Haverford’s emotional run ends in AA semifinals
Hatfield Twp. >> Haverford High coach John Povey liked to tell anyone who would listen to him that he had a good hockey team. Never mind that the Fords endured a somewhat disappointing regular season, they had the talent to make a run in the playoffs. And so they did. Haverford upset first No. 4 Ridley and then No. 5 William Tennent to clinch a place in the Flyers Cup AA Semifinals.
But if there was something deceiving about the Fords’ 13-seed, their Tuesday opponent, Central Bucks South, earned every bit of the number one that accompanied the school. The Titans crushed Haverford, 9-0, at Hatfield Ice Arena to end the Fords’ championship hopes. Central Bucks South has now outscored its three Flyers Cup foes, 28-2.
“They were fast. They moved the puck quick,” said Haverford’s Shane Moran. “I don’t know how they’re that good at the high school level. Honestly, that’s the best team I’ve ever played against.”
And yet Moran and the Fords held their own through the first period. Only Jason Koblick’s blast from just inside the blue line separated the two teams. Haverford goaltender Tim Osifchok turned everything else aside. He made 16 saves in the frame.
Despite the lopsided shot totals, though, the game was closer to 1-1 than it was to 2-0. On his first shift, Moran set up Mitchell Estes on a two-on-one that Kevin Dorozinsky had to parry away. Frankie McVeigh had a whack at a loose puck on the same shift as did Moran, who forced another save from the CB South netminder.
The flurry scared the top-seeded Titans into the game.
“That first shift we had three quick shots and it gave us life,” said Moran. “But you have to bury those chances, especially against this team.”
The CB South onslaught came and didn’t let up for the remainder of the contest. Connor Matsinger made it 2-0 just 2:51 into the second period. Then when it looked like the Fords could get back in the game on a power play, the Titans squashed any hopes of a comeback. Jor DeLaurentis scored a short-handed goal at the 12:52 mark.
The floodgates opened. Koblick scored 2:18 later. Then CB South struck three times in a span of 25 seconds to close the period with a 6-0 lead.
“It was tight for a bit,” said Povey, whose squad lost 1-0 in overtime to the same Titans a season ago. “We kept it close, but that short-handed goal was a bit of a back breaker. That was a little bit of a dagger.”
Like last week, Haverford (14-8-1) played two lines and four defensemen the entire game. The Fords were also missing top d-man Kenny Kissinger, who received a game misconduct for an illegal check against William Tennent.
With three lines and three defensive pairings that could skate and contribute offensively, CB South overmatched Haverford. Three third-period goals brought the score to 9-0.
“We ran out of steam. We’ve been riding such an emotional high,” said Povey. “It’s tough to endure this game. It was such a good run.
“Our guys deserve so much credit.”
One man in particular who earned his accolades was Osifchok. After stonewalling the Fords to a 3-0 start in the Flyers Cup, he made 40 saves to keep the hosts at bay.
“He was really a rock back there,” said Moran of his goalie. “He really stepped it up in the playoffs. I think he was the reason we won last week.”
Moran himself had Haverford’s best chances. He cut in on Dorozinsky late in the third but put his shot over the crossbar. Nothing was beating Dorozinsky or the Titans Tuesday. They lived up to their ranking and their name.
