Craig Ostroff’s first weekly notebook features the return to the SHSHL of Bensalem and Upper Dublin. UD photos courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos.
Owls looking to build something special
It’s safe to say that it’s been a while since Bensalem last played a varsity ice hockey schedule. In fact, there’s a good chance that none of the current players were even born the last time Bensalem had a team in the early to mid-aughts.
But while the Owls may be the new kids on the block, they are here to stay, grow, and get to a point where they—and their district program—can compete with the best in the league.
Coach Jordan Roth played ice hockey throughout high school and won three ACHA championships at local Bryn Athyn College. As a teacher and coach, he’s now doing exactly what he wanted to do, and he’s hoping to help his charges reach their goals, whether on or off the ice.
“I’ve been playing for a long time,” Roth said. “My dream was to be a teacher and to be able to embrace my athletic ability and run a hockey program. It took some time to get started, last year I coached with middle school, and this year we were able to stock the high school team.”
While Roth knows it’s going to take time for ice hockey to truly take root in the school district, he’s got high hopes for the current squad and the program.
“There are small goals we want to reach each game,” he said. “Right now, it’s growing as a program, growing together as a team, growing the sport in Bensalem, growing that hockey culture. You need that grit, facing adversity and figuring out what to do with it. There’s adversity in life you need to overcome to succeed. Hockey can help teach those lessons.
“We’re going to catch our bumps and bruises throughout the season, but we’re growing. A personal goal of mine, hopefully in my time here is making that Flyers Cup. But we’ve got to shoot for miniature goals right now.”
Roth will be looking to the likes of sophomore center Alex Hood and freshman forward/defenseman Alex Bazylevich to mark up the scorecard for the Owls. Hood leads the team after its first three games with 4 goals and 1 assist, while Bazylevich is right behind with a goal and 2 assists. Sophomore Ricky Gonzalez will be counted on to patrol the crease.
It certainly helps that the Owls picked up a win early in their return season. They stand at 1-2-0-0 heading into this week, with the victory coming in their second game, topping William Tennent by a 5-1 count.
“That win was a very emotional win for myself and the team,” said Roth. “It showed they have the confidence when playing hard, fast hockey, and they are fully capable of producing on the scoreboard.”
Maintaining a positive attitude will be critical in the Owls’ first season back in the SHSHL. The team is loaded with young players who will be lacing up the skates against upperclassman-laden teams filled with skilled and experienced club, travel, and junior-level players.
It also doesn’t help matter that as a larger school, Bensalem finds itself in the National Division, where it will battle for points against the likes of Neshaminy, Council Rock North and South, and defending Class AA champion Pennsbury.
While the Owls may not be as deep, as big, or as experienced as their division-mates, Roth expects that they will never be outhustled.
“They’re buying in that they’re doing this together,” Roth said. “I told them at our last practice, ‘Respect the person next to you, we’re one unit together.’ Speed kills, skating kills, we need the legs. We’re developing the skills and the stamina.
“The kids are really enjoying it so far. I think they have a lot more in the tank as they to continue to develop, they’ve got another gear to reach, which I have to discover. But they have an amazing opportunity to represent the district and the community. I believe we have the pieces and if we can work together and see it through to the end, play for each other, respect one another, then we’re going to be that team. In two or three years, we’re going to be the team that’s winning the league and playing for the Flyers Cup.”
Cardinals ready to make an immediate impact
Upper Dublin is back … with a vengeance.
Having been relegated to nonleague status and thus deemed ineligible for postseason or Flyers Cup participation, the Cardinals are back to a varsity squad this year, and they’re looking to be a force in the American Division right away.
As the Cardinals were unable to field a team comprised solely of students in the school district—namely, a goalkeeper—league rules forbade them from participating as a varsity club the past two seasons.
“We used that as motivation last year and it worked really well,” said Cardinals’ coach Anthony Richichi. “Despite the situation, these were kids we’d had for years, and they came together and matured and agreed to be on the same page.
“We got that chip on our shoulder, and I think we’re bringing that attitude into this year.”
They’re also bringing in the missing piece from the last two seasons, as Emmett Kepniss—best known in Upper Dublin sports circles for his efforts on the football and lacrosse fields—agreed to step between the pipes for the Cardinals.
“Emmett has been good so far,” Richichi said. “He just started strapping on the pads a month-and-a-half ago, so he’s obviously still learning. He’s let in some soft goals, which is to be expected, but he’s also made some acrobatic saves. We’re thrilled with having him. It allows us to compete in the league and hopefully do some damage in the American Division.”
The Cardinals return a good amount of talent and experience. Coming into this week’s games, junior forward Jack Bocul has already netted 7 goals (and 1 assist) in 3 games so far. Senior Louis Gamberg is a forward who started the season on defense to make up for an injured blueliner, and now can play for the Cardinals at either end of the rink. They’ll still count on his offensive production—he’s already tallied 5 goals and 1 assist in 4 games.
Captain Max Frearson will anchor the defense (he’s pretty handy in the offensive end as well with 2 goals and 3 assists), and senior Andrew Kearny and juniors Aidan McCarthy and Will Hurlbutt are expected to be leaders on and off the ice this season.
The Cards have started the season at 1-3-0-0 heading into this week’s action, though two of those games were against Continental and National Division foes. Upper Dublin is looking to make the most of its return to league play, but the Cardinals know how hard they’ll have to work to turn their goals into reality.
“This year’s seniors played in the league as freshmen,” Richichi said. “It’s a lot of the same group. They’ve grown up and become better players and young men.
“The message we’ve preached the last couple years is that the boys have to be committed to playing a 200-foot game. You have to be willing to back check, and for some kids, that can be a problem, but we’re getting there. We’ve got guys who’ve been with the program since middle school. They’re fully committed to what we are as a team, to upholding our culture. And we’re looking to do some damage. Our goals are absolutely to make the playoffs, put up a good fight, and get a Flyers Cup invitation. That’s what we have set as goals.”
Quick starts
There’s plenty of time left in the season, but a number of players are staking their claim to the top of the scoring leaderboards.
It’s likely no surprise that Wissahickon’s Will Hussa and his 13 points (totals do not include Wednesday’s games) lead the league in the early season. Hussa and linemate Bryan Garry made life miserable for opposing defenses last season, and with Garry having graduated, Hussa is showing no signs of slowing down.
Hussa is tied atop the leaderboard with Pennsbury senior standout Shane Seigmund, who looks to power the Falcon offense to another championship season. Linemate Brendan Macainsh is tied for ninth with 9 points thus far.
Abington teammates Joe Stelacio and Matthew Cholaj each have 12 points so far for the 2-1-0-0 Ghosts, and junior Matthew Kramer is tied for sixth overall with 11 points. The Abington trio boosted their stats in an offensive showcase against Upper Dublin, with Kramer (4G, 1A), Stelacio (2G, 5A) and Cholaj (3G, 3A) combining for a whopping 18 points in the 12-6 win.
Council Rock North’s Karson Grainey (12 pts), Neshaminy’s Max Gallagher (11 pts), Wissahickon’s Nicholas Hussa (11 pts), and Council Rock South’s Julian Sarne (9 pts) round out the early top 10.
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