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By Nick DeLorenzo
BRISTOL - Both the Indians and the Ghosts were looking to turn their seasons around Thursday night at Grundy Recreation Center, but behind stellar goaltending and sound special teams play, Abington defeated Neshaminy 5-3.
Abington goalie Joe Marshall stopped 29 of 32 Neshaminy shots, with many of Neshaminy’s opportunities coming shorthanded. Head coach Andrew Ducko credited his goalie and defense as a big reason why the Ghosts, who improved to 5-8-2, were able to pull off the victory.
“We got a big effort out of Joe Marshall in net - he played really well,” Ducko said. “Our defense really stepped it up. We shut down their top guy Jimmy Rambo. He didn’t have any goals and that’s huge in a game like this.”
Marshall was playing in just his second game back from injury after stopping 48 shots in a loss versus undefeated Council Rock South last Thursday. Despite his strong effort, he feels that he could have played even better.
“I probably could have saved [the goals],” Marshall said. “One was a deflection off my stick, and the other ones were just breakaways.”
Marshall and the Abington defense were able to bail the team out for the 10 penalties called against the Ghosts. The strong penalty kill included a shorthanded goal in the 1st period by Ryan Stokes. While Ducko was pleased with his team’s performance, he still feels there is plenty of room for improvement.
“They played well,” Ducko said. “I wish they’d played a bit better and finished a couple of the opportunities we had. We hit about five or six posts during the game which should have been goals, but overall, they played well and worked hard. Offensively, we capitalized on a couple of opportunities which was the difference in the game.”
Leading the way for Abington was captain Jimmy McKee, tallying two goals and an assist, bringing his season point total to 30 in just 15 games, a total, according to McKee, that should be even higher.
“I was seeing the net a lot,” McKee said. “But I hit the post about four times. I just need to pick up my head and things will start to turn around, and hopefully, I’ll be able to put the puck in the net even more.”
For Neshaminy, DJ Bell had two goals and an assist and Shane Thomas notched two assists, both keeping pace with their more-than-a-point-per-game average. Captain James Rambo, who according to Ducko is one of the best players in the area, was held to just a late-game assist.
The Indians, who were missing four players to suspensions and one due to injury, could not take advantage of their extensive time on the power play despite out shooting the Ghosts 32-30.
The win was the fifth of the season for Abington, and McKee believes the team in hitting its stride at the right time.
“I really think our team is turning it around,” McKee said. “We’ve got a lot of heart. We’re giving a lot of effort, playing good defense and playing the puck hard.”
Marshall also believes that the team is in the midst of a turnaround, citing a hard-fought loss to Council Rock South, a game in which he faced over 50 shots, as a big step in the right direction.
While Ducko can see the improvement in his team with every game, he understands that the Ghosts need to play better and more disciplined hockey in order to compete with the top teams in the SOL National.
“As the games go forward, we have to play better on the penalty kill against teams like Pennsbury,” Ducko said. “We have to stay out of the box because the better teams are going to take advantage.
The Ghosts will be put to the test in the coming games versus SOL Continental leading Souderton (9-5-1) Friday night and Pennsbury next Thursday.
Abington 5 Neshaminy 3
1st period -
Abington SH Goal 24 Ryan Stokes (assist Keith Richardson)
Abington SH Goal 24 Ryan Stokes (assist Keith Richardson)
Abington Goal 91 Tyler Moll (Keith Richardson
Shots -- Abington 13 Neshaminy 10
2nd period -
Abington PP Goal 38 Nate Underwood (Jimmy McKee)
Abington Goal 62 Jimmy McKee (Andrew McGowan)
Neshaminy Goal 93 DJ Bell (Shane Thomas)
Neshaminy Goal 21 Shane Thomas (DJ Bell)
Shots -- Abington 10 Neshaminy 15
3rd period
Abington goal 62 Jimmy McKee (Ryan Stokes)
Neshaminy Goal DJ Bell (James Rambo)
Shots -- Abington 8 Neshaminy 7
Total Shots -- Abington 30 Neshaminy 32
Goalies
Abington -- 1 Joseph Marshall 29/32 saves
Neshaminy -- 30 Tyler Edwards 25/30 saves
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