Penncrest takes penalties, loses power
ASTON >> Monday’s game against West Chester East presented Penncrest with a prime opportunity as the calendar moves toward the postseason. The Lions would get a quality non-league opponent, currently fourth in a stacked Ches-Mont, to gauge their status among the area’s Class A Flyers Cup teams.
Instead, Penncrest got one good period and a scoresheet filled in all the wrong spots. It added up to a 5-1 Vikings win.
Lions coach Steve Mescanti pointed to the last line of his scouting report in explaining the loss: “Stay out of the box,” it said in all caps.
“We said upfront, we can’t go to the box, because they have a great power play,” Mescanti said. “Five-on-five, it was an even game.”
The Lions took nine penalties in total, including a 10-minute misconduct. East scored three times on the power play, all in the second period.
“We played pretty well,” said Penncrest senior and alternate captain Kieran Casey. “We just took too many dumb penalties. They capitalized on it.”
The first period hinted at a defensive struggle between two unfamiliar teams. The Vikings outshot the Lions 5-3 in the frame and failed to generate any real scoring chances. On the other side, Matt Dougherty nearly got on the board in the first minute. Dougherty chipped the puck to himself for a breakaway only to hit the post one-on-one with East netminder Joseph Galitski.
Any good vibes Penncrest might have had quickly dissipated to start the second; the parade to the box began. On a five-on-three, Michael Eland found the top corner with a slap shot from the point to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead. Just over a minute later, Eddie Russell went coast-to-coast to make it 2-0. That quick turnaround jump started an East attack that has struggled at times this season.
“Well, this is one of our first games where we’ve really started to roll,” Russell said. “Our offense has been pretty slow lately. Tonight we started to click.”
Russell added his second goal at the 5:55 mark. A bounce off a Lions defenseman left him alone with an empty net. He gratefully deposited the puck. The Vikings benefited from another bounce on the fourth marked when Zac Muholland’s shot caromed into the goal.
Never mind the luck. There were a lot of positives to go around for an East team that had skated to a 2-2 record in the new year prior to Monday night. Eland’s second goal, another slap shot, added to the positive East vibes.
“Three of our goals were from our defensemen tonight,” Russell said. “That’s another thing that wasn’t happening before. We started using them and it worked.”
Discipline doomed Penncrest (9-4-3), but a familiar bugaboo also plagued its effort: secondary scoring. Austin Mazzulo pulled a goal back early in the third period when he whacked home a rebound. It was his 15th of the season. Linemate Dougherty went scoreless, stuck on 25 goals. Between the two of them, they’ve accounted for 52 percent of the Lions’ output.
“We just have to hit the net more,” said Casey, who collected a secondary assist on Mazzulo’s tally. “We miss high.”
Mescanti agreed.
“Obviously, Matt and Austin are lighting it up,” he said. “(We need) some ugly goals sometimes. Sometimes guys are looking for that highlight reel goal when they all count.”
Then again, there’s little you can do when you take so many penalties. And give the Vikings (8-5-3) credit. They took full advantage.
“Our power play really clicked tonight,” said Russell, who had two helpers to go with his two goals. “We may see this team again in Flyers Cup, so we have them down now.”
In other crossover action:
Harriton 11, Interboro 3 >> Stephen Schwartz and Dylan Sangmeister scored within 35 seconds in the first period to give the Bucs a brief lead, but they were swarmed over by the Rams.
Schwartz added a second tally on the power play in the third period.
Ethan Milani led Harriton with a hat trick, while Nick Wert (two goals, four assists) and Sam Kirby (two goals, three assists) put together big evenings.
In the Central League:
Ridley 5, Lower Merion 3 >> Michael Desio scored 20 seconds into the third period to break a 3-3 tie with the game-winner for Ridley.
Michael Giampapa scored twice and set up Steven Rubillo’s goal in the first period to stake the Green Raiders to a 3-0 lead, but Lower Merion pegged them back with three second-period goals, two from Everhett Grimes.
Giampapa assisted on Ryan Gricco’s insurance tally at 6:01 of the third to ice it. Giampapa tallied two goals and three assists, while Rubillo paired a goal with two helpers and Jake Cross dished two assists. Evan Miller got the win with 13 saves in goal.
Grimes added an assist. Brendan Leonard scored the other LM goal and assisted on one of Grimes’ tallies.
