Pennridge gets revenge in Flyers Cup AA quarterfinals

HATFIELD TWP. >> Pennridge had a week to think about its loss to Pennsbury.

After losing in overtime in the SHSHL semifinals last Wednesday, the Rams got the opportunity to face the Falcons again – this time in the Flyers Cup AA quarterfinals.

No. 10 Pennridge started fast, dominated most of the game and held off a late rally to advance past No. 2 Pennsbury, 9-6, Thursday night at Hatfield Ice.

“This is the only one we wanted to play,” Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna said. “I think what was good about it, being a Flyers Cup quarterfinal, we have seven freshmen or sophomores in the lineup. Playing a team that we know I think really helped them settle down and not let the moment be too big. That’s all we thought about since last Wednesday night. That’s all we thought about – getting another shot at them. We felt like we were the better team … We felt like we gave one away. To get another chance at them in a spot this big and get it, it feels good.”

“If we beat them last Wednesday we go on in my opinion and win the league,” Pennridge junior Aeryk Lehrhaupt said. “It’s great to knock them out tonight. It’s that revenge mentality. We know we should have won that other game – a couple calls don’t go our way. A couple calls didn’t go our way tonight, but we fought through it and came out with the well-deserved win.”

The Rams wasted no time jumping out to a lead. They won two faceoffs and put two shots on goal in the first 10 seconds of the game. Lehrhaupt followed up the second shot and poked the loose puck in the back of the goal for a 1-0 lead just 11 seconds into the game.

“We had a bunch of people out tonight,” Lehrhaupt said. “It’s a whole different atmosphere when you’ve got people you know from school here. I know we had a couple teachers show up. It’s huge. That energy that they took away from us this season, it’s a difficult adjustment, but it’s huge to come out like that.”

Pennsbury responded with two goals – a wrist shot that deflected off a Pennridge defender and a powerplay goal after digging at a loose puck – to take a 2-1 lead. That was the Falcons first and only lead of the night.

Tyler Manto tied the game with a high wrister that snuck under the crossbar and John Lowery put the Rams ahead for good by finishing a well-executed play. Richard Shanks won a faceoff in his own zone and defender Ryan Schuler sent a long cross-ice pass to Lowery. Lowery let the puck bounce off the boards and back to the middle of the ice, where he took control and beat the goalie.

Andrew David doubled the Rams advantage to 4-2 with a goal in the final 25 seconds of the first period.

Lowery and Lehrhaupt both scored their second goals of the game in the second period. Lowery made it 5-2 and Lehrhaupt’s came while the Rams were shorthanded to extend the lead to 6-2 heading into the third. Goalie Ryan Pico stopped all 11 shots he faced in the second period.

Andrew Lizak and Jeff Manto sandwiched a pair of breakaway goals around a Pennsbury score to put Pennridge ahead, 8-3, with 6:14 remaining in the game. Lizak’s initial shot was stopped before he buried the rebound while Manto put the puck in the top shelf.

That’s when things got dicey. The Rams had four players in the penalty box at once. Three were serving two-minute penalties and one a 10-minute misconduct.

Pennsbury took advantage, scoring 5-on-3, 5-on-4 and even strength goals to get within two, 8-6, with 2:09 to play.

Lehrhaupt sealed the game with 43.9 seconds left. He scored an empty-netter to complete the hat trick and put the game out of reach, 9-6.

“Not only do you put the game away but it’s three (goals),” he said. “It was one of the best feelings in the game.”

Pennridge will face No. 3 Haverford, a 7-2 winner over No. 6 CB South, in the Flyers Cup AA semifinals Tuesday.

“If it’s Haverford, we know how good they are,” Montagna said. “They knocked us out of the Flyers Cup last year.

“Hopefully we can keep riding this little revenge tour we got.”