Check out the recaps for some of the SHSHL teams in action on Wednesday. CR South/CR North and CB West/CB East photos provided by Richard Owens; CB South/North Penn and Pennridge/Souderton photos provided by Keith Clemens Photography. CLICK HERE for galleries of all four games.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 5, NORTH PENN 1
Ryan Gingras, Owen Mendham and Matt Crouch.
Their names might not show up in the box score all that often, but the Titans’ defenseman – along with goalie Mason Moyer - certainly made life miserable for North Penn in Wednesday’s rivalry night contest.
“Mendham is a first-year player for us that played real well,” South coach Shaun McGinty said. “Gingras gets a lot of ice time. He’s an assistant captain, and he’s a staple to the defense.
“Matt Crouch, a young freshman, won’t show up in the box score, but he played great tonight.”
Moyer was credited with 21 saves in a winning effort.
“He made some key saves,” Gingras said. “If one goes in, that’s a whole different game.”
The Knights took 22 shots but didn’t score until their 22nd with 1:49 remaining and the outcome long since decided.
“When we got possession of the puck in their zone, they constantly were swarming us, so we didn’t get much time to set up in the zone,” North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis said. “Even when we were able to set up and get the puck back to the point and get some shots, they were getting blocked.
“They did a great job game planning and did a good job executing on the ice.”
The Titans’ defensive game plan was relatively simple.
“We matched our defensive lines with the other team’s top line, so I was always out with (Tyler) Greenstein,” Gingras said of the Knights’ captain. “They would try and trick us and have him hop off the ice. I’d have to hop off the ice with him. We stuck with them.”
A stifling defensive effort and timely goals added up to a convincing win for the Titans, who won their third County Line Cup in as many years in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
“All my family came out, everyone’s family and everyone from school was there, so it’s nice to have that support and just play for them,” Gingras said.
The two teams battled to a scoreless tie after one period, this despite a 9-1 shot advantage for the Titans.
“It’s definitely frustrating to have way more shots than them on net, but we kept grinding, put pucks on net all game,” said Dominic Patrone, who had a pair of goals. “That was our game plan – just shoot on net the whole game, and we knew we were going to get a couple by them.”
Seventy seconds into the second period, the Titans got on the scoreboard when Stephen McMillan scored with assists from Daniel Kvecher and Colin Abbonizio. Forty-eight second later, Patrone found the net on a power play goal, using assists from Gingras and Abbonizio.
“That’s all the momentum,” Patrone said. “Once you score one goal, your bench goes crazy, and you’re like – let’s get another one, let’s get another one.”
The backbreaker for the Knights came when Abbonizio (McMillan/Kvecher assists) scored during a scramble with 1:04 remaining in the period, giving the Titans a 3-0 lead heading into the final frame.
“Them getting those two goals hurt us a little bit in the second, and they ended up getting a third one late – the third one happened with a minute-and-a-half left in the period, and that hurt us,” Vaitis said.
With just under five minutes remaining in the contest, Patrone scored his second power play goal to put the Titans on top 4-0. The Knights broke up the Titans’ shutout bid when Greenstein found the net with time winding down, using assists from Josh Kaufhold and Luke Van Why. With the South student section counting down the game’s final seconds, Matt Milanesi – playing hard until the final whistle – scored with one second remaining, using a Brian Keilman assist.
“Matt Milanesi chased down the puck – I’m sure the goalie in his head was ticking time away,” McGinty said. “Matty Milanesi pushed through – that was awesome.”
The Titans’ coach used four lines in Wednesday’s win.
“I didn’t do four lines until we were up 3-0, but that really gives our team a lot of leverage,” McGinty said. “The kids played well tonight. We were able to generate our shots. Our philosophy is to break the game down by periods, so it’s three games within a game. We tied the first, we won the second and won the third. You win two periods out of three, and you should win the game.”
Expectations once again are high for a South team that has been a perennial SHSHL power.
“We work hard at practice every Monday,” Patrone said. “We got the same line, same drills, same grind. We basically run a lot of the same things.
“We work hard at practice, we never slack off at practice. We’re always going hard and going at it. We just work as a unit – we’re a team and a family.”
“We’re a system team,” McGinty said. “These kids all year long hear me say – it’s not about the name on the back, it’s the name on front.
“We’ve been doing the same system and the same things for over 10 years. We believe in it. To us, it’s very basic hockey. The defensive zone dots out, offensive zone dots in – offensive zone you want to funnel toward the net, defensive zone you want to be a triangle outside of it.
“Guys are just really sound and living by our way of hockey at South. It’s all about the team. The four main things that I talk about every year are hard work, sacrifice, compete and discipline. Kids that have played for me for four years – it’s engrained in their heads. That’s what we demand from everybody, and you should do it for the guy next to you.”
Vaitis acknowledged the strong play of several players in the loss.
“I thought Nick (Ebbinghaus) did a good job in net,” the Knights’ coach said of his keeper, who had 28 stops. “Some of the goals weren’t his fault, and he did a solid job in front. He’s been solid all three games we’ve played so far.
“Luke Van Why continuously plays outstanding. He logs a lot of minutes for us – power play, penalty kill and even strength, so from a skater perspective, he probably had one of our top games out there.”
North Penn 0-0-1 1
CB South 0-3-2 5
Shots – NP 33, CBS 22. Saves – Mason Moyer (CBS) 21, Nick Ebbinghaus (NP) 28.
First Period: No score.
Second Period: 1, Stephan McMillan CBS (Daniel Kvecher/Colin Abbonizio) 14:30; 2, Dominic Patrone CBS (Ryan Gingras/Colin Abbonizio) 14:02; 3, Colin Abbonizio CBS (Stephen McMillan/Daniel Kvecher) 1:04.
Third Period: 4, Dominic Patrone CBS (Colin Abbonizio/Ryan Gingras) 4:41; 5, Tyler Greenstein NP (Joshua Kaufhold/Luke Van Why) 1:49; 6, Matt Milanesi CBS (Brian Keilman) 0:01.
PENNRIDGE 6, SOUDERTON 1
The defending SHSHL champion Rams have a ton of new faces in the lineup. While some coaches might find that a daunting task on the heels of a banner season for the program, Jeff Montagna is excited about his young team’s potential.
“The key is going to be how fast they grow up,” the Rams’ coach said. “Nine of the 15 that were out there tonight are freshmen and sophomores.
“It’s a really young team – they’re a talented team, but there’s definitely getting up to speed for some of these players. It was a little bit dicey early in the season, but I’ve been telling them for a month – they’re going to be a really good team.
“There weren’t a lot of expectations this year, and I told anyone that would listen that we’re going to be good. It may not be right now, and it may not be in December, but we’re going to be a good team. The quicker they grow up, the quicker they adjust, the better it’s going to be.”
Wednesday’s rivalry night win saw a pair of players – Pierce McGinley and Cooper White - connect for their first career varsity goals. The Rams, who have five new defensemen, held a 58-9 advantage in shots and dominated play.
“They did a real good job moving the puck and activating our rush,” Montagna said. “A key to how quick they grow up is also how quick our defensemen grow up. That’s the big thing.
“We have one returning player (Conrad Frisch) who was a defenseman at the varsity level, so it’s a lot of mixing and matching and seeing what we’ve got and a lot of experimenting right now.”
Jeff Manto, Michael White and Blake Stewart are returning forwards, but Stewart, the team’s captain, is sidelined with mono and White is now playing defense. The Rams also have three swing players.
“I’m excited because it’s different, it’s a challenge and we’re starting from scratch with some potential, and that’s a cool thing as a coach,” Montagna said. “Not a lot of expectations and you can just watch them grow up in front of you.”
The Rams held an 18-3 advantage in shots after one period but led by just a 1-0 score, thanks to an unassisted goal by Pierce McGinty just over two minutes into the game.
Pennridge led 2-0 after Cooper White (Conrad Frisch assist) found the net on a power play goal, but the Indians cut that lead in half when Thomas Harris connected on an unassisted goal with six minutes remaining in the period. Less than a minute later, Jack Lowery scored with a Manto assist to give the Rams a 3-1 lead after two periods.
Pennridge closed out the game with three unanswered goals in the third period – the first by Lowery with a Cooper White assist, the second by Aidan Boyle and the third by Richie Shanks. It all added up to a big win for the Rams over their neighboring rival.
Pennridge 1-2-3 6
Souderton 0-1-0 1
Shots – Pennridge 58, Souderton 9. Saves – Jonathan Pritchard (S) 52, Ryan Pico (P) 8.
First Period: 1, Pierce McGinley P, 13:47.
Second Period: 2, Cooper White P (Conrad Frisch) 10:31; 3, Thomas Harris S, 6:22; 4, Jack Lowery P (Jeff Manto) 5:29.
Third Period: 5, Jack Lowery P (Cooper White) 9:20; 6, Aidan Boyle P, 8:21; 7, Richie Shanks P, 1:02.
UPPER DUBLIN 12, HARRY S TRUMAN 2
Oren Serafin had himself a career night for the Flying Cardinals. The UD forward had a hand in 10 of his team’s 12 goals, scoring seven and assisting on three others. Teammate Jack Bocul added a hat trick.
In a preview of things to come, Serafin already had a hat trick 7:37 into the game. Louis Gamburg, Zachary Keenan and Thomas Cubit each had an assist on the back-to-back-to-back scores. Serafin assisted on a goal by DJ Giammaruti, and Dylan Rotkin scored with a Cubit assist to give the Cardinals a 5-0 lead after one period.
Truman’s Justin Reid (James Gallagher assist) broke the Cardinals’ run, but Serafin answered with three straight goals to put the Cardinals on top 8-1. Gallagher and Bocul exchanged goals, and UD led 9-2 heading into the final period that featured a goal by Serafin and two by Bocul.
UD goalie Ryan McMorrow turned away 23 of 25 shots he faced in a winning effort.
Harry S Truman 0-2-0 2
Upper Dublin 5-4-3 12
Shots – HST 25, UD 29. Saves – Connor Pilla (HST) 17, Ryan McMorrow (UD) 23.
First Period: 1, Ore Serafin UD (Louis Gamburg) 2:24; 2, Oren Serafin UD (Zachary Keenan) 4:43; 3, Oren Serafin UD (Thomas Cubit) 7:37; 4, DJ Giammaruti UD (Oren Serafin) 9:01; 5, Dylan Rotkin UD (Thomas Cubit) 9:14.
Second Period: 6, Justin Reid HST (James Gallagher) 0:51; 7, Oren Serafin UD (Zachary Keenan) 3:00; 8, Oren Serafin UD, 3:04; 9, Oren Serafin UD (DJ Giammaruti) 6:10; 10, James Gallagher HST (Robert DiCrosta) 9:37; 11, Jack Bocul UD (Oren Serafin).
Third Period: 12, Oren Serafin UD (DJ Giammaruti) 1:31; 13, Jack Bocul UD (Oren Serafin) 5:35; 14, Jack Bocul UD (Ben Rosenthal) 10:26.
PENNSBURY 4, NESHAMINY 3
Jake Machlovitz connected for a hat trick, and the Falcons - who received a stellar 26-save effort in goal by Topher Seiler - held off the Redskins in a battle of the neighboring rivals.
It was Machlovitz scoring the only goal in the final minute of the opening period, using an assist from Beau Brusius-Yedman.
Machlovitz (Brusius-Yedman assist) scored 34 seconds into the second period to put the Falcons on top 2-0, but the Redskins came roaring back to knot the score. Matt Buchinski scored a power play goal three minutes into the period with an assist from Robert Seewagen. Then it was Seewagen scoring a short-handed goal to knot the score 2-2.
The Falcons answered with a pair of goals in the final minute of the period – the first by Brusius-Yedman with a Jasper Millman assist and the second a short-handed goal by Machlovitz.
That 4-2 Falcon lead held until Thomas Gallagher scored with six minutes remaining in regulation with a Joey DeMatteo assist. Neither team scored the rest of the way.
The Redskins held a 29-18 advantage in shots that was negated by Seiler’s strong outing in goal.
Neshaminy 0-2-1 3
Pennsbury 1-3-0 4
Shots – Neshaminy 29, Pennsbury 18. Saves – Brian Nelson (N) 14, Topher Seiler (P) 26.
First Period: 1, Jack Machlovitz P (Beau Brusius-Yedman) 15:01.
Second Period: 2, Jake Machlovitz P (Beau Brusius-Yedman) 0:34; 3, Matt Buchinski N (Robert Seewagen) 3:01; 4, Robert Seewagen N, 11:46; 5, Beau Brusius-Yedman P (Jasper Millman) 15:09; 6, Jake Machlovitz P, 15:28.
Third Period: 7, Thomas Gallagher N (Joey DeMatteo) 9:53.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 6, UPPER MORELAND-MORELAND NEW HOPE 4
Seth Lerner had a hand in five of his team’s six goals, setting up four with assists and scoring another to lead the Hatters to the hard fought rivalry night win.
It looked as though the Hatters might be in for an easy night after opening up a 3-0 lead less than five minutes into the game, but that wasn’t the case.
In the Hatters’ early run, Tarek Elsabbagh got the ball rolling with a power play goal 75 seconds into the game with assists from Alex Howieson and Lerner. Less than a minute later, Elsabbagh found the net for his second goal, once again using a Lerner assist. Lerner’s power play goal with assists from James McCoy and Aidan Sack gave the Hatters a 3-0 lead 4:50 into the contest.
UM-MNH got on the board with a minute remaining in the opening period, thanks to a goal from Noah Goodson with assists from PJ Marsteller and Matt Hartley. Back-to-back goals in the opening minutes of the second period knotted the score. Ken MacDowell connected on a power play goal with an assist from Aidan Croce, and Chris Allen scored the equalizer with an assist from Michael Janora just over three minutes into the period.
Thirty seconds later, Howieson (Marcus Soucy/Lerner assists) found the net, allowing the Hatters to regain a 4-3 advantage. Aiden Croce answered with a goal for UM-MNH, knotting the score 4-4, but it took the Hatters just 10 seconds to answer. Jack Steinberg’s goal with less than a minute remaining gave the Hatters a lead they would not lose. Nick Long provided the assist.
The Hatters tacked on a late insurance goal when Howieson turned a Lerner pass into a goal in the final minute of the contest.
Both teams took 31 shots on goal. Joe Gambino earned the win between the pipes for the Hatters, turning away 27 of 31 shots.
Upper Moreland-Moreland New Hope 1-3-0 4
Hatboro-Horsham 3-2-1 6
Shots - HH 31, UM-MNH 31. Saves - Michael Denardo (UM-MNH) 24, Joe Gambino (HH) 27.
First Period: 1, Tarek Elsabbagh HH (Alex Howieson/Seth Lerner) 1:15; 2, Tarek Elsabbagh (Seth Lerner) 2:02; 3, Seth Lerner HH (James McCoy/Aidan Sack) 4:50; 4, Noah Goodson (PJ Marsteller/Matt Hartley) 14:56.
Second Period: 5, Kel MacDowell UM-MNH (Aidan Croce) 1:16; 6, Chris Allen UM-MNH (Michael Janora) 3:13; 7, Alex Howieson HH (Marcus Soucy/Seth Lerner) 3:43; 8, Aiden croce UM-MNH, 13:25; 9, Jack Steinberg HH (Aidan Esack/Nick Long) 15:35.
Third Period: 10, Alex Howieson HH (Seth Lerner) 15:15.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 11, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 1
The Golden Hawks controlled play en route to a no-doubt-about-it win in Wednesday’s annual Rock Cup contest. Michael Roby Jr (three goals, two assists) and Antil Autere (one goal, three assists) led a balanced Hawk attack with five and four points respectively.
The Hawks took care of business in a hurry, opening up a 6-0 lead at the end of one period. Roby picked up a hat trick in the period while Matthew Constantini, Bill Harrelson and Jeremy Purcell each added a single goal.
Goals by Kyle Schneider and David Vergules gave the Golden Hawks an 8-0 lead before the Indians got on the scoreboard thanks to a goal by Vlad Litvinov with a minute remaining in the second period.
A pair of goals by David Mueller and a single goal by Autere in the third period gave the Golden Hawks their final margin of victory.
Jimmy Sweeney turned away 11 of 11 shots in goal for the Golden Hawks while Carson Lopez stopped four of five shots. For the Indians, Rex Goldberg had 41 saves in goal.
Council Rock North 0-1-0. 1
Council Rock South 6-2-3. 11
Shots - CRN 16, CRS 52. Saves - Rex Goldberg (CRN) 41, Jimmy Sweeney (CRS) 11.
First Period: 1, Matthew Constantini CRS (Michael Roby Jr) 2:15, 2, Bill Harrelson CRS (David Vergules/Ben Mostoller) 2:16; 3, Michael Roby Jr (Antil Autere) 2:16; 4, Michael Roby Jr CRS (Antil Autere/Kyle Schneider) 9:28; 5, Jeremy Purcell CRs (Derek Steudler/Kyle Schneider) 12:55; 6, Michael Roby Jr (Antil Autere) 13:54.
Second Period: 7, Kyle Schneider CRS (Michael Roby Jr) 2:10; 8, David Vergules CRS (Bill Harrelson/Brennen Wright) 7:25; 9, Vlad Litvinov CRN, 15:00.
Third Period: 10, David Mueller CRS, 0:42; 11, David Mueller CRS, 3:26; 12, Antil Autere CRS, 3:50.
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