Cavaliere, Cougars find groove against Ridley

ASTON >> The 70-plus degree weather outside gave no indication of late winter, but there was a sign of the season inside Ice Works Wednesday night.

Springfield met Ridley in the Central League Playoffs for the third consecutive year, and for the third consecutive year, the Cougars and Green Raiders needed overtime.

Ridley had prevailed meetings. This time, Springfield enacted revenge. With 4:57 left in the extra session, the Cougars lined up for an offensive zone draw. Joe Cavaliere won it back to Aidan Smith, who fired through traffic to beat Evan Miller to the stick side, off the post and in.

A perfect shot, a perfect play that puts the perennial power into the Central championship game once again.

The Cougars will host a hot, upset-minded Strath Haven team in the Central final Thursday night at 7:30 at IceWorks.

“Joe tied the puck up and I put it in the Smith said. “That’s all we were trying to do. worked like it was the plan.”

If there were any doubt that this is the best rivalry in Delaware County hockey, it was put to bed long before Smith’s heroics. It was a physical game with controversy, solid goaltending and big hits. Through it all, the losses of yesteryear were on Springfield’s mind.

“We played hard; consistently hard,” Cougars coach Phil Eastman said. “We came out with a lot of motivation. Losing to them in the championship game (in 2016), it was a lot of motivation.” Cavaliere was more blunt. “Two years in a row, they took he said. “We just wanted it.”

Cavaliere was in the middle of everything Wednesday as he so often is. He mastered the second line center role the last few seasons and served as something of a pest.

This year, he became a legitimate scoring threat, a skill he showed off on Springfield’s opening goal. Cavaliere beat the defenseman at the blue line and moved in on Miller. Somewhere in the process, the puck slipped off his stick and through the netminder’s legs.

That 1-0 lead was shortlived, though. Michael Giampapa was quiet through the first 14 minutes of action but then made himself known in a matter of seconds.

He won a faceoff forward, stepped around the opposing center and beat Calin Losacco high to the near post.

It was the latest, and perhaps last, brilliant play in what’s been a brilliant season from the junior. He leads the Green Raiders in goals with 28 and assists with 35. in each of it the two away previous net,” That from us,”

He also added physicality to his game, which he displayed by laying out Cavaliere cleanly across the middle early in the second period.

That came soon after Cade Stratton Ridley in front.

The Green Raiders were in control, but they weren’t pulling away. Losacco played a steadfast goal, using his 6-3 frame to keep Ridley at bay. Then as time expired in the second, Jake Cross took a penalty.

Kevin Brown play. The score gave the Cougars belief. “I think when we tied it up, and I knew right then we could do it,” said Smith. “We rolled from there.”

Overtime was a foregone conclusion at that point, despite the 14-plus minutes left in regulation. Losacco was too solid; he would finish with 26 saves.

“They played a good game defensively,” Raiders coach Stephane Charbonneau said of Springfield. “They didn’t cheat. They got the puck out of the zone, nothing fancy.”

But there was one come.

On a 2-on-1, Cross found Giampapa just in front of the crease. Losacco stuck his leg out to kick out the chance. In pursuit, Cavaliere nudged Giampapa away from the goal and the Ridley star fell into the boards awkwardly.

He threw off his gloves He wouldn’t return.

“I just rode him off said. “I didn’t mean to an accident.”

An accident that left their best player.

That point proved critical not only in zone but at the faceoff dot as well.

“You lose your best center,” Charbonneau said. “He would’ve been taking the faceoff in the last minute there. Nothing against the other guys, though. You deal with adversity. This is part of life.”

Cavaliere struggled to put the emotion into of watching Smith’s game-winner unfold.

“The three seconds went by and it was net,” he said. “The best way I can explain it a blank. We just won. We just beat Ridley.”

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(96-5). They finished a distant second behind the Green Raiders in the Central League South with five ties. But so long as the yellow sweater with the navy S remains, the tradition doesn’t change.

“(Nothing) seems to phase us,” Cavaliere said. “We have Calin, we have a great goaltender. We have me. We have Kevin (Brown). We have Aidan. We have scorers. We’ve just been a slump, but this is when it matters.”

In the other Central semifinal: STRATH HAVEN 3, PENNCREST 2 >> Two years ago, Strath Haven lost by 10 in the Central League quarterfinals. Thursday night, the Panthers will play for the title.

Mike Irey scored his fourth goal in two games to send Strath Haven into the championship game against Springfield.

“It’s amazing, especially in my Haven captain Ryan Lowe. “It’s been a great ride.” Lowe assisted on Irey’s opening goal, which came just 47 seconds into the second period.

The duo has now combined for 95 points season.

But the Lions’ own high powered line provided an answer. Samuel Clapinson tied things up with Austin Mazzulo and Matt Dougherty picking up assists.

That goal added insult Lowe got clipped in the scoring rush.

He stayed on the ice and eventually limped off. But this is playoff hockey and few ailments hold players back.

Lowe returned in time put Haven back in front.

Zack Zarko added an insurance third.

Dougherty solved Bernaus with just under six minutes to play, but the Panthers’ goaltender stopped everything else.

“We’re all playing well,” Lowe said. “Me and Mike (Irey) will put goals in, everyone else has been keeping them out.”

Penncrest (11-6-3) will head to the A Flyers Cup as the No. 3 seed. Strath Haven (10-7-3) gets a short rest before playing the Cougars.

In the PCL Blue: CARDINAL O’HARA 4, FATHER JUDGE 3 >> John Paul Ahearn scored twice to send the top-seeded Lions into Thursday’s championship game against second-seeded Archbishop Ryan at the Skatium.

Ahearn had a goal in the first period and another in the second period to stake O’Hara to a 4-1 lead. ARCHBISHOP RYAN 6, ARCHBISHOP CARROLL 3 >> The Raiders jumped out to a 2-0 lead and took a 4-1 lead into the final period.

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