In a battle of two teams needing a win, Hatboro-Horsham rallied for a 5-4 win over Central Bucks West on Thursday in SHSHL action. To view action photos, please visit the Photo Gallery.
WARMINSTER - Even though Hatboro-Horsham and Central Bucks West entered Thursday's SHSHL crossover matchup with one win between them, there were plenty of reasons for both squads to be pleased with their efforts on this night.
In the end, though, it was the Hatters who earned their first mark in the win column, scoring two goals in the final 79 seconds to rally for a 5-4 victory over the Bucks at the Bucks County Ice Sports Center.
"I'm very proud of them because we're coming off all these losses and how do you get yourself pumped up every single week in practice?" said Hatters' coach Mary Gibson-Merenich. "We as coaches can see significant improvements and you're just hoping that everything will come together and it finally did tonight. All I can say is, hats off to them, we're proud of them."
The Hatters scored on their first shot of the game and led 2-0 less than four minutes in on a pair of Patrick Durkin goals (Manny Billones assisted on the first, Logan Wright picked up a helper on the second) and led 3-0 early in the second period, before allowing the Bucks to score the next four goals.
Down 4-3 in the waning minutes of the game -- and with West keeper Justin Angelo making numerous saves to keep the Hatters down -- the home team broke through when Patrick Downing fed the puck to Lindsay Howard at the side of the net. Howard sent the puck toward the net from an angle and it wound up inside the cage to knot the score at 4-4 with 1:19 remaining. Just 26 seconds later, Billones stole a clearing attempt and ripped a low shot into the net that would stand as the game-winner.
It was one of numerous times throughout the game that Billones made a clutch solo effort, this time resulting in his second goal.
"It's been like that sometimes," said Billones, whose 11 goals and 15 points lead the Hatters. "Sometimes I pull through and get the goal and we celebrate. Tonight, it was really exciting, we got our first win and it'll help us through the rest of the season."
Billones and Durkin (9 goals, 14 points) had numerous chances in the final five minutes of the game. They and their fellow seniors played critical roles late in the game, not only because of their contributions on the scoreboard, but their level-headed play and leadership.
"Our seniors stepped up," Gibson-Merenich said. "We don't have a lot of them, but they stepped up. They didn't panic, they didn’t freak out, they led the younger kids, telling them what to do. I've got to give the credit to them."
And while the Hatters celebrated their first win of the season, the kids in the locker room next door were lamenting one that got away. The Hatters scored their late goals on West turnovers in their own zone, dropping the Bucks to 1-8 overall.
"I walked in the locker room and they were just as upset as I am," said West coach Dave Baun. "They're depressed. They let one get away. They feel they should have won the game."
Indeed, the Bucks -- a young, inexperienced squad that had lost seven straight after opening the season with a victory -- responded exceptionally well to the early deficit. They trailed 3-0 after Billones scored an unassisted power play goal with 10:50 left in the second period, but began mounting a comeback less than a minute later when Austin Siemion scored in a goalmouth scramble to make it a 3-1 game. Peter Alexander scored the first of his two goals with 2:59 left in the second to pull the Bucks back to within one.
And while Angelo denied numerous Hatter chances en route to posting 18 saves, the Bucks completed the comeback and took the lead in the third. Siemion tied the game less than a minute into the final stanza on a stellar individual effort. Moving down the right side of the ice, Siemion forced the Hatters' goalie to commit, then deftly moved the puck around him and shoveled it into the cage for his team-leading 12th goal and 15th point of the season. Three minutes later, Alexander fired a shot that was deflected by a Hatter stick and fluttered into the net to give the Bucks their first lead of the game.
"We try to keep it basic," Baun said. "We want players to shoot the puck, the wider they are, the lower we want them to shoot it, and we want them going to the net. We want to get a lot of activity around the net and if our players are going hard to the net and shooting pucks, we're going to score some goals, and tonight we did. Players like Tyler Delaney, who goes to the net hard every single play, Patrick Smith, who is always doing the right thing, Austin Siemion, Peter Alexander. When you shoot the puck and go to the net, good things happen."
But mistakes proved to be the Bucks' undoing on this night. The team committed four penalties to just one by the Hatters, and turnovers were costly.
That's to be expected from such an inexperienced team, according to Baun. But while the Bucks may be behind many of their league-mates in terms of skill level, there's no denying their heart and their positive attitude.
"The kids have a really good attitude," Baun said. "They're up for every game, they try their best. There are times where we're standing around the ice like a bunch of cigar store Indians, but attitude-wise, they're great.
"We have a lot of inexperience on our team, a lot of new players who need a lot of basic skills. That's what we're trying to do. I told them, we're young, we make mistakes. We're up a goal with a couple minutes to go, it's a game you should win. We made mistakes in our end, we gave the puck away twice and allowed them to score on us. This is part of the maturation process."
That's something the Hatters are working toward as well. The team started strong, and finished strong, but allowed the Bucks to come all the way back from a three-goal deficit.
In the end, though, the Hatters showed their heart as well, stunning the Bucks and snatching a huge victory.
"You can't lollygag in the middle there, you have to give it your all for all three periods," Gibson-Merenich said. "(West) came back, they're good enough to come back.
"But I'm glad it went our way. It should give them the hope and inspiration for the next game, but also the next practice. And it gives the kids something to celebrate. It broke the pattern of losing. We did win, so we can build on that."
The loss extends the Bucks' losing streak to eight games with league games against Council Rock North and Abington on the horizon. Baun is hoping that even though his players were unable to secure the victory, that they learned some lessons they can use down the road.
"If you're smart, there's something positive to be taken away from every experience, good and bad," Baun said. "Tonight wasn't a good one, but hopefully we learned a little bit for next time."
Central Bucks West 0 2 2-4
Hatboro-Horsham 2 1 2-5
First Period Scoring
H-H-Patrick Durkin (Manny Billones assist) 14:25
H-H-Patrick Durkin (Logan Wright assist) 11:32
Second Period Scoring
H-H-Billones (unassisted), power play, 10:50
CBW-Austin Siemion (unassisted), 9:56
CBW-Peter Alexander (Daren Gauthier assist), 2:49
Third Period Scoring
CBW-Siemion (unassisted), 14:14
CBW-Alexander (unassisted), 11:08
H-H-Lindsay Howard (Patrick Downing assist), 1:19
H-H-Billones (unassisted), :53
Shots on Goal
Central Bucks West 29
Hatboro-Horsham 23
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