Continental Conference
It’s been a tough transition year for North Penn’s ice hockey team.
The Knights lost a majority of the players from their 2008-09 SHSHL Varsity AA Championship team. And their youth and inexperience is evident, as North Penn has amassed a record of 3-11-2 this year for eight points and fifth place in the Continental Division.
“It’s definitely been difficult for the players who were playing last year at the varsity level,” said first-year head coach Kevin Vaitis, an assistant last season. “We’re only returning three players, so we have a lot of kids moving into this level.”
Allan Fenton, Jim McKelvie, Shane Kerwick return for the Knights, and lead the team both in the locker room and on the scoreboard. Fenton’s 20 points tops the team, with McKelvie (17 points) and Keriwck (15) right behind him.
“Those three guys come ready to play,” Vaitis said. “They make sure the younger guys are ready.”
Defensemen Brandon Fishman and John Romano have led the blueliners this season, Vaitis said, and the play of sophomore Ryan Merk has been a pleasant surprise for the Knights
And any team that expects to sleepwalk to a victory over the Knights is in for a rude awakening. They may be young and inexperienced, but the Knights are also improving every week. And their goal is no less than a playoff spot.
“They’re coming along really well,” Vaitis said. “We preach to them to keep working and getting better. The big thing is that they keep working every practice, keep working on our system, and working hard.
“Our goal is to make it to the playoffs. We’re (3 points) behind Pennridge for fourth in the division, and they take top three in each division and two wildcards. We told the players, the number one thing is you get to the playoffs. Then, everything goes back to even, everyone has the same record.”
National Conference
Neshaminy tends to play in a Christmas tournament during its winter break in the SHSHL season. The team decided not to do so this year, and that may be just what the doctor ordered.
The Redskins currently sit in fourth place in the National Division (3-7-4 for 10 points in the league and overall) and in the hunt for a playoff spot. And when unbeaten Council Rock North and South, and a powerful Pennsbury team occupy the top three spots in the division, fourth place is key to earning one of the two wildcard berths.
And those weeks off may prove to be key in returning the Redskins to a healthy team.
"We're getting some guys back from injury," said Neshaminy coach Ray Sherno. "We didn't play in a Christmas tournament this year -- we took the week off. I think that helped us."
Though Evan Ducko was lost for the season to injury, the Redskins are back and healthy. And on a squad that has as many underclassmen and first-year players (including five freshmen) as it does seniors, staying healthy is crucial.
"Chemistry is the biggest thing for us," Sherno said. "We need to get them healthy and used to playing together. Half the year we've been moving lines, and moving guys from forward to defense. We haven't been able to keep line combinations together."
And once healthy, the Redskins need to play consistent and rack up as many points as they can in the standings.
Shane Thomas leads Neshaminy with 21 points. James Rambo is right behind with 19. Sherno said he's also counting on contributions from the likes of Dave Pfeilsticker, Michael Gorman and D.J. Bell.
As for the younger players, "it all starts with Jordan Ducko," Sherno said. "He's a freshman and he's been a pleasant surprise. You ask him to do this, he does it and he does it well."
Sherno also named Jake Kitchenman and Dillon Richards for their contributions.
"We're definitely looking at (making the playoffs). We're keeping focused on it," Sherno said. "We're battling Abington (3-8-2 for 8 points) in the National Division. We keep leaping over each other. We're in fourth place, in a tough division. We need to take care of the games we need to win. We've got Abington coming up (on Jan. 21), that could be the game for the season."
American Conference
For Plymouth Whitemarsh, it may have been the win that adds a shining bright spot to an otherwise difficult season. For Wisasahickon, it's a true test of the team's resilience and character.
PW, which entered Thursday's American Division game against first-place Wissahickon, had one lone win on the season to that point, a non-league victory over Bishop McDevitt.
But facing a Trojan team missing two key players, the Colonials posted a 3-0 win, despite being outshot 34-17.
Kenny Yanni scored all three goals for the Colonials (2-10-2 overall, 1-6-0 league) and Anthony Lamlin posted the shutout. Though Wissahickon (8-5-0 overall, 5-1-0 league) still controls its own destiny in the race for the division title, the loss has made things a little more interesting with Hatboro-Horsham and Upper Dublin each tied in second with seven points, three behind the Trojans.
In its final five games of the season, Wisshahickon will play Hatboro-Horsham twice and Upper Dublin once.
"We had two seniors out -- one with a concussion, and one on a college visit, but it's no excuse," Wissahickon coach Ryan McLaughlin said. "Those games can happen anytime. But I think it was a good time for it. There's a month-and-a-half left in the season, and they got a reality check."
McLaughlin said he's looking for the team leaders such as David Ko, Joey Sutow (who leads the Trojans with 27 points) and Evan and Zach Weiss to ensure that the loss was merely a speed bump in the Trojans' path.
"It's the seniors' season," McLaughlin said. "I'm counting on them to make sure we get back on track."
- Log in to post comments
0
