By GORDON GLANTZ
Perhaps even more tense than the playoffs themselves are those games at the end of the regular season to get there.
That’s the case in the SHSHL, where six teams from the National Division and three from the American will advance to postseason, which begins on Feb. 22.
In the National, three teams – Council Rock South (7-0-0-1, 13-1-0-1), Pennsbury (7-2, 11-4) and Neshaminy (5-1-1, 10-3-1) – have punched their tickets, although the top two seeds, which will include first-round passes to the semifinals, are still to be determined.
For example, Neshaminy can conceivably catapult itself directly to the semis by going 3-0 the rest of the way. That would mean wins over Pennridge Thursday and then Council Rock South on Feb. 15 and North Penn Feb. 16.
Pennridge (5-2, 10-4), CB East (4-2-1, 8-5-1) and CB South (4-4-0-1, 7-7-0-1) still have some work ahead.
Thursday’s game with Neshaminy carries just as much meaning as it does for the Rams, who also have key games looming against Council Rock North on Feb. 15 and CB East the next night.
Back on Jan. 4, Pennridge skated to a 5-3 win over Neshaminy.
CB South coach Shaun McGinty sees upcoming games against CB East Friday and a Bensalem team next Wednesday that is a tougher foe than its record (1-5, 2-11) would indicate as vital.
“We need to win our next two,” he said. “No question. Both teams will be a challenge for different reasons. We’ve played East once and it was a physical game. I expect nothing less Friday night. It will be a hard-hitting game. With Bensalem, they have a short bench, but it’s filled with the right players. They can absolutely cause teams trouble.”
The Titans have placed themselves in this situation with a bit of late-season skid – four straight, including a non-league loss to the Princeton Day School -- that may have negatively affected the team’s psyche.
“I think they need to believe in themselves more,” he said, adding that the situation was not helped by him missing recent practices because of a stomach bug.
CB East, which went 0-4 in December but has been a tough draw since, can also see the postseason Promised Land but will need to fare well against its final three foes – Council Rock South on Thursday, the aforementioned CB South and Pennridge clashes.
American Pie
In the American, only one squad – Abington (10-0-1-1, 13-0-1-1) – can rest easy.
Behind the Ghosts, three teams – Plymouth Whitemarsh (6-5, 10-6), Quakertown (5-4-1-1, 8-4-1-1) and Wissahickon (5-5, 8-6) – are vying for the other two spots.
While PW’s final game will be against a Springfield team that has had a rough go in its first year of existence, all eyes will be on the Quakertown-Wissahickon matchup on Feb. 15 that most likely will determine the final playoff berth.
“That looks like the game that will decide it” said Quakertown coach Keith Kremm, who said he feels confident in the way his fully healthy team is playing at present.
The Trojans and Panthers have split their two previous meetings this year, with Wissahickon skating away with a 3-1 win on Dec. 1 and Quakertown coming out on top, 5-3, on Feb. 11.
“We are two good, equal teams,” said Kremm. “It should be a good game.”
The Other Races
Pennsbury standout Brendan Macainsh seems poised to take the scoring title. He has 44 points, but is trailed by Matt Flynn of PW with 40. Others near the top rung are Pennridge’s Andrew Savona (38 points), Abington’s Matthew Kramer (36 points) and Savona’s teammate Kevin Pico (35 points).
Macainsh is also out to the lead in goals with 27 but Wissahickon’s Will Hussa is hot on his trail with 24. Also in the 20-goal club are Kramer (22), Flynn (21) and Bensalem’s Alex Hood (20), who has more than half of his team’s goals (39).
Savona leads the league in assists with 22. He is followed closely by PW’s David Branigan (20) and Pennsbury’s Andrew Falkenstein (20). Pico and Flynn each have 19 helpers while Abington’s Ian Heydt has 18.
Bad Boys
Penalty minutes can be viewed from multiple viewpoints.
At face value, it naturally means a player is creating the dreaded man advantage for the opponent. On the other hand, it can be a sign of playing physical and mean a willingness to stick up for your teammates.
NHL teams will often see the statistic as a sign of character and leadership.
Council Rock North’s Carson Grainey leads the SHSHL with 83 penalty minutes and, curiously, is also his team’s leading scorer with 12 goals and 8 assists for 20 points.
Next is Neshaminy’s Nolan Geria with 66 penalty minutes. He is followed by Wissahickon’s Danny Hussa with 53.
The list rounds off with Pennsbury’s Sean Taggart (49), Souderton’s Seth Grossman (46), Quakertown’s Cole Slemmer (44), CB South’s Matt Crouch (43), Pennridge’s Shane Dachowski (42), Council Rock North’s Drew Borden (42) and the CB East brother combination of Charlie Keiser (42) and Carter Keiser (39).
Like Grainey, Grossman leads his team in scoring with 17 goals and 11 assists for 28 points.
- Log in to post comments
