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By Scott Huff
HATFIELD – Council Rock North head coach Eric Tye was unashamedly weeping outside the Indian locker room after Rock North (21-2-1) lost 2-1 to unbeaten Downingtown East (18-0-1) in a Flyers Cup Class AA semifinal game played at the Hatfield Ice World.‘Right now there are eight players in their crying their eyes out,” said Tye in reference to his senior players. “And when I walk into that locker room, it makes nine.
“Those seniors and I have a great relationship, a special bond,” added Tye. “This is the closest knit group of kids that I have ever coached. We have been together for seven years – through middle school, junior varsity and varsity.
“It has been a hell of a ride with these players,” continued Tye. “Losing like this is tough for the seniors – really, it’s tough for all of them.”
The seniors that have laced up the skates for the last time included Scott Titus, Patrick Cunningham, Steven Bullard, Brad Chleboski, Thomas Elmer, Alex Trier and Blake Huttner.
And, of course, remarkable Rock North goaltender Jesse Goldberg.
“The score may have been eight or nine to one without Jesse,” said Tye of his spectacular net minder who made a marvelous 36 saves. “Downingtown East is a very good ice hockey team, and they played very hard. Just as hard as we did.”
Both Goldberg and East goaltender Ryan Lord were terrific in the first and second periods keeping the game scoreless. Goldberg would register 22 saves over the first 30 minutes, while Lord racked up 18 saves.Victory, however, was within Rock North’s grasp in the third period. The Indians scored the first goal of the game with 8:57 left in the period when Titus assisted Kyle Weitz on a gorgeous goal.
The celebration within the bench area of Rock North did not last for long. It lasted all of 29 seconds as the Cougars scored the equalizer.
East’s Ryan Urban flipped in a rebound over the shoulder of Goldberg on an assist from Ryan Smith at the 8:28 mark.
“Once we scored that goal we got all excited – too excited,” said Tye. “We have to play all 45 minutes.”The score was tied after 44 minutes and 34 seconds, but Downingtown East – Inter County Scholastic Hockey League champions - would score with just 26 seconds left in the game.
Justin Baca – the Cougars’ leading scorer in both the regular season and in the Flyers Cup playoffs – scored on a scramble in front of the net.
Earlier, it had appeared that the Indians had scored a goal in the second period when the puck found its way into the net on a scramble in front of Lord. However, the ref waved off the goal.
“He said that the goaltender had control of the puck,” shrugged Tye. “That’s not what we saw, but that’s what he saw.”
Council Rock North was the #2 seed in this Flyers Cup tournament – while Downingtown East was the #3 seed. SHSHL fans were hoping for a ‘Rock & Roll’ final after CR South bested Pennsbury – 2-1 – in the earlier semifinal game.
But now that won’t happen – and that is a crying shame.
Downingtown East 2 – Council Rock North 1
Downingtown East 0 0 2 - 2
CR North 0 0 1 - 1
CRN: Kyle Weitz (Scott Titus)
DE: Ryan Urban (Ryan Smith)
DE: Justin Baca (Smith)
Goaltenders:
CR North – Jesse Goldberg – 36 saves
Downingtown East – Ryan Lord – 20 saves
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