By Ben Reese
HATFIELD — Central Bucks South hockey has always been known for its aggressive offensive play.
Well, the Titans are still playing aggressive offense, but they are also putting together some aggressive defense. It all came together Thursday night in a 5-0 victory over Souderton in a Suburban High School Hockey League game at Hatfield Ice.
And it seems that South coach Shaun McGinty has once again found himself a strong goalie. This time it is Jason Magaruh, a freshman, who pitched the shutout at the Big Red.
Magaruh stopped only seven shots in the three periods. A lot of that can be chalked up to the play of the defense.
“They are definitely owning the house more,” said McGinty of his blue-liners. “The guys are recognizing what it means to be in our house and protecting it.”
He singled out several defensemen who stepped up against Souderton.
“Defensively, (Matt) Crouch and (Jacob) Kraus did well,” McGinty said. “And Jason played well.
“We were short a guy tonight. We had a forward playing defense. (Joe) Sciscio was playing D tonight and did very well.
“Kraus hasn’t played in two years. He has a half year of hockey under his belt. He didn’t play last year because of COVID. He’s beginning to find his stride. We need that from Kraus and (Aidan) Linso.”
Magaruh was grateful for his defense’s work in front of the net.
“They bailed be out on a couple of opportunities,” he said. “They got to some shots that I don’t know if I would have gotten.”
All in all, it was a return to vintage CB South hockey. The Titans dominated throughout the game, swarming in their offensive zone and keeping Souderton’s offense away from the Titan net.
“It comes down to the fact that we had puck possession,” McGinty said. “We are hungry; guys are winning one-on-one battles.
“If we’re doing that, we’re going to keep the puck in their zone and keep the puck away from them and not give them opportunities. I would say that is traditional CB South hockey.”
The Titans did not start the season out well. They had only one division win before Thursday.
“We’ve got two wins in a row,” said McGinty. “We needed that bad.
“We have a goal; we have a road map - we want to make playoffs. In order make playoffs, we’ve got to win out. Standard CB South hockey - know your role, do your job.”
For Magaruh, it’s a whole new world.
“As a freshman, this is all new to me,” he said with a grin. “I’m not familiar with South style of hockey, but it seems good so far.”
The Titans put together three dominant periods. They scored two goals in the first and second periods and added one in the third
Both goals in the first period came on the power play. Daniel Kvecher tallied the first one at the 5:10 mark and Crouch notched the second at 7:58.
“Our power play was on tonight,” McGinty said. “We haven’t had a good power play in a long time.
“Kvecher has three goals in the last two games. He only had one before that.”
Justin Montagna got on the scoreboard to open the scoring in the second period at 11:02. With 13:24 gone in the stanza, DJ Lindenmuth found the net to up the score to 4-0.
The final tally came with 3:53 gone in the third. Aydin Thierolf scored off an assist from Aidan Gaffney.
In all, the Titans fired 45 shots at Souderton goalie Noah Connor. Magaruh kicked aside all seven shots he faced.
CB South 5, Souderton 0
Souderton 0 0 0 — 0
CB South 2 2 1 — 5
First period: 1, Daniel Kvecher CBS (Aydin Thierolf, Aidan Gaffney) 5:10 PP; 2, Matt Crouch CBS (Kvecher) 7:58 PP.
Second period: 3, Justin Montagna CBS (Brad Cannon) 11:02; 4,DJ Lindenmuth CBS (Colin Mendham, Kvecher) 13:24.
Third period: 5, Thierolf CBS (Gaffney) 3:53.
Shots: S 7, CBS 45. Saves: Noah Connor (S) 40; Jason Magaruh (CBS) 7.
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