This week’s notebook features North Penn, Central Bucks West & Lower Moreland and also includes the point and goalie stat leaders.
By Scott Huff
And the beat goes on…
The Suburban High School Hockey League has restructured its league ‘AA’ playoff format for the 2017-2018 season.
The SHSHL decided to no longer consider teams from both the National and Continental Conference – but combine the two ‘AA’ conferences into one conference as far as the league playoffs are concerned.
With a balanced schedule with each team in the National and Continental Conference playing each other once – the points would determine the top SHSHL eight teams.
The stretch run will continue this week with SHSHL playoffs and Flyers Cup invitations still to be determined.
SHSHL Varsity ‘AA’ Snapshot
Central Bucks West Bucks & Council Rock North Indians
Central Bucks West head coach Dave Baunand his Bucks are in the middle of the SHSHL playoff discussion. And CBW (5-3) has a huge game this Wednesday (Jan. 31) when the Bucks meet North Penn (5-1-1).
`“We circled some games at the beginning of the season, and this was one of them,” said Baun. “We want to be playing meaningful games this time of year as far as playoffs and seeding for Flyers Cup is concerned, and North Penn is one of those meaningful games.
“North Penn, CB South, CR South, and Pennridge might be the higher echelon teams in the league,” added Baun. “But Council Rock North and us are pretty good teams too, and things can happen in a one-game playoff that could create an upset.
“There can be injuries, penalties, illness – or just an upset,” continued Baun. “All we can do is try our best to be a part of the big games.”
CB West went 15-0-1 last season – but the Bucks were crushed by graduation.
“Each year you evaluate your team,” said Baun. “This year –with nine new players on the varsity – we have to use a different measuring stick.
“Between the Christmas break, weather, and the flu – we haven’t had a fully attended practice in over a month and a half,” added Baun. “The flu hasn’t been good to us, but we have remained strong and have played a structured game.”
The CB West stat sheet can illustrate that fact with no less than six players who have scored in double digits in points thus far this season.
Junior Christian Young (nine goals, six assists, 15 points), senior Joey Rockovich (10-5-15), sophomore Daniel Poliak (6-9-15), sophomore Christopher Trefz (6-8-14), sophomore Jake Lang (6-7-13), and junior Owen Shields (3-8-11) have all cracked the 10-point barrier.
“Last year we were undefeated and we didn’t have a single player in the top six in the league scoring for the year,” said Baun. “We look at that as a positive thing – there is no one player we depend on or the other team can focus on.”
Junior Matthew McCarthy and senior Luke McCleery anchor the steady CB West defense.
“Both of them have been superb all season,” said Baun. “Both can move the puck – and both of them are great at doing the things we teach them to do.”
Juniors Jeremy Kennard and Nicholas Ritz have been solid in goal all season for the Bucks with Kennard earning most of the playing time.
“Jeremy is our go-to guy,” said Baun. “But we are also happy with the progress that Nick has made this year.
“Our goal for the rest of the year is to continue to improve,” concluded Baun. “We have some tough teams left to play – but that will help us get ready for the playoffs and Flyers Cup.”
And that all begins this week against North Penn.
Council Rock North head coach Chris Gallagher and his Indians suffered through a 1-16 season a year ago. But that season is now far in the rear view mirror.
“We had some very low – lows – last year,” said Gallagher. “And I feel great for the players on this year’s team that went through what we went through last year.”
The 2017-2018 edition of the Indians (4-3-1) is a no-brainer to earn both a SHSHL playoff slot – and a more than likely invitation to the Flyers Cup.
“I don’t want to jinx it by talking about it,” said Gallagher. “But hopefully we get to that point.
“We talked about getting to the playoffs as a goal at the beginning of the season,” added Gallagher. “And if we are lucky enough to reach that goal, we will re-evaluate or goal for the rest of the season.”
Council Rock North gave itself a real confidence boost recently with an impressive 6-4 victory over Central Bucks West.
“Beating CB West at this time of year was a real big step in the right direction,” said Gallagher. “We have had some speed bumps along the way this year, but that win was a huge positive.”
Another positive for Rock North came at the outset of the season when senior Cavan Tully decided to return to the Indian roster for a final season.
“Cavan didn’t play last year to concentrate on baseball,” said Gallagher, as Tully will play baseball next year at the collegiate level. “But he came to us at the beginning of the season and wanted to play again this year.
“He has scored more points than any defenseman in the league,” added Gallagher. “But what makes he a great player is his leadership – and his awareness is off the charts.”
The Indians have been led in scoring by senior Zac Herman with 17 goals and 13 assists. Senior Daniel Guest (11-9), senior Brandon Simmonds (4-12), senior John Vanni (9-9), and junior Harrison Treiman (3-7) have also scored in double digits in points this year.
Rock North features mostly upperclassmen – with the lone exception being freshman goalie Rex Goldberg.
“The team has really welcomed Rex with open arms,” said Gallagher. “He might even be the most popular player on the team.
“And at his height he barely reaches the cross bar in the net,” added Gallagher. “But he made a save the other night against West that changed the momentum of the entire game.
“We have big games left to play,” continued Gallagher. “If we continue to play with intensity – and that can be difficult for a high school kids at times – we should be just fine.”
SHSHL Varsity ‘AA’ Standings
Wins/Losses/Points/Conference
1. Central Bucks South Titans 9 0 0 18 C
2. Council Rock South Hawks 6 2 1 13 N
3. Pennridge Rams 5 1 1 11 C
4. North Penn Knights 5 1 1 11 C
5. Central Bucks West Bucks 5 3 0 10 C
6. Council Rock North Indians 4 3 1 9 N
7. Central Bucks East Patriots 3 4 0 6 C
8. William Tennent Panthers 1 6 2 4 N
9. Souderton Indians 2 4 0 4 C
10. Neshaminy Redskins 1 6 1 3 N
11. Truman Tigers 0 4 1 1 N
12. Pennsbury Falcons 0 7 0 0 N
Top Scorers in the SHSHL Varsity ‘AA’
Goals/Assists/Points
1. Eric Slater – Pennridge 22 16 38
2. Matt Stoll – CB South 20 15 35
3. Joseph DeLaurentis – CBS 21 13 34
4. Zac Herman – CR North 17 13 30
5. Michael Walker-Pennridge 16 13 29
6. Reis Braccio – CB South 18 5 23
7. Andrew Galetta – N Penn 15 8 23
8. Nathan Oh – North Penn 8 14 22
9. Daniel Guest – CR North 11 9 20
10. Jake Nelson – North Penn 11 8 19
Top Goalies in the SHSHL Varsity ‘A’
Wins/Saves/Goals Against Average
1. Mason Procz - CR South 5 110 1.11
2. Oscar Levin - CB South 8 136 1.15
3. Tim White- CB South 6 117 1.93
4. Luke Stranick – Pennridge 8 263 2.45
5. Chris Maiden – North Penn 5 101 3.22
6. Jeremy Kennard – CB West 6 174 3.39
7. Steve Glik – Neshaminy 3 309 3.67
‘On Ice’ in the SHSHL Varsity ‘AA’ this week
Wednesday – January 31, 2018
North Penn vs. CB West @ Hatfield – 7:10 pm
Souderton vs. Neshaminy @ Grundy – 7:20 pm
Father Judge vs. CR North @ Warwick – 8:40 pm
Thursday – February 1. 2018
La Salle vs. Council Rock South @ Hatfield – 8:30 pm
North Penn vs. Central Bucks East @ Warwick – 8:45 pm
Friday – February 2. 2018
Pennsbury vs. Council Rock South @ Warwick – 7 pm
Truman vs. Pennridge – Hatfield @ 7:10 pm
William Tennent vs. Souderton @ Hatfield – 8:50 pm
SHSHL Varsity ‘A’ Snapshot
Lower Moreland Lions
Lower Moreland head coach Anthony D’Orazio is talking playoffs.
Playoffs? Lower Moreland?
“The seniors on this team won four games in three years,” said D’Orazio. “Getting into the playoffs would be great for those kids. It would be a great way to go out.”
Lower Moreland (6-4, 12) is currently on the outside looking in on the SHSHL Varsity ‘A’ four-team playoff format. The Lions are in fifth place – but trail Hatboro-Horsham (7-3, 14), Upper Dublin (7-3, 14), and Abington (7-3, 14) by just two points in the standings.
This week is huge for Lower Moreland as the Lions face Upper Dublin on Thursday and follow the next night with a game against Hatboro-Horsham.
“We beat both Upper Dublin and Hatboro-Horsham earlier in the season,” said D’Orazio. “We lost two games to Wissahickon and two games to Abington, but if we can win our final four games we should be in good shape.
“I told the kids that we need to win to get in,” added D’Orazio. “I like that fact that we are playing the two games back-to-back.”
The Lower Moreland offense has been fueled by the fourth leading scorer in the SHSHL American Conference – junior Coleman Peppelman. Peppelman has scored 33 goals in just 10 games this season.
“Coleman has the hardest slap shot in the league,” said D’Orazio. “He has a nose for the puck and is extremely fast.”
Freshman Adam Bostock (14-15, 29), senior Campbell Manin (5-15, 20), and senior AJ D’Orazio (8-9, 17) have also contributed offensively for the Lions.
The Lower Moreland defense is anchored by senior Brennan Bostock and senior Arthur Rubinshteyn. Senior John Duesler is the lone goaltender for the Lions.
“You can’t ask anymore from John,” said D’Orazio. “This is only his second year playing goalie, and he has worked very hard outside the games to take instruction.
“We have a good core of seniors,” added D’Orazio. “And us getting in the playoffs would be very special.”
Stay tuned.
SHSHL Varsity ‘A’ Standings
Wins/Losses/Points
1. Wissahickon Trojans 10 0 0 20
2. Hatboro-Horsham Hatters 7 3 0 14
3. Upper Dublin Cardinals 7 5 0 14
4. Abington Ghosts 7 3 0 14
5. Lower Moreland Lions 6 4 0 12
6. New Hope Solebury Lions 2 8 0 4
7. Plymouth Whitemarsh 2 9 0 4
8. Upper Moreland Bears 0 9 0 0
Top Scorers in the SHSHL Varsity ‘A’
Goals/Assists/Points
1. Bryan Garry – Wissahickon 37 21 58
2. Sean Garry – Wissahickon 29 23 52
3. Ari Nordlinger – Upper Dublin 34 11 45
4. Coleman Peppelman-L More. 33 9 42
5. Dean Keller – Ply. Whitemarsh 29 6 35
6. Adam Bostock – L. Moreland 14 15 29
7. Jacob Mueller – Hatboro H. 15 13 28
8. Chris Braun – New Hope S. 20 8 28
9. Oren Serafin – Upper Dublin 18 9 27
Top Goalies in the SHSHL Varsity ‘A’
Wins/Saves/Goals Against Average
1. Jake Modelevsky – Wissahickon 4 58 1.25
2. Jacob Snellenburg – Abington 5 168 2.67
3. Ryan Bell – Hatboro-Horsham 5 158 3.57
4. Michael Henderson – Wiss. 6 158 4.1
‘On Ice’ in the SHSHL Varsity ‘A’ this week
Wednesday – January 31, 2018
Wissahickon vs. New Hope Solebury @ Hatfield – 8:50 pm
Thursday – February 1. 2018
Lower Moreland vs. Upper Dublin @ Hatfield – 7:10 pm
Abington vs. Upper Moreland @ Hatfield – 8:50 pm
Friday – February 2, 2018
Wissahickon vs. Plymouth Whitemarsh @ BCI – 6:50 pm
Lower Moreland vs. Hatboro-Horsham @ Warwick – 8:45 pm
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