CB West defeated Pennridge 5-2 in a key SHSHL Continental Conference game on Wednesday. Photos are provided courtesy of Dara King of DNK Photography.
By Ben Reese
HATFIELD -- This is the point in the high school ice hockey season where every game takes on an importance all its own.
A victory can be more meaningful than a normal win. A loss can spell the end of playoff hopes.
When Central Bucks West hosted Pennridge on Wednesday night at Hatfield Ice, it was a game between the second and third place teams in the Continental Division of the Suburban High School Hockey League. And both teams are jockeying for position in the upcoming playoffs.
This one, a 5-2 CB West win, gives the Bucks a little more separation from the Rams and pushes them slightly closer to Central Bucks South, which leads the division.
"It was really important from a lot of perspectives," West coach Dave Baun said. "It's important for us because we're heading into some big games against CB East and CB South. This was a perfect game for us to play before we faced those guys."
Perfect, in what way?
"I can't say enough about Pennridge," Baun continued. "They just really play hard.
"Even though we got the lead and we thought we were going to be able to push the 'fun' button, we never did. They kept on us the whole game."
The Bucks received some outstanding goaltending from junior Jonah Brous. He stopped 34 of 36 shots.
Brous realized how important the win is for West.
"We wanted to come out and play one of our better games this year,” he said. "We're fighting for playoff spots. Every game is important but this one had more weight to it."
The Rams are trailing CB South and CB West in the standings right now.
"(A win) would have been huge," Ram coach Matt Stabile said. "We had talked about that. This was one we really wanted to win.
"We're in okay position going ahead, but this would have been a huge game for us to win. We have to win our last game against CB East and hopefully get some help from other teams. We've got to come out against CB East and do our jobs and then hope for the best."
With the tightness of the standings, every win, as Stabile said, is important.
"Everyone is right there," the Rams’ coach said. "It's a real tight race.
"It's a matter of who makes less mistakes at this point. Who's going to be smartest with the puck and make the right decisions. It's going to be interesting to see how it all shakes out."
In addition to the sterling play of Brous in net, the West defense was solid once again. It constantly broke up Pennridge rushes in the neutral zone.
"Those guys are so helpful back there," said Brous of his defensive mates. "I get help from my defense.
"I couldn't do it without them. They work their butts off and it just makes my job easier."
The Bucks have also been working on getting their offense in gear earlier in games. Baun has been stressing that it is easier to play with a lead than from behind.
"The last couple of games, the coach has really wanted us to get out to a good start," Brous said. "We've been working on that in practice, just coming out to the game and being ready to play. You come to the rink, do your job and it pays off."
The first period was proof that what Baun has had his team working on is paying off. The Bucks scored two goals in the opening period and Brous kept Pennridge off the scoreboard.
Eddie Shields broke the 0-0 stalemate at the 10:21 mark. He converted passes from Tucker Forte and John McCreadie into the first goal.
Five and a half minutes later, West got on the board again. This time it was Joe Anton taking feeds from Eric Schwass and Brandon Savona for the score.
In the second period, the Bucks doubled their total of goals, scoring twice before Pennridge got going. Jake Boehm scored West's third goal and Dalton Karl got the fourth, stealing the puck in the Pennridge defensive zone and firing it past Pennridge goalie Mike Weaver.
The Rams came right back, however. Michael Walker notched the first Pennridge goal at the 6:38 mark of the second period and Troy Crosson cut the deficit to two at 10:44.
Shawn Philipps got West's advantage back to three goals with only 2:04 left in the second period. Using assists from McCreadie and Schwass, he found the net for the final tally of the game.
Pennridge kept the pressure on West the entire game, outshooting the Bucks 36-34 after being outshot in the first period 13-8.
CB West 5, Pennridge 2
Pennridge 0 2 0 – 2
CB West 2 3 0 – 5
First period: 1. Eddie Shields CBW (Tucker Forte, John McCreadie) 10:21; 2. Joe Anton CBW (Eric Schwass, Brandon Savona) 15:50.
Second period: 3. Jake Boehm CBW (Savona, Jonah Brous) 2:18; 4. Dalton Karl CBW (unassisted) 3:09; 5. Michael Walker P (Troy Crosson, Danny O'Malley) 6:38; 6. Crosson P (unassisted) 10:44; 7. Shawn Philipps CBW (McCreadie, Schwass) 13:56.
Third period: No scoring.
Shots: P -- 36; CBW -- 34. Saves: Mike Weaver (P) 29; Jonah Brous (CBW) 32.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 9, NORTH PENN 2
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