This week's ice hockey notebook features CR South, Souderton & Hatboro.
SINGING PRAISES OF THE UNSUNG HEROES …Jared Hershman, Jake Nevin and Vinnie Primavera may not be putting up the gaudy numbers of some of their teammates, but make no mistake, the three Council Rock South forwards have played crucial roles in the success of the Golden Hawks this season.
“Those guys are my second- and third-liners,” said South coach Joe Houk. “They step up to the plate without even being asked. They really understand what their roles are. We always look at it as, ‘It’s not you guys’ role to score on a regular basis. Your goal is to go out there and put one in now and then, but you’re also playing defense.’
“It’s always important to have guys like that, especially when they understand what they’re there for. We work hard on that kind of stuff. We have conversations with these guys all the time. ‘Realize what your job is out there. You’re going to get your opportunities, they’ll come, but just make sure you don’t get any goals against us.’”
Houk refers to Primavera as being “on the smaller size, but pound for pound, he’s one of the toughest kids you’ll see.” Fearless in the corners and along the boards, Primavera is known in traditional hockey circles as a “mucker and grinder.” Hershman provides a physical presence on the ice, while Nevin is a defensive specialist.
Hershman, Nevin and Primavera – along with Steve Junod – are the top penalty killers on the team. And they can put the puck in the net when necessary. Nevin has 15 points on the season (including a shorthanded goal), while Hershman and Primavera each have 14.
Those contributions are going to be crucial in the coming weeks as the Golden Hawks prepare to defend their Flyers Cup title. Sitting comfortably atop the National Division at 10-1-2 with 22 points (12-3-2 overall), Rock South has five league games remaining in the regular season, including the second meeting of the season with neighborhood archrival Council Rock North.
Hershman, Nevin and Primavera will be key as the Hawks fine tune and rev it up in hopes of hitting the postseason in stride.
“We’re in the preparation stage right now,” Houk said. “We’ve got six games left until the postseason, so it’s been, ‘You know guys, let’s get this thing running so when we hit the playoffs we’ll be in playoff mode and we’ll be hard to beat.’”
FOCUS IS THE FOCUS IN SOUDERTON …The Souderton ice hockey team has experienced its share of ups and downs this season – that’s to be expected from a team hovering around .500. But coach Matt Montagna believes that as the season as progressed, there have been more ups than downs.
“They’ve been playing better for the past month,” the Indians’ coach said. “Plus I’ve got a full bench. We’re playing nine forwards, four defense and we’ve got guys we can move back when we need to. And out goaltending is better.”
On Jan. 6, the Big Red pulled off a 5-3 victory over Continental Conference opponent North Penn (the Knights earned a 5-2 win earlier in the year). And on Jan. 13, the Big Red gave Central Bucks South everything it could handle in a 4-1 loss. The Titans led 2-1 in the second period when Souderton missed a shorthanded breakaway and the Titans moved down the ice to score on the ensuing play. South defended the 3-1 lead until the final minute of the game when they netted an empty-net goal.
“It was frustrating, we just never really got it going offensively,” said Montagna, whose team surrendered nine consecutive goals in a 9-3 loss to the Titans a month earlier. “South is a very good hockey team. Even missing guys, they’re a very good team. Our guys gave a good effort, we just did not get the loose pucks, didn’t pick up the rebounds when we had a chance. But we got off to a better start this time and we were able to match them at both ends for most of the game.”
Heading into this week’s games, Souderton stands at 6-6 for 12 points (7-7-1 overall) and fourth place in the Continental Division. And contributions are coming in from all over the roster. Chris Malanga and Sean Walsh anchor the defense, and young forwards such as Alex Politsky (14 points) and Tyler DiPietro (18 points) are stepping in to help take some offensive pressure off Brian McMullin (36 points) and Rodney Anders (19).
“We’ve been there as coaches for 17 months, the better part of two years now,” Montagna said. “We have high expectations. That’s been the goal since the start. It’s been a process. You want things to move faster sometimes, but the reality is it’s been a season-and-a-half these kids have been together. We’re still working on keeping them focused on their goals.”
And their goal right now is to make the postseason. That means the focus is on one place and one place only … the next game and the next period.
“The rest of the year, we have to win if we want to make the Flyers Cup, which most of these kids never have,” Montagna said. “We have to win if we want to make the playoffs, which most of these kids never have.
“We’re trying to win a period at a time. That’s all we ever talk about. ‘Win this period. Win this period.’ If they play complete games, they can score goals, but they have to remember defensive responsibilities as well. We have to play complete games if we want to be successful, especially toward the end of the season.”
HATTERS STAYING POSITIVE …It’s not a stretch to say that this has been a trying season for the Hatboro-Hosham hockey team. Last year, the Hatters finished first in the American Division in the regular season and participated in the postseason.
This year, there are so few players on the team that the Hatters have been forced to utilize club goalkeepers because they had no viable goalies in the school. As a result, the Hatters are ineligible to compete for the American Division title.
The Hatters have logged two wins on the ice, most recently a 7-6 victory over American Division frontrunner Lansdale Catholic on Jan. 19. Their only previous victory, 5-4 over Central Bucks West on Dec. 1, is listed in the standings as a 1-0 win (the score of a forfeit) in favor of the Bucks.
And yet, first-year head coach Gus Salfiti said the Hatters are enjoying the season.
“The team is composed of a lot of newer, younger kids, some with minimal experience, and then there’s a group that have been around for a while and have travel experience and are pretty highly skilled, so it balances out,” he said. “The kids who are new don’t know any different, and the older ones are really taking it in stride. Having had a very successful season last season and knowing that we can’t compete in the league for anything this year, they’re having fun with it. There are no expectations so there’s no disappointment.”
For the returning players who have tasted success on the ice, Salfiti said he is impressed with their willingness to stay focused and help bring along the less-experienced players. In particular, Salfiti commended Pat Downing, one of the team’s captains, for his encouragement and work with the younger players.
“We were actually wondering if there was going to be a team at all,” Salfiti said. “The fact that we have a team, and they’re spread out in skill level from A to Z, literally, it’s nice to see the experienced players are trying to be leaders for the younger kids and make the most of it. They really have grown up a lot. These kids are going to go out into the world knowing sometimes you’re just going to go out and make the best of what could be a bad situation. I give them a lot of credit.
“They’re showing their maturity in a very nice way in terms of taking this with a grain of salt, understanding we’re not going anywhere. We’re just out there having fun, trying to enjoy hockey, trying to set up for the future.
There was some frustration in the beginning, but I think they realized we are who we are and let’s make the most of it and see what we can do along the way.”
It hasn’t been easy. Coming into the week, the Hatters have three games remaining in the season. Their official 1-15 overall record includes seven games in which they’ve allowed 10 goals or more. They’ve scored 43 goals this season, and allowed 127.
That’s to be expected with so many inexperienced players, Salfiti said. So long as they remain focused, continue to enjoy the game and keep learning, he’s pleased with the progress the team is making.
“They see there’s progress, not always on the scoreboard but maybe in the shots against, or maybe they personally made successful passes or set up a play,” he said. “Whatever schemes we come up with, they’re trying to get there. Maybe they’re a step behind, so that at first, maybe once out of five or six times they get it right. Then it’s two or three times, then half the time. It’s the little things that make the difference and show progression and they see that they’re going in the right direction. “
Of course, there have been bright spots this season. Senior Manny Billones ranks 10th in the league in scoring with 24 goals and seven assists. Patrick Durkin is 13th in the league with 15 goals and 11 assists. Billones led the Hatters last season with 14 points and Durkin had 33, but they reached those totals with the help of a talented team. This season, they’re carrying the load on their own shoulders.
“Last year among a large group of seniors, these two really, really shined,” Salfiti said. “This year, they’re shining on their own. Manny, we all know what he can do. Pat Durkin, he does a lot of really, really good things. Not only can he score goals, he’s so smart. He plays offense when he’s asked to play offense. He plays defense when he’s asked, he plays the trap, he knows the game, and as far as I am concerned, he is really one of the most skilled players both up and down the ice.
“Manny is phenomenal. He’s like a one-man line, he plays at a different speed and takes it on by himself. Pat slows down and works with what he’s got to work with.”
Salfiti said it’s also been fun to see the younger kids start to come around.
“One of the guys – Cole McDowell – just scored his first goal,” Salfiti said. “He was very excited when he came off the ice. He was in position, he was where he needed to be and he took a good shot.”
Still, Salfiti knows there’s no quick fix. The Hatters won’t be contenders next season. It’s going to be a long, hard road ahead.
But there’s no place to go but up.
“There are some kids that have worked very hard,” Salfiti said. “We still don’t have enough depth as far as skill, and we’re going to be losing our two most skilled players for next season. So we’re just hoping enough kids stay interested and come back next year.
“It’s important to make the kids feel like they really have a stake in the team’s fortunes. I believe anybody who is on a team needs to be part of the process. If they work hard and they have input and they take part in it, it’s more interesting than just being commanded and yelled at. They feel more like they’re really a part of the process. If they’re contributing, that’s what’s keeping them interested.
“And we want to make sure they’re having fun doing it. That’s number one, have fun and develop those skills.”
DOWN THE STRETCH …We’re motoring toward the end of the regular season. Teams are starting to spread themselves out in the standings, and the upper echelon teams are beginning to pull away. But standings and streaks and records mean nothing at this point in the season. Every team is vying for position, whether it’s for a league crown or a postseason berth. Any team can beat any other team on any given evening. Here’s a look at what should be some of the more interesting matchups of the upcoming week (take note of the doubleheader Jan. 27 at Warwick Ice Arena):
Pennsbury at Archbishop Wood, 7 p.m. Jan. 26 at Bucks County Ice Sports Center. The Falcons are streaking and playing solid hockey down the stretch run. Pennsbury is in second place in the National Conference with 17 points. Archbishop Wood has 17, two points ahead of fourth-place Council Rock North. This game as well as the Council Rock North/South matchup the next night could either go a long way toward solidifying the standings or it could make things even more interesting.
North Penn at Central Bucks South, 6:50 p.m. Jan. 27, Warwick Ice Arena.
The Titans are frontrunners in a tight Continental Division and boast the top defense in the league, allowing an average of 1.88 goals per game. North Penn is scoring an average of 5.37 goals per game. Something’s got to give. Adding to the importance of the game, the Knights are battling Pennridge for second place in the division and are still within striking distance of the Titans.
Council Rock South at Council Rock North, 8:30 p.m. Jan. 27, Warwick Ice Arena.North vs. South. Need we say more? OK then … the Golden Hawks are looking to wrap up the top spot in the National Division and build momentum for the postseason. The Indians are in a tight race for second place in the division and are eager for another shot at their neighborhood archrivals, who won the Rock Cup in the teams’ first meeting of the season, 4-2 in late November.
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