Miller’s OT score gives Spring-Ford win over Perkiomen Valley in ICSHL Pioneer title game
OAKS >> Wednesday’s ICSHL Pioneer Conference title game wasn’t too different from the championship contest that played out a season ago.
The teams and location were the same — reigning champ Perkiomen Valley and rival Spring-Ford meeting up once again at Oaks Center Ice — as was the differential with a goal separating the two teams.
There was one big difference this time around, however. And what was that?
“I think a great shot,” Spring-Ford senior captain James Kisela said.
FINAL: Spring-Ford 3, Perk Valley 2. … Tucker Miller with the game-winner. pic.twitter.com/sy2Q0DbPDp
— Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue) April 1, 2021
The shot came off the stick of Rams’ junior Tucker Miller, his score from the point 3:26 into overtime causing sticks and gloves to be thrown in the air and bodies to start piling up on the ice to celebrate Spring-Ford’s 3-2 championship win.
Along with Miller, Gavin Tarity scored twice and senior Tyler Wedemeyer assisted on all three goals for Spring-Ford, which never led until Miller’s OT score. Freshman Drew Donato and freshman Conner Fitzpatrick scored for PV.
Miller’s game-winner gave the Rams their first Pioneer championship since a 2017 title game win over Boyertown.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Miller said. “I just saw a bunch of people in front of the net and I just kind of shot it and it went through everybody.”
“I saw an unreal shot,” Kisela said. “We were setting it up all game. The points were wide open and we finally got an opportunity to bury one from there, bottle popper.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Spring-Ford-Perkiomen Valley Ice Hockey 3.31.21
Spring-Ford (9-3-1) was the Pioneer regular-season champ with a 6-2-1 league record that included a three-game sweep of the Vikings (8-4-1). Spring-Ford advanced to Wednesday’s title game with a forfeit win over Boyertown, while PV knocked off Owen J. Roberts, 6-3, in the other semifinal.
The Rams outscored PV, 11-3, in the three regular-season contests, the closest a 2-1 Spring-Ford win on Jan. 29. But the Vikings were the early aggressors Wednesday, testing Spring-Ford senior goalie Tyler Temoyan on several occasions in the first period and holding the lead twice in the game, never trailing until Miller’s OT score.
“We were very confident,” PV coach Brennan McCourt said. “We were playing good hockey coming into it. It’s a rivalry game, it’s a championship. We were in the position last year versus this team. We know what it takes to win and it just didn’t work out this time.”
Perk Valley goes up 1-0 on a power play goal with 12:05 left in 2nd period. pic.twitter.com/Z37ewsaI3i
— Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue) March 31, 2021
Tyler Temoyan with a few stops already for SF in OT. pic.twitter.com/ypfNbFAAP7
— Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue) April 1, 2021
After a scoreless first, PV finally put one past Temoyan, who saved 25 of 27 shots in the game. Donato sniped a power-play goal from up top off an assist from senior Adam Carter with 12:05 left in the second.
Taking advantage of a Vikings turnover, Tarity scored the first of his two goals with 7:18 left in the second to knot the score 1-1 where it stayed until the third. Wedemeyer and senior Saxon Vargo assisted on the rebound score.
“In the first, I was a little shaky,” Tarity said. “But in the second and third we played better and in overtime we put it together, got the game-winning goal and we felt great.”
Fitzpatrick, who netted his first varsity goal in the semifinal victory over OJR, retook the lead for PV 1:11 into the final period with a goal assisted by Carter and senior Tristan Ryan.
PV junior goalie Chris Cowgill stopped 22 of the 25 shots he faced in the game. He tallied four of those saves from the 14-minute mark to the 11-minute mark of the third period as Spring-Ford put the pressure on to try and tie the game.
Chris Cowgill with a stop in OT. pic.twitter.com/1fWGpymRRe
— Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue) April 1, 2021
Though Cowgill denied several Spring-Ford chances, Tarity finally beat him again to tie the score 2-2 with 7:54 remaining in regulation on goal set up by Wedemeyer and Temoyan.
“I was just getting into the soft spots,” Tarity said. “Low shots are easy on this goalie. If you get it low, it’s automatically in. And just crash the net, get the rebound like the first goal I did and put it up right on the scoreboard.”
The two goaltenders faced tough shots in the final minutes of regulation and the opening minutes of OT, both teams getting good looks for a game-winner.
Cowgill, the winning goaltender during the 2020 championship game, made an impressive stop shortly before Miller’s shot found a way past him to keep PV from a repeat.
“We kind of saw it coming,” McCourt said. “They were starting to work it high to the points and we were just too low on the defensive zone. They worked it high, got a quality shot off. They got traffic and netted it. It is what it is.”
“I’m so proud of how they fought and competed throughout the game,” he added. “They were all tired as hell. Spring-Ford was tired but the leaders on the team really pushed each other, and I couldn’t be prouder of the effort we put out there.”
Spring-Ford didn’t graduate a single senior from its 2020 Pioneer runner-up squad, returning an entire roster in 2021 seeking its first league championship.
The Rams have 12 seniors on this year’s team that helped them accomplish the goal.
“It’s awesome, four years in the making,” Kisela said. “We’ve been working hard at practices, games. Everyone’s showing up. Everyone wants to be there. Everyone wanted to do it as a team, and that’s how we ended it — as a team.”
Ultimately, Spring-Ford made one great shot to get the job done.
“Honestly, I didn’t even know it went in until Vargo jumped on top of me,” Miller said.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
With the league postseason behind them, both teams now shift their focus to the AA Flyers Cup.
Spring-Ford hasn’t played in the postseason tournament since its 12 seniors were freshmen in 2018. None of the Rams on the current roster have won a game in the Flyers Cup as Spring-Ford’s last tournament victory came in 2017 — the same year as the Rams’ last league title.
As it breaks a two-year absence the postseason tournament, Spring-Ford enters the Flyers Cup as the No. 4 seed and will face No. 13 seed Downingtown East (4-9) at IceLine at 8:45 p.m. next Tuesday.
“Hopefully we pull out a win and make a run for that too,” Kisela said.
Perkiomen Valley followed up its league title in 2020 by advancing all the way to the Flyers Cup championship game last season.
The Vikings were set to face Downingtown West in the title game the day after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the state. When the Flyers Cup championship was postponed and eventually cancelled, they never got the opportunity to complete their postseason run..
Earning the No. 8 seed, Perk Valley will face No. 9 Neshaminy (5-9-1) in its opener Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. at IceLine.
“The game didn’t happen so these kids are determined to go into the Flyers Cup flying,” McCourt said. “I couldn’t be happier with the way they played tonight. We have Neshaminy on Tuesday and I expect a nice little run.”
Pioneer foe Owen J. Roberts will also compete in the tournament. No. 12 OJR plays No. 6 Central Bucks South (19-2) on Tuesday at Hatfield Ice Arena.
