Several SHSHL teams are still in the hunt for the coveted Flyers Cup, including a Council Rock South squad that has plenty of experience in Flyers Cup play.
Much has been made of Council Rock South’s offense this season … and with good reason. Averaging more than five goals per game, the Golden Hawks possess one of the top attacks in the SHSHL.
But come playoff time, defense truly shines.
And when talking about the Golden Hawks, the defense starts with senior captain Dan Ufberg.
“Dan’s a very skilled player,” said Council Rock South coach Joe Houk. “He’s been with me for four years – he played varsity as a freshman. He’s been up the road, he’s been there. This is his first year wearing the C, and he’s a good leader in the locker room, the kids respect him.
“And when push comes to shove in the last two minutes, he’s the guy you want back there.”
The Golden Hawks are 7-1 in their last eight games, with the only loss coming in a 7-6 triple-overtime loss in the SHSHL playoffs. In the other seven games, South has posted two shutouts and held three other opponents to one goal.
“We struggled there a little bit,” Ufberg said of himself and his defensive mates. “But toward the end of the season and once you come to playoff time you pull through and I’m really proud of the way those guys played.”
“Defense-wise, we run with six deep, but we have four really solid guys,” Houk said. “They’ve stepped it up and they play physical. Our goalie (Justin Houk) has been real good the last six games. The defense has stepped it up and they’re getting better and better as we go along.”
The top four blueliners -Ufberg, Dan Margolin, Tom Kopania, and Paul Cloud - came up big in slowing down the high-scoring Pennsbury offense in Thursday’s Flyers Cup second-round matchup. Cloud, who returned after missing the end of the regular season and the entire SHSHL playoffs with migraines, was particularly energetic and aggressive along the boards in the Hawks’ defensive zone throughout the game.
“We just look to play our own game,” Ufberg said. “I don’t like to go out there and say, ‘Watch this player, watch that player.’ We just want to play our game and do what we know how to do.”
“Our defense helps us out a lot,” said sophomore forward Nick Keck. “Dan’s the leader on the team, and the rest of the guys are all good players. We know they’re back there, they’ve got your back. We trust all of them. It’s good to know we have them to rely on.”
The next task for the Golden Hawk defense will be shutting down Boyertown, the 11th seed in the Class AA tournament. The Bears pulled off a 5-2 win over sixth-seeded Pennridge in Thursday’s second-round game. For the season, the Bears are 10-6-2 and are averaging 3.7 goals per game.
But the Golden Hawks are two wins away from a berth in the Flyers Cup final. And they’re ready to do whatever it takes to get there.
All they need to do is follow their leader’s example.
“I live for this time of year,” Ufberg said. “This is my fourth year. I have two (Flyers Cup titles), we definitely want one more, so I’m giving it everything I got.
“I just want good competition, I want the close games. A couple years ago, we lost in the (SHSHL) playoffs but we were able to pull back through, work hard in practice, come through and win the Flyers Cup. I know we can do it again. We have harder teams to go through as third seed this year, but I definitely think we can do it.”
RANKINGS – SO RIGHT YET SO WRONG … What have we learned so far from the Flyers Cup tournament? We’ve learned that those responsible for the rankings got the top of the order right. Of the eight teams remaining in Class AA, the top three are still alive (and all from the SHSHL – Central Bucks South, North Penn and Council Rock South), as is fifth-seeded Conestoga.
But as spot-on as seeders were with the top of the rankings, the ball (or puck) was definitely dropped in evaluating the South Jersey teams. The 17-2 Cherokee Chiefs came in as the ninth seed and dominated eighth-seeded Council Rock North in the first round. The Chiefs will square off against top seed Central Bucks South on Monday in what could be the best matchup of the Flyers Cup thus far.
Most overlooked (or flat-out disrespected), however, was Washington Township. Ranked the lowly 20 seed – the last seed in the tournament – despite a strong 14-6 record in the regular season, the Minutemen have proven to be serious contenders for the Flyers Cup, frustrating 13th seed Souderton 4-0 with their speed and skill in the play-in round, then never trailed in ousting fourth-seeded Perkiomen Valley, 3-2. Washington Township faces fifth-seeded Conestoga in the quarterfinals, with a potential for a semifinal matchup against top-seeded Central Bucks South. Despite their rankings, Cherokee and Washington Township have proven they are true contenders and serious threats … and if Central Bucks South wanted to play the best en route to the Flyers Cup finals, they’ve got it.
THE ELITE EIGHT – We’re down to the final eight teams in Eastern Pennsylvania (and South Jersey). The schedule for the final week of the Flyers Cup Class AA tournament will play out as follows:
Class AA
Quarterfinals
1 Cherokee (9) at Central Bucks South (1), 7 p.m. Monday at Warwick Ice Arena.
2 Washington Township (20) vs. Conestoga (5), 8 p.m. Monday at Ice Line.
3 Boyertown (11) at Council Rock South (3), 8:40 p.m. Monday at Bucks County Ice Sports Center.
4 Downingtown East (7) at North Penn (2), 7 p.m. Tuesday at Hatfield Ice.
Semifinals
1 Winner quarterfinal 3 vs. winner quarterfinal 4, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Warwick Ice Arena.
2 Winner quarterfinal 1 vs. winner quarterfinal 2, 8:45 p.m. Thursday, Warwick Ice Arena.
Final
Winner semifinal 1 vs. winner semifinal 2, 7:30 p.m. March 18, Wells Fargo Center.
Class A
Quarterfinals
1 Downingtown West (9) vs. West Chester Rustin (1), 7 p.m. Monday, Ice Line.
2 Archbishop Carroll (13) vs. Lansdale Catholic (12), 7 p.m. Monday, Bucks County Ice Sports Center.
3 West Chester East (6) vs. Springfield (3), 8:30 p.m. Monday, Aston.
4 West Chester Henderson (7) vs. Methacton (2), 8:45 p.m. Monday, IceLine.
Semifinals
1 Winner quarterfinal 1 vs. winner quarterfinal 2, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, IceLine.
2 Winner quarterfinal 3 vs. winner quarterfinal 4, 8:45 pm. Thursday, IceLine.
Finals
Winner semifinal 1 vs. winner semifinal 2, 6:30 p.m. March 19, IceLine.
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