This week’s ice hockey notebook highlights the SHSHL American Conference race.
By Mike Prince, Sportswriter
Archbishop Wood had been cruising through its schedule, winning its first seven games while going 5-0-0 in its first five Suburban One American Conference contests, but the Vikings had yet to run into Lansdale Catholic.
Last Thursday, in a key matchup between the two conference rivals, the Crusaders gave the Vikings their first taste of defeat this season.
Thanks to a pair of Michael Longhitano goals in the first period, LC (5-1-0) was able to jump out to a 3-1 lead and ride that to a 7-4 win over Wood. Longhitano finished with three goals and an assist, while his brother, Patrick, added two goals of his own to lead the Crusaders to the big win.
“We kind of kept their top guys in check, even though their top guy did end up scoring three goals,” LC coach Mark DiDonato said. “My top two lines were clicking very well, and we had a good game. They outshot us, but when you score more goals, that’s the bottom line. Wood is a solid team and I still think they’re the top team in the division to keep an eye on, but we played a good game and kind of just did all the right things that night.”
Anthony Valerio also added two goals for LC, while Andrew Hart added a game-high five assists. For the Vikings (5-1-0), Kevin Neiley led the way with a hat trick of his own, scoring one goal in each period.
In another American Conference contest, Upper Dublin earned a 5-3 win over Hatboro-Horsham last Friday. The Cardinals received a pair of goals and a pair of assists from Gil Lederhandler. Brett Spike scored twice in the second period to give the Cardinals a 3-1 lead.
Goalie Zach Hanson stopped 29 of 32 shots to earn the win for the Cardinals (2-3-0). All three goals for the Hatters (0-7-0) came off the stick of Zach Aubry.
Before the Upper Dublin game, Hatboro-Horsham had been defeated by six goals or more in every one of its losses this year – including losses by at least 10 goals in four of the last five games, but the two-goal loss to the Cardinals was a step in the right direction for the Hatters.
“We’ve been crushed in every game except for this last one, so playing against Upper Dublin was a more evenly matched game, and I thought our guys stepped up a little more physically,” Hatboro-Horsham coach Gil Salfiti said. “We were less sloppy and the work we’ve been doing with them is helping out and it’s showing.
“They’re starting to believe in themselves, and every little piece helps with the mindset. Hopefully, we turned a corner a little bit. I was very pleased with the overall team play more than anything else.”
Wissahickon, which boasts the highest point total in the American Conference, battled to a 1-1 tie with Upper Moreland last Thursday.
Matthew Baumgardner scored in the first period for the Bears (4-2-1), while the Trojans (5-2-1) received a goal from Brandon Rosoff in the second period to cap the scoring. Wissahickon goalie Jordan Fromm stopped 19 of 20 shots in net, while Upper Moreland goalie Jared Burch stopped 22 of 23 shots to help his team come out with one point.
“Upper Moreland is a very good team, and they probably have the best goalie in the league,” Wissahickon coach Ryan McLaughlin said. “Only allowing them to score once was great, but we still have to score more ourselves.”
McLaughlin says he and his team are happy to sit in first place entering the holiday break but knows his team still has a lot of work to do.
“We had a bit of dip against Lansdale Catholic and Wood, but we look to learn from our mistakes and come back stronger after the break,” said McLaughlin, whose team is off until Jan. 10. “We’re happy with first place, but we know there are some very talented teams in the league, and we just have to make sure we’re prepared.”
As for the Bears, who currently sit in third place in the conference, most of the credit goes to Burch, a three-year senior starting goalkeeper who currently has a 2.55 GAA on the season after seven games.
“I do consider him to be the best goalie in the league,” said Upper Moreland coach Jim Stampler when asked if he agreed with McLaughlin’s assessment. “I think he’s as quick as anybody, but positionally, he’s probably better than anybody in the league. He reads plays well, so he’s usually in position before the shot is even taken. He also doesn’t give up many rebounds at all, which helps.”
Upper Moreland returns to action when it faces Lower Moreland in a non-conference meeting on Jan. 4 at Bucks County Ice.
Also in the middle of the pack in the American Conference is Harry S. Truman (2-4-0), which had lost five consecutive games entering its matchup with Plymouth Whitemarsh last Thursday.
But thanks to a hat trick performance from Josh Robinson, Truman was able to win its first game since a 9-3 win over Hatboro-Horsham on Nov. 1, defeating the Colonials by a score of 7-2 in a league contest.
Truman scored four goals in the second period and outshot PW 45-21 en route to the win. Courtney Loesch recorded two goals and an assist for Truman, Billy Keyser added one goal and one assist and Justin Vickery tallied three assists in the winning effort.
“Honestly, I think we hit a good spot in the schedule after playing teams like Wood and Wissahickon, and we got a few of our guys back,” Truman coach Mike McVey said. “We had a couple guys out with injuries and we got them back, which helped. Our kids fought through the game and now we’re playing a lot better as a team.
“Courtney (Loesch) stepped up and has been playing great lately. The way she plays with the guys is pretty remarkable. She mixes it up when she wants to get in there. Our goaltending is also stepping it up and improving for us every game. He (Christian Morlando) really is getting better and is helping us to get to where we want to be.”
The Colonials, who received goals from Ryan McGahey and Kevin Lawrence, have now lost five games by at least a five-goal margin.
While the American Conference is currently congested near the top, with Wissahickon (11 points), Wood (10), Upper Moreland (nine) and LC (eight) all in a tight race, the National and Continental conferences haven’t seen the standings change much since last week.
In the National Conference, Council Rock North and Council Rock South sit at the top of standings, with 13 and 12 points respectively. Abington currently holds the third spot with eight points, while William Tennent’s six points leaves the Panthers in fourth. Neshaminy and Pennsbury share last place with four points apiece.
The Continental Conference is still led by North Penn and its 6-1-1 record, giving the Knights 13 points on the season. Souderton (6-3-0) sits in second with 12 points, while Central Bucks East and Central Bucks South are tied in third with eight points. Pennridge (six points) is in fifth place, while Central Bucks West, which is still looking for its first win of the season, is currently in the cellar.
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