The Pennridge ice hockey team fired 25 shots at the Downingtown East net in the first period of Thursday night’s Flyers Cup AA quarterfinal. Only one shot, however, beat Cougars goaltender Basil Hemberger – Shane Dachowski’s shot into the top-right corner to tie the game.
Pennridge got lucky for its second goal – a clearance attempt behind the net ended up with Colin Dachowski near the left post, and the Rams senior defenseman scored for a 2-1 lead at 10:22 in the second period.
Colin Dachowski explained, “I passed it behind the net and the puck ended up right at my stick. I saw the goalie looking the other way, so I took the opportunity to score.”
Kevin Pico scored in the final minute with an assist from Shane Dachowski, giving Pennridge a 3-1 lead going into the third period. Brody Matthews narrowed the lead for the Cougars with 9:54 left in regulation, but Trey Mikulich extended the Rams' lead to 5-2 at 7:31, and the top-seeded Pennridge team held on for the win.
Rams coach Jeff Montagna said, “Yes, we got a lucky bounce, but we worked hard for it. We earned that bounce, and I'm not entirely sure why their defenseman was in that position in the first place. But we earned that break, and we were due for one.”
Shane Dachowski scored a goal and provided two assists for Pennridge, which will face No. 4 Downingtown West – which won 8-2 over No. 5 Haverford – in the upcoming semifinals.
This marks Pennridge’s fourth consecutive appearance in the semifinals and its fifth time in the last six years. The team won both the Flyers Cup and state title in 2022 and was the runner-up to Pennsbury in the Flyers Cup final last season.
Regarding last year, Montagna commented, “Honesty, it was a tough year all around. It was difficult coming back from the previous year, and it required a lot of effort. However, I believe that for most of this year, it actually benefitted us because we came back with a shared goal now.
“I’m really enjoying this because we're seeing some of the best players in the history of this club, some of the best players in the history of this league. I want them to achieve more and truly leave their mark.”
Dylan Miller provided two assists for Downingtown East, while Hemberger made 42 saves on 47 shots.
Montagna commented, “We played against a strong hockey team. We talked about it before the game – many of those teams from down there are the same – they're well-rounded. When you face such a team, and you're not familiar with them, the first five to ten minutes of the game are crucial. I think for us, those initial shifts set the tone for the whole night.
“And their goalie played an outstanding game, keeping them in the game.”
Pennridge goaltender Jacob Winton blocked 22 of 24 shots, including a save on an East 2-on-1 when the score was still 1-1 in the second period.
While the Rams took more shots than the Cougars, 25-9, in the first period, East managed to take a 1-0 lead at 5:21 when Parker Nassour scored with help from Christian McCuch and Miller.
However, Pennridge tied the game less than two minutes later as Shane Dachowski scored at 3:41.
“That’s exactly where I aimed for – top right – because the defenseman was blocking my way, so I thought he was also in the goalie’s way,” Shane Dachowski said. “And we really needed that to get going.”
Colin Dachowski put the Rams ahead 2-1 in the second period by shooting the puck into the net at 10:22 while being alone by the left post.
“I thought the goalie would be there, and when I looked up, he was gone, so I just shot it,” Colin Dachowski said.
The Rams increased their lead to 3-1 in the last minute of the period, with Shane Dachowski making a drive off a clearance, evading a defender, and then passing to Pico, who scored at 28 seconds.
“After I made the move, I thought it was just Kevin and the goalie, so I passed it to him,” Shane Dachowski said. “And I always know he’s going to finish right in front of the net.”
The two-goal cushion was helpful as Matthews scored a rebound goal, bringing East to within 3-2 at 9:54 in the third.
However, the Cougars got a holding penalty at 9:47, and 16 seconds after the power play ended, the Rams scored as Mikulich’s shot went into the net at 7:31.
“They’re going to make their push, we got a lucky power play out of that – I didn’t really think we should’ve had the power play, but it gave us momentum back,” Montagna said. “And from that point on, we pretty much took control of the game.
“And we were joking, we call Trey Mr. March now because two of his four career goals now in the Flyers Cup, two huge goals he scored. But that was obviously the biggest play of the game.”
The score remained 4-2 until 33 seconds remaining when Andrew Savona scored a power-play goal.
