CB South defeated CB West 5-2 in a battle of unbeaten SHSHL Continental Conference squads. Check out the recaps of Wednesday’s action.
By Ben Reese
HATFIELD -- Talk to any ice hockey coach and he will extol his system. They all feel that their system is the best.
High school ice hockey is no different. Every coach has his own system.
The one that seems to be working the best right now in the Suburban High School Hockey League belongs to Central Bucks South. The Titans utilized their system to collect a 5-2 win over previously unbeaten Central Bucks West Thursday night at Hatfield Ice.
The system South uses is the same one that head coach Tom Coyne and assistant Shaun McGinty have been teaching the Titans for years. It’s the same one that led them to the PIAA championship in 2014. And it's the same one that still works.
South definitely needed to rely on its system against West. The Titans were missing five players who were away playing for a club hockey team as well as Coyne who was traveling for his employment. The Bucks were also missing two key players, one playing hockey and one attending the Maxwell Club's Mini Max awards dinner.
"With key guys out tonight, we had to play our system," McGinty said. "If they play the way I'm asking them to play, we're going to win.
"They played the system. Because they listened, we were able to be successful without some key players."
The key players McGinty was talking about included three of the Titans' leading scorers (Matt Stoll, Damon Delaurentis and Joe Delaurentis) as well as Evan King and Joshua Sklar. The Bucks were missing Shawn Phillips and Ed Shields.
South captain Connor Matsinger knew it might be difficult without some of the team's top players.
"We just kept it simple," Matsinger said. "We were short a bunch of guys so we had to keep it simple and play the right way and just listen and do the best we could.
"Losing those guys made us realize that we had to work harder. Some of the players we were missing are really skilled guys and they contribute offensively. The guys who may not get as much time really stepped up tonight."
That is what ultimately propelled the Titans to the win. Players who hadn't been getting much ice time performed well, and players who had been playing a lot got some additional time on the forward line.
"Guys really stepped up," said McGinty. "I had Jackson (Koblick) move up as a forward; I had Connor (Matsinger) move up as a forward; I had (Thomas) Liberta move up every now and then to help out the offensive line."
It worked well. Koblick scored a pair of goals and Liberta had one.
But it all goes back to the system.
"Our jayvee coaches do a very good job of teaching our system," McGinty said, "so when the kids come up, there's not much (teaching). We're a very systematic team.
"We won as a unit tonight. We won as a team,
"We run a good system. It's very much a team approach."
CB West coach Dave Baun has seen South for a lot of years. And he knows what the Titans bring to the table.
"CB South showed why they're perennially the best team in the league," Baun said. "They play hard, they're fast and they're aggressive."
But Baun couldn't get down on his squad.
"I was proud of our team," he said. "I thought our kids played well.
"I was pleased with the way we played. We just came out on the wrong side of the score."
The Bucks hit the scoreboard first. Ryan Trefz put West up 1-0 with a goal at the 3:29 mark of the first period.
The lead lasted just a bit over 11 minutes. Nick Tripodi tied the score with his goal at 14:38.
South took the lead on Dominick Liberta's unassisted goal with only 2:17 gone in the second period. But West came right back, tying the score on Eric Schwass' power play goal at 5:02 of the second.
Then came a strange goal, not strange as in odd but just one that isn't often seen in high school ice hockey. Thomas Liberta broke the 2-2 tie with an unassisted goal from just outside the blue line, maybe the longest goal in terms of distance of the season.
Koblick took care of the final two goals of the game. He scored the final goal in the second period and the lone goal in the third.
Koblick's first goal was a thing of beauty. He stole the puck at center ice and skated in on West goalie Jonah Brous, sliding the puck into the net.
The victory keeps the Titans unbeaten and now in sole possession of first place in the Continental Conference. The Bucks fall down into second.
CB South 5, CB West 2
CB South 1 3 1 – 5
CB West 1 1 0 – 2
First period: 1. Ryan Trefz CBW (John McCreadie, Michael D'Argenio) 3:29; 2. Nick Tripodi CBS (Jason Bechtel, Jackson Koblick) 14:38.
Second period: 3. Dominick Liberta CBS (unassisted) 2:17; 4. Eric Schwass CBW (D'Argenio) 5:02 PP; 5. Thomas Liberta CBS (unassisted) 10:05; 6. Koblock CBS (unassisted) 12:57.
Third period: 7. Koblick CBS (Bechtel) 15:12.
Shots: CBS -- 39; CBW -- 14. Saves: Kevin Dorozinsky (CBS) 12; Jonah Brous (CBW) 34.
Wednesday, Jan. 13
PENNRIDGE 6, SOUDERTON 4
The Indians took a 4-3 lead into the third period of Wednesday’s battle between the neighboring rivals only to watch the Rams explode for three goals in the third period to earn the come-from-behind win.
The Rams took an early 1-0 lead on a goal by Joe Finlayson (Josh Finlayson/Dylan Lowry assists), but Gabe Evans – who finished with the hat trick - answered with back-to-back goals in a three-minute span late in the period to put the Indians on top 2-1. Thomas Tierney assisted on the first, and Tyler Johnson was credited with an assist on the second.
The Indians upped their lead to 4-1 when Nicolas Mancaruso and Gabe Evans scored goals in the opening 3:27 of the second period. That turned out to be the Indians’ last hurrah. Back-to-back goals by Michael Padgeon – the first with a Tony Crosson assist and the second assisted by Eric Slater – made it a one-goal game heading into the final period.
Nathan Runk’s short-handed goal 4:49 into the third period knotted the score, and Patrick McGinley found the net at the 11:38 mark to put the Rams on top 5-4. Crosson (Padgeon assist) added an insurance goal for the 6-4 final.
Mike Weaver earned the win between the pipes for the Rams, turning away 26 shots. Dawson Anders was credited with 27 saves for the Indians.
Souderton 2-2-0 4
Pennridge 1-2-3 6
NORTH PENN 11, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1
Alex Peterson scored a pair of goals and assisted on seven others for a nine-point night while teammate Jake Heckenberger had five goals and three assists for eight points. Derek Heckler added a six-point game with two goals and four assists as the Knights rolled to the lopsided win.
Back-to-back goals by Heckenberger opened the scoring, and the Knights led 4-0 just over 10 minutes into the game after single goals from Heckler and Heckenberger. East got on the scoreboard late in the period on a goal by Bryan McIntosh (Zach Egber assist), but Peterson and Heckenberger each scored a goal within a 15-second span to put the Knights on top 6-1 after one period. They added three more goals in the second and two in the third for the 11-1 win.
Jake Snyder turned away 18 of 19 shots he faced to earn the win in goal for the Knights.
Central Bucks East 1-0-0 1
North Penn 6-3-2 11
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 8, WISSAHICKON 5
John Vanni scored two goals and added two assists while Cavan Tully added a goal and three assists to lead the Indians to the important conference win over the Trojans.
The two teams spent the first period exchanging goals with the Indians opening up a 2-0 lead after goals by Oleg Sapranenko and Vanni (Tully assist). The Trojans evened the score, thanks to goals from Jake Flancer (Ryan Haney assist) and Andrew Cade.
The Indians seized control of the game late in the second period. Goals by Mark Tosti (Zachary Herman assist) and Kameron Bontempo (Vanni assist) put Rock North on top 4-2. Cade (Haney assist) and Kyle Wolf answered for the Trojans, knotting the score 4-4. Goals by Tosti (Andrew Speeney assist), Vanni (Bontempo/Tully assist) and Speeney (Vanni/Tully assists) gave the Indians a 7-4 lead. The Trojans never threatened.
Chase D’Arangelo turned away 10 shots to earn the win in goal.
Wissahickon 2-2-1 5
Council Rock North2-5-1 8
ARCHBISHOP WOOD 5, NESHAMINY 4
The Redskins led for the better part of Wednesday’s contest and took a 3-2 lead into the final period when the Vikings rallied for the win.
Ian Dixon’s power play goal (Brandon Kinest assist) gave the Redskins a 1-0 lead late in the opening period. A short-handed goal by Dixon early in the second period put the ‘Skins on top 2-0 before Wood got on the scoreboard when Timothy Cordero found the net on a power play goal, using a Brendan Cullura assist. A goal by Joseph Hill (Declan Cole assist) knotted the score, but Anthony Blickle (Aric Miller/Chase Gordon assists) scored at the 12:04 mark to put the Redskins on top 3-2.
Cordero’s second goal of the night – this one with a Patrick Sheehan assist – knotted the score 31 seconds into the third period. Back-to-back goals by Ryan Kinney and Cullura in a two-minute span – Cullura’s with assists from RJ Panella and Cordero – gave the Vikings a 5-3 advantage. A goal by Anthony Sabatini (Miller assist) made it a 5-4 game at the 10:32 mark, but Wood held on for the win.
Wood’s Joseph Danig and Emmett Shanks teamed up for the win in goal, combining for 23 saves.
Neshaminy 1-2-1 4
Archbishop Wood 0-2-3 5
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 5, FATHER JUDGE 2
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