Pennsbury picked up a big win over Souderton, and Council Rock North forced North Penn to settle for a 3-3 tie in SHSHL action on Thursday. To view action photos of both games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
By Andrew Marcus
HATFIELD - There was not a drop of liquid left in the half dozen water bottles that belonged to the Pennsbury ice hockey team on Thursday. With games on back-to-back nights and a few players fresh off the ice of their jayvee game, the Falcons played a fearless game at Hatfield Ice against Souderton.
Using the supplied drinks and a big effort from their defense, the Falcons handed the Indians a 3-0 loss, their second consecutive loss after a four-game winning streak to start the season.
The Falcons’ goalie Ben Herring stopped all 31 shots he saw to earn the shutout. While goals have been hard to come by for the Falcons (2-4) this season, the senior between the pipes has been a bright spot.
“We have talked all season long about battling, but we have come up short,” Pennsbury coach John Bria said. “Especially after playing last night, I am real proud of the way we played tonight. We played with a lot of heart and it was a huge win.”
Herring received a helping hand from the defensemen in front of him, and not just with their ability to win races to loose pucks and fight off the Indians’ attack with timely clears. The defense also accounted for all three scores. Junior defensemen Liana Eyre earned her first varsity goal at the 8:52 mark in the first period.
“That is Liana’s first goal and it is good to see,” Bria said. “It is her first year with varsity and I was real happy for her."
"Ben has been our number one goaltender for the past couple years, and we just need to get the scoring. Tonight it came from our defense and I will definitely take it.”
Senior Derek Faro finished the fight with two knockout punches. The defensemen scored twice in the final two quarters. The slow start to the season has not deterred the Falcons from their original goal of competing for a National Conference title, and seniors like Faro are leading by example.
“We have been up and down, but this feels pretty good,” Faro said. “We thought Souderton was pretty good. They beat North Penn, who we lost pretty badly to. This is motivation for the rest of the season.”
The Indians’ goalie Bryce McMichael made 14 saves and did sprawl out to keep the score at 1-0 deep into the second period. But with the Indians (4-2) offense not clicking on all cylinders, the second goal by the Falcons frustrated the Indians to a point of no return.
“We just got outworked today,” Indians’ coach Matt Montagna said. “It did not come together at all. We are good at dumping the puck and being physical. We also have to protect our goalie. We did not do any of that tonight.”
Pennsbury 1 1 1 -3
Souderton 0 0 0 – 0
Goals: Faro (PB) (2), Eyre(PB)
Saves: Herring (PB) 31; McMichael (S) 14
North Penn 3, Council Rock North 3
Behind the goaltending of Council Rock North’s Hayden Richards, the Indians were able to salvage a point against the high-powered attack of North Penn on Thursday night. The Indians, thanks to the 39-save effort of Richards, forced the Knights to settle for a 3-3 tie.
Richards turned away 18 shots in the first period, which allowed his team to take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. The Indians’ Sam Kroh scored at the 15:31 mark of the first quarter.
“We just stole a point,” Indians’ coach Eric Tye said. “Between my goalie and our penalty killing – our team just buys into team defense, and it paid off. I do not even know how many shots we blocked. This team never blinks.”
The Knights continued to spray the net with chances and finished with 42 shots compared to the 28 from the Indians. The Knights were able to put a frustrating first period behind them and take a 2-1 lead on Jeremy Snyder’s first goal on the night. Snyder’s second goal squared the game at 3-3.
“With that many shots, you have to get two points,” Knights’ coach Kevin Vaitis said. “Their goalie played well, but we did not take advantage of some opportunities to close the game out.”
Council Rock North 1 1 1 -3
North Penn 0 2 1 – 3
Goals: Snyder (2), Kroh (CRN), Peterson (NP), Heverly (CRN), Dwyer (CRN)
Saves: Richards (CRN) 39, Wolff (NP) 25
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