Pennridge & CB South were winners in Monday’s SHSHL National quarterfinal round. File photo courtesy of Tracy Valko. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports' ICE HOCKEY GALLERIES.
PENNRIDGE 4, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1
By Ben Reese
HATFIELD — Of all the teams that Pennridge plays in the Suburban High School Hockey League, it appears that Central Bucks East gives the Rams the most trouble.
Playing the Patriots in the first quarterfinal game of the league playoffs, Pennridge used some magic of its own to bring home the 4-1 victory and ensure another game, this one against No. 1 seed Council Rock South on Wednesday at Grundy.
It wasn’t a pretty victory, but it was a necessary one. A win for East would have cemented a great finish to the season for the Pats, and a loss for the Rams would have put a damper on any momentum they would have had moving toward the Flyers Cup.
“We knew it would be (a tough game),” Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna said. “They beat us last Thursday.
“It’s one of the most improved teams in the league from the beginning of the season. They played really well and they’re a hard team to play against. It’s exactly what we expected.”
East coach Jeff Mitchell, who played club hockey on a team coached by Montagna, enjoyed his team’s effort.
“Whenever we get to play these guys, we always give them a hard time,” Mitchell said. “We beat them a couple days ago.
“We’re riding pretty high off that win. Our boys put in a hell of an effort tonight.
“I think the last time we played these guys they outshot up by over 20. Four-to-one doesn’t really show the story here tonight. Pennridge is a great team to play against.”
Oh, the magic for Pennridge that was mentioned earlier.
Well, Shane Dachowski added another hat trick to what his coach figures to be at least 15 in playoff and Flyers Cup action. And Jacob Winton turned in a stellar performance in goal, keeping the Patriots at bay, especially when East pulled its goalie in the third period.
Shane, is your coach’s total right?
“I don’t keep count,” he said with a smile, “as long as we win. I’m just trying to score for the team.
“I don’t (feel) any pressure. I don’t see it like that.”
Dachowski’s goal eight minutes into the second period with the Rams clinging to a 1-0 lead proved to be a turning point in the game.
“That was really a needed goal,” Dachowski said. “I don’t know what their defensemen were doing but we took advantage of it.”
Then there was Winton. He kicked aside 30 of the 31 shots the Patriots fired at him, including 13 in the third period alone.
“They were definitely collapsing down low and getting rebounds,” Winton said of the East offense in the third period. “It was a little stressful there at the end.”
He then gave a lot of the credit to the defensemen in front of him.
“They did great,” he said, “picking up rebounds, putting them in the corners especially at the end, clearing it out of the zone when it was 6-on-4. They’ve been solid all year and they’re keeping it going in the playoffs.”
Montagna realizes that he needs the best he can get from Winton if the Rams want to advance in the playoffs and the upcoming Flyers Cup.
“We always fall back (on him),” Montagna said of Winton. “We don’t have the same team (we’ve had in past years); we don’t have the same defensemen. That’s not a knock on anyone but he’s got to be great for us.
“When we play CR South Wednesday, he’s got to be great. He can’t have an off night. I know it’s a lot of pressure on him, but he’s had that pressure for three years.”
And flourished.
Pennridge 4, CB East 1
CB East 0 1 0 — 1
Pennridge 1 2 1 — 4
First period: 1, James Rush P (Shane Dachowski, Landan Bishop) 11:28.
Second period: 2, Dachowski P (Sal Daquino) 8:00; 3, David Brown CBE (unassisted) 10:23 SH; 4, Dachowski P (Josh Kelly, Rush) 16:59.
Third period: 5, Dachowski P (unassisted) 16:10 EN.
Shots: CBE 31, P 32. Saves: Cole Breen (CBE) 28, Jacob Winton (P) 30.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 8, PENNSBURY 1
The Titans advanced to Wednesday’s SHSHL National semifinals with a convincing win over the Falcons at Hatfield Ice. Brennan Thierolf (1g, 2a) and Ryan Frey (1g, 2a) both had three-point games to lead the Titans.
The two teams played to a 1-1 tie after one period. Logan Hood scored just under five minutes into the period, using assists from Thierolf and Alexander Cannon. Christopher Sarver’s unassisted goal midway through the period knotted the score.
Jeffrey Kvecher’s power play goal two minutes into the second period turned out to be the game-winner. Joseph Slobodrian and Frey had assists. Ten minutes later, Thierolf found the net with an assist from Kvecher, and with 31 seconds remaining in the period, Sean Cutter turned a Keith Waldron pass into a goal that sent the Titans into the second period with a 4-1 lead.
In the third period, the Titans added goals by Frey, Jake Stepp (Thierolf assist), Dominic Gibson and Cutter (Frey assist) for the 8-1 final.
Nathan Napolitano earned the win in goal, turning away 18 of 19 shots. The Titans held a 35-20 advantage in shots.
Pennsbury 1-0-0 1
Central Bucks South 1-3-4 8
Shots: Pennsbury 20, CBS 33; Saves: Brendan Milliken (P) 25, Nathan Napolitano (CBS) 19.
First period: 1. Logan Hood CBS (Brennan Thierolf/Alexander Cannon) 12:12; 2. Christopher Sarver P, 7:24.
Second period: 3. Jeffrey Kvecher CBS (Joseph Slobodrian/Ryan Frey) 15:08; 4. Brennan Thierolf CBS (Jeffrey Kvecher) 5:52; 5. Sean Cutter (Keith Waldron) 00:31.
Third period: 6. Ryan Frey CBS, 16:55; 7. Jake Stepp CBS (Brennan Thierolf) 13:25; 8. Dominic Gibson CBS, 8:07; 9. Sean Cutter CBS (Ryan Frey) 3:55.
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