CR South & CB South picked up important wins on Friday night. To view photos of the CR South/CR North and CB South/North Penn games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
WARWICK – When he was younger, Justin Houk used to watch as both of his older brothers played hockey for Council Rock South.
Now it’s his turn.
Houk turned aside all 23 shots he faced, recording his first shutout of the season, as the Golden Hawks topped neighborhood archrivals Council Rock North, 2-0, Friday at Warwick Ice Rink.
“Justin kept us in the game,” said South coach Joe Houk, Justin’s father. “He’s come up big. He made some big saves when we needed him to.
“He was in control of everything. He was in control of the rebounds, and I thought our defense was in control of the rebounds he didn’t get to, keeping them out of there.”
Then, speaking as a father, he added with a laugh: “I’m proud of the kid. He’ll get dinner tonight.”
He deserves seconds, too. The netminder was outstanding in the crease, stopping a pair of breakaways and several 2-on-1 breaks. His pad save of a breakaway in the waning seconds of the first period led to a 2-on-1 the other way that saw the Hawks score their second goal of the game, with just 5 ticks left on the clock.
“I could tell where he was going to shoot, the way our defense was holding him off, and I just made the save,” Justin Houk said.
The Hawks brought it quickly down the ice, where Nick Keck fed Jacob Weiner, who buried a shot to give South some insurance.
South opened the scoring five minutes earlier. Despite being outshot 10-6 in the opening stanza, the Hawks made their chances count. Jevon Fillette sent a centering pass to Vinnie Primavera, who fired a shot along the ice that found its way into the cage.
“Jevon just gave me a pass right up the middle and I got a nice piece of wood on it,” Primavera said. “I think the goalie touched it, but it went off his stick and went in.”
And while North kept the Hawks’ top scorers of Steve Junod, Kyle Walter and Mitchell Vaysman off the scoreboard, the supporting cast filled in nicely.
“When Coach puts us out there, he says, ‘Play your best when you’re called upon,’” Primavera said. “You’ve got to give it your all, play hard play a big defensive game.”
Houk came up big in the second period, where North fired eight shots, most of them on quality scoring opportunities. He stoned an A.J. Garboski bullet off a centering pass, then denied both Mark McDonald and Mike Heverly on 2-on-1 breaks late in the period.
“(North) played a strong game,” Coach Houk said. “I thought they had us on the ropes there the second period.”
The Hawks had several stellar opportunities in the third period, and this time it was North goalkeeper Hayden Richards’ time to shine. He stopped a low shot from the point by Dan Margolin, then stacked the pads to deny the rebound in close from Vaysman. Not long after, he stopped a Margolin shot from the right side, then slid across to save Walter’s rebound attempt from the left side of the net.
The crisply played first period turned into a hard-hitting affair as the game wore on. Bodies crashed into the boards and open ice hitting picked up.
“These two teams played their butts off tonight,” said North coach Eric Tye.
And though the Hawks spoiled Senior Recognition Night for Council Rock North, the loss could not diminish what Tye feels about the group.
“This is the first group I’ve seen all the way through since middle school,” he said. “I call these guys, ‘my kids.’”
Council Rock South, which has already clinched the top spot in the National Division, improves to 12-1-2 (24 points) in league play, 14-3-2 overall. Council Rock North drops to 7-7-1 (15 points) and fourth place in the National, but the Indians remain in control of their destiny for a playoff berth.
And that means that Friday night’s second meeting of the season might not be the last …
“I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing them again,” Tye said.
It’s a prospect the Golden Hawks would welcome.
“It would be great,” Primavera said. “I love playing against North. Especially in the playoffs, the atmosphere would be insane. I couldn’t imagine anything better.”
Council Rock South 2 0 0 – 2
Council Rock North 0 0 0 – 0
First period:
CRS – Vinnie Primavera (Jevon Fillette), 4:49.
CRS – Jacob Wiener (Nick Keck), 0:05.
Second period
No scoring
Third period
No scoring
Shots on goal
Council Rock South 6 9 8 – 23
Council Rock North 10 8 5 – 23
Saves: Justin Houk (CRS) 23; Hayden Richards (CRN) 21
TITANS CLINCH CONTINENTAL …Central Bucks South scored three unanswered goals in the second period and held off a fierce third-period charge from North Penn to secure a 6-4 win and the Continental Division regular-season title Friday night.
Connor Bechtel scored on a great individual effort, then Kevin Casey poked home the rebound of a Bechtel shot just 16 seconds later as the Titans turned a 1-1 tie into a 3-1 lead near the midway point of the second period.
South goalkeeper Kyle Beeson (26 saves) made a pair of stunning glove saves late in the period to deny North Penn closing the gap. South increased its lead to 4-1 when defenseman Tim DiRugeris stole the puck in the neutral zone near his own blue line and took it into the Knights’ end himself, scoring shorthanded with a shot to the glove side with one second left in the second period.
The Knights were unable to capitalize on a seven-minute power play that carried into the third period (though two minutes were neutralized on a North Penn penalty), but they finally found the net with 7:48 left in the third when Doug Barker poked home the rebound of a Jeremy Snyder shot.
Two penalties to the Titans in quick succession gave the Knights 45 seconds of a 5-on-3 power play. Though they couldn’t score on the two-man advantage, North Penn made it a one-goal game on the power play when Caleb Witzaney scored his second of the night on a low blast from the point right off the faceoff win.
But the Titans would respond as Jimmy Milanesi scored his second of the night off the rebound of a Karl Zimmerman shot to make it a 5-3 game, and Casey iced it with an empty net goal with 14 seconds left.
The Titans remain undefeated in the league with a 12-0-1 (25 points) record in the Continental Division, 14-2-2 overall. North Penn falls to 8-3-3 (19 points), 9-3-5 overall. The Knights are in position for a playoff berth, and trail second-place Pennridge by one point. North Penn plays Pennridge on Feb. 15.
North Penn0 1 2 – 3
Central Bucks South 0 4 2 – 6
First period
No scoring
Second period
CBS – Jimmy Milanesi (unassisted), 14:06.
NP – Caleb Witzaney (Jeremy Snyder), PP, 12:03.
CBS – Connor Bechtel (unassisted), 9:12.
CBS – Kevin Casey (Bechtel), 8:56.
CBS – Tim DiRugeris (unassisted), 0:01.
Third period
NP – Doug Barber (Snyder, Nick Capasso), 7:48.
NP – Witzaney (Snyder, Matt Stella), PP, 5:17.
CBS – Milanesi (Karl Zimmerman), 2:58.
CBS – Casey (unassisted), EN, 0:14.
Shots on goal
North Penn 10 11 8 – 29
Central Bucks South 6 13 6 – 25
Saves: Cody Matthews (NP) 18; Kyle Beeson (CBS) 26.
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