Scott Huff’s first notebook of the season highlights CB West, CR North and Upper Moreland as well as last week’s games and the top offensive players in each conference.
By Scott Huff
The 2013-2014 Suburban High School Hockey League season is underway with SOL teams competing in the National, Continental, and American Conferences.
Both the National and Continental Conference play ‘conference’ games within the conference and the ‘cross over’ games with the other conference. For example, Central Bucks West competes in the Continental Conference along with CB South, CB East, Pennridge, Souderton, and North Penn. All of those head-to-head games count as ‘conference’ games – as do the cross over games in the SHSHL National Conference with Council Rock South, Council Rock North, Pennsbury, Neshaminy, Truman, and Abington.
The teams within the Continental Conference play each other twice, while the Continental Conference plays each team from the National Conference once. The same applies to the National Conference – two games against the SHSHL National and one game against the SHSHL Continental.
The American Conference only competes with its conference for a title. For example, Upper Moreland competes for a conference championship with Wissahickon, Plymouth Whitemarsh, Archbishop Wood, Lansdale Catholic, and William Tennent.
Got it? Sure you do.
And the beat goes on…
SHSHL Continental Conference ‘Snapshot’
Central Bucks West Bucks
‘The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat’
Central Bucks West head coach Dave Baun has seen plenty of agony the last two seasons as boss of the Bucks. CB West managed just a single SHSHL Continental Conference victory during the 2012-2013 season, and the Bucks managed just two wins in the 2011-2012 SHSHL Continental season.
“It is common knowledge that we haven’t had much success recently,” said Baun. “And sometimes you have to suffer through the bad times to really enjoy the good times.”
And there should be many good times in the near future for the young and talented Bucks.
“We play in the Continental Conference that might just have not only the best four teams in the SHSHL, but the best four teams in the EPIHA (Eastern Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey Association),” said Baun in reference to CB East, CB South, North Penn, and Souderton. “And with about half of our team being either freshmen or sophomores, it makes it difficult to compete with those teams over the course of the season.
“We should be competitive in most games that we play, though,” added Baun. “The better the competition that you play – the better your team can get. We should be a much more experienced team – and a much better team – at the end of the season.”
CB West has the good fortune of playing a pair of talented freshmen goaltenders in Jonah Brous and Kenny Doak.
“Both of them have been fantastic so far this year,” said Baun. “Both are very athletic, both are very active, and both love to compete. Their styles are a little different, but both are going to get a lot of playing time. We are going to alternate them for the time being, but if one gets super hot he might get more time.
“We have for young defensemen playing in front of them that might be among the best in the league,” added Baun in reference to Shawn Phillips, Ryan Trefz, Eddie Shields, and Shawn Germann. “And all of them are underclassmen and will be back for us next season.
“We don’t want to say ‘wait until next year’ with this group,” continued Baun. “But next year should be a lot better.”
And that thrill of victory will become commonplace.
Rear View Mirror – Week of 12/8/13 – SHSHL Continental Conference
Souderton had a spectacular outing turned in by both Daniel Rock and Alex Politsky as the Indians routed Truman – 9-3. Politsky scored a staggering 6 goals and added 2 assists for an 8-point effort, while Rock scored a goal and had 5 assists for the winners.
Central Bucks West showcased a balanced scoring attack as the Bucks defeated Council Rock South by a 5-3 margin. Ryan Trefz scored a pair of goals for the winners, while Eric Schwass and Scotty Cappuccio scored key goals for the Bucks.
Pennridge exploded for 8 goals as the Rams gouged Abington by an 8-4 margin. Aaron Crossom scored 3 goals and added an assist, while Jake Wexler (1 goal – 2 assists) and Joshua Finlayson (2 goals) each scored important points for the Rams.
Central Bucks East edged Central Bucks South by a 3-2 margin to gain sole possession of first place. Andy Bily, Nick Esposito, and John Hughes scored single goals for the Patriots, while Jake Bauer scored both goals for the Titans.
SHSHL Continental ConferenceTop Scorers
1. Alex Politsky (Souderton) – 19 goals – 5 assists – 24 points.
2. Daniel Rock Souderton) 12-10-22.
3. Matthew Stella (North Penn) 8-9-17.
4. Nick Chimera (Central Bucks East) .
5. Christian Ahn (North Penn) 3-9-12.
6. Alex Peterson (North Penn) 7-3-10.
Dominic Bova (CB South) 5-5-10.
Austin Chase (CB East) 4-6-10.
Austin Baty (CB East) 3-7-10.
Kevin Casey (CB South) 2-8-10.
Clay Anders (Souderton) 0-10-10.
SHSHL Continental Conference Standings
1. Central Bucks East Patriots 6 1 0 - 12
2. Souderton Indians 5 2 0 - 10
3. North Penn Knights 4 1 0 - 8
4. Central Bucks South Titans 4 2 0 - 8
5. Central Bucks West Bucks 2 3 0 - 4
6. Pennridge Rams 1 5 0 - 2
SHSHL Continental Conference Schedule
12/18/13 – Pennridge Rams vs. CB West Bucks @ Hatfield – 7:20 pm; Abington Ghosts vs. Central Bucks South Titans @ Warwick – 8:45 pm.
12/19/13 – Central Bucks East Patriots vs. Council Rock North Indians @ Warwick – 7 pm; Pennridge Rams vs. North Penn Knights @ Hatfield – 7:20 pm; and Central Bucks West Bucks vs. Neshaminy Redskins @ Grundy – 7:20 pm.
SHSHL National Conference ‘Spotlight’
Council Rock North Indians
Council Rock North head coach Eric Tye has been around the SHSHL for a number of years and realizes that the shift in ‘power’ has gone from the SHSHL National Conference to the SHSHL Continental Conference.
“The best five teams in the league might all be in the Continental this year,” said Tye in reference to CB East, CB South, CB West, Souderton, and North Penn. “The standings don’t lie, and those teams are all extremely strong this year.
“Our goal right now is going to be to get into the playoffs by being one of the top three teams in our conference,” added Tye. “Our conference may not be as strong as the Continental, but with CR South, Neshaminy, Truman, Pennsbury, and us it is going to be a dogfight to see who gets in the playoffs. And Abington is going to beat some teams along the way, too.”
The hopes of the young Indians – only three seniors and 10 freshmen – will center around the talents of sophomore goaltender Kyle McQuillan.
“Kyle is very athletic and high strung,” said Tye. “He is always wired and ready to play – whether it is during a game or in practice.
“When we win, it is going to be because of how well he plays,” added Tye. “And even when we lose he is going to keep us in games and give us a chance.”
Tye pointed to seniors Tristian Wieczorak and Sam Kroh as offensive point producers, and cited sophomore Dante Dienzi as having played extremely well at the outset of the season.
“The great thing about both the National and Continental Conferences is that there are a lot of even teams in both conferences,” said Tye. “It should make for an exciting season.”
Rear View Mirror – Week of 12/8/13 – SHSHL National Conference
Pennsbury won its only game of the week as the Falcons soared to a 5-2 victory over Council Rock North. Eric Michael (2 goals), Craig Meschel (1 goal-1 assist), and Linder Kenyon (2 assists) highlighted the offense. Justin Fricke and Mark Tosti each scored single goals for the Indians.
Council Rock North rebounded with a 7-0 victory over Abington. Tristian Wieczorek scored a pair of goals and had an assist, while Sam Kroh scored a pair of goals and added an assist. Kyle McQuillian had 37 saves for the Indians.
Council Rock South edged Neshaminy 4-3 last week. The Golden Hawks had single goals scored by Steven Bollendorf, Colin Murphy, Justin Adams, and Eric Higgins. The Redskins had single goals scored by Matt Kateck, Ian Dixon, and Nick Foster.
Truman lost its only contest of the week as the Tigers were caged by Souderton – 9-3. The goal scorers for HST were Josh Robinson, Kyle Bennett, and Zach Bennett.
Abington scored 4 goals in an 8-4 loss to Pennridge. Nicholas Scipone scored a pair of goals for the Ghosts, while James Campbell had a goal and an assist for the Maroon and White.
SHSHL National Conference Top Scorers
1. Josh Robinson (Truman) 7 goals – 4 assists – 11 points.
Zach Bennett (Truman) 6-5-11.
3. Eric Graham (Neshaminy) 6-4-10.
Nick Foster (Neshaminy) 5-5-10.
Steven Bollendorf (CR South) 3-7-10,
6. Thomas Carroll (Abington) 7-2-9.
Tristian Wieczorak (Council Rock North) 6-3-9.
Jason Brockman (Council Rock South) 5-4-9.
Justin Adams (Council Rock South) 4-5-9.
Alex DeCristofano (Abington) 3-6-9.
SHSHL National Conference Standings
Council Rock South Golden Hawks 4 3 0 - 8
Neshaminy Redskins 3 4 0 - 6
Council Rock North Indians 2 3 1 - 5
Harry S Truman Tigers 2 3 1 - 5
Pennsbury Falcons 2 4 0 - 4
Abington Galloping Ghosts 1 5 0 - 2
SHSHL National Conference Schedule
12/18/13 – Abington vs. Central Bucks South @ Warwick – 8:45 pm.
12/19/13 – Central Bucks East vs. Council Rock North @ Warwick – 7 pm; Central Bucks West vs. Neshaminy @ Grundy – 7:20 pm; Pennsbury vs. Truman @ Grundy – 9 pm.
12/20/13 – Truman vs. Council Rock South @ Bucks County Ice – 7:15 pm.
SHSHL American Conference ‘Spotlight’
Upper Moreland Golden Bears
Upper Moreland head coach Michael Angelo is in his first year as the head coach of the Golden Bears, but the 30-plus year veteran of coaching is not overwhelmed with his new coaching status behind the bench.
“There really isn’t all that much difference being the head coach – coaching is coaching,” said Angelo. “You put together a scheme that the players feel comfortable playing, and you get a lot more out of them that way.
“I have goals in the back of my head about how successful we can be this year,” added Angelo. “But I don’t want to be a big picture guy. I just want to concentrate on what we have to do to win the next game.”
One huge part of the Upper Moreland offense this season has been the performance of the Bear power play.
“Our power play this season has really clicked – those players play extremely well together,” said Angelo. “Sean Lloyd, Colton Arizini, Andy Iehle, Matt Iehle, and Jordin Holmes have been outstanding.”
Outstanding could also describe the play of Upper Moreland goaltender Patrick Beissel.
“I coached Patrick for two seasons at the junior varsity level,” said Angelo of the only Bear netminder on the roster. “And his improvement over the last two seasons is incredible.
“Last year’s goalie, Jared Burch, has been working with him all year,” added Angelo. “Jared Burch was a phenomenal goalie, and right now he is a phenomenal coach. He is at every practice, and he has had a great influence on how confident and successful Patrick has been so far this season.”
Another huge part of the Upper Moreland success will come from the duo of Lloyd and Holmes. Both are also rostered on the prestigious Comcast team that is associated with Philadelphia Flyer owner Ed Snider.
“The only game we lost this season was a non-league game against CB East,” said Angelo. “Both Sean and Jordin were playing with the Comcast team, and we really missed them. Sean is a beast – and Jordin is just as talented.”
Not a bad pair to send out on the ice for a ‘rookie’ SHSHL head coach.
Rear View Mirror – 12/8/13 – SHSHL American Conference
Upper Moreland remained unbeaten in conference play with a 9-5 victory over Archbishop Wood. Sean Lloyd was amazing as he found the back of the Viking net for 5 goals and also added an assist. Andy Iehle scored 2 goals, Jordin Holmes added 5 assists, and Nick Park posted 3 assists. Nick Patton scored 3 goals and had 2 assists for Wood.
Wissahickon kept its hold on second place in the conference with an 11-4 victory over Plymouth Whitemarsh. Luke Honorowski had a monster game for the Trojans with a 4 goal 3 assist performance. Jacob Segelbaum and Brandon Rosoff each scored 2 goals for Wissahickon. Jim Smith had 35 saves in goal for the Colonials.
SHSHL American Conference Top Scorers
1. Luke Honorowski (Wissahickon) 15 goals – 9 assists – 24 points.
2. Dustin Rabinowitz (Wissahickon) 5-9-14.
3. Matthew Iehle (Upper Moreland) 7-5-12.
4. Sean Lloyd (Upper Moreland) 6-5-11.
Nick Patton (Archbishop Wood) 4-7-11.
Matt Vervlied (Wissahickon) 3-8-11.
7. Nick Park (Upper Moreland) 3-7-10.
8. Andy Iehle (Upper Moreland) 7-2-9.
Andrew Hart (Lansdale Catholic) 6-3-9.
SHSHL American Conference Standings
Upper Moreland Golden Bears 3 0 0 - 6
Wissahickon Trojans 3 1 0 - 6
Archbishop Wood Vikings 2 2 0 - 4
Lansdale Catholic Crusaders 1 1 0 - 2
William Tennent Panthers 1 3 0 - 2
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials 1 4 0 - 2
SHSHL American Conference Schedule
12/18/13 – Upper Moreland vs. Plymouth Whitemarsh @ Bucks County Ice – 7 pm.
12/20/13 – Wissahickon Trojans vs. Lansdale Catholic Crusaders @ Hatfield – 7:20 pm.
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