CB South and CB West were winners in Flyers Cup play on Wednesday night. Photos provided courtesy of Dara King of DNK Photography. Check back for a gallery of both the CB South/Avon Grove and CB West/Truman games.
By Ben Reese
HATFIELD -- For the first period and a portion of the second, the team in the white jerseys with the blue trim didn't look like Central Bucks South.
Sure, the Titans were ahead 2-0 after the first period and led 3-1 midway though the second, but they weren't as sharp as they usually are.
"We were flat," South coach Tom Coyne said. "I don't know if we were gripping it too tight or what.
"Eventually we got a little spark. Somebody woke us up."
As if a switch was suddenly turned on, the Titans exploded for three more goals in the second period - all in the space of 1:27 – to go on top 6-1. It only got worse for Avon Grove, which absorbed a 9-2 defeat in the Flyers Cup game at Hatfield Ice.
"We definitely came out flat," said South captain Connor Matsinger. "Before the game in warm-ups, we were doing our normal stuff and it seemed like we were doing good.
"It was just a weird game. We didn't get going, we weren't taking the body, we weren't getting shots on net.
"Then, for a couple of shifts, I went up and down the bench, got on a couple guys and they responded. They picked it up and we were able to come out and get a few goals and started heading down the right track."
Coyne had an explanation for the lethargic play early in the game.
"Early on, we didn't adjust real well," he said. "I noticed the defense was way off the blue line.
"We were trying to get pucks in and behind their D and we didn't get pucks behind their D. Once we adjusted and carried (the puck into the offensive zone), we had it going a little bit."
The Titans scored two power play goals in the first period for a 2-0 lead. Matsinger got the first one and Joe DeLaurentis notched the second.
The Red Devils cut the deficit in half with their own power play goal in the second period. Ryan Hassiepen got Avon Grove on the board at 2:13.
After that, it was all South. Jason Bechtel scored at the seven-minute mark for a 3-1 Titan lead.
Then came those three quick goals. Nick Morelli scored at 13:28, Ryan Boylan at 14:09 and Bechtel again at 14:55.
Morelli and Boylan are names that don't show up that often in the scoring for the Titans, but they are names that Coyne appreciates.
"The Boylan line (Morelli, Boylan and Evan King) did a great job," he said. "Role players but they know the deal -- go out there and just grind it out."
Avon Grove cut into South's lead early in the third. Brendan Harmon scored on the power play with 1:48 elapsed in the period.
Goals by Matt Stoll at 2:57, Jackson Koblick at 10:34 and Bechtel at 12:25 completed the scoring for the Titans. Overall, they outshot Avon Grove 57-18.
Now CB South will face Parkland at the Revolution Ice Gardens on Friday in a Flyers Cup quarterfinal game.
CB South 9, Avon Grove 2
Avon Grove 0 1 1 – 2
CB South 2 4 3 – 9
First period: 1. Connor Matsinger CBS (Joe DeLaurentis, Damon DeLaurentis) 9:40 PP; 2. J. DeLaurentis CBS (D. DeLaurentis, Jared Conroy) 10:13 PP.
Second period: 3. Ryan Hassiepen AG (Joshua Sepela, George DiFrancesco) 2:13 PP; 4. Jason Bechtel CBS (Matt Stoll, J. DeLaurentis) 7:00; 5. Nick Morelli CBS (Ryan Boylan, Frank Carter) 13:28; 6. Boylan CBS (Evan King) 14:09; 7. Bechtel CBS (D. DeLaurentis, Jake Anastasia) 14:55.
Third period: 8. Brendan Harman AG (Kelvin DeFeo) 1:48 PP; 9. Stoll CBS (Matsinger, Jackson Koblick) 2:57; 10. Koblick CBS (Thomas Liberta) 10:34; 11. Bechtel CBS (J. DeLaurentis, Matsinger) 12:25.
Shots: AG 18; CBS 57. Saves: Cameron Faller (AG) 48; Kevin Dorozinsky (CBS) 16.
By Ben Reese
HATFIELD -- Central Bucks West got a little more than it bargained for.
The Bucks, the No. 3 seed in the Flyers Cup competition, had to grind it out against Truman, the 14th seed, before winning 3-1.
Truman, which had played the entire season in the Class A American Conference of the Suburban High School Hockey League, finished with a 15-1-0 record. But the step up to Class AA, especially in the Flyers Cup, can be difficult.
"I was really impressed with Truman," West coach Dave Baun said. "They played a really tough game against us.
"I give a lot of credit to Bill Keyser (Truman's coach). He had a short bench and his kids came out and played really hard.
"It was not an easy game. We were fortunate to get away with a 3-1 win."
Shawn Philipps, one of West's excellent defenseman, knew the Bucks would be in for a battle.
"We knew they were going to be a tough team," Philipps said. "We just knew that we had to outlast them.
"We just went a period at a time. We didn't really play up to the way we typically play. That was a factor tonight."
Truman came into the game with only a goalie and 10 position players. Keyser played most of the game with two lines and two sets of defensemen.
"That's how we played all season," the Tigers’ coach said. "The boys fought until the end."
One factor in the Tigers' favor was the play of goalie Kyle Huth. He was outstanding in the nets, stopping 40 of 43 shots.
"My goalie played an outstanding game," said Keyser. "My goalie stood on his head. He kept us in the game."
Baun couldn't have agreed more.
"Their goaltender was a fantastic shot-stopper," the Bucks’ coach said. "He was in front of everything."
The Bucks and Tigers battled throughout the first period, and through the first 12 minutes, neither team found the net.
But, with 12:45 gone in the period, the Bucks got on the board. Joe Anton took a pass from Jacob Janik and beat Huth for the 1-0 lead.
That margin didn't last long. Fifty-seven seconds later, Truman tied the score when Kyle Bennett beat West net-minder Jonah Brous.
The Bucks finally got the lead for good in the second period. Eric Schwass scored with only 2:05 remaining in the period for the 2-1 lead.
Dalton Karl finished up the scoring in the game when he tallied an unassisted goal only 2:22 into the third stanza.
The Bucks will now face Boyertown, a 3-2 winner over North Penn, in a quarterfinal game to be played at Hatfield Ice on Friday.
CB West 3, Truman 1
Truman 1 0 0 – 1
CB West 1 1 1 – 3
First period: 1. Joe Anton CBW (Jacob Janik) 12:45; 2. Kyle Bennett T (Steve Avellino) 13:42.
Second period: 3. Eric Schwass CBW (John McCreadie) 13:55.
Third period: Dalton Karl CBW (unassisted) 2:22.
Shots: T 11, CBW 43. Saves: Kyle Huth (T) 40; Jonah Brous (CBW) 10.
#3 UNIONVILLE 11, #14 HATBORO-HORSHAM 0 (Class A)
The Indians earned a mercy rule win over the Hatters in Flyers Cup play at Aston Ice Line on Wednesday night. Unionville – which held a 39-5 advantage in shots - scored six unanswered goals in the first period and added five more in the second.
Hatboro-Horsham 0-0-0 0
Unionville 6-5-0 11
#8 PENNCREST 5, #9 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 4 (5 OT) Tuesday, March 2
It took five overtime periods to determine a winner in Tuesday’s marathon Flyers Cup contest at Aston Ice Works. The contest ended 42 seconds into the fifth OT when Matthew Dougherty found the net for the game winner.
The Colonials appeared to be in command early, scoring back-to-back goals in a 30-second period early in the second period to go on top 2-0. Joseph Eisenlohr (John Sciarrone assist) scored 2:10 into the period to break a scoreless tie, and then it was Chris Rinali turning an Eisenlohr pass into a goal.
Rinaldi’s second goal 4:34 into the third period put the Colonials on top 3-0, but Penncrest came roaring back, answering with a goal by Dougherty 40 seconds later. Penncrest made it a 3-2 game on Dougherty’s second goal of the game with five minutes remaining, and the two teams were deadlocked after a Penncrest goal with just two minutes remaining.
Things didn’t look promising when Dougherty connected for his third goal with 56 seconds remaining to put Penncrest on top 4-3, but Eisenlohr found the net at the buzzer, using a Christopher Zawislak assist, to sent the game into overtime.
Penncrest held a lopsided 57-27 advantage in shots, but the Colonials stayed in the game, thanks to the dazzling 52-save effort of goalie Cole Shula.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0-2-2-0-0-0-0-0 4
Penncrest 0-0-4-0-0-0-0-1 5
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