By Ben Reese
HATFIELD — Sometimes, in an ice hockey game between two high-scoring teams, the goalie can almost be under-appreciated.
When Abington and Wissahickon clashed on Thursday night at Hatfield Ice, it was a battle between two very high-scoring teams. And, although the 6-3 final score wouldn’t indicate it, Ghost netminder Sam Nemec delivered his team’s victory over the Trojans.
“I told him that it was the best game I’ve ever seen him play,” said Abington coach Ken Brzozowski. “He’s a senior and I’ve been watching him play for four years.
“We asked him before the game, we said we need a good game, and that’s what he did. He gave us a great game.”
Even though he gave up three goals to Wissahickon, Nemec stopped 36 shots, making a lot of his saves on scrums in close to the goal crease. But that is the way he likes the games to go.
“It was definitely one of my busier games this year,” Nemec said, “and I felt I had it locked in since the puck dropped.
“I would much rather be busy than stay cold and face a couple shots a period. I enjoy being busy down there.”
Wissahickon coach Ken Harrington appreciated what he was seeing from the opposing goalie.
“We just could not get the puck over the goalie,” Harrington said. “We probably had 18 shots right on (the goal line).”
But only three got past Nemec.
The goalie gave a lot of credit to his defense.
“Our defense played a good game tonight,” Nemec said. “They (Wissahickon) still kept me busy tonight, but it was much better.
“My teammates made me feel at home here. Today after a goal I definitely felt their energy. They felt it was coming from my side of the ice to theirs.”
The Ghosts were without two of their top scorers, Pat Stelacio and Matthew Kramer, both out with injuries. But it didn’t seem to matter.
“We knew that we were down two of our top scorers,” Brzozowski said. “It was a whole team effort.
“We got scoring from all three lines. As good as our goalie was, our defense did everything that we asked them to do. I thought we had an outstanding game all around.”
Abington opened the scoring at the 4:58 mark of the first period. Jordan Heydt went in unassisted on Wissahickon goalie Fletcher Lynch to score the first tally.
The Trojans came back with 10:31 gone to tie the score at 1-1. Danny Hussa, with assists from Nolan Pounds and Griffin Lynch, beat Nemec to deadlock the game.
Wissahickon jumped out to a 2-1 lead early in the second period as Hudson Honeycutt scored with only 3:04 elapsed in the period. But the Ghosts came right back at 4:56 as Sam Paulik scored on the power play to tie the game and then Jordan Heydt broke that tie with less than four minutes remaining in the period.
The final period went Abington’s way from the start. Ian Heydt boosted the Ghost lead to 4-2 at the 1:29 mark of the period.
After Will Hussa cut the Abington lead to one with a goal for the Trojans at 11:46, Ian Heydt came right back 19 seconds later to re-establish the two-goal margin. Abington’s Devin Bates completed the scoring with one second left, scoring into an empty net.
“We definitely have the ability to put the puck in the net,” Nemec said. “A big defensive game shows the rest of the league that we can compete at both ends of the ice.”
Especially with Sam Nemec in goal.
Abington 6, Wissahickon 3
Wissahickon 1 1 1 — 3
Abington 1 2 3 — 6
First period: 1, Jordan Heydt A (unassisted) 4:58; 2, Danny Hussa W (Nolan Pounds, Griffin Lynch) 10:31.
Second period: 3, Hudson Honeycutt W (Jack Raebiger) 3:04; 4, Sam Paulik A (Sean Doyle) 4:56 PP; 5, J. Heydt A (unassisted) 13:08.
Third period: 6, Ian Heydt A (Sam Abramson) 1:29; 7, Will Hussa W (D. Hussa) 11:46; 8, I. Heydt A (Abramson, Brian Murdoch) 12:05; 9, Devin Bates A (unassisted) 16:59 EN.
Shots: W 39, A 18. Saves: Fletecher Lynch (W) 12, Sam Nemec (A) 36.
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