North Penn edged CB South in a classic County Line Cup contest at Hatfield Ice. Pennridge, CR South & Neshaminy also earned wins. NP/CB South photos courtesy of Keith Clemens Photography. CLICK HERE for a gallery of photos.
NORTH PENN 3, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 2
Nick Ebbinghaus had himself a game.
The Knights’ goalie turned away 41 of 43 shots in a brilliant outing that saw the entire defense stand tall, giving North Penn the hard-fought win at Hatfield Ice in the annual County Line Cup game.
“Our defense played extremely strong, and Ebbinghaus played outstanding in net with 41 saves,” NP coach Kevin Vaitis said. “The thing we’re preaching right now is where are we giving up the shots?
“CB South – we’ve played them for years, and they’re going to generate a lot of shots. The thing we try and focus on is - can we keep most of the shots to the outside? Can we limit any of their second and third chances? That’s what we tried to focus on tonight.”
The Knights capitalized on a pair of power plays, opening up a 3-1 lead midway through the second period and holding on for their first win of the young season.
“This was a big win,” Vaitis said. “We played probably four of the top teams in the Suburban League right now. To get this win tonight is kind of huge for us heading into next week.
“It’s definitely a big win and the whole County Line Cup stuff is big as well.”
While Ebbinghaus stole the spotlight on defense, he had plenty of help from defensemen Sam Mostochuk, Ben Mostochuk and Tyler Porubski.
The Titans got on the scoreboard first with 11:45 remaining in the opening period when Peter Herring found the net with assists from Keith Waldron and DJ Bray. Sixteen seconds later John Stinson scored an unassisted goal to knot the score 1-1, a score that stood until the end of the period despite the fact that South held a 20-4 advantage in shots.
The Knights took a 2-1 lead less than five minutes into the second period when Nolan O’Toole scored an unassisted goal on a power play. Another power play goal – this one by Sam Mostochuk with assists from Ben Mostochuk and Justin Yothers – gave the Knights a 3-1 lead with 8:34 remaining in the period.
“We spent a good deal of our practice the other night working on our power play,” Vaitis said. “It generated two goals tonight for us, so that was big.”
As expected, the Titans didn’t go down quietly and made it a 3-2 game with just under 11 minutes remaining in regulation when Aydin Thierolf scored a shorthanded goal, using an Aidan Gaffney assist. They continued to apply pressure, but Ebbinghaus and the Knights’ defense refused to be denied.
“It felt like an eternity, “Ebbinghaus said of the game’s final minutes. “We were just trying to get the pucks out.”
North Penn 1-2-0 3
Central Bucks South 1-0-1 2
Shots: NP 23, CBS 43. Saves: Nick Ebbinghaus (NP) 41. Jason Magaruh (CBS) 20.
First period: 1. Peter Herring CBS (Keith Waldron/DJ Bray) 11:45; 2. John Stinson NP, 12:13.
Second period: 3. Nolan O’Toole NP, 12:13; 4. Sam Mostochuk (Ben Mostochuk/Justin Yothers).
Third period: 5. Aydin Thierolf CBS (Aidan Gaffney) 10:59.
They said:
Nick Ebbinghaus, North Penn
After the Titans took an early 1-0 lead, your team scored three unanswered goals. What was your team doing to set the tone despite South’s decisive advantage in shots?
“Communication on the ice is key. We had really great communication. Everyone was working really hard, we were moving the pucks out when they were trying to get rebounds, not giving them a second opportunity to get shots, and we came out on top. They may have had more shots, but we were pushing it, we were pumping, we were going as hard as we have gone all season.”
How big was this win?
“It was huge because it’s been three years since we won the County Line Cup. It’s a huge thing for our team. It’s our first win of the season, and it’s a big motivation booster for the whole team.”
What was the key to the win?
“The key was keeping a strong defense. We were pinching them into the boards, they’re not getting the opportunities to go straight up the middle of the ice, and they don’t get the good shots that they needed.”
How much do you enjoy tightly contested games like this?
“It’s a lot of fun for me. It’s a lot of fun to play with teamwork like this. It’s heartwarming to play on a team that can do this well.”
Sam Mostochuk, North Penn
The Titans held a 20-4 lead in shots after one period, but the score was deadlocked 1-1. How significant was it to be tied despite South’s dominance?
“That helped us with our momentum a lot. It kept the momentum going, we started flowing, and everyone started communicating better. Our goaltending really saved us there.”
What was the key to your team’s shutdown defense?
“Keeping them wide. You have to keep them wide, keep them out of the middle. They did put up 43 shots - props to our goaltending, but we did a good job of keeping them wide, keeping the rebound in the middle, tying them up and getting the puck out of the zone.”
South cut your lead to one early in the fourth quarter. What did you say to each other?
“We just tried to shake it off, keep playing the way we’re playing. What we were doing was working. We had the lead, so we decided to keep playing the way we were playing, get it going.”
How big is this win?
“This is a good rivalry game for us, and winning the game was pretty key. I don’t remember us beating them before, and it’s a huge confidence builder. We started out the season pretty bad, but we’re coming back strong.”
PENNRIDGE 10, SOUDRTON 0
Jeff Montagna had a good feeling about this year’s squad, and so far, the Rams look every bit the part of a team destined to have itself a special season. The Pennridge coach has plenty of reasons for his optimism.
“One is our depth,” coach Montagna said. “We are deep, and in high school hockey, that’s not always the case. We’re able to roll five lines at times and not skip a beat. It’s a lot of depth offensively, which is good. You’re not relying on one or two guys.
“Tonight, was good because they struggled through their first three games – weird as that sounds – playing three periods. They’ve gotten leads, and they’ve taken their foot off the gas. I’m not sure how many shots we had in the third period, but it had to be close to 20, and that’s something we really, really stressed coming into the game tonight.”
The Rams coach lauded the play of his young line comprised of Kevin Pico, Tyler Manto and Andrew Savona. The trio combined for four goals and three assists in Wednesday’s win.
“The three players that have really gotten us going are all sophomores – they’ve been my best line,” Montagna said. “They’ve been my best line. They’re very different than the other lines, but they really haven’t been stopped yet. They’ve scored in every game, and it’s tough to defend them because they move the puck so well.”
It took no time at all for the Rams to seize control on Wednesday night. Less than a minute into the game Kevin Pico scored with a Manto assist. Two minutes later, Shand Dachowski found the net with an Aidan Boyle assist. That was followed by back-to-back goals from Andrew Davis (Aeryk Lehrhaupt and Ryan Schuler assists) and Manto (Dachowski assist), and the Rams led 4-0 before the game was 10 minutes old. Manto’s goal was a shorthanded goal.
In the second quarter, Lehrhaupt scored an unassisted goal, and then it was Savona scoring a pair of goals in a 63-second span – both with Kevin Pico assists. Boyle’s goal with assists from Dachowski and Jack Lowery was followed by a goal from Lowery (Henry Fitzgerald assist) to send the Rams into the final period with a 9-0 lead.
The game came to an early halt when Andrew Lizak scored with assists from Cooper White and Pierce McGinley with just under five minutes remaining.
All but lost in the shuffle of the Rams’ offensive onslaught was the glittering effort of Ryan Pico, who was perfect in goal, turning away all 32 shots he faced.
“Ryan is as good as any goalie in the league,” Montagna said. “He’s a great safety blanket for us. When he’s on his game, he’s tough to beat.”
With the win, the Rams improved to 4-0 on the season.
“We knew last year what we had this year,” Montagna said. “Last year was nice, but the three sophomores (Manto, Pico and Savona) – I was a little bit hesitant to go fulltime with them because you never know how freshmen are going to be. We knew coming into this year we had a chance to be a really good team, and they’ve been so far. We’ll see.
“We have some of the bigger tests coming up. We have Council Rock South next week, who’s always a good team, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Pennridge 4-5-1 10
Souderton 0-0-0 0
Shots: Pennridge 71, Souderton 32. Saves: Noah Connor (S) 61, Ryan Pico (P) 32.
First period: 1. Kevin Pico P (Tyler Manto) 16:19; 2. Shand Dachowski P (Aidan Boyle) 14:22; 3. Andrew David P (Aeryk Lehrhaupt/Ryan Schuler) 11:02; 4. Tyler Manto P (Colin Dachowski) 8:01.
Second period: 5. Aeryk Lehrhaupt P, 13:53; 6. Andrew Savona P (Kevin Pico) 9:46; 7. Andrew Savona P (Kevin Pico) 8:43; 8. Aidan Boyle P (Colin Dachowski/Jack Lowery) 5:59; 9. Jack Lowery P (Henry Fitzgerald) :42
Third period: 10. Andrew Lizak P (Cooper White/ Pierce McGinley) 4:14.
They said:
Jack Lowery, Pennridge
The Thanksgiving Eve rivalry games are always big, and your team’s student section was with your team from the outset and waiting to congratulate the players as they came off the ice. How important is that support?
“This is the first year we really had fans come out. It’s completely different playing in front of people like that. A lot of the seniors – we have all of our buddies out here, and they get real rowdy, and all we want to do is put on a show for them, but we’re just focused on winning. We have a really good team in front of us, and we’re trying to take advantage of that. Having the fans behind us helps, but we’re in control of our season.”
Your team is off to a 4-0 start. With a strong nucleus returning after a Flyers Cup semifinal finish last year, how important is that?
“This is huge. If we get off to a slow start, it sets the tempo for the season. Coming out with four wins and eight goals at least in each of them is huge for us. It boosts our confidence to keep us rolling into the playoffs hopefully.”
What’s the key in a game like this where your team just dominates?
“I think just us just getting the puck deep and working at it the first period really wears teams down, and the second and third period we pour it on. Also huge for us - we have to stay out of fights and stuff. It just kills us when we get penalties. When we play our game and stick to it, we’re good – we can score, we have depth all up and down the lineup and good goaltending.”
How important was it to get the shutout?
“It’s the day before Thanksgiving, going into the break – we just want to keep rolling, get a nice win. It really boosts our confidence. It’s good for us. We came in here tonight – we didn’t take them lightly. We can’t take any team lightly because hockey is one of those sports – they can just take the game from you, and it could kill you at the end of the year.”
NESHAMINY 6, PENNSBURY 3
The Redskins – sparked by the stellar four-goal, two assist effort from Matt Gallagher - rallied from a 3-2 deficit to score four unanswered goals in the third period, but it was the inspired 74-save effort in goal by Brian Nelson that literally saved the day. The Falcons took 61 shots in the first two periods – 41 in the second period – but had just three goals to show for it as Nelson was all but impossible to beat in a superb outing.
The Redskins – despite being outshot 21-11 in the opening period – led 2-0, thanks to goals by Gallagher (Noah Seewagen assist) and Daniel McColgan (Gallagher/Ryan DeMatteo assists).
The second quarter belonged to the Falcons – or more specifically Shane Siegmund, who connected for a hat trick in less than two minutes to put his team on top 3-2. Siegmund scored his first goal on a power play with a Jake McCaw assist. His second, less than a minute later, came with a Connor Coyne assist, and Reece Millman assisted on the third.
If the Falcons dominated the second quarter, the Redskins owned the fourth, reeling off four straight goals. McColgan connected on his second goal with a Gallagher assist 1:05 into the period, and then Gallagher went to work, connecting on back-to-back power play goals – the first with assists from DeMatteo and Joey Hornung and the second with assists from Nolan Geria and McColgan. His empty net goal in the closing seconds put an exclamation point on the big win.
Pennsbury 0-3-0 3
Neshaminy 2-0-4 6
Shots: Pennsbury 77, Neshaminy 37.
First period: 1. Max Gallagher N (Noah Seewagen) 7:48; 2. Daniel McColgan N (Max Gallagher/Ryan DeMatteo) 10:24.
Second period: 3. Shane Siegmund P (Jake McCaw) 9:38; 4. Shane Siegmund P (Connor Coyne) 10:00; 5. Shane Siegmund P (Reece Millman) 10:55.
Third period: 6. Daniel McColgan N (Max Gallagher) 1:05; 7. Max Gallagher N (Ryan DeMatteo/Joey Hornung) 2:34; 8. Max Gallagher N (Nolan Geria/Daniel McColgan) 6:09; 9. Max Gallagher N, 16:56.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 11, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 4
David Vergules scored four goals and assisted on another, and his five-point night led the Golden Hawks to the win in Wednesday’s annual rivalry game. Matthew Constantini (1g, 3a) and Julian Wagenmann (1g, 3a) each added a four-point game.
North struck first early in the opening period when Karson Grainey connected on a shorthanded goal with an assist from Lucas Siomos. The rest of the quarter belonged to the Golden Hawks. Wagenmann scored the equalizer on a power play goal with a Sam Cherkassky assist, and Vergules scored 9:39 into the period with a Nolan O’Brien assist to give the Hawks a lead they would not lose. Vergules (Wagenmann and Evan Mostoller assists) and Gavin Nisenzon (Constantini assist) each added a goal to put the Hawks on top 4-1 after one period.
Rock South added to its lead in the second period. Julian Sarne scored an unassisted goal and then Nisenzon connected on his second goal, this one with a Chase Tovsky assist. Rock North’s Zach Weissman brought a halt to the Hawks’ 6-0 tear with a goal that was assisted by Grainey, but Rock South reeled off goals by Constantini (Nisenzon and Vergules assists), Kevin Koles (Philip May and Sarne assists) and Tovsky (Cherkassky and Blaize Pepe assists) to put the Golden Hawks on top 10-2 before Grainey scored a late goal for the Indians.
In the third period, North’s Nicholas Hahn (Grainey and Jackson Mosley assists) and Vergules (Wagenmann and Constantini assists) exchanged goals for the 11-4 final.
Rock South goalie Carson Lopez was credited with 24 saves in the win while Rock North’s Ian Goldberg recorded 43 saves in a contest that saw the Golden Hawks hold a 54-28 advantage in shots.
Council Rock North 1-2-1 4
Council Rock South 4-6-1 11
Shots: CRS 54, CRN 28. Saves: Ian Goldberg (CRN) 43, Carson Lopez (CRS) 24.
First period: 1. Karson Grainey CRN (Lucas Siomos) 1:53; 2. Julian Wagenmann CRS (Sam Cherkassky) 4:03; 3. David Vergules CRS (Nolan O’Brien) 9:39; 4. David Vergules CRS (Julian Wagenmann/Evan Mostoller) 12:30; 5. Gavin Nisenzon CRS (Matthew Constantini) 14:29.
Second period: 6. Julian Sarne CRS, 1:08; 7. Gavin Nisenzon CRS (Chase Tovsky) 4:50; 8. Zach Weissman CRN (Karson Graineh); 9. David Vergules CRS (Julian Wagenmann/Matthew Constantini) 9:06; 10. Matthew Constantini CRS (Gavin Nisenzon/David Vergules) 9:54; 11. Kevin Koles CRS (Philip Mayo/Julian Sarne) 11:58; 12. Chase Tovsky CRS (Sam Cherkassky/Blaize Pepe) 12:57; 13. Karson Grainey CRN, 16:30.
Third period: 14. Nicholas Hahn CRN (Karson Grainey/Jackson Mosley) 3:51; 15. David Vergules CRS (Julian Wagenmann/Matthew Constantini) 9:46.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 2, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1
In a classic battle between the neighboring rivals, Bogdan Borodenko scored a pair of power play goals and Matt Mangiacapre was close to perfect between the pipes, stopping 27 of 28 shots he faced to lead the Patriots to the tightly contested win.
The Patriots needed a big performance from Mangiacapre to offset the glittering effort of his counterpart, Liam Rogers, who turned away 48 of 50 shots in goal for the Bucks.
After a scoreless opening period that saw the teams combine for 26 shots, the Patriot took a lead they would not lose 5:28 into the second period when Borodenko cashed in on a power play opportunity, using assists from Corey Kosick and Tyler Godown.
That 1-0 lead stood until Borodenko – again with Godown and Kosick assists – connected on another power play goal 2:35 into the final period. West’s Mike Ricci cut that lead in half when he scored three minutes later, using an assist from Billy Loughnane. Neither team scored the rest of the way.
The Patriots, who held a 15-11 advantage in shots in the opening period, outshot the Bucks 35-17 in the final two periods. They scored on 2-of-5 power plays while the Bucks came up empty in all three of their power plays.
Central Bucks West 0-0-1 1
Central Bucks East 0-1-1 2
Shots: CBW 28, CBE 50. Saves: Liam Rogers (CBW) 48, Matt Mangiacapre (CBE) 27.
First period: No Score
Second period: 1. Bogdan Borodenko CBE (Corey Kosick/Tyler Godown) 5:28;.
Third period: 2. Bogdan Borodenko CBE (Tyler Godown/Corey Kosick) 2:35; 3. Adam Ricci CBW (Billy Loughnane) 5:47.
ARCHBISHOP WOOD 6, WILLIAM TENNENT 4
Tennent goalie Thomas Lomas turned away 46 shots, keeping the Panthers in Wednesday’s rivalry game until the end. Quinn Morena scored a pair of goals and assisted on another to lead the Panthers’ attack.
The Panthers took their first and only lead 2:36 into the game when Andrew Matz scored with a Matthew Castan assist. The Vikings answered with back-to-back goals late in the period.
A power play goal by Wolaniuk (Morena and Castan assists) just under four minutes into the second period evened the score, but the Vikings once again answered with a pair of goals to go on top 4-2. Morena found the net on a power play, using assists from Wolaniuk and Gavin Loughlin, to make it a 4-3 game heading into the final period.
Wood all but put the game out of reach with a pair of goals in the opening minutes of the third period to go on top 6-3 before Morena scored his second goal, this time using an assist from Travis Ribikauskas.
Archbishop Wood 2-2-2 6
William Tennent 1-2-1 4
Shots: AW 47, WT 30. Saves: David Casper (AW) 26, Thomas Lomas (WT) 40.
First period: 1. Andrew Matz WT (Matthew Castan) 2:36; 2. AW 11:13; 3. AW 14:10.
Second period: 4. Walt Waolaniuk WT (Quinn Morena/Matthew Castan) 3:53; 5. AW 9:53; 6. AW 16:12; 7. Quinn Morena WT (Walt Wolaniuk/Gavin Loughlin) 16:47.
Third period: 8. AW 2:16; 9. AW 5:46; 10. Quinn Morena WT (Travis Ribikauskas) 8:08.
MORELAND NEW HOPE 6, HATBORO-HORSHAM 4
It was a 3-3 game after Tarek Elsbbagh scored his second goal of the game just over six minutes into the second period, but Moreland/New Hope closed out the game with a 3-1 tear to earn the win
Elsabbagh’s hat trick led the Hatters, who also received a goal from Francis Stanchek. Brady Gurt, Francesca Gambino and Jack Steinberg each contributed an assist.
Tolan Stahl’s three-goal effort led Moreland/New Hope. Noah Archibald had three assists.
Hatters’ goalie Mason rash turned away 47 shots in a strong outing.
Moreland New Hope 2-2-2 6
Hatboro-Horsham 1-2-1 4
Shots: UM/NH 53, HH 26. Saves: Jacob Lungin (UM/NH) 22, Mason Rash (HH) 47.
First period: 1. Alex Silverman UM/NH (Noah Archibald/Jackson Stuez) 2:14; 2. Tolan Scolnich UM/NH (Noah Archibald) 6:32; 3. Francis Stancheck HH (Jack Steinberg) 9:25.
Second period: 4. Tarek Elsabbagh HH (Francesca Gambino) 0:17; 5. Tolan Stahl UM/NH (Tolan Scolnich/Matt Hartley) 1:28; 6. Tarek Elsabbagh HH (Brady Gurt) 6:12; 7. Tolan Stahl UM/NH (PJ Marsteller/Matt Hartley) 13:09.
Third period: 8. PJ Marsteller UM/NH; 9. Tarek Elsbbagh HH, 10:11; 10. Toaln Stahl UM/NH (Noah Archibald/Sam Leo) 11:10.
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