In this week’s SHSHL notebook, Craig Ostroff features players from CR South, CB East and PW.
By Craig Ostroff
National Conference
Lopez & Sweeney lead young Golden Hawks - You’re not going to find many superstars on this year’s Council Rock South roster. There’s no SHSHL version of Connor McDavid on this squad.
What you will find, however, is a team loaded with talented players with solid fundamentals who are willing to bump, grind, and sacrifice to get the job done.
“I’ve got a team of all blue-collar, hard-working guys,” said South coach Joe Houk. “And that’s OK. These are good kids, they listen and they learn, and we’re happy with where we are and where we’re headed.”
As is often the nature with high school hockey, five potential Golden Hawk players passed on the high school season in order to play with higher-level club teams.
But that doesn’t mean the Golden Hawks are shorthanded, or lacking in leadership. South enters the week at 1-0-0-1 in National Conference play (3-0-0-2 overall) and the influence of seniors Doug Lopez and Jimmy Sweeney have been key to the Hawks’ focus and efforts this season.
“We’ve got a couple of guys we’re looking to carry the weight this year,” Houk said. “We literally run only two lines and a line of JV guys. Jimmy in goal, and Doug are both seniors - they’ve both been with me three years. Jimmy carried us last year and we’re expecting him to do the same this year. Doug is one of our assistant captains, he does tremendous job. He’s the kind of kid that people see his lead and they follow. He’s a guy who doesn’t say too much, but he does what he’s told, he does it well.
“Jimmy and Doug are guys who are committed to this team, and we’re expecting a lot from those guys this year.”
Lopez is second on the team with 4 assists and third on the team with 7 points through 5 games in a spread-out offense. Dishing off the puck is what he does best - that, and going all-out for his entire shift, no matter how many he takes and how long he’s on the ice.
“Doug’s not really that big goal scorer, he’s a setup guy, he’s more of a playmaker,” Houk said. “But he’s a great team leader by his actions, I can use him on the power play and the penalty kill, I know what he’s going to give me out there. Even if we’re short and we’re running two lines, he’s running every other shift, and if I need someone to double-shift, I’ll say to him, ‘You’ve got to give me 30 seconds,” he’ll say, “Yeah, no problem.’ You always need that one guy who’s willing to do that.”
At the other end of the rink, Sweeney serves as the steadying presence in the defensive zone. In a season that’s being played under a cloud of certainty, there’s never a question about what the senior keeper can and will bring to a game.
“We never have to come into a game hoping Jimmy shows up, or hoping he has a good game tonight,” Houk said. “He’s always going to give you a strong effort. You always get 100 percent out of him.
“Jimmy paid his dues as a younger goalie, he earned his spot and carried us last year. I always look at goalies as leaders, but Jimmy’s really become a more vocal leader on the ice. Last year he was quieter, but with that experience, he’s more comfortable now to direct traffic and tell the guys where they need to be.”
In addition to keeping pucks out of the net, Sweeney is also serving as a mentor and teacher to his backup goalie, Carson Lopez, who also happens to be Doug’s younger brother.
The senior leaders will bring the Golden Hawks back into battle this week, squaring off against National Conference frontrunner Pennsbury (3-0 National, 5-1 overall) at 9 pm Wednesday at Bucks County Ice Arena. The Falcons’ earned a 3-2 overtime victory over South on Feb. 4.
“It was a good game last time,” Houk said. “We’re looking forward to seeing how far we’ve come. Bottom line is, we play hard and we win as a team, we lose as a team.”
Continental Conference
Bostwick is a leader on and off ice for Patriots - When a new coach takes over a hockey club, a team tends to look to its veteran players and leaders to provide the consistency it needs during the transition.
Fortunately for Central Bucks East and first-year coach Jeff Mitchell, one player the team is counting on as its rock also happens to be one of the top offensive weapons in the league.
Senior Adam Bostock enters the week tied for third among SHSHL players with 8 goals and is sixth in the league with 15 points. Importantly for the Patriots, Bostock has dished out 7 assists, setting up linemates almost as often as he’s put the puck in the net himself..jpg)
“Adam is the guy we need to elevate everyone else around him,” Mitchell said. “He’s the star, but he needs people to pass to and to pass to him. So it’s important to have that trust in each other where he knows he can count on his teammates and they know they can count on him.
“And it’s really important for the younger kids to see a guy who’s an all-around type of player. He wants to score, sure, but he wants to get an assist as well. He’s not just out there to be the star, he’s not just about putting points on the board. He’s about making his teammates better.”
And Bostock’s efforts aren’t just relegated to his shifts during games.
“Overall, Adam is a quiet kid, but even on the bench, when he sees something he doesn’t like, he speaks up,” Mitchell said. “He’s a solid leader in locker room, he’s calm under pressure, he’s consistent. He’s a solid player. He’s our leader at the forefront of the offense.”
His efforts have been important during the uncertainty that has surrounded the hockey season.
“Adam is a guy who leads by the example he sets for others,” Mitchell said. “He’s a top player in the league, but there’s nothing that’s beneath him. Whatever you ask him to do, he’s going to do it and he’s going to do it well. It’s important for the younger kids to see that.
“Adam really stepped up into the leadership role this year. He’s kind of a soft-spoken guy, you can tell he’s not used to having that kind of role, but he’s really stepped up and filled the shoes as a leader this year.”
The primary goal now is to turn around the team’s fortunes. After starting the season with a pair of wins, the Patriots are riding a three-game losing skid, including a pair of one-goal losses. East will look to get back into the win column when it hosts National Conference frontrunner Neshaminy at 7:20 pm Friday at Revolution Ice Gardens.
American Conference
Cubbin making most of his time on the ice - Plymouth Whitemarsh senior defenseman John Cubbin remembers his junior season.
He remembers showing up to every practice and giving his best effort. And he absolutely remembers riding the bench, never setting foot on the ice during a single game..jpg)
“To be honest, it really sucked,” said Cubbin, who had sustained a concussion during baseball season in the spring of his sophomore year. Though the doctors cleared him within a month, Cubbin and his family decided he should sit out his junior year on the ice in order to avoid any contact so soon after the concussion. “It was very frustrating for me. The team was doing very well and I wanted to be part of that. It’s frustrating not being able to play, and it’s hard when you see a penalty kill or you’re in a tight game and you could be out there to help, but it’s completely out of your control from the bench.”
Fast forward one year, and due to the pandemic, there was the very real possibility that Cubbin was not going to get to play his senior year either. So—though it’s a shorter, more restrictive season than in years past—you’d better believe that the PW captain is enjoying every moment of his last campaign on the ice for the Colonials.
“Being able to play this season means the world to me,” Cubbin said. “There were times where I wasn’t expecting to play at all this year. I love to play hockey, I love my teammates and I want to make the most of it.”
Coach Josh Aiello is more than happy to have Cubbin back where he belongs.
“John is our only 4-year varsity player who was only playing varsity as a freshman,” Aiello said. “His tenure at the varsity level speaks volumes for not just what he’s done this year but his mindset and approach since he was a freshman. He will spend time talking to any player. He’s willing to do what it takes to help everyone. He’s a talented hockey player, and after practices and games, he talks about the things he wants to work on so he can get better. He embodies what leadership is, he’s never done working and trying to improve.”
Cubbin’s efforts and dedication make him an ideal leader for this year’s squad, but he displayed those same traits last season as well. Cubbin still participated in every practice, and while he did not play, he attended every game, sitting on the bench in helmet and jersey.
“That level of dedication is incredible,” Aiello said. “Here’s a kid who had no chance of playing, but he’s committed to a team when last year he knew he had zero possibility of playing in a game. But he was there at every game, at every practice, and was there and attentive. He would still want to work harder. He used it as motivation.”
As frustrating as his junior year was, watching games from the bench gave Cubbin a new perspective on the game, and practicing kept him in hockey shape while keeping him involved with the team.
“Early on I was taking a couple practices off or not taking them seriously, and Josh was like, ‘What’s going on? We want you here, we need you here,’” Cubbin said. “That was enough to keep me showing up no matter what. I really did enjoy being there with the team and being part of that environment.
“And sitting on the bench was tough, but I was able to get a better look at how the games were being played. I was able to see passes that should have been made, certain movements and strategies. I learned a lot from being able to do that.”
Now that he’s back on the ice, Cubbin is once again the solid, steady defensive leader that the Colonials expected him to be. Though he doesn’t feel as though he’s changed his style of play, he does assess situations a little more while out on the ice and—while contact is inevitable—he doesn’t seek it out.
“It’s in the back of my head all the time,” he said. “I stay as safe as I can. I try to think about it on the ice. I don’t want to change my game, and I don’t think I have. Some hits have to be made, but if it’s unnecessary, or if I’d have to go out of my way, I do tend to avoid doing that.”
Cubbin, assistant captains TJ Corcoran and Jack Mishkin, and the rest of the veteran players have the Colonials on a roll. After a slow start that saw PW drop its first three games, the Colonials are riding a four-game winning streak and stand at 4-3 overall (3-3 in the American Conference). While they’re in the middle of the pack, they’ve got another game against each of the three teams ahead of them in the standings and are well within striking distance of the league leaders.
“Our senior class has been doing a good job in trying to keep the team focused,” Aiello said. “We have 8 varsity players who are seniors. They do a good job keeping a focus on the season and the task at hand. Knowing this is their last year, and that any game could be their last, it definitely helped our team regain focus.
“One of the important aspects of our organization is that upperclassmen are there as a resource for the underclassmen and to motivate them. At times we have an all-freshman line of swing players at the varsity level. It’s been special to have this group of seniors who have been there before, know what it takes to be successful, have been through this before and know how navigate through it.”
PW will look to extend its winning streak when it takes on Abington at 8:30 pm Thursday at Hatfield Blue. Abington—which entered the week tied atop the division with 10 points) earned a 3-2 overtime victory over the Colonials’ in the teams’ first meeting.
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