Neshaminy edged Pennsbury to win the annual Gannon Cup game. Craig Ostroff recaps all the action and interviews three Neshaminy players (Neshaminy photos courtesy of Craig Ostroff). Check out also the recaps of Wednesday’s SHSHL action. CB South/North Penn photo provided courtesy of James Beaver. Click here for a complete gallery: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/p669314214
Friday, March 19
Council Rock South 4, Central Bucks South 3
The Golden Hawks took a 1-0 lead in the opening period and then spent the next two periods exchanging goals with the Titans, holding on for the hard-fought win.
Brennen Wright scored the lone goal of the first period, using an Andrew Darling assist 5:59 into the period. A power play goal by Julian Wagenmann (Sam Cherkassky/Kevin Koles assists) put the Hawks on top 2-0. Adam Cuscik (Daniel Kvecher assist) scored midway through the period to make it a 2-1 game, but Wagenmann (Wright assist) answered for the Hawks. Owen Mendham’s power play goal with a Kvecher assist made it a 3-2 game heading into the final period.
Julian Sarne (Wright assist) scored an insurance goal nine minutes into the third period, and that 4-2 lead held until Kvecher’s power play goal with a Mendham assist with one minute remaining.
Jimmy Sweeney earned the win in goal for the Golden Hawks, turning away 29 of 32 shots he faced.
Central Bucks South 0-2-1 3
Council Rock South 1-2-1 4
First period: 1. Brennen Wright CRS (Andrew Darling) 5:59.
Second period: 2. Julian Wagenmann CRS (Sam Cerkassky/Kevin Koles) 1:44; 3. Adam Cusick CBS (Daniel Kvecher) 7:55; 4. Julian Wagenmann CRS (Brennen Wright) 8:14; 5. Owen Mendham CBS (Daniel Kvecher).
Third period: 6. Julian Sarne CRS (Brennen Wright) 9:08; 7. Daniel Kvecher CBS (Owen Mendham) 14:58.
Shots: CBS 33, CRS 19. Saves: Mason Moyer (CBS) 13, Jimmy Sweeney (CRS) 29.
Abington 7, Quakertown 3
Joe Stelacio’s five-point night led a potent Ghost attack that generated 51 shots on goal. Stelacio contributed a hat trick and also had a pair of assists.
Stelacio found the net on a power play goal 47 seconds into the game, using assists from Sam Paulik and Matthew Kramer. His second goal five minutes later, also with a Paulik assist, gave the Ghosts a 2-0 lead after one period.
Quakertown’s Cole Slemmer (Eric Orzehoski assist) scored the lone goal of the second period, trimming the Ghosts’ lead to 2-1 heading into the final period.
The Panthers knotted the score when Orzehoski (John Connell assist) hit paydirt 26 seconds into the final period. The Ghosts answered with back-to-back goals by Matthew Kramer and Nick Linewski (Justin Kravets/Stelacio assists). Orzehoski’s second goal of the game – this one with an assist from Lucas Cunnane – made it a 4-3 game, but the Ghosts closed it out with goals by Doyle, Stelacio (Tom Rourke/Sean Faye assists) and Klinewski (Selacio assist).
Abington goalie Ben Panella was credited with 25 saves in a winning effort. Quakertown’s Jacob Wallower recorded 44 saves.
Abington 2-0-5 7
Quakertown 0-1-2 3
First period: 1. Joe Stelacio A (Sam Paulik/Matthew Kramer) 0:47; 2. Joe Stelacio A (Sam Paulik) 5:27.
Second period: 3. Cole Slemmer Q (Eric Orzehoski) 0:59.
Third period: 4. Eric Orzehoski Q (John Connell) 0:26; 5. Matthew Kramer A, 1:13; 6. Nick Klinewski A (Justin Kravets/Joe Stelacio) 3:21; 7. Erick Orzehoski Q (Lucas Cunnane) 3:56; 8. Sean Doyle A, 7:08; 9. Joe Stelacio A (Tom Rourke/Sean Faye) 8:40; 10. Nick Klinewski A (Joe Stelacio) 11:21.
Shots: Abington 51, Quakertown 28. Saves: Ben Panella (A) 25, Jacob Wallower (Q) 44.
Thursday, March 18
Neshaminy 5, Pennsbury 4
By Craig Ostroff
There was so much at stake in Thursday’s matchup between Neshaminy and Pennsbury—the latest chapter of a longstanding neighborhood rivalry … division and playoff rankings … momentum heading into the postseason.
But when you boil it all away, this one, quite simply, was for Patrick and Phil.
Wednesday night’s game would have been the final game in this rivalry for Patrick Gannon and Phil Oseredzuk, who should be graduating from Neshaminy in a few months. Instead, the two were taken far too early in separate tragedies. And instead of being on the ice, Gannon and Oseredzuk were honored and remembered in the latest installment of the Gannon Cup matchup between the two teams.
“This game is always huge,” said Neshaminy coach Matt DeMatteo. “Patrick and Phillip were a big part of our hockey family. When we decided to name this the Gannon Cup, this became our Super Bowl every year. Regardless of how either team is doing in the league, this is the one game we’re circling on our calendar.”
In a gutsy effort that undoubtedly would have made their former teammates proud, Neshaminy pulled out a huge 5-4 victory in an intense, emotional battle to bring the Gannon Cup back home.
And it was a stellar play by a not-as-familiar-as-it-seems duo that clinched the victory for Neshaminy (6-4-1 overall, 5-2 conference play). The game-winning goal came with 7:52 left in the third period, just 19 seconds after Pennsbury (9-1-0-1, 6-1) knotted the score at 4-4, and it came on a Gallagher-to-Seewagen play. Only this time, it wasn’t seniors and leading scorers Thomas Gallagher and Robbie Seewagen on the play, but their younger brothers, as sophomore Max Gallagher grabbed the puck at the offensive blueline and found fellow soph Noah Seewagen streaking past a defender, hit him with the pass, and Seewagen tucked it in the net for a 5-4 lead that would hold for the rest of the game.
His older brother couldn’t help but sing the praises of his sibling.
“That’s a sign of things to come, right there,” Robbie Seewagen said. “They’re both awesome hockey players and great kids. I am so happy for Noah, he’s my best friend, he works so hard and puts so much effort into everything he does. Every time he’s on the ice, he’s making a difference. He does a lot of stuff people don’t see like backchecking or making good defensive plays. I think we play similar to each other, both work hard and both are smart players, but he deserves more love than he gets. More people should be paying more attention to Noah.”
In addition to his helper on the game-winner, Gallagher scored one of his own and added another assist. The elder brothers were held to a combined one assist on the night.
But that just went to prove how much the entire team stepped up on this night.
“This was the team I knew we had all year but there were some games we just couldn’t get it going,” DeMatteo said. “We had a game plan coming in based on what we knew about Pennsbury, we knew their tendencies, and the boys executed very well. Every line had a job to do and every line executed well and that made the difference.”
The teams started off in a spirited but methodical first period that saw sturdy defense on both sides, resulting in few quality shots on goal. Pennsbury finally got on the board with two minutes left in the first period when the Falcons blocked a clearing pass in their offensive zone and Brendan MacAinsh (Shane Sigmund, Reece Millman assists) whipped a turnaround shot through a throng of players that found its way into the net.
The momentum shifted early in the second period as Pennsbury committed two penalties (including a five-minute major for high-sticking) in a 9-second span to put Neshaminy on a 5-on-3 power play. It took just 21 seconds on the two-man advantage before Nolan Geria fired in the rebound of a Thomas Gallagher shot to tie the score less than two minutes into the second frame. Now on a 5-on-4 advantage, Neshaminy struck again just 26 ticks later when Matt Buchinski (Max Gallagher, Nolan Geria assists) scored on a beautiful tic-tac-toe passing play to put Neshaminy on top 2-1.
MacAinsh netted his second of the game (Shane Siegmund, Reece Millman assists) a few minutes later while each team had a man in the penalty box.
Neshaminy would add two more in the second period on a sniper shot from the right side from Max Gallagher (Michael Knipple), then Jacob Helms blocked an outlet at the offensive blueline and delivered a slow floater that found its way under the crossbar to give Neshaminy a 4-2 lead with 2 minutes left in the second period.
Pennsbury would trim the deficit to 4-3 just 33 seconds into the third period on a 5-on-3 power play of their own when Erik Eisler scored (Justin Marlin assist) on a goalmouth scramble. Marlin knotted the game at 4-4 with just over 8 minutes left (Jake McCaw assist), setting up Neshaminy’s quick response and the frantic final minutes of the contest.
“This was huge, and the message we gave these guys the last couple weeks was that we control our destiny,” DeMatteo said. “We didn’t have a lot of games in the league at that time so we knew we had to try to run the table. We hit a bump in the road (Wednesday, a 5-3 loss to Central Bucks East) but the boys rebounded, got back on script tonight, and delivered a great game from top to bottom.
“This was a huge gut check and character win for us. I’m super-proud of the effort. No one went out there and just skated a shift tonight, they battled every second out there.”
Both teams wrap up the regular season next week. Pennsbury will host Central Bucks West at 7:20 pm March 24 at Grundy, while Neshaminy will close out the season with an 8:45 pm matchup on March 26 against Central Bucks West at Hatfield Gray.
They said it:
Neshaminy senior Thomas Gallagher
What does it mean to win the Gannon Cup in your senior year? It means a lot. This is for both of our friends, Phil and Pat. It feels amazing to win it for them. It’s all for them. It’s a great feeling.
How were you feeling and what was the game plan coming in? We were all nervous going in, Pennsbury’s a really good team, but we came out on top, that’s all that matters now. We executed a little different game plan to catch up with them. We know them and we know and play with a lot of their players. We know their strategies, so we were just trying to throw them off. We’re a good team, we don’t get our heads down, we keep moving forward.
Emotionally, this was a huge win. From a hockey standpoint, how important was this win? It’s huge for us. This is big for making sure we’re in a good place for the playoffs. It gives us a better chance of getting a better seed, and it gets our confidence up, too. Beating Pennsbury is a great stepping stone.
Neshaminy senior Matt Buchinski
What does it mean to win the Gannon Cup in your senior year? It means a lot to go out here and get a win for Pat and Phil. We really miss them dearly and we wish they were out here with us tonight.
How were you feeling and what was the game plan coming in? We’re always excited to play Pennsbury, and there was so much on the line in this one. We just focused on playing our own game.
Emotionally, this was a huge win. From a hockey standpoint, how important was this win? This is a huge win for playoffs and Flyers Cup, and also just to get a big win over Pennsbury, our rival. We’ve been the only team that’s beaten them this year, so that definitely feels nice. We definitely feel like we can go far, we’ve just got to execute and stick to our game plan.
Neshaminy senior Robbie Seewagen
What does it mean to win the Gannon Cup in your senior year? It’s pretty emotional even thinking about it. Pat and Phil were in our class and they were our buddies, to lose them so close together, it really hurts. But I know all of us, especially the
seniors, are so proud to be able to have the Cup in our trophy case for the next year for them. We love them and we miss them. They were our best friends, and it hurts to lose them, but the silver lining is we get to do this every year to remember them and help a great program in the Gift of Life and to help people. For us, these guys are my best friends, and as our last hurrah together, we wanted to bring it back. It’s huge to be able to play a really strong team in Pennsbury and play probably our best game of the season.
How were you feeling and what was the game plan coming in? These are the kinds of games you want to play. It’s easy to get up for a game like this. I think we knew what we needed to do, we played them before, knew we’d have to get a lot of shots on net, be tight defensively. We dug deep and I’m proud of these guys. Once we went down, we didn’t shy away, we got right back on the horse and battled back.
Emotionally, this was a huge win. From a hockey standpoint, how important was this win? Not only does a game like this get our confidence up but it sends a message to the league, and after a tough loss (Wednesday) night to Central Bucks East, I think it’s good to come in and beat the top team. It sends a message to let everyone know we’re here to stay. It shows how hard we work, we have guys up and down the lineup who are going to score. It’s not like the last two years where there’s just two guys scoring goals. We have three lines full of guys who can put it in the net, and when the other guys aren’t scoring, they’re playing D. It’s all about buying in. We started off sluggish, but we came together and I’m really proud of this team and the way the younger guys are stepping up.
Neshaminy 0-4-1 5
Pennsbury 1-1-2 4
First period: 1. Brendan MacAinsh P (Shane Siegmund, Reece Millman) 2:09.
Second period: 2. Nolan Geria N (Thomas Gallagher) PP, 14:17; 3. Matt Buchinski N (Max Gallagher, Nolan Geria) PP, 13:51; 4. Brendan MacAinsh P (Shane Siegmund, Reece Millman) 10:31; 5. Max Gallagher N (Michael Knipple) 7:15; 6. Jacob Helms N (unassisted) 2:03.
Third period: 7. Erik Eisler P (Justin Marlin) PP, 15:27; 8. Justin Marlin P (Jake McCaw) 8:11; 9. Noah Seewagen N (Max Gallagher) 7:52.
Shots on goal: Neshaminy 36, Pennsbury 40. Saves: Brian Nelson (N) 36, Marek Jorgenson (P) 31.
Thursday, March 18
Central Bucks South 5, North Penn 1
The Titans opened up a 4-0 lead after two periods on their way to a win that was highlighted by the 29-save effort of goalie Mason Moyer.
Adam Cusick scored with assists from Daniel Kvecher and Michael Nemec just over two minutes into the game, and when Owen Mendham scored an unassisted goal late in the opening period, the Titans led 2-0.
South added a pair of goals in the second period. Just under five minutes into the period, Nemec scored with an assist from Aydin Theirolf. Matt Crouch’s power play goal with a Mendham assist sent the Titans into the third period with a 4-0 lead.
Justin Yothers broke up the Titans’ shutout bid with a power play goal that was assisted by Ryan Cunningham. Aidan Linso’s goal with assists from Aidan Gaffney and Thierolf closed out the scoring.
The Titans held a 38-30 advantage in shots.
North Penn 0-0-1 1
Central Bucks South 2-2-1 5
First period: 1. Adam Cusick (CBS) Daniel Kvecher/Michael Nemec assists); 2. Owen Mendham (CBS, 14:26.
Second period: 3. Michael Nemec CBS (Aydin Thierolf) 4:50; 4. Matt Crouch CBS (Colin Mendham) 14:28.
Third period: 5. Justin Yothers NP (Ryan Cunningham) 9:47; 6. Aidan Linso CBS (Aidan Gaffney/Aydin Thierolf) 12:48.
Shots: NP 30, CBS 38. Saves: Jon Boyles (NP) 33, Mason Moyer (CBS) 29.
Harry S Truman 7, Quakertown 3
The Tigers raced out of the gate to a 4-1 lead after one period and led from wire to wire. Justin Reid and Jeremy McCartney had four-point games to lead the Tigers. Both contributed two goals and two assists.
John Huhn (Jacob Oliver/McCartney assists) put the Tigers on the scoreboard 37 seconds into the contest. Just over a minute later McCartney scored with assists from Sean Dougherty and Reid. A goal by Reid (McCartney assist) gave the Tigers a 3-0 lead less than five minutes into the game.
Eric Orzehoski’s unassisted goal put the Panthers on the board 9:29 into the period, but Aidan Kinniry (James Gallagher assist) found the net to send Truman into the second period with a three-goal advantage.
Jack Dilberto (William Shaw assist) made it a 4-2 game with a goal midway through the second period, but the Tigers used a pair of late goals by McCartney (William Shaw assist) and Reid (Thomas Brennan/Brent McGoldrick assists) put the Tigers on top 6-2.
In the third period, Truman’s Jarrett Wolf (Reid assists) and Orzehoski exchanged goals for the 7-3 final.
Connor Pilla recorded 29 saves to earn the win in goal for the Tigers.
Quakertown 1-1-1 3
Harry S Truman 4-2-1 7
First period: 1. John Huhn HST (Jacob Oliver/Jeremy McCartney) 0:37; 2. Jeremy McCartney HST (Sean Dougherty/Justin Reid) 1:48; 3. Just Reid HST (Jeremy McCartney) 4:22; 4. Eric Orzehoski Q, 9:39; 5. Aidan Kinniry HST (James Gallagher) 14:52.
Second period: 6. Jack Dilberto Q (William Shaw) 7:22; 7. Jeremy McCArtney HST (Jarrett Wolf) 14:42; 8. Justin Reid HST (Thomas Brennan/Brent McGoldrick) 14:57.
Third period: 9. Jarrett Wolf HST (Justin Reid) 4:06; 10. Eric Orzehoski Q, 6:06.
Shots: Quakertown 32, HST 30. Saves: Austin Stoudt (Q) 19, Jacob Wallower (Q) 4. Connor Pilla (HST) 29.
Wednesday, March 17
Central Bucks East 5, Neshaminy 3
The Patriots notched a win in a tightly contested battle at Grundy on Wednesday.
It was the Redskins taking a 1-0 lead when Matt Buchinski scored the only goal of the opening period. The Patriots answered with a pair of goals in the second period. Aiden Schmidt (Shane West/Bodgan Borodenko assists) scored the equalizer just over three minutes into the period. Adam Bostock’s power play goal with a Stephen DiRugeris assist gave the Patriots a 2-1 lead after two periods.
Robert Seewagen erased that lead with a goal two minutes into the final period, using assists from Thomas Gallagher and Nolan Geria. Tyler Godown (Bostock/Shane West assists) scored the go-ahead goal for East, and the Patriots led 4-2 after Chris Mangiacapre scored nine minutes into the period. Joey Hornung pulled Neshaminy to within one when he found the net 13:15 minutes into the period, using assists from Thomas Gallagher and Brian Nelson. Mangiacapre’s empty net goal gave the Patriots their final margin of victory.
Chris McIntyre turned away 35 of 38 shots to earn the win in goal for the Patriots.
Central Bucks East 0-2-3 5
Neshaminy 1-0-2 3
First period: 1. Matt Buchinski N, 2:24.
Second period: 2. Aiden Schmidt CBE (Shane West/Bogdan Borodenko) 3:19: 3. Adam Bostock CBE (Stephen DiRugeris) 11:30.
Third period: 4. Robert Seewagen N (Thomas Gallagher/Nolan Geria) 2:08; 5. Tyler Godown CBE (Adam Bostock/Shane West) 2:39; 6. Chris Mangiacapre CBE, 9:17; 7. Joey Hornung N (Thomas Gallagher/Brian Nelson) 13:15; 8. Chris Mangiacapre CBE, 15:59.
Shots: CBE 31, Neshaminy 38. Saves: Chris McIntyre (CBE) 35, Brian Nelson 26.
Abington 6, Harry S Truman 1
The Ghosts led 2-1 midway through the second period and then seized control, reeling off four unanswered goals to close out the contest.
Colin Bruton scored the only goal of the first period, using an Ian Heydt assist. The Ghosts led 2-0 after Heydt scored 25 seconds into the second period with assists from Nick Klinewski and Jordan Heydt. Truman’s Jarrett Wolf cut that lead in half with a goal 2:28 into the period. James Gallagher and Jeremy McCartney assisted.
Midway through the period Griffin Carpenter scored with a Joe Stelacio assist, and Sam Paulik added a goal with a Stelacio assist, giving the Ghosts a 4-1 advantage.
In the third period, Griffin and Sean Faye (Paulik/Heydt assists) each scored a goal. Faye’s came on the power play.
Abington goalie Sam Nemec stopped 18 of 19 shots he faced in a winning effort. Truman’s Connor Pilla had 40 saves in a strong outing.
Harry S Truman 0-1-0 1
Abington 1-3-2 6
First period: 1. Colin Bruton A (Ian Heydt) 10:47.
Second period: 2. Ian Heydt A (Nick Klinewski/Jordan Heydt) 0:25; 3. Jarrett Wolf HST (James Gallagher/Jeremy McCartney) 2:38; 4. Griffin Carpenter A (Joe Stelacio) 8:38; 5. Sam Paulik A (Joe Stelacio).
Third period: 6. Griffin Carpenter A, 1:40; 7. Sean Faye A (Sam Paulik/Ian Heydt) 7:59.
Shots: HST 19, Abington 46. Saves: Connor Pilla (HST) 40, Sam Nemec (A) 18.
Wissahickon 12, Hatboro-Horsham 2
Bryan Garry continued his assault on opposing defenses, this time scoring give goals and assisting on four others in a dazzling nine-point effort.
Seth Lerner’s power play goal with a Vince Tarsi assist gave the Hatters a 1-0 lead less than a minute into the opening period. Thirteen minutes later, AJ Pounds connected on the equalizer.
The Trojans seized control in the second quarter, reeling off seven straight goals to go on top 8-1. It began with a Ben Junker goal (Hudson Honeycutt/Pounds assists) and included three goals by Garry. His first on a power play four minutes into the period was followed by a Nicholas Hussa goal (Garry assist). Then it was Garry turning a Daniel Glazer pass into a goal. Garry set up the next two goals – the first by Ty Schiff and the second by Hussa, and Garry capped the seven-goal tear with a goal, using assists from Hussa and Glazer.
Lerner broke the Trojans’ run with an assisted goal, but the Trojans closed out the period with goals by Garry (Nolan Ryan assist) and Glazer (Garry assist) on the power play. In the third period, Garry and Schiff each scored a goal to close out the scoring. Konrad Foulk had an assist on the goal by Schiff.
Michael Bonanni was credited with 19 saves in goal for the Trojans. Mason Rash recorded 41 saves for the Hatters.
Hatboro-Horsham 1-1-0 2
Wissahickon 1-9-2 12
First period: 1. Seth Lerner HH (Vince Tarsi) 0:38; 2. AJ Pounds W, 13:28.
Second period: 3. Ben Junker W (Hudson Honeycutt/AJ Pounds) 1:59; 4. Bryan Garry W, 4:08; 5. Nicholas Hussa W (Bryan Garry) 4:13; 6. Bryan Garry W (Daniel Glazer) 4:35; 7. Ty Schiff W (Bryan Garry) 8:32; 8. Nicholas Hussa W (Bryan Garry) 11:18; 9. Bryan Garry W (Nicholas Hussa/Daniel Glazer) 11:32; 10. Seth Lerner HH, 12:23; 11. Bryan Garry W (Bryan Garry) 15:59; 12. Daniel Glazer W (Bryan Garry) 15:59.
Third period: 13. Bryan Garry W, 1:48;14. Ty Schiff W (Konrad Foulk) 2:39.
Shots: HH 21, Wissahickon 54. Saves: Mason Rash (HH) 41, Michael Bonanni (W) 19.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 6, William Tennent 4
The Colonials broke a 4-4 tie with a pair of third period goals. Luke Weikel scored the go-ahead goal that turned out to be the game-winner midway through the period with an assist from Nicholas Maslij. Matthew Flynn (Weikel assist) sealed the Panthers’ fate with a goal in the final minute of the period.
Weikel led the Colonials with a hat trick and an assist for four points.
Early on, Tennent opened up a 2-0 lead on goals by Zach Devor and Justin Carelli. Flynn found the net for the Colonials, but Tennent led 3-1 when Bryan Mesaros scored with assists from Carelli and Devor. The Colonials used back-to-back goals by Aidan Keogh and Weikel (Dylan Novitski assist) to even the score 3-3 after one period.
Weikel (Keogh assist) and Tennent’s Jagger Azvolinsky (David Parkinson assist) exchanged goals in the second period, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.
PW goalie Kolton Galie was credited with 28 saves in a winning effort.
William Tennent 3-1-0 4
Plymouth Whitemarsh 3-1-2 6
First period: 1. Zach Devor WT, 3:46; 2. Justin Carrelli WT, 3:56; 3. Matthew Flynn PW (Aidan Keogh/Zach Spera) 6:32; 4. Bryan Mesaros WT (Justin Carrelli/ZachDevor) 7:19; 5. Aidan Keogh PW, 7:53; 6. Luke Weikel PW (Dylan Novitski) 14:56.
Second period: 7. Luke Weikel PW (Aidan Keogh) 1:22; 8. Jagger Azvolinsky WT (David Parkinson) 9:52.
Third period: 9. Luke Weikel PW (Nicholas Maslij) 8:12; 10. Matthew Flynn PW (Luke Weikel) 15:00.
Shots: WT 32, PW 29. Saves: Thomas Lomas (WT) 23, Kolton Galie (PW) 28.
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