By GORDON GLANTZ
The power structure in the SHSHL Patriot Division seems to be unclear as teams prepare to wade into the waters of their league schedules.
Up is down. Down is up. Out is in. And in is out.
Judging by the non-league games, it seems like anyone can beat anyone else on a given night, and Neshaminy – with 11 seniors who have been playing together since they were in middle school – is looking to finish at or near the top this season.
“Unlike in previous years, there is no clear direction as to who the powerhouses are,” said coach Matt DeMatteo. “We’re seeing teams you wouldn’t expect to win go out and win. Teams you’re not expecting to see lose, you’re starting to see them drop some games.”
That places Neshaminy - which has steadily risen from an assumed two points for opponents to where it is now as a contender in 2022-23 - in an enviable spot.
The feeling, from DeMatteo, is that the team to fear the most might be the one wearing the same uniform.
In other words, if Neshaminy takes care of business, business will take care of itself.
As such, there is neither a floor nor a ceiling on expectations.
“The sky is the limit for us,” said DeMatteo. “I think our biggest problem is staying consistent. If we can find that consistency where we play our game for all three periods, we’re going to be a really tough team to beat this year.”
Immediate Concerns
Neshaminy beat rival Pennsbury in a non-league game for the annual Gannon Cup (named in the memory of late Neshaminy player Patrick Gannon, who played club hockey with a lot of Pennsbury players) in the pre-Thanksgiving grudge match, but the one that will count in the standings is Wednesday night.
“(The Gannon Cup) is our huge game,” said DeMatteo. “There are a lot of emotions around it. We beat Pennsbury this year but, in the end, it’s a non-league game. It’s nice to get that win, but this next matchup is our league game. We definitely want to focus on this one and we aren’t taking anything for granted.”
Neshaminy, despite some injuries and illness, goes in with one loss, that coming against potentate Council Rock South.
“That’s a game we’d love to have back, to be honest,” said DeMatteo. “We are looking forward to that rematch.
“We’re feeling pretty good about where we are at right now, but there is still work to be done. We just want to keep on pushing.”
Labor of Love
DeMatteo, a business development director at a medical communications company, played at Bishop Egan and then on the college level for Millersville which had a strong run on the Division II level while he was there.
He coached a little at Egan but stepped away from it before he was asked to get back into the game when his oldest son was playing.
He then spent five years as the Neshaminy middle school team coach before moving up with a lot of the players that from the nucleus of this year’s team (including his son, Ryan).
By his count, he has now spent six years as the varsity coach, one year as the junior varsity coach and five total as the middle school coach.
“It wasn’t my plan, but they approached me and asked me to coach, back in their middle school days,” he said, with a wry chuckle. “I said, ‘Yes,’ Here I am, ever since.
“It’s really a pleasure. It’s a great group of kids. I don’t mind doing it. It keeps me on the ice, which is good.”
Been There, Done That
And DeMatteo wouldn’t want to be anywhere else this season, as attrition did not hurt the squad following a promising campaign a year ago.
Eleven seniors? An unprecedented number.
“We’re one of the teams with a lot of returning seniors,” said DeMatteo. “It’s the first time that I can remember us having more than two or three seniors on the squad.”
With the battle-tested players, there is level of maturity on the ice.
It’s a team that can play with a lead, from behind or in a tight game.
“What it means to us is that these guys have all been in certain situations before,” said DeMatteo. “You go down a couple of goals. A younger team would start to panic. We do not do that. We know what we have to do. We have kind of been there, done that. They realize what the objective is and how to get there.”
Balanced Attack
Neshaminy also has depth, rolling three lines upfront and playing six defensemen regularly in front of junior goalkeeper Cory Hemberger, who has stood tall in the net after the graduation of Brian Nelson.
Heading into the Pennsbury game, Hemberg was 4-1 with a save percentage of an impressive .926 and goals-against average sitting at a stingy 2.20. He also posted a shutout.
“He has been fantastic so far,” said DeMatteo. “He has been very solid for us.”
While assistant captain Max Gallagher (7 goals, 3 assists in 5 games) is the primary sniper -- with assistant captain Danny McColgan (2 goals, 4 assists) serving as his primary playmaker -- there is plenty of balance in the attack.
“It’s really everybody this year,” DeMatteo said, adding that Noah Seewagen (1 goal, 1 assist) is also an assistant captain who has been through the wars and does a lot of the dirty work. “When we win games, we win because we play as a team.”
As an example, the coach pointed to the versatile, Nolan Geria (3 goals, 4 assists), a co-captain.
“He kind of does everything for us,” said DeMatteo. “He jumps back and plays defense. He plays forward. He very physical.”
DeMatteo added that Neshaminy is adaptable to whatever style is being played on the ice on a given night.
“It’s a balanced style,” he said. “When the game gets physical, we can step up and play physical. We can dictate that physicality. We also have the skill players. If it becomes a run and gun game, we can compete from that sense. From a defensive game standpoint, we are very solid, too, when we all play together.”
DeMatteo also pointed out that one of this year’s captains, defensive anchor J.J. Hathaway, has yet to play this season because of an injury.
He praised another senior, Michael Knipple (1 goal, 2 assists), for stepping into the void and playing “some big minutes for us,” and the coach is excited to see how strong the blue line will be once Hathaway gets back and joins forces with him.
“He is our top defenseman, and one of our captains, and he has pretty much been out all season,” said DeMatteo of Hathaway. “We are hoping to get him back soon. He is a big piece to the puzzle.
“He is definitely a two-way defenseman. On the back end, he is fantastic defending. He’s very physical and matches up against the other team’s best players. But, last year, he was second or third in team scoring. He puts a lot of goals in for us and makes a lot of things happen.”
*****
By The Numbers
While Brendan Macainish was held to one goal in the prior meeting, Neshaminy will surely be trying to contain Pennsbury’s high-scoring senior.
After a depositing 4 goals against CB South, he enters Wednesday’s game against Neshaminy with 12 goals and 5 assists on the season.
CB South’s Aydin Thieroff is also putting up big numbers so far, with 8 goals and 7 assists.
Undefeated through six games, Council Rock South has featured a balanced attack, led by Blaize Pepe (7 goals, 7 assists), Kevin Koles (3 goals, 8 assists), Chase Tovsky (1 goal, 9 assists) and Jake Weiner (8 goals, 2 assists).
Goaltender Carson Lopez has been hard to beat, boasting a 1.29 goals against average and a .947 save percentage. He also has a shutout.
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