Electric. Falcon Field was on FIRE. The spark was ignited as the JV team continued their undefeated season with an awesome 2-0 victory and then Pennsbury's 11 seniors were honored pre-game. Each senior walked out with their family in addition to a specially chosen IMPACT person who has had a strong, positive affect on their life. The JV victory and heartfelt, simple senior ceremony set the tone for the game and filled the Falcons with gratitude that opened the door to joyful playing. Exactly one month earlier, Pennsbury fell flat on North's turf with a less than stellar showing and was defeated 4-1. They vowed that this time it would be different. And different it was...except for the first goal - that was the same. Back on September 9th, Pennsbury scored first in the opening quarter going up 1-0 and Abby Iacona had the assist. Tonight, on October 9th, PHS scored first in the first quarter (with 5 minutes left) and Iacona set up the goal for her teammate, Alaina Bird, to go up 1-0. It felt eerily familiar, but the vibe was definitely different which helped the rest of the game not repeat history. There was something in the air and the orange and black had put on a new game face. "It is hard to explain the feeling, but it was something that you strive for all season," said coach, Traci Curtis. "The girls came out on fire and were having fun playing the sport they love. It's that type of playing freely that we have talked about since August," explained Curtis. The second and third quarters were scoreless and the numbers on the scoreboard loomed over the field almost mocking both teams. It was a fierce battle on both sides of the ball. "North can never be counted out. I knew they just came off of a great OT win over South and they were salivating at the chance to repeat that story," said Curtis. "They are tough to the core and a great, united team," added Curtis. Pennsbury dominated much of the time with 21 shots on goal compared to North's 10, proving the quality vs. quantity theory. Each team had 6 offensive penalty corners and a couple of defensive saves that kept them alive. "Rock is exactly that in the circle - hard as a rock. They stopped so many opportunities with strong, poised defense and a great performance by their goalie," said Curtis. "We were getting opportunities, but had to do more to get around them in front of the cage. I will have to watch the film back to count how many times we had the ball right there in front of their goalie. The crowd was going wild," said Curtis. North showed their heart with 2 minutes left in regulation and an earned penalty corner. "Our goalie, Abby McCole, made two saves in a row against that corner play, but our defense did not clear with strength so the ball stayed in the circle for too long. Rock got a third chance crossing the ball and North's player got a stick on it and finished to tie it up 1-1. Our defender was caught in bad position, got beat, and they took advantage of the moment," said Curtis. "I was planning to call a time out because I had saved mine, but had to wait for possession. Unfortunately, that possession happened too late, " explained Curtis. "So I called it after they scored so we could reset and all I could say was that it just got real interesting," laughed Curtis. With 2 minutes left, the Falcons tried to close out regulation, but were not able to forcing the game into OT. "Our players were exhausted and had left most of their heart on the field, but there was no time to worry about fatigue. We talk about suffering in practice to be ready for moments like this and they were ready," Curtis said. The Falcons played a very strong 10 minutes of OT with a couple of breakaways and 1-1 with the goalie, but it just didn't happen for them. The game ended deadlocked at one, sending both teams away with completely empty tanks, but full hearts. "Jules and I are cut from a similar mold and could not have been more mutually proud of our own girls and each others' teams," said Curtis. "Did we really want and need that win, yes, but if there was a second best ending, it was the tie. I have tons of respect for Jules and her program and love what she does for those girls. The night was great from start to finish with a shared feeling of unity, hard work, great hockey, awesome fans, and joy," said Curtis. Shout out to our refs who were patient while we walked out our 11 seniors, started the game a little late, and then stayed pumped and locked in to call the game well in our overtime! They did a great job! Pennsbury will travel to "the other Council Rock" - CR South on Tuesday night for their second meeting.