Potent offense doing the job for Springfield

SPRINGFIELD >> Springfield’s path to back-to-back PIAA titles has been paved with stingy defense and All-American goaltending. But this season, the Cougars find themselves in an unusual position.

It’s not replacing a slew of college players who’ve graduated. It’s not the process of peaking late in the season, which coach Tom Lemieux has elevated to a science. It’s that as the Cougars head for the homestretch, they’re in the unusual spot of the defense trying to catch up with a more potent offense.

It showed Tuesday, the Cougars sprinting out to a seven-goal lead early in the third quarter, then hanging on to get past Central League and District 1 Class 2A rival Radnor, 11-9.

The offense got humming early, thanks to five goals from Mike Tulskie and four assists — three in the first six minutes of the game — from Kyle Long. Those figures who’ve returned to the attack mean that the reigning PIAA and District 1 champs are aren’t winning games 5-4 or 6-3 as in years past, when these veteran attackers were up-and-comers given space to flourish by a seasoned defense.

Now they have the chance to return the favor.

“We have to make sure we’re not turning it over too quick,” Tulskie said. “When we had that other defense, we could afford to get some more turnovers early, kind of force it a little, try to get it going early. But the best defense is long possessions.”

The biggest defection from last year is James Spence, the three-time All-Delco goalie and 2017 Daily Times Player of the Year. His heir apparent, Jimmy Donegan, has played well and did so again Tuesday with seven first-half saves. But he didn’t get his stick on a shot in the second half, when Springfield was outscored 6-2. Even the saves he makes aren’t exactly like Spence’s, which is no criticism given the Lehigh freshman’s deft ability to control the ball and generate extra possessions by covering shots.

Long face guarded so Jack Spence finds Tulskie for his hatty man up. 4-2 @sprlax pic.twitter.com/kVFtCEkJmk

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) April 24, 2018

The defense in front of Donegan is also sorting itself out in new ways, led by All-Delco Pat Clemens. And when the Raiders hit Springfield with four straight goals between the third and fourth quarters, Clemens was the loudest one in the huddle to make sure things were cleaned up.

“We were just talking about being calm and when we’re under pressure, doing our fundamentals, what we do day in and day out,” Clemens said. “They started coming back toward the end there, but we stood our ground.”

Shortly after the confab, forced by two straight Ryan Peter goals to cut the deficit to 10-8, Liam DiFonzo scored to stop the bleeding and restore enough of a cushion to see out the result.

Garcia from Long up two men. Not fair. 10-3 Springfield. pic.twitter.com/hdgCQFdoWO

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) April 25, 2018

Radnor’s sluggish start was also caused by an absence, albeit an unplanned one. Tuesday was the team’s first game without senior midfielder Connor Pierce, who suffered a stress fracture in his leg last week that will end his season. The Radnor attack looked like it was missing a piece in the first half, and only a John Austen hat trick on pinpoint shots from the outside allowed them to limp into halftime at 9-3.

The Raiders’ adjusted, though. Jackson Birtwistle three times found Peter for goals, and top attackman Drew Brown scored once after a muted first half. The progress Radnor made without the Delaware-bound Pierce was heartening.

“First half was just not who we want to be,” Peter said. “Second half was better. That’s the kind of team we want to be. … I think our intensity stepped up and we sunk into the moment a little bit and definitely got more comfortable as the game went on.”

Springfield (10-2, 5-1) could do little wrong attacking-wise in the first half. Tulskie’s fifth goal, just 18 minutes into the game, was a thing of beauty, a tic-tac-toe goal in transition from Long to Clemens to Joe DeBernardi to Tulskie on the doorstep.

That play rode the line between aggressive and rushing, an understanding the Cougars have honed over the years.

“I guess the fine line, is if it works, fine,” Tulskie said. “If it doesn’t, time to change it up. It’s about how we’re feeling.”

Jack Spence had two goals and two assists, and DiFonzo augmented his goal with two helpers. Ben Garcia recorded a hat trick, the last with 5:42 remaining in the third to make it 10-3 and make the Cougars 3-for-3 on man-up chances. It appeared to finish the game off.

Birtwistle finds Peter again. Radnor within 10-7. 9:08 left. pic.twitter.com/IrWB7HOlEc

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) April 25, 2018

But Radnor (9-3, 5-2) wouldn’t go away. It scored gritty goals off groundballs by Damien Ramando in the third quarter and Ludwig Posauner in the fourth. And the Raiders looked more comfortable with each possession, aided by Mike McShea’s 15-for-24 day at the X.

It wasn’t a vintage night of Springfield defense. But Clemens, once a freshman starter with veterans surrounding him, knows that comes with time.

“I think with all the new guys, they’re finding their own spots in defense and finding their own roles on the team,” he said. “I think we’re growing as a group and they’ll get that hang of things as we keep going.”

Also in the Central League:

Strath Haven 12, Penncrest 4 >> Jeff Conner went off for five goals and two assists, Ethan Belville scored twice, and Liam Carney paired a goal with two helpers for the Panthers.

Matt Dougherty’s goal and assist led Penncrest, which got 14 saves from Shane Stevens.

Haverford 8, Harriton 6 >> Cole Lukasiewicz scored four times, and Jack Daly added a hat trick for the Fords. Kyle Bennett and Alex McKendry dished two assists each, John Schievert had a goal and a helper and Shane Liney made 13 stops.

Marple Newtown 17, Upper Darby 3 >> Al Viola and CJ Lane scored three times each and combined for three assists, while Luke Jelus, Marlon Weathers and Julian Cabral scored twice apiece.

In the Inter-Ac League:

Haverford School 16, Springside Chestnut Hill 4 >> Scott Deck notched a hat trick, and TJ Malone, Luke O’Grady, Jake Spence and Brennan McBride scored twice apiece as the Fords rolled.