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ALSO, A MULTI-TEAM SLIDE SHOW IS DISPLAYED AT THE END OF THIS NOTEBOOK...ENJOY!
National Conference
There has been plenty of talk this year about National Division powerhouses Council Rock North and Council Rock South. And rightfully so.
But it would be a mistake to assume there's no one else who can challenge for the division title. Because sitting right below the two rivals is 7-2 Pennsbury, one point out of the division lead, and eager for a chance to rock the standings.
"A lot of kids graduated last year," said Falcons coach John Bria. "So we've got a lot of new kids on the team this year, and there are a lot of seniors who want to lead this team and make a statement."
With 45 goals on the season, the Falcons rank behind only South in scoring.
"We've got good scoring," Bria said. "We moved Mike Hlatky up from defense this year, and he's been a big help offensively (8 goals, 6 assists). And we've got a high-percentage power play."
Pennsbury has lit the lamp 17 times with the man advantage, including four each from Matt Mager and Ken McCormick. Hlatkey and Erik Rinehold have each added three power play tallies.
Mager leads the team with 17 points (6 goals, 11 assists), with McCormick right behind with 9 goals and 6 assists.
"McCormick is not the biggest guy out there, but he's got a lot of heart," Bria said. "He plays with a lot of tenacity."
Bria also credited defenseman Colin Gannon on his leadership, and newcomers Brett Incollingo and Luke Matthews for their contributions.
Between the pipes, veteran Corey Chapin has shared duties with Tim Wunder.
"Corey's been our number one guy the last couple years," Bria said. "This year he's getting pushed by Tim Wunder. I certainly think it has pushed him (to raise his game)."
The Falcons currently are five points behind division-leading Council Rock South and trail Council Rock North by two with rematches ahead. Pennsbury's two losses this year came at the hands of South (3-1 in the season-opener) and North (4-1, in a game that was tied heading into the third period).
"I definitely think we're better now," Bria said. "We completely expect to challenge them and we expect to challenge for the (SHSHL Varsity AA) championship. We'd like to get back there."
Continental Conference
It’s not exactly where Central Bucks South coach Tom Coyne had expected to be at this point in the season. But it’s also not a shock to the system.
“I guess I had, as a longtime coach, higher expectations,” Coyne said of his squad, which ended the week at 5-4-1 in the Continental Division. “We had some key injuries and a suspension to two of our best players. So I can see where we’d be .500, but I’m not happy about it.”
And Coyne- whose team has a one-point lead in the Continental Conference standings despite its record - has confidence in his players that their fortunes will improve as the season progresses.
“We’re getting everybody back now, getting back into shape,” he said. “And it’s a credit to the other teams, there are a lot of good teams now. Games that used to look like givens, now they’re not anymore. You look at William Tennent, they have the best goalie in the league (in Eric Horrox). On any given night, every team has a goalie that can steal a game.”
Of course, Coyne has some pretty impressive firepower for any goalie to have to face. Nick Gibson leads the squad with 26 points, with Kevin Carter (19 points in six games) and Dan Pulse (17 points) close behind. The Titans are also getting significant contributions from Jake Nicastro (9 points) and Vince Vona (8 points).
"Vince Vona has really been a nice surprise," Coyne said. "I've known him a long time through the clubs. I knew he was a hustler.
"Certainly, our offense has been a strength, it's been better off than our defense. But we're working on it. I’m a more defense-minded coach. Our offense will be fine. If you look at the Flyers Cups and cup champions, they always have an offensive line that seems to carry them, and I think we’ve got two."
Defensively, the club is led by Devon Dundore, and has gotten some excellent performances out of Ed Siger as well.
"Dundore is the biggest part of the defense," Coyne said. "He logs the most ice time, he carries a lot of weight for us. Ed Siger has been pretty strong and a surprise for us. We lost Dundore for one game (with a possible concussion) and he really stepped up."
American Conference
If any team in the league represents a spread-out offense, it would be Wissahickon. The Trojans, currently sitting in second place in the American Division with a 3-0 record (6-3 overall), are eagerly anticipating unleashing that offense on the rest of the division -- seven of the team's last 10 games are league tilts.
"Our offense is definitely one of our strong points," said Trojans coach Ryan McLaughlin. "We're pretty deep. We don't have that one superstar, but we're pretty spread out."
Sophomore Joey Sutow leads the team with 23 points. His linemates Brian Kaissi and David Ko have 17 and 12, respectively. Linemates and brothers Pat Delaney (15 points) and Sean Delaney (14) are also in double digits, as is defenseman Zach Weiss (10).
That translates not only to plenty of goals in full-strength situations, but special teams as well. Wissahickon has scored 11 power play goals and three shorthanded tallies in its nine games this season.
"We spend time in practice working on (the power play and penalty kill)," McLaughlin said. "We're happy with where they're at."
On the defensive end, Weiss is joined by Jesse Sutow (10 points) and Evan Weiss.
"Evan's a tough kid," McLaughlin said. "He really throws his body around."
The Trojans hope this combination of a spread-out offense and solid defense translates into wins. Because they've set lofty goals for this season.
"Before the season, I asked the guys what they want," McLaughlin said. "They said they want to win the championship. They want to go out there and win every game. And I think it's something they can do."
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