No matter the sport, no matter the records ... when neighborhood rivals Upper Dublin and Wissahickon play each other, fireworks are sure to ensue.
Add a league title into the mix, and the upcoming Varsity A finals could be a blockbuster of a series.
Wissahickon enters the series confident but not cocky, winners of six straight and having lost only once in calendar year 2010. The Trojans faced a scrappy Plymouth-Whitemarsh team in the semifinal, with the score tied at 4-4 heading into the third period before the Trojans pulled away for a 7-5 win.
"That game wakes us up again," Wissahickon coach Ryan McLaughlin said. "We're ready for this. We're going to keep doing what we've been doing, it's been successful for us so far.
"We have the composure to break open a tight game with the team we have, but the first period is really important. We had a game against PW (a 3-0 loss on Jan. 14) where we went down in the first period and we weren't able to climb back, so the first period is very important to us."
And while a fast start may be the goal for the Trojans, the first period will also answer a lot of questions as to how well Upper Dublin will be react to the loss of senior leaders Jacob Long and Alex Faust.
"We lost Long and Faust over the last two games," said Cardinals coach Chris Seamens. "But the younger guys have stepped up. We're down two senior starters, and our third senior is the goalie (Michael Swiren). Half the group are freshmen. You've got young kids playing with bigger, stronger, older kids. We challenged those guys, we told them, 'It is your time now. You can't be leaning on anybody, it's your time to step up.'"
Leading scorer Brian Markman will lead the way for the Cardinals, and Seamens said he is looking for the likes of Steve Barbera (9 goals, 9 assists), Robbie Degregorio (6, 6) and freshmen Sam Etskovitz (9, 10) and Tyler Peskin (9, 6) to continue to mature and contribute to the effort.
"I want the guys to play at their best, be at their best," Seamens said. "And if they can do that and do it consistently, they might not be the best team on the ice, but they'll be successful, win or lose."
Consistency may be the defining characteristic of the Wissahickon squad this season, with just one league loss and only a few stumbles along the way. The Trojans also feature one of the more spread-out offenses in the Suburban High School Hockey League, with 11 players in double-digit scoring, a pair of 20-goal scorers and three more with more than 10 tallies each.
And they can do more than just put the puck in the net.
"It's important to have a lot of offensive balance," McLaughlin said. "And they do it all. David Ko, for example, is one guy I have full confidence in in any situation -- power play, penalty kill, last minute of a game."
Both teams enter the finals with high hopes, and expectations that this series will be a hard-fought battle.
"The rivalry is a huge part of this, even with the guys on the coaching staff," Seamens said. "Wissahickon has always been a rival for years.
"Wissahickon is very consistent, that's the big thing. They're a physical team, they wear you down. We need to make sure we're doing the things to make sure we're not worn
down. I'm looking for guys to step up, change the progression of what's happened (between the two teams) so far this season."
The rivalry and respect is mutual. As expected, though, the Trojans' expectations vary slightly from the Cards'.
"Upper Dublin has a lot of good players. They're going to come at us with a strong effort, so we have to be ready for that," McLaughlin said. "But, honestly, I think we feel that the way we're playing now, if we lost this series, it's going to be a disappointment."
Regular season records
Wissahickon (14-5-0 overall, 8-1-0 American Division, 16 points, first place)
Upper Dublin (9-9-1 overall, 4-4-1 American Division, 9 points, tied-second place)
Goals scored: Wissahickon 124; Upper Dublin 104
Goals allowed; Wissahickon 65, Upper Dublin 94
Season series
Oct. 29 Wissahickon 10, Upper Dublin 2
Dec. 10, Wissahickon 4, Upper Dublin 2
Feb. 3, Wissahickon 11, Upper Dublin 5
Scoring leaders
Wissahickon ... Joey Sutow (22 goals, 17 assists); Pat Delaney (20, 13); Sean Delaney (14, 14)
Upper Dublin ... Brian Markman (30, 21); Jacob Long (7, 15), Samuel Etskovitz (9, 10)
Playoffs
Wissahickon def. Plymouth Whitemarsh, 7-5
Upper Dublin def. Hatboro-Horsham 3-2 OT
Varsity A Finals
March 2, 7 p.m., Upper Dublin at Wissahickon, at Face-Off Circle
March 4, 8:40 p.m., Wissahickon at Upper Dublin, at Face-Off Circle
March 5, 7:20 p.m., Upper Dublin at Wissahickon, at Hatfield Ice (if necessary)
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