National Conference
Much of the talk about William Tennent's ice hockey squad has begun and ended with the stellar play of goalkeeper Eric Horrox.
And for good reason.
But Horrox is not the only Panthers' player having a strong season, and a host of young and up-and-coming underclassmen has coach Jim Stampler excited for the future of the team.
"I've got two freshmen on first line," Stampler said, referring to Clint Aussprung (18 points) and D.J. Mulhern (7 points). "They'll be really good players down the road. I'm hoping next year they'll be a strong line."
The freshmen are teamed on the top line with Tennent's leading scorer, Cameron Goodell, who has racked up 12 goals and 17 assists.
"Cameron is having a fantastic year for us," Stampler said. "He does everything for us. He scores, he kills penalties, he's got the best plus-minus on the team. He's an all-around good player and leader for us."
Of course, as the offense begins to come together, Stampler and the Panthers will be faced with rebuilding their defense. Seniors Pat Golden, Jeff Fischer and Dylan Jervis will bid farewell to the team, though the Panthers will return defensive stalwart A.J. Carbone.
The Panthers have four more chances to give the departing seniors a huge going-away gift by earning the squad's first win of the season. Currently at the bottom of the National Division at 0-13-4 (0-14-5 overall), Stampler said the team has shown plenty of reasons to be optimistic that it will earn that mark in the win column before the season comes to a close.
"We've had several games where we've been tied or taken a lead into the third period," the Panthers’ coach said. "I've got 12 kids on the team. They play tough but we get worn down by the third period. And they're younger players, so they're not as big as some of the older guys they're going up against. We had Souderton down two goals in one game and three in another. We were tied with Council Rock South (3-3 after two periods) just a few days ago.
"Our goal is to win and to have fun. Having fun is important when you're not winning. And they've been great about that. What we're going through - it happens to teams. Next year, hopefully we'll be better."
American Conference
If Upper Dublin hopes to make the playoffs -- and the Cardinals are in good position to do so -- they'll have plenty of experience playing in tight games against quality opponents.
And they'll close out the regular season in the same fashion, with three games the team is taking very seriously.
The Cardinals are currently tied for second in the American Division with 7 points (3-3-1, 7-6-1 overall), alongside Hatboro-Horsham (3-3-1, 8-6-1). Wissahickon rests atop the division with 12 points and a 6-1 league record.
The Cardinals close out the season with one more game against Wissahickon, a non-league battle against a 12-3 Upper Moreland squad, and a season finale against Plymouth Whitemarsh.
"We've got some good teams coming up," said Upper Dublin coach Chris Seamans. "We certainly don't want to look past Wissahickon or Upper Moreland, and PW beat Wissahickon a few weeks ago. So it should be a good finish."
And if the Cards are to finish strong and make an impact in the postseason, two seniors who Seamans expects will play large roles in the Cardinals' fortunes are captain Jake Long and alternate captain Alex Faust.
"These guys are seniors and they're leaders," Seamans said. "It's up to them to step up, dig in and show the younger guys what it's going to take.
"Jake has been a good leader, the last couple games especially. Alex has been great on defense, he loves playing that clampdown defense. We've got seven freshmen, and we're second in the league. That's a testament to the leaders on the team."
The Cards are 2-1 since the winter break, including one-goal wins over H-H and Upper Moreland.
"The guys are learning that the games that were questionable before, they now know they can get those games," Seamans said. "The guys are awake, they see that they can get into the Flyers Cup.
"Down the stretch we're looking for consistency and we need to get the W's. We need to step up and complete what we started, put us in good position to get into the Flyers Cup."
National Conference
Central Bucks East's roster was littered with injured players in the early stages of the season. Now, with the regular season winding down, the Patriots are healthy ... and they're playing like a team on a mission.
The Patriots have won their last three games in convincing fashion and are heading into the final four games with no chance of losing focus.
"We have a couple revenge games coming up," said East coach Ken Latchum. "We lost to Abington, tied Neshaminy and lost to Souderton."
Those same three teams are on the upcoming slate for East. With Continental Division-leading Souderton (10-7-1, 21 points) set to drop the puck against third-place East (8-9-1, 17 points) on Thursday.
"The team's coming along well," Latchum said. "We had a slew of injuries earlier. We lost Austin Cinalli for the season, but everyone else is back. I have lines set now. Before, it was mix and match."
And those offensive lines are dangerous. Because anyone can score at any time. The Patriots have no offensive players among the league's scoring leaders (John Esposito leads the team with 13 points, and Nick Patullo and John Young each have a team-high eight goals).
And that means that there's no one on whom opposing defenses can focus.
"We have three lines, and there are no standout scorers, but three lines averaging 15 or so goals," Latchum said. "And we're working on forechecking a lot. The more we can pressure the other teams down low, the better we are and the more chances we create for ourselves."
And while the Patriots may not pile in the goals, they're also doing a remarkable job of keeping other teams from doing the same. East leads the Continental Division with only 59 goals allowed this season. Goalies Brendan Meehan and Justin Golia have shared duties between the pipes, though Latchum said he hopes to have a No. 1 goalie heading into the postseason.
Leading the defensive efforts are blueliners Vince Esposito, Joe Echelmeier, Tyler McIntosh and Conor Long.
Leading the offense are Esposito and Bobby DeStefano (12 points), and the return of Mike Palmer (9 points in 9 games) from injury has been a big boost.
"With Palmer back, that line is really clicking now," Latchum said.
Strong defense and a resurgent offense, consistency and focus ... it all adds up to a team that could be a dangerous postseason opponent.
"We just finished practice and the guys are asking what do we have to do for the playoffs," Latchum said. "They want (to qualify for) the Flyers Cup, too, so those wins count. East went in the past, and they want to do it again this year.
"I love this team. They're set and ready, and they're coming together at the right time."
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