April 1, 1982
By Mike Kern
When Germantown Academy’s hockey team finally nailed down the elusive Flyers Cup it had been chasing for three years, even the ultimate victory was not without an ironic twist that somewhat tempered the post-game spoils.
As Coach Bruce Craig explained after the Patriots had whitewashed West Chester, 5-0, to win the third annual tournament, his team will not be moving on to Johnstown to challenge the Western champ for the state crown. Because of other commitments, West Chester will represent the East in the quest for the Pennsylvania Cup on Saturday night.
Craig also coaches the Little Flyers Midget team, which recently won its regional title in the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States playoffs. Five of his GA players are members of that squad, and the AHAUS national championships are scheduled for this weekend at Manchester, N.H. “We got the one we wanted,” said Craig, after a lengthy discussion with league and tournament officials. “We’re not going to Johnstown because we have elected to forfeit our spot to West Chester. I can only hope they experience the same joy up there as we’re experiencing tonight.”
Craig added that it was not a rash decision on the team’s part. “We didn’t want to worry about it before it was necessary,” Craig said. “With five of our better players away, it wouldn’t be fair to the rest of the guys to go because we’d be a little thin. We’ve preached the team all year long, and this was a team decision. We just talked it over with the kids in the locker room, and this was what they decided to do.
“WE WERE THINKING of waiting until Saturday morning and seeing how well we were doing in the nationals before making a choice. That tournament begins on Friday, and you’re divided into brackets. The first two teams in each bracket reach the semifinals. We have one game Friday afternoon and another on Saturday morning. But even if we were out of contention by then, I don’t think the kids could make the trip to Johnstown and still be fresh. We tried that once before under similar circumstances in a Christmas tournament, and the players were just too tired.” Last night was another matter, however, as the Patriots, unlike their three previous Cup games, came out strong and took command early.
Joe Richter, who got the late nod in net over younger brother Mike as Craig played a game of Musical Goalies, stoned several point-blank West Chester chances to set the tone, and his teammates found the rhythm at the offensive end.
J.J. Reydel opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 7:09 of the first period, then knocked home the Pats’ fourth shorthanded goal in two games just over two minutes later to make it 2-0. Mike MacGregor connected on a breakaway to widen the bulge to three at 13:16, and, in effect, that was the game. Ben Wurts added another goal 12 seconds into the second period, and MVP Bob Brody, the tourney’s leading scorer, put the finishing touches on the win with a power-play goal midway in the third period. Even though West Chester outshot GA, 26-19, Richter’s superb goaltending saved the Pats.
“WE WERE SET to go with Mike,” Craig said later. “I got them both together before the game and told them who was starting. I don’t know if it was a family thing or not, but Mike said to me, ‘I’m not ready.” In GA’s opening loss to Archbishop Ryan last Monday, Joe had replaced starter Greg Hinkson and played poorly. Brother Mike, a freshman, played well in the next two victories that advanced the Pats to the championship of the “win three” format.
“We both came ready to play,” said Joe. “We talked about it, and I thought it was fine if Mike got the start. He was having a good series. With two solid games under his belt, it would have been logical to give him another shot.
“I have to admit I was a little unsure at the beginning. I was hoping to set a tempo because we had started slow in the last few games. I wasn’t thinking shutout at all; I just wanted to keep them off the scoreboard for as long as possible so we could get ahead and create momentum. There are so many ups and downs in a game, and we had been a little inconsistent lately, that I didn’t want to give West Chester a chance to turn it around.”
