By Ben Reese
HATFIELD -- If you like offense in your ice hockey games, you should have been watching Plymouth Whitemarsh and Wissahickon play on Thursday night at Hatfield Ice.
If it’s defense you like in your ice hockey games, you probably should have stayed home.
There were 26 goals scored, 14 of them by the Colonials, who won the game 14-12. There were 84 shots taken, 43 of them by the Trojans.
Two players, one on each team had more than three goals and two more, again one on each team, had hat tricks. Three players had two goals, two for PW and one for Wisshahickon, and five scored one goal, four of them for the Trojans.
One player had a total of nine points (four goals and five assists), another had seven points (3 goals and four assists) and two had six points.
All in all, there wasn't much defense played. The score after one period was 5-5. After two periods, it was 10-7.
There were four power play goals. And there was even one short-handed goal.
You really had to feel sorry for the goaltenders. They were peppered for the entire game by shots from in close and from out at the point, a regular shooting gallery.
Well, coach, was it a good offensive game or a bad defensive game?
"That's a great question," said PW coach Josh Aiello. "I think both teams came out with a lot of energy.
"Both teams have some offensive power. I think people were on the edge of their seat (with) it being Senior Night (for both teams) and really trying to get going offensively. But both teams let up a good amount of goals."
Wissahickon coach Ken Harrington saw it the same way.
"I think it was a good offensive game," he said. "I think the boys for both teams like to run and gun.
"Sometimes you get in a game and it's all about that, all going all out. The defense gets forgotten. It's back and forth so much that everybody is amped."
Plymouth Whitemarsh jumped off to a quick 3-0 lead in the first period. The Colonials netted their first three markers in the space of 1:35.
But the Trojans came roaring right back. They hit for four goals, two on the power play, to take a 4-3 lead.
Two PW goals gave the Colonials the lead once again. However, Wissahickon got the final goal of the period to tie it at 5-5.
The second period went to Plymouth Whitemarsh. The first five goals of the period were scored by the Colonials with the Trojans rallying to score the final two of the stanza to trail 10-7.
Wissahickon continued its comeback at the beginning of the third period. The first two goals went to the Trojans to cut the deficit to 10-9.
But that is as close as they could get. Plymouth Whitemarsh scored four of the next seven goals to collect the victory.
When everything was tallied up, Wisisahickon's Brian Garry had four goals and five assists and A.J. Pounds had three goals and four assists. PW's Weikel brothers, Jake and Luke, each had six points, five goals and one assist for Jake and three goals and three assists for Luke.
Jack Mishkin scored two goals for the Colonials and Nick Hussa and Alex Carrozza each had two for the Trojans. PW's Aiden Keogh, Ben Lubas, Colin Franzoni and Dean Keller and Wissahickon's Daniel Glazer each scored one goal.
A calculator probably would have come in handy.
As time wound toward the end of the game, things got chippy. An altercation broke out with only seconds remaining.
"You never want to promote or see those things happen, but both teams are passionate," Aiello said. "There's a huge rivalry between Plymouth Whitemarsh and Wissahickon.
"There's only one road that divides PW and Wissahickon, Township Line Road. If you're on one side of the street, you go to PW; if you're on the other, you go to Wissahickon. It's a big rivalry. You always know it's going to be intense."
Aiello was just happy to emerge from the game with a victory.
"Wissahickon is a really good team, has some strong skaters," he said, "and I'm just glad we got the better edge of it. In about a week and a half, everyone starts 0-0 when we go into the playoffs.
"It doesn't matter if you're first or fourth. You play every game like it's your last from here on out."
Maybe both teams should have saved some of those goals for the playoffs.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 14, Wissahickon 12
Plymouth Whitemarsh 5 5 4 -- 14
Wissahickon 5 2 5 -- 12
First period: 1, Jake Weikel PW (Dean Keller, Luke Weikel) 3:25; 2, Aiden Keogh PW (L. Weikel) 3:53; 3, J. Weikel PW (L. Weikel) 4:35; 4, Bryan Garry W (AJ Pounds) 5:30 PP; 5, Garry W (Nick Hussa) 8:56 PP; 6, Alex Carrozza W (unassisted) 9:08; 7, Pounds W (Garry) 9:27; 8, J. Weikel PW (Colin Franzoni) 11:05; 9, Ben Lubas P (Keller) 13:45; 10, Pounds W (Garry) 14:40.
Second period: 11, L. Weikel PW (Keogh, Jack Mishkin) 1:39 SH; 12, L. Weikel PW (J. Weikel) 4:55 PP; 13, Mishkin PW (Logan Westerfer) 5:49; 14, J. Weikel PW (Lubas) 7:55; 15, L. Weikel PW (Thomas Corcoran, A. Keogh) 11:50; 16, Garry W (unassisted) 12:13; 17, Pounds W (Garry) 12:55.
Third period: 18, N. Hussa W (Matt Winkowski, Pounds) 1:09; 19, Garry W (Pounds) 3:06; 20, Mishkin PW (Franzoni) 4:17; 21, Franzoni PW (Spencer Reilly) 6:41; 22, N. Hussa W (Pounds, Garry) 7:04; 23, J. Weikel PW (Keller) 9:06; 24, Keller PW (unassisted) 9:41; 25, Daniel Glazer W (Carrozza) 13:14 PP; 26, Carrozza W (N. Hussa, Garry) 14:00.
Shots: PW 41, W 43. Saves: Ben Yuter (PW) 31, Chris Shea (W) 27.
Wednesday, Feb. 12
William Tennent 4, Quakertown 0
Tennent goalie Trey Smith turned away all 22 shots he faced to earn the shutout win. William Tennent broke a scoreless tie with a pair of goals in the second period and two more in the third.
Justin Carrelli’s power play goal 6:18 into the second period with assists from Zach Devor and Stephen Skiba turned out to be the game-winner. Nate Silberman’s goal with a Walt Wolaniuk assist gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead.
In the third period, Bryan Mesaro (David Gray/Matthew Castan assists) added a late goal, and Carrelli closed out the scoring with an open net goal (Gavin Loughlin assist).
Quakertown 0-0-0 0
William Tennent 0-2-2 4
Shots: Quakertown 22, WT 42. Saves: Austin Stoudt (Q) 20, Trey Smith (WT) 22.
First period: No score
Second period: 1, Justin Carrelli WT (Zach Devor/Stephen Skiba) 6:18; 2, Nate Silberman WT (Walt Wolaniuk) 9:39.
Third period: 3, Bryan Mesaros (David Gray/Matthew Castan) 13:40; 4, Justin Carrelli (Gavin Loughlin) 15:00.
Pennridge 8, Souderton 0
Pennridge goalie Ryan Pico turned away all 20 shots he faced, and the Rams, who led 1-0 after the first period, seized control of the game with a four-goal outburst.
Richie Shanks (Andrew David/Cooper White assists) scored midway through the first period to give the Rams a lead they would not lose. In the four-goal second, Aeryk Lehrhaupt, Jack Lowery (Cooper white/Michael White assists), Shanks (David/Jordan Dittmar assists) and Jeff Manto (Dittmar assist) each scored a goal to put the Rams on top 5-0.
In the final period, the Rams added goals by Jack Lowery (Aidan Boyle assists), Aidan Crozier (Lehrhaupt/Dane Fitchett assists) and Manto (Lowery/White assists).
The Rams held a 50-20 advantage in shots on goal. Souderton’s Jonathan Pritchard recorded 42 saves in goal.
Souderton 0-0-0 0
Pennridge 1-4-3 8
Shots: Souderton 20, Pennridge 50. Saves: Jonathan Pritchard (S) 42, Ryan Pico (P) 20.
First period: 1, Richie Shanks P (Andrew David/Cooper White) 7:49.
Second Period: 2, Aeryk Lehrhaupt P, 0:56; 3, Jack Lowery P (Cooper White/Michael White) 3:59; 4, Richie Shanks P (Andrew David/Jordan Dittmar) 7:19; 5, Jeff Manto P (Jordan Dittmar) 14:34.
Third period: 6, Jack Lowery P (Aidan Boyle) 1:06; 7, Aidan Crozier P (Aeryk Lehrhaupt/Dane Fitchett) 4:35; 8, Jeff Manto P (Jack Lowery/Cooper White) 12:42.
Council Rock South 11, Abington 1
Jeremy Purcell scored one goal and assisted on three others to lead a balanced Golden Hawk attack. Adding three-point nights were David Mueller (three assists), Kenny Duffield (two goals, one assist), Antil Autere (two goals, one assist) and Michael Roby Jr (one goal, two assists).
Autere (Purcell assists), David Vergules (Purcell assist) and Purcell each scored single goals to give the Golden Hawks a 3-0 lead after one period. In the second period, Douglas Lopez (Autere/Roby assists), Derek Steudler (Andrew Darling/David Mueller assists), David Vergules (Brennen Wright/Purcell assists) and Sam Cherkassky (Kenny Duffield assists) reeled off four straight goals to put the Ghosts on top 6-0.
Abington broke the Golden Hawks’ run when Sam Paulik scored with assists from Steven Dorn and Sean Faye. Kenny Duffield’s goal (Ben Mostoller/Mueller assists) gave the Golden Hawks an 8-1 lead heading in the final period.
Autere, Roby and Duffield added single goals in the final period.
The Golden Hawks held a 50-4 advantage in shots. Abington goalie Ben Panella recorded 39 saves.
Council Rock South 3-5-3 11
Abington 0-1-0 1
Shots: CRS 50, Abington 4. Saves: Jimmy Sweeney (CRS) 3, Ben Panella (A) 39.
First period: 1, Antil Autere CRS (Jeremy Purcell) 4:25; 2, David Vergules CRS (Jeremy Purcell) 5:26; 3, Jeremy Purcell CRS, 15:13.
Second period: 4, Douglas Lopez CRS (Antil Autere/Michael Roby Jr) 1:05; 5, Derek Steudler CRS (Andrew Darling/David Mueller) 5:10; 6, David Vergules CRS (Brennan Wright/Jeremy Purcell) 8:39; 7, Sam Cherkassky CRS (Kenny Duffield) 12:11; 8, Sam Paulik A (Steven Dorn/Sean Faye) 12:39; 9, Kenny Duffield CRS (Ben Mostoller/David Mueller) 15:03.
Third period: 10, Antil Autere CRS (Michael Roby Jr) 0:19; 11, Michael Roby Jr (Bill Harrelson/David Mueller) 1:39; 12; Kenny Duffield CRS, 4:03.
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