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By Nick DeLorenzo
The Central Bucks South Titans were able to hold the high-power Pennsbury scoring attack at bay, defeating the Falcons 6-4 in an SHSHL game on Thursday night.
South (8-6-4) set the tone early when its very first shot on goal beat Pennsbury goalie Corey Chapin just 45 seconds into the game.
It looked as though Pennsbury was going to snatch away South’s momentum after the Falcons tied the game later in the first period on a shorthanded goal, but the Titans answered with four goals in the second period and never looked back.
South coach Tom Coyne was more than thrilled with his team’s play, especially considering the absence of one of their top scorers, Nick Gibson.
“You can’t beat tonight’s performance,” Coyne said. “That was about as solid as we’ve played all year. As of late, we have been struggling to find the net. [Without Gibson], a couple of guys stepped up tonight.”
Leading the way for the shorthanded Titans was Vince Vona with a goal and three assists, and Kevin Carter added 4 assists to his team high point total of 38.
“We needed a big win,” Carter said, whose 38 points lands him amongst the top 15 scorers in the SOL, despite only playing in 14 games. “Finally we took down a team that we’re not expected to beat, and that means we can beat anybody.”
South goalie Dennis Ruff stopped 30 of 34 shots, a handful of which were of the sprawling, spectacular manner in the win over Pennsbury (15-3-1). The Falcons came into the game as one of the league’s hottest teams, going 10-0-1 in their last 11 games and averaging just under 6 goals per game during that span.
“[Ruff] played great,” Carter said. “He’s one of the main reasons we won this game. He showed up.”
Coach Coyne was also impressed with his goaltender’s work.
“Tonight was our best effort in goal,” Coyne said. “Even though [Ruff allowed] four goals you’d think ‘eh, maybe not,’ but he made some great saves.”
Along with the goalie, Coyne added that contributions from the entire defensive unit were vital in securing the upset victory.
“It’s the best game we’ve played defensively,” Coyne said. “Not just the defensemen but our whole team as a defensive unit. We did a lot better job just making those little plays to get it out, instead of trying to do all the cute stuff, and [we were] much more solid in our own end tonight, so I’m very pleased. “
It was Pennsbury’s first loss since Nov. 4. Despite their overwhelming success so far, the Falcons still find themselves in third place in the powerhouse SOL National conference behind Council Rock South (16-0-3) and Council Rock North (16-1-1).
The Falcons were led by captain Matt Mager with a goal and 2 assists and Ken McCormick with a goal and an assist – both remaining in the SOL’s top 10 scorers with 43 and 44 points, respectively.
The win brings CB South within just one point of SOL Continental leading Souderton. Coach Coyne sees the strong victory over a very good team as a sign of things to come for his squad.
“It’s definitely a confidence booster,” Coyne said. “We come into a game like this and think ‘boy, it’s a tough one,’ and to come in and win it is really a boost for us. For our confidence, it’s really what we need. It was a good, solid win, and now we just got to keep it [going].”
South will have a quick turnaround to keep their momentum rolling, as they face off with Abington on Friday night in Warwick.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 6, PENNSBURY 6
CB South: 1 4 1 -- 6
Pennsbury: 1 2 1 -- 4
Shots:
CB South: 10 15 7 -- 32
Pennsbury: 4 15 15 -- 34
1st Period: Jake Nicastro (CB-S) from Vince Vona and Kevin Carter, 0:45; Matt Mager (P) SH from Phillip Herring, 10:34.
2nd Period: Justin Mariner (CB-S) PP from Matt Gross and Vince Vona, 3:43; Dan Pulse (CB-S) from Kevin Carter and Vince Vona, 4:05, Matt Mager (P) PP from Ken Mccormick, 4:52; Tom Dougherty (CB-S) PP from Devon Dundore and Dan Pulse, 7:42; Dan Habermehl (P) from Mike Hlatky, 8:53; Jake Nicastro (CB-S) PP from Devon Dundore and Kevin Carter, 13:52.
3rd Period: Vince Vona (CB-S) from Kevin Carter, 6:02; Ken Mccormick (P) PP from Matt Mager, 12:52
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