Classic

second place West Chester Rustin.

Highlighting the tournament out of all wrestlers was Upper Dublin’s Mason Novak, who got two falls and a close decision victory in the final to win the title at 182 pounds.

Novak got two first-period falls in his first two matches to reach the finals against Wissahickon’s Dan Keller.

After a scoreless period in the championship final, Keller took a 1-0 lead with an escape.

With 28 seconds left in the second period, Novak took a 2-1 lead with a huge takedown.

However, Keller got an escape point 10 seconds later to tie the match at 2-2 with one period left.

After Novak started the third period on bottom of referee’s position, he got the quick escape point in 18 seconds to earn the 3-2 decision victory.

With the win, Novak remains unbeaten as he heads to the individual postseason with a perfect 30-0 season record.

“I really wasn’t nervous heading into the final match,” said Novak. “I was just really anxious because I face Keller a couple times earlier and I just wanted to get the match over with.”

Upper Dublin finished in ninth place in the team standings with 66 points edging out Central Bucks South in the top ten.

Wissahickon head coach Anthony Stagliano was thrilled with his team’s performance despite being a late entry into the Cardinal Invite.

“It was a great performance overall,” and Stagliano. “We weren’t planning on winning this tournament because we got in late after the tournament we were supposed to be in got cancelled, so we really appreciate Upper Dublin allowing us to be here.”

“This gave us a big boost with this being an individual tournament because this prepares us for the postseason coming up,” added Stagliano. “Also those close matches that some of our guys got into will really help them get ready for districts.”

The Wisshahickon Trojans will now set their minds to the start of the individual postseason at the District One AAA South Championships on February 22-23 at Interboro High School. in the third period of the Ducks’ 4-0 loss at Ottawa on Thursday.

Varone got the goal-barrage started in the first by scoring from close range with a shot over Johnson’s right arm 2:44 into the contest.

Couturier’s wrist shot from the left circle went off the post and in with 9:36 left in the period to make it 2-0, and Raffl added another with a short-handed tally 1 ½ minutes later with a wrist shot that beat Johnson on the glove side after a great outlet pass from Scott Laughton.

And Lindblom finished Philadelphia’s first-period burst with a bit of luck. Couturier’s pass in front went off Lindblom’s skate and over the goal line with 2:14 left in the period.

“It’s mind-boggling,” Carlyle said of Anaheim’s slow starts of late. “It seems that everything bad that can happen, happens. We had four glorious opportunities in the first period to give us some life. They get their four goals in an area that we have to defend. That’s oneon-one battles and defending with some stiffness and we didn’t do that.”

Boyle kept the Flyers off the board with a solid, 13save second period, and the Ducks got a power-play goal 51 seconds into the second when Henrique finished Ritchie’s pass from behind the net.

Notes: Philadelphia traded F Dale Weise and D Christian Folin to Montreal for D David Schlemko and F Byron Froese. Schlmeko and Froese will report to Philadelphia’s AHL Lehigh Valley affiliate . ... The Flyers swept the season series. They also won at Anaheim, 3-2 on Oct. 30.

ALEX WAHL/FOR DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Upper Dublin’s Mason Novak remained undefeated this season with a championship at 182 pounds.