This week’s notebook highlights the upcoming annual Gannon Cup, CB West and Hatboro-Horsham. (Hatboro-Horsham photos courtesy of Geanine Jamison Photography. CB West photo by Keith Clemens Photography & Neshaminy team photo provided by Neshaminy ice hockey.)
By Craig Ostroff
National Conference
Gannon Cup game honors two teammates and friends - Neshaminy’s season finale against Pennsbury on March 18 would have been the final regular season games for Patrick Gannon and Phil Oseredzuk in their senior seasons on the ice for Neshaminy.
While separate tragedies took Gannon and Oseredzuk from family and friends long before their time, their memories remain with both teams—both Gannon and Oseredzuk played club hockey with current members of both Neshaminy and Pennsbury squads—and the two will be remembered and honored when the local rivals meet in the annual Gannon Cup game.
Now in its third year, the Gannon Cup was created to add special meaning to the Pennsbury-Neshaminy rivalry, but most importantly, it serves as a fundraiser for organizations near and dear to the hearts of the Gannon and Oseredzuk families.
“We came up with the idea a few years ago,” said Neshaminy coach Matt DeMatteo. “We wanted to honor Patrick’s memory. We kicked around the idea of naming an award after him, but we knew Patrick played on club teams with a lot of Neshaminy and Pennsbury guys. All the kids are friends off the ice. So we thought it would be fitting if we came up with something along with Pennsbury, to take our first game of the year and turn it into the Gannon Cup to celebrate Patrick and Phil.”
“We thought that this would be a great way not just to remember Patrick, but he was an organ donor, he touched a number of lives through organ donation, so that’s a cause that’s near and dear to our hearts,” DeMatteo said. “His parents had done some stuff through Gift of Life through his donations, so we thought it would be a great thing to do in Patrick’s memory to raise money for Gift of Life as well. Since the inception of this game, that’s always been our focus, to remember Patrick and to do something worthwhile in their honor.”
In 2019, after Oseredzuk’s tragic passing, the Gannon Cup expanded to support the Oseredzuks and the organization they created, the Live Like Phillip Foundation.
“Phil and Patrick were teammates in middle school,” DeMatteo said. “These were both exceptional young men and huge losses. A group of these kids lost two of their really good friends and teammates early in life. So we want to do what we can do to keep their memory alive, but also to support the kids who are still here and are dealing with this. So we wanted to bring Phil’s memory into it as well.
“His parents started the Live Like Phillip Foundation, which helps families who have lost children deal with grief. We wanted to try to bring some sort of positivity out of these tragedies and to help others.”
Leading the fundraising efforts for over the years has been Gina Nelson, mother of Neshaminy senior goalkeeper Brian Nelson. DeMatteo also credited Carol Gallagher and club president Bud Wilkins for their tireless efforts. Though COVID forced some changes to fundraising efforts this year, the team still sold T-shirts online and ran a basket raffle in the weeks leading up to the game. Despite the difficulties in moving the fundraising efforts online, Nelson said she was absolutely blown away by both by the number of gift baskets donated and the amount of raffles sold.
“We were raffling off what was supposed to be five baskets,” Nelson said. “When word got out, suddenly it went from five baskets to 19. Jacqui Kates at Gift of Life donated items, so for every basket raffle, there was also a Gift of Life raffle item. Normally we raise about $1,500. This year we have definitely tripled it and we’re close to quadrupling it. It literally takes my words away, I don’t even know what to say, the generosity of the donations and people buying raffle tickets have been so generous.
“I wanted to be involved with the game because my son Brian was close friends with both Patrick and Phil. That kind of loss, it changes a person, so I want to be able to do anything I can do to help their families in any way. And it lets the families know these boys will never be forgotten. This would have been their senior year, and we were not willing to accept that we couldn’t find a way to honor them.”
When the two teams meet at Grundy Ice Arena for a 7:20 pm game on March 18, representatives from Gift of Life will be present via Zoom teleconference to accept the funds raised. The Gannon and Oseredzuk families will be present as well.
As emotional as the evening’s events are expected to be, there is also a hockey game to be played. And it’s shaping up to be an important one. Traditionally played in the teams’ first meeting of the season the night before Thanksgiving, the delayed season forced the squads to move the date, and the late-season game is the perfect setting for the latest installment of this local rivalry.
“This is going to be a very important game,” said Pennsbury coach Ryan Daley, whose team will enter the game at 9-1-0. “Neshaminy is the only team to give us a loss this year. It’s unfortunate that we can’t have a packed rink for it, but the excitement is still going to be there. It’s an important game for both teams, but we won last year’s game, so the trophy is in our trophy case right now, and I’m sure they want to get it back.”
Neshaminy is in second place in the National Conference as the teams jockey for the league title and postseason positioning.
“In addition to all the excitement around the Gannon Cup and everything going on, this is shaping up to be a huge game from a hockey standpoint,” DeMatteo said. “We have a couple big games coming up, and then Pennsbury in our finale, and we’re hoping to win out. If we win the next two, the Gannon Cup game could be for the division championship.
“The message we gave the boys was that we have to take care of business in the league. Every game from here on out is a playoff game. We have to approach them as playoff games, prepare for them like they’re playoff games, and we have to come to the rink and execute like they’re playoff games.”
For more information on the organizations involved in the Gannon Cup and the Gannon and Oseredzuk families, visit Gift of Life at www.giftoflifeinstitute.org; and the life Like Phillip Foundation at www.livelikephillip.com.
Continental Conference
Young CB West looking to improve every time out - Youth and inexperience have proven to be costly to the Central Bucks West hockey team during this shortened season. But two things the Bucks absolutely possess are chemistry and a positive attitude. It helped put a bright silver lining on what could have been a dark cloud of a season.
“With all the trials and tribulations of going through this season, one thing I can say is that we have some really good kids,” West coach Dave Baun said. “We have work to do on the ice, but in every other aspect, this is a group of really good kids. It’s enjoyable to coach them in practice,
enjoyable to have games.
“I said to the coaches at practice earlier this week, I like these kids. They work hard. They’re young and inexperienced and those types of things, but I enjoy being around them and working with them and they try hard and they want to learn and improve. They’re good kids to be around.”
While the Bucks were winless in their first eight games heading into this week, Baun said he is encouraged by the leadership of the veteran players and the development of the underclassmen. He wants the players to have fun on the ice, but also remain serious and dedicated to improving.
“It’s true what they say, if you want to have fun playing hockey ... win. Winning is a great antiseptic,” Baun said. “At the same time, you don’t want to see your team having too much fun while you’re losing because that is a different type of problem. Our kids care and want to do well, they play hard and clean, I think they’re enjoying being a part of the team.
“Part of my job as one a coach is to make an honest assessment of where we are and where we’re going, and that means setting our expectations properly. Our goal has been to improve, find areas and improve on those every game and see it every game. By and large, we’ve been very successful with that, we’re a better team now than we were at the beginning of the season.”
There is also reason to be encouraged by the play of the Bucks’ freshman class, most notably goalkeeper Liam Rogers, who ranks among the league leaders in save percentage.
“I think I’ve got the best player in the league with Liam,” Baun said. “When he’s in there, he really does make a difference. We played North Penn recently, Liam faced 65 shots. It could have been 8-1 or 9-1, but as it was, we lost 2-1 in the last minute. Liam kept us in it the whole time.
“Not only is he really good, but he’s also one of the nicest kids I’ve ever met. He’s great with teammates, gets along with everyone. He’s got the greatest attitude.”
Baun also praised the development of freshmen John Cherubini and Nick Bruno, as well as junior Reese Dalzell.
“Reese has really stepped up and taken on a leadership role with the team,” Baun said. “He has a great attitude out there, it’s great to see. When you see those kinds of things, players growing into leadership roles, younger players developing, we’ll be OK.”
And though the improvements and development might not appear in scores and standings yet, any future successes were built upon the hard work put in this year.
“When you play for Central Bucks West, you’re part of a tradition,” he said. “Your team might not have been successful while you were there, but they will be in a few years and you have every right to feel like you were a part of that, you helped build that. The noises you make, they echo after you leave, you can be part of that. Be part of a good memory. Our seniors are having rough year, but we’re going to make them proud in a couple years.”
West is in action next tonight against Souderton at 7:10 pm at Hatfield Gray.
American Conference
Hatters have strong core of leaders on the ice - Mason Rash has been a busy guy this winter.
The junior goalkeeper, in his first year as starter for Hatboro-Horsham, leads all goalies in saves with 309 heading into this week’s action. Having taken over after backing up Joe Gambino for two seasons, Rash has risen to the challenge of protecting the crease for a Hatter squad (4-4-1-1, 10 points, tied for second place) that is battling for position near the top of the American Conference.
“Mason was facing a lot of scrutiny coming into the season,” said H-H coach Gianni Lafratta. “Was he going to be able to hold up as the starter, was he going to be able to win games like Joey had done. The answer is yes, he has.”
Rash has developed into a solid, and sometimes spectacular, backstop capable of facing a shooting gallery’s worth of shots if need be, and willing and able to battle through as many pucks as come his way.
“We talk about his objective every game,” Lafratta said. “His objective is not to stop every puck, his goal is to battle for sightlines, to put himself into position to see the puck and put himself in position to stop it. He rises to the challenge every game. He is going to battle and compete for every puck. He’s continued to improve every day.
“There are those moments with any goalie, where you look and say that’s one you should have had. With Mason, it’s more that you’re questioning ‘How did he find it?’ You think he’s behind a screen and somehow he gets his eyes and a body part there to save it.”
Rash also provides welcoming presence in the locker room, building friendships and trust with his teammates with both his play on the ice and his personality outside of the rink.
“Mason is one of the best kids on the team in terms of making friendships with teammates,” Lafratta said. “There’s not one kid on this team that he doesn’t talk to. Every group, every circle of friends among the team, he’s in every circle.”
Of course, it also doesn’t hurt a goalie when he’s got three standout senior forwards leading the charge on the other end of the ice. Seniors Alex Howieson, Vince Tarsi, and Hannah Gurt are making the most of their final campaign for the Hatters, contributing on the scoreboard, and perhaps more importantly, with things that don’t show up on the scoresheet.
Howieson, in particular, has been one of the top forwards in the league for several years. But Lafratta is quick to look past his impressive stats when discussing what makes Howieson such an indispensable leader for this team.
“Often, what people see are his goals,” Lafratta said. “They don’t see how he drives the play, the times he holds the puck to draw attention and waits for the opportunity to find that passing lane to find a teammate. Alex has been among the team leaders in assists the last two years. He supports his teammates. He has his moments where he wants that puck, and what coach doesn’t want a player like Alex in a game-winning or game-tying situation? You want a guy who wants to carry that burden. But he does it because he wants to contribute and do it for the team.
“He’s got to be, from 0-to-60, one of the fastest skaters in the league and he knows how to use it, knows how to draw the goaltender, draw coverage, use it to his advantage, open passing lanes and find someone on the backdoor or waiting to generate a scoring opportunity. He’s been fun to watch develop as player over the years from his first year in middle school to now.”
Howieson also serves as an ideal leader, both in action and in words. His efforts on the ice are undeniable, but his efforts on the bench may be even more important to the development of the younger players on the team.
“Alex leads by example and he tends to be a quiet leader,” Lafratta said. “But he’s also always generating morale on the bench and getting in his teammates’ ears. He’s the guy that’s going to give teaching moments to his teammates. ‘Great pass, but next time…’ He’ll give his teammates that praise and then teach them that next step. He’s really good at communicating what the team needs to be successful.”
In Tarsi, the Hatters have a player who exemplifies a term that’s come to mean only positive things when discussing hockey in the Philadelphia area—gritty. A player who can be plugged in either on offense or defense, on power play or penalty kill, Tarsi excels wherever he’s needed.
And he’s all but unbeatable along the boards.
“When you talk work ethic, you’re talking about Vince,” Lafratta said. “Vince is the guy battling along the boards in the offensive zone, drawing two bodies every time, and somehow he always comes out unscathed and with the puck every time. He just outworks his opponents, and then right away his head’s up, eyes up, looking for someone else to finish.”
Tarsi is also known for providing levity in the locker room and keeping spirits high.
“Vince is the funny guy,” Lafratta said. “You hear about the guys like (Jakub) Vorecek and (Kevin) Hayes as the Flyers’ characters, that’s Vince. He’s always got something positive to say, but he’s always quick with a jab to bring you back down to earth.”
Gurt has returned to the team after taking a couple seasons to focus on her club hockey squad. Much like her fellow seniors Howieson and Tarsi, her contributions go well beyond what the stat sheets say.
“Hannah has found her confidence, found her role on the team,” Lafratta said. “When we’re entering the offensive zone entries, if one of the guys is carrying the puck, Hannah goes to the net. As time has gone on, if the puck’s coming to the slot, Hannah is there and getting a shot on.
“At times she’s double-shifting and pushing her teammates. She’s a kid who wants her time and opportunity to show people what she can do.”
According to Lafratta, Gurt has never felt like an outsider on the team, nor has the team ever doubted her abilities or her dedication.
“In my 10-plus years with Hatboro, we may have had two years where we didn’t have a female athlete on roster,” Lafratta said. “I’ve never had to question how to coach, how to motivate, or how to build a culture, our kids have always been in the culture. The bottom line is, she wears the same jersey everyone else wears, she wants to get the W just like they do. It’s a true testament to the gentlemen on the team that they see her as a teammate and nothing else, and it’s a testament to her that she’s worked her way to becoming a valuable part of the team.”
Rash, the senior trio, and the rest of the Hatters close out the season with a game against Wissahickon on March 17 at 7:20 pm at Hatfield Gray. This week’s game against Plymouth Whitemarsh was not played due to COVID protocol, though the hope is to reschedule at the end of the season.
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