April 10, 1977
In recognition of hockey’s deserved. reputation as the area’s most rapidly growing sport, The Inquirer today announces its first All-Area hockey team. The players chosen are drawn only from Pennsylvania but include Philadelphia Public and Catholic schools, Inter-Academic League schools, and suburban schools in four surrounding counties. The team composed of six seniors is led by Abington’s superb goaltender, Dean Richardson. A former Inquirer Athlete of the Week, Richardson played in all but one period of Abington’s 18-1-1 season and led the Ghosts to their second straight Inter-County Hockey League divisional championship. Henry Coxe, the center who led Chestnut Hill Academy to the championship of the Inter-County League in its very first season of varsity play, had perhaps the most phenomenal year of any player on the team. Coxe scored 58 goals in 18 games and still found time for 29 assists. Left-wing Jim Austin scored 27 goals and totaled 45 points as he led Penns- bury to the regular-season title in the Lower Bucks League. Bill McLarnon scored a deceivingly low 30 points for William Tennent, but was instrumental in Tennent’s playoff championship, scoring eight goals in two games in the final series. Wayne Sands of Hatboro-Horsham earned first-team honors not just for his outstanding defense and his eye-opening scoring total of 46 points, but for the fact he did it with a team that finished
only sixth in a seven-team league. Perry Roscioli is rated the outstanding defenseman in the area and still found time to score 16 goals for Delhaas, where he was the cornerstone of the team.
All-Area Team
FIRST TEAM
POS | Player | School | G | A | Pts. |
LW | Jim Austin | Pennsbury | 27 | 18 | 45 |
C | Henry Coxe | Chestnut Hill Academy | 58 | 27 | 89 |
RW | Bill McLarnon | William Tennent | 13 | 17 | 30 |
D | Perry Rescioli | Delhaas | 16 | 7 | 23 |
D | Wayne Sands | Hatboro-Horsham | 33 | 13 | 46 |
G | Dean Richardson | Abington | 18 | 17 | 0.94 |
SECOND TEAM
Goalie: Andy Gorring, Council Rock. Defensemen: Rick Turnbull, Radnor; Kevin Eckert, Bishop Egan. Forwards: Jay Hunt, Cardinal O’Hara; Mike Rogers, Haverford School; Jimmy Shute, Conestoga.
HONORABLE MENTION
Goalies: Mike Duffy, Bishop Egan; John Ferri, Cardinal O’Hara; Vince Ponticello, Malvern Prep.
Defensemen: Rick Alcorn, Haverford School; Wayne Horton, Conestoga; Chester O’Neill, West Catholic; Darren Randall, Delhaas; Scott Relick, Conestoga; Bob Smith, Germantown Academy.
Forwards: Scott Chamness, Archbishop Carroll: Bill Connell, Pennsbury; Buddy Clauss, Bishop McDevitt; Greg Daniel, Abington; Chris Dominick, Southern; Mike Hyatt. Conestoga; Norris Jordan, Chestnut Hill Academy; Mike Lawrence, Bishop Egan; Tom McCloskey, Bishop McDevitt; Frank McCrossin, Cardinal O’Hara; John Middlebrook, Southern; Steve Pantalone, Southern; Rick Petrondi, West Chester; Mark Schaeffer, Marple-Newtown; Ted Whitely, Great Valley.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK…
When it comes to rustling out pucks in the corner, Bill McLarnon, The Inquirer’s Athlete of the Week, is a journeyman at his trade. “I don’t think there’s anyone in the Suburban Hockey League who can outmuscle him there,” says his coach, Rich Boerner. The muscular, 6-foot, 3-inch, 215-pound right wing for William Tennent is a rock on the ice. Except that he skates well and scores goals. Add to his intimidating size the fact that the senior was the second best scorer at Tennent, and you can see McLarnon knows something more about hockey besides hitting and checking.McLarnon was a one-man show during the Suburban Hockey League playoffs recently, scoring 14 goals and handing out six assists. In the final against Bishop McDevitt, he en- joyed back-to-back four-goal games in leading William Tennent to the Suburban Championship.
“He wanted to win that series very much, says Boerner. “He was outstanding. I think the fact that we had been there before and failed played a part.” An interesting part. The Panthers joined the Suburban Hockey League three years ago. They made the playoffs each time only to end the season on a dismal note. McLarnon, who had been playing on the Tennent squad since he was a freshman, wanted to win one championship before graduating. “I was very happy with it,” says
Bill. “It was worth the wait. It meant a lot to me. Especially when you consider I had friends out there. Like Tom McCloskey, who was playing for McDevitt.”
William Tennent got off to a bad start this year. By the first week of January, they were in last place in the Suburban Hockey League. McLarnon didn’t play on the squad until that time because he was playing defensive tackle
on the football field. walk-on this year,” he admits. “Bill came to us and skating-wise, he was slow,” says Borner. “It took a while. But as soon as he teamed up with Ken Troiano, the team picked up.” William Tennent did more than that. It won 23 of the next 25 games. McLarnon’s statistics at season end read 13 goals, 17 assists.
“We play well on the ice,” says McLarnon of his left-wing buddy Troiano. “We’d have the center feeding us and we started scoring. That led to some victories. It was a nice change. In the beginning of the season, the team was letting up near the end of the game. The other team would tie us with only a few seconds left in the game “It taught us a valuable lesson.” Boerner got the added hustle and the Panthers got a lift. The front lines were clicking. “Last year, I played defense,” says McLarnon. “Then I was switched to the wings because we needed some power
and size on offense.” Boerner didn’t regret the switch. “He really has no weakness. And he is one of the few players I’ve seen who still uses a good, hard slapshot.”
McLarnon plans to take his slap shot with him to Elmira College’s (N.Y.) NCAA Division II team, coached by Barry Smith, the former hockey mentor at Germantown Academy.
Besides hockey, McLarnon will concentrate on criminology as his major. As for football? “Nah, I’m not interested.”
ALL LEAGUE TEAMS – Chosen by each league’s president
ALL-SUBURBAN LEAGUE
First team: Bud Clauss, Bishop McDevitt, Bill McLarnon, William Tennent Howie Barnes, Lower Moreland; Wayne Sands, Hatboro- Horsham: Bob Smith, Germantown Academy; Andy Gorring, Council Rock.
Second team: Bob Marr, Council Rock; Al Fenersteni, Archbishop Wood: Gump Whiteside, Germantown Academy; Stan Altman, Cheltenham: John Lund, North Penn: Steve Neumann, William Tennent.
ALL-LOWER BUCKS LEAGUE
First team: Mike Lawrence, Bishop Egan; Bill Connell, Pennsbury; Jim Austin, Pennsbury; Perry Roscioli, Delhaas; Kevin Eckert, Bishop Egan; John Guarino, Pennsbury.
Second team: Craig Sandler, Pennsbury; Joe Pedrick, Bishop Egan, Glen Manning, Neshaminy; Darren Randall, Delhaas; Mike Duffy, Bishop Egan.
ALL-INTER COUNTY LEAGUE
Division One: Jay Hunt, Cardinal O’Hara; Frank McCrossni, Cardinal O’Hara; Mike Rogers, Haverford School; Rick Thayer, Springfield; Scott Chammess, Archbishop Carroll; Greg Arnold, Archbishop Carroll; Mike Schaeffer, Marple-Newton; John Cacciutti, Cardinal O’Hara; Rick Alcorn, Haverford School; Mike Needham, Monsignor Bonner: Erick Schmidt, Marple-Newtown; John Ferri, Cardinal O’Hara; George Schmidt, Springfield.
Division Two: Frank McGee, Swarthmore; Chris Dominick, Southern; John Middlebrook, Southern; John Pedrick, Ridley; Anthony Sanfisi, West Catholic: Rick Petrondi. West Chester; Chester O’Neil, West Catholic; Ed Eldridge, Penncrest; Mark Yeager, Ridley; Vince Pezzouli, St. James; Jim Heisman, West Chester; John Scaruzzi, Bishop Neumann; Mark Kereszi, Penncrest.
Division Three: Greg Daniel, Abington; Henry Coxe, Chestnut Hill Academy; Norris Jordan, Chestnut Hill Academy; Doug Gottschlick, Central; Rich McQuade, Washington; Sandy Fisher, Northeast: Bill Wall, Penn Charter: Bob Neff, Penn Charter: Bob Clisby, Episcopal Academy; Al Nubbemeyer, Lincoln; Dean Richardson. Abington; Dave O’Hara, Lincoln.
Division Four: Ted Whiteley, xxx (results truncated)