CB South & CB West advanced to the 2016 Flyer Cup semifinals with big wins on Friday night. Photos courtesy of Dara King of DNK Photography.
By Ben Reese
WARWICK – What a difference 48 hours can make.
Tom Coyne wasn't happy with the way his Central Bucks South ice hockey team played in the opening period on Wednesday against Avon Grove. Although his team led 2-0 after one period, Coyne thought his team came out flat.
That certainly wasn't the case on Friday. The Titans played the entire game like their collective hair was on fire and destroyed previously undefeated Parkland 10-0.
South came roaring out at the opening face-off and swarmed all over the Trojans. The Titans scored three goals in the opening stanza and never looked back.
"I wasn't too happy with the way we started the last game," Coyne said. "I'm proud of the boys.
"They definitely heard what I had to say before this game. It's ironic how you can maybe not match up against one team and then you match up so well that this is the result."
Jason Bechtel, who scored two of the goals including the final one that clinched the mercy-rule win, acknowledged that he and his teammates haven't been playing their best early in games.
"It was all about preparation," Bechtel said. "We've always had a slow start. We brought it early and it showed."
Another Titan, goalie Aaron King, has watched the slow starts from his spot in the nets. He saw a difference Friday night.
"We were definitely more focused to play," King said. "We've been starting out really slow.
"Today we had to come out and show them how good we were right from the start. I think we did a good job of that."
It had to be a bit embarrassing for Parkland. The Trojans had rolled through the Lehigh Valley league without losing a game.
"I don't think they were used to even playing from behind," Coyne said of Parkland. "When it got to three (a 3-0 CB South lead), you could really see a change in their mood. From there, I think it just compounded itself."
South added four goals in the second period, including Bechtel's first and the first of two for Joe DeLaurentis. Interestingly, the first seven Titan goals were scored by seven different players.
Somewhat overlooked in the onslaught of goals was the play of King in the nets and the defense in front of him. In tossing the shutout, King had to stop only 28 shots.
"He's a wall back there," Bechtel said of King. "It helps with the offense, knowing that he'll keep us in every game.
"It's key to going far and hopefully we'll make it far this year."
Coyne knows about his defensemen. But he had to talk to the rest of the team before the game about getting the puck out of the zone.
"We rely so much on two defensemen," Coyne said. "That changed tonight.
"I told the guys before the game that there's six guys in our D zone and they're all considered defensemen. Their responsibility is to get the puck out.
"The last two games we had too many forwards in the neutral zone and the puck wasn't even past our blue line. We cleaned that up pretty good."
King certainly appreciates his defensemen.
"I've had really good defense for the past three years I've played," he said. "I'm lucky to have the four best defensemen in the state."
Those four defensemen -- Connor Matsinger, Thomas Liberta, Frank Carter and Jared Conroy -- cleared the puck from in front of the net all night. Parkland could take a shot from the point but couldn't get in close for a rebound.
South got on the scoreboard with 3:56 elapsed in the first period. Jackson Koblick beat Parkland goalie Kevin Giltz off assists from Liberta and Conroy.
Matt Stoll scored the second goal 1:08 later and Nick Morelli finished up the first period scoring at the 9:09 mark.
The Titans netted four goals in the second period including a pair of power play goals. Liberta and Bechtel tallied the man-advantage goals and Matsinger and Joe DeLaurentis got the even-strength markers.
Conroy started the third-period scoring off with a power play goal at 8:01. Thirty-four seconds later, Joe DeLaurentis notched his second goal to give the Titans a nine-goal lead.
Then Bechtel finished things off with 9:39 gone in the final period, also on the power play.
It seemed like the Titans dialed it up a notch against Parkland. Coyne knows why.
"The stakes get a little higher," he said. "They don't want to go home."
CB South will be home, after a fashion, on Tuesday when it hosts Haverford, a 7-5 winner over William Tennent, at Hatfield Ice.
CB South 10, Parkland 0
Parkland 0 0 0 – 0
CB South 3 4 3 – 10
First period: 1. Jackson Koblick CBS (Thomas Liberta, Jared Conroy) 3:56; 2. Matt Stoll CBS (Frank Carter) 5:04; 3. Nick Morelli CBS (Joe DeLaurentis) 9:09.
Second period: 4. Connor Matsinger CBS (Koblick, Morelli) 2:47; 5. Liberta CBS (Conroy, Matsinger) 3:57 PP; 6. Jason Bechtel CBS (Carter, Matsinger) 4:41 PP; 7. J. DeLaurentis CBS (Jake Anastasia, Matsinger) 12:48.
Third period: 8. Conroy CBS (Liberta, Matsinger) 8:01 PP; 9. J. DeLaurentis CBS (Damon DeLaurentis, Bechtl) 8:35; 10. Bechtel CBS (Koblick, Stoll) 9:39 PP.
Shots: P -- 28; CBS -- 50. Saves: Kevin Giltz (P) 40; Aaron King (CBS) 28.
#3 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 6, #6 BOYERTOWN 0
The Bucks rolled into the semifinals with a convincing 6-0 win over Boyertown in a Flyers Cup quarterfinal game at Hatfield Ice, but the game might well have turned on a defensive play by goalie Jonah Brous with the Bucks clinging to a 1-0 lead.
Brous thwarted a two-on-one with a clutch save, singlehandedly swinging the momentum in West’s favor. The Bucks responded by scoring three unanswered goals in a span of two minutes and 16 seconds to close out the period.
They never looked back.
Brous finished with 18 saves in a dazzling performance, and the Bucks scored the only goal they would need 2:32 into the game when Tucker Forte (Joe Anton/Dalton Karl assists) found the net. Neither team scored again until the 11:30 mark when Eddie Shields connected, using assists from Anton and Forte. Back-to-back goals by Forte (Shields/Brendon Savona assists) and Karl (Savona assist) in a 24-second period put the Bucks on top 4-0 after one period and all but sealed the Bears’ fate.
Anton scored 15 seconds into the second period, using assists from Carl and Forte, and Michael Samson scored an unassisted goal midway through the third period for the 6-0 final.
The Bucks, who held a 29-18 advantage in shots, will face Downingtown East in a semifinal contest Tuesday at Ice Line (8 p.m.). The Cougars edged Council Rock South 3-2.
Boyertown 0-0-0 0
Central Bucks West 4-1-1 6
13 HAVERFORD 7, 5 WILLIAM TENNENT 5
Haverford is playing the role of spoiler in this year’s Flyers Cup.
Two days after sending fourth-seeded Ridley home for the season, the Fords did the same to the fifth-seeded Panthers.
The Fords set the tone early, scoring a pair of first period goals to take a lead they would not lose. A goal by Chris Kreider (Charlie Feeney assist) made it a 2-1 game early in the second period, but the Fords answered with a goal to go on top 3-1. Jack McKeever’s goal (Sean Ovington/Andre Trozzi assists) made it a 3-2 game 10:44 into the second period, but the Fords closed it out with a pair of late goals to go into the final period with a 5-2 lead. That lead grew to 7-2 before back-to-back goals by Alec Dugan in the closing minutes of the game – the first unassisted and the second with a Liam Ovinginton assist – made it a 7-4 game. A goal by Brendan Sherwood with 13 seconds remaining would be the Panthers’ last hurrah.
The Panthers held a 32-28 advantage in shots.
Haverford 2-3-2 7
William Tennent 0-2-3 5
#2 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 3, #7 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 2
The Golden Hawks didn’t go down quietly, but the second-seeded Cougars held on for the win in Friday’s quaterfinal at Ice Line.
Downingtown East scored a pair of goals in the opening period. Justin Cohn (Alex Fox assist) spotted the Cougars a 1-0 lead when he found the net 4:37 into the frame, and a goal by Harrison Lane (Patrick Bobko assist) made it a 2-0 game midway through the period.
That 2-0 lead stood until Matthew Owens turned a Jake Houk assist into a goal 41 seconds into the third period, but less than a minute later, the Cougars got that one back when Luca Pisani scored (Eric Sankeiwicz/Jonathan Carreiro assists). Josh Vergules scored an unassisted goal to make it a 3-2 game, and that score held until the final horn.
The Cougars held a 22-21 edge in shots.
Mason Procz was credited with 19 saves for the Golden Hawks.
Council Rock South 0-0-2 2
Downingtown East 2-0-1 3
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