---

The Lions from Harrisburg play an inner divsion and cross division rival back to back on Saturday

Snapshots from Saturday's morning and evening games against Kutztown and Neumann.

Two tough league rivals to bookend the Harrisburg skaters day meant two opportunities to see how each team would measure up to one another when the day was through.

By:PSU Hburg News
9/18/21

ASTON, PA. - The Lions started the day off against the Kutztown Golden Bears, the reigning DVCHC D2 champs from the 2019-2020 season. Because of the cancellation of the 2020-2021 season, the title still holds until the next champ is crowned.

This morning's game got off to a fairly conservative start, both teams unwilling to open up the ice and make the first big move. Until approximately six and a half minutes into the first period, Tanner Pressley opened the scoring for Penn State with a one-timer from inside the Kutztown hash marks. DJ Noss fired a shot off of the end boards which Cade Cartright picked up and dished to Pressley, who buried the puck into the back of the net. The score would remain 1-0 until 5:19 of the first. The Golden Bears picked up two quick goals in succession two and a half minutes apart. The Lions would skate into the second down by 1 to Kutztown 2-1.

Kutztown scored again seven minutes into the second to put the Golden Bears up 3-1. Tanner Pressley notched his second goal of the game on a Kutztown turnover just inside the Lion's blue line with 3 minutes remaining in the second period. Cade Cartwright picked up the loose disc and swung the puck up ice to Andrew Szebalskie, quickly turning the play into a two-on-one odd-man rush. Szebalskie whipped a wrist shot that deflected off of the KU goalie right onto Tanner Pressley's stick. Pressley fired the puck that was originally stopped but it trickled down behind and just barely fell over the goal line between the pipe and the goalie's skate. The KU skaters briefly contested but the ref wasn't hearing their story, the call was final. The second period ended 3-2 in Kutztown's favor.

The third period saw the Kutztown team transition into defensive mode. Harrisburg hurled shot after shot on the Kutztown goalie until finally breaking through. With little more than six minutes left in the period, Andrew Szebalskie skated the puck up ice and into the Bears zone. Szebalskie skated around the net unimpeded and found defenseman Kyle Jenkins wide open at the point. Szebalskie swung the puck over and Jenkins scorched a wrist shot glove side high past the screened netminder. The final score was 3-3 and Vaughn Hennessey would get the tie in his first start.

Game two against the Neumann Knights began with Jesse Troutman getting the Lions on the board first, five minutes in. Tanner Pressley passed the puck to DJ Noss from below the right circle hash mark, Noss handed off to Troutman who fired a laser from the point past the prone Knights netminder. The lead didn't last long as the Knights would come right back to even the score. The game remained tied 1-1 after the first period.

The second period seemed to mimic the 1st. This time though, roughly five minutes into the second stanza the Lions would find themselves shorthanded. Tanner Pressley picked up a turnover at the point in his defensive zone and broke into the Knights zone one on one before zipping a wrist shot from the top of the right circle glove side high. The goal was unassisted. The lead was short-lived however as the Knights would storm back thirty-four seconds later to even the score again at 2-2. This score carried over into the third.

The third period was all Lions. Cameron Moore put the men in blue back up for good at 15:02 while on a power play. Moore picked up the loose puck off of shot wide by defenseman Christian Donnarumma. Moore quickly identified the out-of-position goalie and wrapped the puck around from behind the cage depositing it into the back of a wide-open net. Andrew Szebalskie added another at 8:54 followed by Charlie Haddick at 7:06. The Knights would add one more to their tally at 1:29 of the third but it was too little too late. The game ended 5-3 Lions with Logan Hanek collecting his second win of the showcase.

---

YHI NEEDS YOU TO WRITE POST GAME NEWS!

---

Are you an aspiring writer, studying journalism or otherwise? We have openings for anybody who might be interested in writing post game articles for PSU Hburg Ice Hockey @ Youth Hockey Info, you can read all about it here. Though the verbiage references High School Hockey, the idea is exactly the same. All submitted articles will be posted online and shared on social media. [email protected]