Kain and Fiona Walker, Penncrest keep rolling with Flyers Cup shutout

HAVERFORD — Perhaps the good vibes that came with winning the ICSHL Central championship last week as the No. 7 seed had a carryover effect on Penncrest’s performance in Monday’s Flyers Cup A tournament opener at the Skatium.

The No. 8 Lions played like a team determined to keep the good times going. Kain Walker registered two goals and an assist, while sister and goalie Fiona Walker made 14 saves between the pipes as Penncrest cruised to a 4-0 victory over No. 9 Plymouth Whitemarsh.

Penncrest will travel to Ice Line Thursday to play top-seeded West Chester East in the next round.

“Coming in as the seventh seed in the Central League to winning it really showed that seeding doesn’t mean much and that we can do anything when we play our game,” Kain Walker said.

From the opening faceoff it certainly appeared the Lions were at their best. It was somewhat surprising to see the Lions without a goal for the better part of two periods. They created several chances, outhustling the Colonials to pucks and creating numerous turnovers that led to fast breaks.

PW’s shaky puck possession left goalie Christopher Maslij, who probably deserved a better fate, all alone to fend for himself most of the night. Maslij made 26 saves before allowing the first goal. Joe Kirchoff fired a shot from the point and Ben Rago deflected the puck into the net to give the Lions a 1-0 lead. Later in the period, senior co-captain Kain Walker got a steal in the PW zone and passed to Jackson Wickman, who sent a laser by Malij to put Penncrest in front, 2-0, with 38 seconds to go.

“The chemistry between us has been there all year,” Wickman said. “It goes back and forth, he finds me and I know where to find him. It just works.”

The two goals in the latter stage of the second period underscored how much better they were on this night. But longtime coach Steve Mescanti has seen enough wacky things over the years to know that sometimes the better team can find a way to lose.

“You’re always kind of fearful of that bounce, you know?” Mescanti said. “But over the last month or so, we’ve gone down in games and it hasn’t mattered. We went down to Haverford 3-0 and we wound up tying them. We went down to Conestoga last Monday and came back. They say it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. Right now it’s really coming together and the guys are buying in really well. It’s really gratifying to see what they’re doing and how they’re pulling for each other and doing what they need to do to win games. As coaches, we’re really proud of what they’ve done. It’s so exciting for them, especially after winning last week and then getting the win tonight. It’s a good way to start the Flyers Cup.”

The shutout was Penncrest’s first of the season. Fiona Walker (14 saves) didn’t face a lot of pressure, but she easily batted down every shot that came in her direction. Defensemen Colin Curran and Nash Grant played well in front of her.

“I have full trust in the boys. They have been finding the net really well recently,” Fiona Walker said. “Even when we get down, they find the net and they bring us back. They work their tails off and so do I.”

Mescanti praised the work of both goalies. Fiona Walker and Olivia Jacobi have earned plaudits from other Central League coaches, and their performances during the last month have aided the team’s rise from middle of the pack in the Central to one with Flyers Cup expectations.

“Fiona has just kind of taken the bull by the horns. She and Olivia all year have been phenomenal in goal,” Mescanti said. “If you come to practice, the two of them are always smiling and they’re always positive. But they also got that fire in them, that competitiveness, and the guys don’t even bat an eye. They both work very hard and they both have high aspirations. They push each other. The best thing for me is I just put the names in a hat and pick a goalie for that night because they’re both playing at the top of their game.”

The Lions scored twice more in the third period. Gabe Hartman found a streaking Kain Walker, who sent a wrister past Malij to make it 3-0. Walker’s second tally was an empty netter in the game’s final minute.

The only blemish for the Lions was an upper-body injury to Kirchoff in the third period. The senior co-captain had to leave the arena and was transported to a nearby hospital for further evaluation.

“It’s a tough loss to take,” Wickman said. “We all love Joe. He’s a great player who works hard. We’ll have to work through the adversity as a team and we’ll need some other guys to step up and fill his spot.”