BIG FINAL WEEK FOR PENNSBURY … We’ve entered the final week of the regular season. Most teams know their respective postseason fates. Many will be playing fairly meaningless games as they prep for playoffs, or try to end the season on a positive note.
The Pennsbury ice hockey team is a major exception to that rule. The Falcons have two games this week that are very important, both for completely different reasons.
On Wednesday, the Falcons will participate in their second annual Pink Out Game when they face Delran at 7:20 p.m. at Grundy Ice Arena. The game will benefit Pennsbury’s Wink-4-Pink Club and all proceeds will help raise awareness for, and funds to help fight breast cancer.
“This is the second year we’ve been involved in this and it seems to have really grown in just one year,” said Pennsbury coach John Bria. “The kids really, really get involved with it. They’ll have pink laces, pink tape on their sticks, wear a pink jersey with a white ribbon. Delran’s going to wear a white jersey with a pink ribbon.”
Entrance fee for the game will be $5. Additional fundraisers include a raffle for a Flyers basket, the Wink-4-Pink Club selling apparel, and for $20, fans can take a piece of the action home with them.
“At the end of the game, you can actually buy one of the kids’ jerseys off their backs,” Bria said. “This game has been getting so much help and support from the community. With the school and everybody donating their time and efforts, it’s really special.
“And it’s a big game for the kids. Everybody circles the game on the calendar. Last year, after the kids graduated, when you look at the senior bios, a lot of them said their favorite memory was this game.”
Last season, the teams received an excellent turnout from fans and community members helping to support the cause. A big crowd is expected on Wednesday as well to watch a good hockey game and support a great cause.
“The place should be packed,” Bria said. “It’s always fun to play in front of a packed house.”
One day later, the Falcons return to Grundy Ice Arena for an 8:55 p.m. showdown with Council Rock North. Pennsbury sits in third place in the National Division at 8-6-3 for 19 points (14-10-3 overall). Council Rock North is 8-8-1 for 17 points (11-10-2 overall). The winner of Thursday’s clash will secure third place in the division and take the automatic bid into the playoffs. The loser will earn the wildcard bid.
Despite the massive implications of the final game of the season, Bria said the Falcons are calm, cool and collected.
“The kids are loose, they’re funny that way,” Bria said. “I think once we get to game time, we’ll be ready. Practices the past couple weeks have been pretty smooth and we expect the same thing this week, too. We’re staying focused on what we need to do, and the senior leadership takes care of that.”
The conference rivals met for the first time this season on Dec. 23. Pennsbury took a 4-0 win in that contest, a game that was 1-0 until the third period. Bria expects this game to be much like those first two periods of the last meeting.
“Council Rock North has been playing much better, and we’ve been decimated with injuries, but you have to expect those kinds of things,” he said. “We expect it to be a real tough, real tight game.”
And while the Falcons (as well as the Indians) are playoff-bound win or lose, it’s always preferable to head into the postseason on a roll.
“You always want to control a little bit of your own destiny and at least know you finished top three,” Bria said. “We want to get some momentum, get into playoffs and see what kind of damage we can do once we get there.”
CARDINALS FLY INTO SECOND … Points have been tough to come by in the American Division. Lansdale Catholic cruised to the first place in the division at 8-1 for 16 points (11-10-1 overall), leaving three teams battling for positioning.
With Hatboro-Horsham ineligible for postseason play, the three remaining teams in the division, Upper Dublin, Upper Moreland and Wissahickon, were guaranteed of a playoff spot.
As the weeks have worn on and none of those three teams have taken control, the race for playoff positioning became more and more interesting. Heading into the final two weeks, Upper Dublin had one chance to jump from fourth into second place in the division. First, it needed Wissahickon to lose its league game to Lansdale Catholic, while the Cardinals had to defeat Upper Moreland, which had defeated the Cardinals two weeks earlier. On Feb. 1, Upper Dublin handily defeated Upper Moreland, 6-2. Two days later, Wissahickon fell to LC by a 6-4 count. That set up the Feb. 10 showdown between the neighborhood rivals for second place.
Wissahickon scored first on Joey Sutow’s 17th of the season, but Upper Dublin responded with four straight goals, and added three straight in the third period to roll to a 7-2 victory.
Wissahickon scored first on Joey Sutow’s 17th of the season, but Upper Dublin responded with four straight goals, and added three straight in the third period to roll to a 7-2 victory. Seven different players scored for Upper Dublin and Ben Hoffmann had a goal and three assists.
The victory meant both Upper Dublin and Wissahickon sported identical 3-5-1 league records, and the teams went 1-1-1 against each other during the season. The tiebreaker puts Upper Dublin into second place, with Wissahickon in third. The two teams will face each other in the first round of the SHSHL Class A playoffs, while Upper Moreland will face Lansdale Catholic.
ONE MORE WEEK … On Friday, the final game for the league’s SHSHL Class A and AA teams will be played. That means you’ve got one more week of regular-season hockey before the playoffs begin. Just because all of the playoff berths have been claimed doesn’t mean there won’t be some good hockey in the final week of the season.
Pennridge at North Penn, 7:20 p.m. Feb. 15 at Hatfield Ice. While both teams are guaranteed a top-3 finish in the Continental Division, both the Rams and Knights have two games this week to decide exactly where they’ll finish. The Rams are in second place at 10-3-2 (22 points), while the Knights are 9-3-3 (21 points).
Delran at Pennsbury, 7:20 p.m. Feb. 15 at Grundy Ice Arena. Come out and support Wink-4-Pink and help fight breast cancer in Pennsbury’s second annual Pink Our Game.
Council Rock South at Souderton, 9 p.m. Feb. 15 at Hatfield Ice. There’s nothing on the line in this one. South has secured the top spot in the National Division. Souderton has earned a wildcard berth. Still, this should be a solid game.
Central Bucks East at North Penn, 7:20 p.m. Feb. 16 at Hatfield Ice. North Penn’s second game of the week, the Knights take on an inconsistent but always dangerous Patriots team that has nothing to lose.
Council Rock North at Pennsbury, 8:55 p.m. Feb. 16 at Grundy Ice Arena. Does it get better than when the last game of the season has huge playoff implications for both teams? Sometimes, the hockey gods really do get it right. The winner of this game takes the third seed from the National Conference. The loser gets a wildcard.
Central Bucks South at Pennridge, 9 p.m. Feb. 16 at Hatfield Ice. The Rams’ second game of the week as they battle North Penn for positioning. All they’ll have to do in their final game is beat the only team undefeated in SHSHL play.
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