Local teams empty-handed at state
HAVERFORD, Pa. – Jake Stock stood on the ice next to the Thomas Jefferson bench, hands on his head, incredulous at what was going on around him.
A few moments earlier, the referee pointed at him and then to the locker room and he couldn’t believe it had happened.
Stock, the Jaguars’ leading scorer, was called for a five-minute major penalty and a game-misconduct for spearing Pennridge goaltender Jacob Winston with Thomas Jefferson leading the Rams by a goal and 8:26 remaining in the second period.
“I don’t know how dangerous it was. In my opinion it wasn’t too dangerous,” Thomas Jefferson coach John Zeiler said. “That’s the referee’s call.”
A penalty kill would have been a huge momentum boost for Thomas Jefferson and could have propelled the team to its first state title since 2000. Instead, the Rams took full advantage of the extended power play and ended the Jaguars’ championship dream.
Andrew Savona scored the first power-play goal on the major penalty just 12 seconds after it began to tie the game, then assisted on James Rush’s 1:45 later that put Pennridge ahead to stay as the Rams came away with a 7-5 victory against the Jaguars in the Class 2A Pennsylvania Cup championship game at Skatium in Haverford.
Thomas Jefferson also lost to Pennridge, 4-3, in double-overtime in the 2022 final.
“I feel like I did two years ago. I feel we were the better hockey team,” Zeiler said. “Quite frankly, 5-on-5, we’re the way better hockey team. But they got on some power plays, they have some good scorers and that’s what happens. It ends up in the back of your net.”
Thomas Jefferson had a 2-0 lead in the first 6:03 as Stock netted the game’s first goal 27 seconds into the game and Scott Allan added his third in two games on the power play.
Pennridge got the next three goals and took a 3-2 lead before Lucas Blose and Nathan Weiss scored 1:47 apart to give the Jaguars a 4-3 lead at 7:26.
But then the major penalty on Stock tilted the game to the Rams.
“We only had five players who played in that game two years ago,” Pennridge
coach Jeff Montagna said. “To come back here and do this with basically a new set of players, that’s what I’m most proud of.”
Class 1A
Chartiers Valley was hoping to cap off a perfect season with its first state championship in 38 years.
Instead the Colts had their opportunity slip through their gloves.
Hershey forward Kyle Kloss sent in what seemed to be an innocuous shot that somehow found its way past Chartiers Valley goaltender Matthew Colberg on a 4-of-4 for what turned out to be the gamewinning goal at 4:47 of the third period as the Trojans came away with a 4-2 victory and the school’s first state championship against the Colts (23-1-0) at Skatium in Haverford.
“What’s hard for me is watching the seniors and that’s why I got emotional in the locker room,” Chartiers Valley coach Paul Bonetti said. “We have a group of seven seniors who I’ve had for four years and, not being able to win this trophy and this championship, it’s tough.”
Chartiers Valley, which had a 2-0 lead after the first period on two Noah Callender
breakaway goals 59 seconds apart, was seeking to become the first Penguins Cup champion in any classification to finish a perfect season with a state title since Latrobe in 2009. It was also only the second time all season the Colts had been touched up for four goals, the only other time being in an 8-4 win against Richland on Nov. 2.
They gave up only two goals in three Penguins Cup playoffs games.
With the game tied 2-2, Kloss came down the right side and flipped what appeared to be a very playable puck on the net. Colberg seemed to have a bead on it, but it somehow slipped past him to make it 3-2.
Colberg immediately threw his hands in the air and grabbed at his mask as though he knew that was one he should have had.
“Our goalie coach said that was deflected. I don’t know. He’s sticking up for the goalie,” Bonetti said. “Matthew is a great goalie and he wants to stop every shot and I’m sure he’ll tell you he should have had all of them.”