Late start can’t stop Ghost’s Underwood
Kevin Underwood’s first proving ground as a hockey player was not a local ice-skating rink.
“My dad and I would always play hockey in our basement,” Underwood said. “Then, in the summer before eighth grade, I joined an in-house league in the area. That was really the first time I played the sport on a competitive level.”
Though he lacked the experience of many of his peers, Underwood’s game quickly blossomed. As an eighth grader playing for the Warwick Wildcats’ Bantom B team, he led the squad in scoring. Considering his late start in the sport, coaches and friends marveled at his abilities.
“I just kept at it, kept working,” Underwood said. “A lot of people were surprised at how well I was doing.” Underwood, now a familiar name at local rinks, surprised few people this season. The Inquirer’s ice hockey play- er of the year for Bucks and Montgomery Counties led Abington High, a third-year varsity team, to the semifinals of the Class AAA Flyers Cup.
A strong stick handler with a nose for the goal, the senior left winger was closely guarded by opposing teams.
“He had such a presence,” said Chris Whiteside, the first-year coach of Germantown Academy, a rival in the Suburban High School Hockey League. “He was very explo- sive. You always had to keep track of where he was on the ice.”
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Underwood totaled 29 goals, the best in the league, and 12 assists in the regular season as
the Ghosts went 16-3-3 and finished first in the Suburban Liberty Division. The squad beat out two perennial powers, GA and Council Rock, for top honors. Underwood was usually at his best in big games. He notched four goals in Abington’s 8-5 win over Washington Township (N.J.) in the quarterfinals of the Flyers Cup.
On Nov. 6, in a key crossover game against Father Judge, the defending Lower Bucks County Scholastic Hockey League and Class AAA Flyers Cup champion, Underwood tallied five goals in a 6-4 win. John Curley, coach of Central Bucks West, a Suburban Freedom rival, said of Underwood: “When he gets the puck on his stick, he controls what goes on out there. He can hurt you in many, many ways.” Underwood was joined on Abington’s dangerous first line by senior center Zach Galante and sophomore right winger Nick Harrison. Three seniors manned the second line: center Sol Shockman, and
wingers Andrew Weinstein and Dan Greenburg.
With two years of varsity experi- ence under their belts, the Ghosts jumped this season from third place in the old American Division, behind first-place GA and second-place Coun- cil Rock, to first place in the Liberty.
“We expected to have a good year,” Underwood said, “but I don’t know if I thought we could do as well as we did in the league. We had our problems in the first two seasons, like any new team would, but we stuck together and worked things out as a team.” Abington sorely missed Underwood in the Suburban playoffs. Sidelined with a shoulder injury, he could only watch as the Ghosts were swept by third-place Germantown Academy in two games in the finals. The league’s second seed in the Flyers Cup, Abington defeated Conwell-Egan and Washington Township before losing to Archbishop Ryan, the Lower Bucks champion, by 2-1 in overtime in the semifinals.
“It was a great game,” Underwood said. “They had a little more depth than we did. That was probably the deciding factor.” The ice hockey season completed, Underwood has switched to playing goalie for Abington’s lacrosse team. He is a third-year starter between the pipes. Underwood will play hockey next season at West Chester, which has a Division I-level club program. He plans to major in business or management.
Falcons enjoy a breakthrough campaign
April 9, 2001
For most of the 1990s, Pennsbury was a middle-of-the-pack team in the Lower Bucks County Scholastic Hockey League. The Falcons broke free from the pack this year, jumping from fifth place to second. They were 15-6-3 in the regular season and placed second, behind Archbishop Ryan. Guided by John Bria, The Inquirer’s ice hockey coach of the year for Bucks and Montgomery Counties, Pennsbury also claimed one of the league’s two berths in the Class AAA Flyers Cup. The squad was led by a pair of seniors, goalie John Zdunkiewicz and center Mike LaTorre. LaTorre compiled 19 goals and 11 assists during the regular season. The Falcons’ banner season was cut short in the first round of the Flyers Cup. They bowed to Abington, 7-3. Also deserving of consideration was Central Bucks West’s John Curley. The fourth-year coach led the Bucks to the Suburban High School Hockey League’s Freedom Division championship and the finals of the Class AA Flyers Cup.
Team of the year. Abington posted a 16-3-3 record to finish first in the Suburban Liberty Division, ahead of Council Rock (13-7-2) and Germantown Academy (13-8-1), perennial powers. Rebounding from a loss to GA in the league finals, the Ghosts advanced to the semifinals of the Class AAA Flyers Cup. Abington was sparked by senior forwards Kevin Underwood and Andrew Weinstein. The duo combined for 84 points in the regular season.
Performance of the year. Underwood notched five of Abington’s six goals, including two shorthanded scores, in a 6-4 win over Father Judge, the defending Lower Bucks and Class AAA Flyers Cup champion, at the Grundy Recreational Center on Nov. 6.
Game of the Year 1. In a back-and-forth crossover game on Feb. 20, Germantown Academy nipped La Salle, 3-2, at the Warwick Twin Rinks. senior center Steve Ciottoni provided the winning goal with only two seconds remaining in regulation time.
Game of the year II. In a physical contest, Archbishop Ryan beat Abington, 2-1, in the semifinals of the Flyers Cup on March 22. The game included 74 shots on goal and was won when Kevin Switek flipped a shot past Abington’s prone goalie, Evan Schaffer, with 1 minute, 39 seconds remaining in overtime. Schaffer, a senior, stopped 41 of 43 shots.
Gesture of the year. Upper Dublin had planned to compete at the junior-varsity level this season but took the varsity plunge when the Suburban League needed one more squad to field four teams in the Patriot Division. The first-year Cardinals, coached by John DeNardo, were winless in 22 league games.
Rookie of the year. Freshman winger Chad Kolarik sparked La Salle’s attack this season, producing 20 goals and eight assists in the regular season.
The runner-up is GA freshman defenseman David Robertson, who played a key role in the squad’s run to the Suburban Liberty title. He likely will play next season at a prep school in Connecticut or Massachusetts.
Best female. Hatboro-Horsham goalie Tricia Silvestri was a pleasant surprise this year for third-year coach Angelo Altomare. With the 5-foot-4 freshman between the pipes, the Hatters were 16-5-1 and finished first in the Suburban Patriot Division.
Best brother combination. The Jannotta brothers, senior Tony and junior Dante were standout defenders for Council Rock this season. They represented the Indians in the Feb. 7 all-star game pitting the best players from the Suburban League against the top performers from the Lower Bucks League.
Explosive line. Methacton’s Brian Burgoon (32 goals, 24 assists), Anthony Lattanze (24, 24), and Mike Prendergast (10, 32) combined for 146 points in 16 regular-season games. The Warriors, who were 14-1-1 and placed second in the Inter-County Scholastic Hockey League’s A-North Division, averaged 10 goals per game.
All-Area Team
FIRST TEAM
Forward: Lou Hoey, Central Bucks West. Sparked by the junior center, West reached the final of the Class AA Flyers Cup before losing to Archbishop Carroll. The 5-foot-8, 160-pound Hoey racked up 43 points, on 20 goals and 23 assists, in the regular season as the Bucks placed first in the Suburban High School League’s Freedom Division.
Forward: Mitch LaFleur, Conwell-Egan. The senior center totaled 64 points, with 37 goals and 27 assists, in 36 games this season. The 5-7, 150-pound LaFleur amassed 26 goals and 18 assists in regular-season action, helping the Eagles go 12-10-2 and place fifth in the Lower Bucks County Scholastic Hockey League.
Forward: Nate Smith, Germantown Academy. The senior center registered 40 points, with 25 goals and 15 assists, in the regular season. The 6-2, 205-pounder had five game-winning goals. Smith’s efforts paved the way for GA’s third Suburban playoff championship in the last four years. He will play at Skidmore College (N.Y.) next season.
Forward: Kevin Underwood, Abington. The Inquirer’s area player of the year, Underwood had the ability to take over a game. The 6-2, 195-pound senior winger recorded 41 points, with 29 goals and 12 assists, in the regular season. The three-year starter for the Ghosts is headed to West Chester.
Defense: Dante Jannotta, Council Rock. The junior’s solid play on defense was a key factor in the Indians’ second-place finish in the Suburban Liberty Division. A good puck handler and one of the league’s most physical players, Jannotta produced 32 points, with 18 goals and 14 assists, in the regular season.
Goaltender: John Zdunkiewicz, Pennsbury. The senior was the top goaltender in the Lower Bucks league, winning most battles against would-be scorers. With a 2.15 goals-against average, the 5-8 Zdunkiewicz sparked the Falcons to a 15-6-3 record in the regular season. The aggressive netminder helped the Falcons qualify for the Class AAA Flyers Cup.
SECOND TEAM
Forward: Brian Burgoon, Methacton, junior
Forward: Steve Ciottoni, Germantown Academy, senior
Forward: Chad Kolarik, La Salle, freshman
Forward: Mike LaTorre, Pennsbury, senior
Forward: Andrew Weinstein, Abington, senior
Goaltender: Tim Sylvester, Harry S Truman, senior
THIRD TEAM
Forward: Aaron Coopersmith, Souderton, senior
Forward: Ryan Parkin, Council Rock, senior
Forward: Ryan Taft, Central Bucks East, senior
Defense: Dominic Gaspari, Conwell-Egan, senior
Defense: David Robertson, Germantown Academy, freshman
Defense: Ryan Windish, Hatboro-Horsham, junior
By Rick O’Brien
The Philadelphia Inquirer
