8:40 pm to 7 pm.
“We knew that we could play with them,” said Lansdale Catholic head coach Mark DiDonato. “We lost the first game in overtime (5-4) and we were never ahead in that game. We told the players before the game that we needed to start the game strong and get that first goal.”
Talented Crusader forward Anthony Valerio scored the first goal of the game – and LC never trailed in the contest. Valerio would finish the game with three goals for the winners.
“Hatboro-Horsham is a very good team,” said Lansdale Catholic junior Nick Sette who scored a goal and had an assist for the Crusaders. “Playing them three times in three days is a lot, but we will be ready for that third game. These playoffs have been a lot of enjoyment – my freshman year we won four games and last year we won three games. And now we’re playing for a championship.”Score By Periods:
Lansdale Catholic 1 3 1 * 5
Hatboro-Horsham 0 2 0 * 2
First Period:
LC: Anthony Valerio (Kevin Quinn & Andrew Hart)
Second Period:
HH: Josh Gresko (Chris Flannery)
LC: Nick Sette (Valerio)
LC: Valerio (Hart)
LC: Valerio (Sette & Hart)
HH: Patrick Durkin (Gresko)
Third Period:
LC: Quinn (Doug Becker)
Shots On Goal:
Lansdale Catholic – 32
Hatboro-Horsham – 25
Saves:
LC – Ben Mills – 23.
HH – Vince Mirarchi – 27.
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