March 19, 1997
In a tightly contested conclusion to the Lower Bucks County Scholastic Hockey League championship series, Archbishop Ryan edged stubborn Conwell-Egan, 5-4, in double overtime Thursday for a 2-1 series win. Vince Stendardo decided the issue when he slipped a shot past goalie Brian Urban early in the second overtime session. “It was a little bit heartbreaking, but it was a good game,” Conwell-Egan coach Rich Slack said. “The fans definitely got their money’s worth.” The Eagles won the first game, 6-3, and were ahead, 3-2, in Game 2 with about 10 minutes remaining. “They scored three goals in a minute, nine seconds,” Slack said of the scoring barrage that paved the way for Ryan’s 6-3 victory. “It was just bang-bang-bang. We fell apart there for a few minutes, and they capitalized.” C-E will try to rebound from its double-overtime loss to Ryan tonight when it meets Washington Township, runner-up to Shawnee in the South Jersey Scholastic Ice Hockey League (SJSIHL), in the opening round of the Class AAA Flyers Cup tournament. The game is slated for 8:30 p.m. at Ice Land in Lawrenceville, N.J. The Eagles defeated the Minute- men in a nonleague game earlier this season. “They’re a good skating team, and they move the puck around pretty well,” Slack said. “We’re going to have to earn the victory.” Should C-E get past Washington Township as expected, it would face two-time Suburban High School Hockey League (SHSHL) champion Council Rock in a quarterfinal-round game at 8:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Face-Off Circle in Warminster.
Explorers ousted. La Salle won’t get the opportunity to defend its Class AAA Flyers Cup championship. In a round-robin format that had the squad competing against three other Inter-County Scholastic Hockey League Division AAA teams, the Explorers finished second in points to Boyertown and were denied a return trip to the Flyers Cup Boyertown, which had finished last during the regular season, erased a 2-0 deficit and nipped La Salle, 3-2, early last week. The Bears clinched a berth in the Flyers Cup with Friday’s 7-6 win over fourth-place West Chester East. “It’s extremely disappointing,” said La Salle manager Roy Kelly. “We had high expectations for this team.” The second-place Explorers bolted to a 6-0 lead and downed third-place West Chester Henderson, 7-1, Friday at Ice Line in West Goshen. Senior center Casey Schafer and junior center Bob Farrell each scored twice in the win. In its pivotal loss to Boyertown, La. Salle had a whopping 51-20 advantage in shots. “We actually played pretty well,” Kelly said. “Their goalie (Scott Kenna) just killed us.” Malvern Prep won the ICSHL Division AAA regular-season title, beating La Salle twice in the process, and gained an automatic berth in the Flyers Cup.
President’s Cup. Junior defenseman Kurt Kaufman scored with 12 minutes, 40 seconds remaining and North Penn held on to beat William Tennent, 2-1, Thursday in the deciding game of a best-of-three series to decide the SHSHL’s representative in the Class AA President’s Cup tournament. The Knights regrouped after an opening-game loss and claimed Game 2, 6-3. “The boys just decided that they weren’t going to let the season end,” said North Penn coach Tony Maur- iello. “We controlled that second game right from the beginning.” Kaufman who had missed the opening game of the series with a bruised hip-fired a low, stick-side shot past sophomore goalie Jimmy Fox. The Knights were scheduled to meet Bensalem, the LBCSHL’s fourth-place finisher, last night in the opening round of the Presi- dent’s Cup.
Director’s Cup. Freshmen Andrew Weinstein and Nate Smith each scored two goals as Cheltenham topped Pennridge, 5-3, Thursday and earned the right to represent the SHSHL in the Class A Director’s Cup tournament. The Panthers won the best-of-three series, two games to one. Despite Cheltenham’s 32-14 shot advantage in Game 2 Wednesday, the Rams posted a 3-0 win and evened the series. “Their goalie [Tom Klugel was terrific in that second game,” said Cheltenham coach Tom Coyne. Despite a regular-season mark of 5-9-5, the Panthers are one of only four SHSHL teams still in the playoffs. They will meet Edgewood, of the SJSIHL, in a Director’s Cup qual- ifying-round game tomorrow, 9 p.m., at Hollydell Twin Rinks in Sewell, N.J. The Cheltenham-Edgewood winner will advance to face Neshaminy, of the LBCSHL, in the semifinals at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Face-Off Circle.
By Rick O’Brien
The Philadelphia Inquirer
