Quakertown defeated Wissahickon to earn a postseason playoff berth. Ben Reese recaps the action. CR South continued to display its dominance in a 7-2 win over Neshaminy. Vince Paravecchia recaps all the action. Quakertown/Wissahickon photos courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f325826012
QUAKERTOWN 7, WISSAHICKON 2
By Ben Reese
HATFIELD — Keira Shaw is a girl in what, for the most part, appears to be a boys’ world.
She is a forward on the Quakertown ice hockey team, the boys ice hockey team. She is one of several girls competing with the boys in the Suburban High School Hockey League.
And on Wednesday night, she scored two goals, the first one turning out to be the game-winner in a 7-2 victory over Wissahickon. The win clinches a spot in the league’s Class A playoffs for the Panthers.
While it isn’t unusual for a girl to be playing ice hockey, it is seldom that you see one taking regular shifts on the ice. And it is even more rare that you see one of them score a goal, let alone two.
However, it also is very rare for a girl to have consecutive games with multiple goals. Keira had a hat trick in a non-league win over William Tennent/Hatboro-Horsham on Feb. 8.
“She’s a special player,” Panther coach Keith Krem said. “I’ve gotten to see her play since middle school. She might have been the best show tonight.”
After the teams played to a 1-1 tie in the first period, Wissahickon took the lead with a power play goal in the second. But then Quakertown came right back, scoring three goals in the span of one minute and 25 seconds to take over the lead and the game.
The second Panther goal in that second period came off the stick of Shaw. She got an assist from Lucas Cunnane on the tally with 12:52 gone in the stanza.
Just so no one thought that goal was a fluke, Shaw came right back in the third period. Her second goal came unassisted and when the Panthers were short-handed.
“It was crazy,” she said. “I’m just glad we won; now we can move on.
“Everyone was ready for the game. Everyone on this team wanted to keep playing so we worked toward the playoffs next week.”
The junior, who has been playing hockey since she was seven years old, also had praise for the student cheering section in the stands.
“The fans were great,” she said. “They really made the atmosphere great tonight.”
It was that second-period surge that put the game out of reach for the Trojans. After getting outshot 18-6 in the first period, the Panthers outshot Wissahickon 9-4 in the second.
What did you do differently in the second period that you didn’t do in the first, Coach Krem?
“We’ve talked all year about zone time,” said Krem. “We didn’t win that battle in the first period.
“We got some big saves on the back side. We got through the storm.”
So, what specifically did you do?
“They were running two lines on the other side,” Krem said. “They had a lot of pressure, but we felt they were going to gas out.
“We stopped turning pucks over on our exits and started just getting pucks in the zone, so we’d get opportunities. We have a good team offensively.”
That worked to put points on the board, but what about stopping the potent Wissahickon attack?
“We talked to the ‘D’ about getting themselves above the goal line, getting their skates over the puck, opening up a bit from that forecheck, making that good first pass be a priority and getting it deep. It translated well.”
Ken Harrington, Wissahickon’s coach, has been dealing with a numbers problem all season.
“We’re outnumbered,” Harrington said. “We knew during the season that we just couldn’t hold up.”
The Trojans struck first in the opening period. Danny Hussa scored the first goal of the game at the 11:04 mark.
But the Panthers came right back. William Shaw, Keira’s brother, knotted the score at 14:01.
Then came that second period. Danny Hussa scored again to put Wissahickon up 2-1, his goal coming on the power play.
Cole Slemmer tied the score for Quakertown with a short-handed goal at 11:48. Keira Shaw followed that with her first goal at 12:52 and Jack Diliberto completed the scoring binge at 13:13.
Wissahickon had a prime opportunity early in the third period. Quakertown was assessed two two-minute penalties giving the Trojans a 5-on-3 advantage.
But the Panther defense rallied and didn’t allow the Trojans a shot in that time frame.
However, Quakertown did score some goals in the third period. Keira Shaw notched her second at the 5:43 mark short-handed.
That was followed by two goals from Cunnane, one at 10:42 and one at 13:37 into an empty net.
The Panthers will now advance to the Class A playoffs against Plymouth Whitemarsh. Quakertown has gone 1-2 against the Colonials this season.
Quakertown 7, Wissahickon 2
Quakertown 1 3 3 — 7
Wissahickon 1 1 0 — 2
First period: 1, Danny Hussa W (Aiden Brooks) 11:04; 2, William Shaw Q (unassisted) 14:01.
Second period: 3, D. Hussa W (unassisted) 4:23 PP; 4, Cole Slemmer Q (Jack Diliberto) 11:48 SH; 5, Keira Shaw Q (Lucas Cunnane) 12:52; 6, Diliberto Q (unassisted) 13:13.
Third period: 7, K. Shaw Q (unassisted) 5:43 SH; 8, Cunnane Q (W. Shaw) 10:42; 9, Cunnane Q (unassisted) 13:37 EN.
Shots: Q 25, W 38. Saves: Matt Krem (Q) 36, Fletcher Lynch (W) 18.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 7, NESHAMINY 2
By Vince Paravecchia
BRISTOL – The pieces are coming together for Council Rock South.
The Golden Hawks were projected to be one of the top Suburban One High School Hockey League (SHSHL) teams this year and have more than lived up to the billing. Having already wrapped up the National Conference title, they added one more outstanding performance Wednesday night, drubbing Neshaminy by a 7-2 score on their Senior Night at Grundy Ice Arena.
The victory bumped the Hawks to 15-1-0-1, and after splitting recent AAA matchups with Holy Ghost Prep and LaSalle, they are off to the league playoffs with a ton of momentum and confidence.
"This was probably our best game we played so far as a team," junior forward Chase Tovsky said.
The key in this one was puck movement. From the get-go, the Hawks controlled play on the boards and with outlet passes. It didn't show on the scoreboard, but it did lead to almost all the play being controlled at Neshaminy's end of the ice. With the pressure on, CR South finally broke through on a great setup pass for a one-timer by Jake Weiner that found the back of the net. Jeremy Rayher and Daniel Filippov were credited with assists.
It was one of 41 shots the Hawks mustered in the win. It set the tone for them to dictate play, and eventually, Neshaminy ran out of answers.
"When you're getting goals from your second and third lines, that's when you win championships," Hawks coach Joe Houk said.
To its credit, Neshaminy hung in for a while. After Weiner's goal, the Redskins finally got possession in the Hawks zone, and found JJ Hathaway (Michael Knipple/Ben Odendahl assists) at the near point for a screened wrister that beat goalie Carson Lopez and temporarily tied the game.
"They had a lot more skill than us. We knew that going into the game," said Neshaminy goalie Cory Humberger, who made 34 saves in the losing effort for the Redskins.
Neshaminy is now 10-5-1-0 on the year and in fourth place by themselves in the National Conference standings. They'll wrap up their regular season Thursday against North Penn prior to the postseason.
"Win one game at a time, head into the playoffs in the right mindset," Humberger added.
Neshaminy's first goal celebration was short lived, as 31 seconds later, Jeremy Rayher (Ilia Mukhin/Evan Mostoller assists) gave the Hawks the lead right back with a one-timer goal. James Diiulio added another on a power play not long after when he put home a long rebound from the near circle, using assists from Gavin Nisenzon and Blaize Pepe.
"We've gotta keep moving the puck," said Tovsky, who made it 4-1 early in the second and added another in the third. "It's definitely a good sign. It shows a lot of growth through the year."
Diiulio also had two goals in the win, while Mukhin, Mostoller, Pepe, Filippov, Nisenzon, Ilya Kudzinau and Kevin Koles all had points. Neshaminy's other tally came in the third period from AJ Dougherty, but by then, things had long since been decided.
"We're trying to get everyone on the same page and in the right direction," said Houk, whose team will likely have a bye in the league playoffs and a high seed in March's Flyers Cup.
"We don't talk about it," Houk added about seeding. "It is what it is."
Council Rock South 3-3-1 7
Neshaminy 1-0-1 2
Shots: CR South 41. Neshaminy 21. Saves: Carson Lopez (CRS) 19, Cory Humberger (N) 34.
First period: 1. Jake Weiner CRS (Jeremy Rayher/Daniel Filippov) 8:30; 2. JJ Hathaway N (Michael Knipple/Ben Odendahl) 4:19; 3. Jeremy Rayher CRS (Ilia Mukhin/Evan Mostoller) 3:48; 4. James Diiulio CRS (Gavin Nisenzon/Blaize Pepe) 2:59.
Second Period: 5. Chase Tovsky CRS (Gavin Nisenzon/Blaize Pepe) 14:31; 6. James Diiulio CRS (Kevin Koles/Blaize Pepe) 10:24; 7. Gavin Nisenzon CRS (Blaize Pepe) :20.
Third period: 8. AJ Dougherty N (Noah Seewagen) 15:01; 9. Chase Tovsky CRS (Blaize Pepe/Ilya Kudzinau) 7:14.
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