ICE HOCKEY

Pennsbury Falcons defense key to win over North Penn Knights

Pennsbury Falcons defenseman Justin Marlin scores half of the team's goals to win 8-5

By: North Penn News
STAFF WRITER

COLMAR, PA - The mid-point of the season has arrived and with the holidays over the SHSHL began its second half Wednesday night at Hatfield Ice in a matchup between the first place Pennsbury Falcons and last place North Penn Knights. Both teams going in very different directions in the standings, the Falcons were looking to improve their hold on first place in the National division while the Knights were hoping to get back into the win column after three straight divisional losses.

The first period incorporated all of the finer points of what appeared to be two teams which were going to play out a respectable competitive game. Quality passing, forechecking, backchecking and moving the puck, both teams came out of the gate prepared to play. The first goal of the game was scored by North Penn, with almost four minutes gone into the game defenseman Jimmy Boyle picked off an outlet attempt by the Falcons in their defensive zone. Boyle quickly dumped the puck into the right-side corner where Gabe Dunn corralled the loose disk and passed over to Nolan Shingle who had broken away from Pennsbury checking. Shingle spotted Matt Yothers alone in the slot and swung it over where Yothers fired glove side high to put the Knights up 1-0. The lead wouldn't last long as the Falcons almost immediately struck back less than two minutes later. Andrew Falkenstein broke into the Knights zone and jammed on the brakes, spotting team captain Brendan Macainsh moving down low, Falkenstein fed Macainsh who in turn quickly moved the puck to Justin Marlin in the slot. Marlin one-timed the pass and put the puck inside the right-side post to even the score at one apiece. To be honest, I've watched both of the full ice and behind the net video and the puck actually hit the post and bounced out. Regardless, it was deemed a goal and the two teams were tied 1-1. Marlin picked up his second goal of the game late in the first on a power play. The Falcons Logan Doyle found Marlin moving up in the play on the far-right side of the ice, with no pressure, Doyle fired the puck across to Marlin who again one-timed the puck into the Knights wide open net, and this time the goal was undoubtedly good. The Falcons carried the 2-1 lead into the second while holding a very slight shot advantage at 10-8.

Tyler Porubski fires the puck past goalie Aaron McDaniel late in the game

I'm going to foreshadow a bit, and Knights fans may already know what is about to be said, so here goes. The second period is without a doubt North Penn's biggest adversary. It's tough to figure out because they commonly play so well in the first, and third periods but the second?....... One can only surmise they completely check out at some point, and for what reason, who knows. But the plain fact is, the wheels always come off in the second period and the Knights put themselves so far behind the eight ball they're left with only one option and that's to figure out a way to mount a comeback. Which over the last seven games was successful only once, and that decision had to be decided in OT. The second period began with a goal by North Penn's Jack Bates roughly two minutes in. Bates picked up a pass off a brilliant forecheck by Luke Haftel to force a Pennsbury turnover. Bates didn't get much on the shot, but it was enough to beat the Falcons goaltender, Aaron McDaniel, tying the score at 2-2. Things were looking up for the Knights as they were playing well and even went up by a goal by John Stinson at 10:32 after he broke away from the field and went in on a breakaway scoring to put North Penn ahead by a score of 3-2. But it wouldn't last long. The Falcons captain Brendan Macainsh scored twenty seconds later to tie the game at 3-3, and this is where the proverbial wheels fell off. Pennsbury scored two goals back-to-back two minutes later after Logan Doyle was awarded a penalty shot, which he scored on. Twenty seconds after that Justin Marlin scored a shorthanded goal which coincidentally was the Knights seventh shorty given up in the last four games, and it turned out to be Marlins third to complete the hat trick. Pennsbury went from tying the game to going up 5-3 in a span of three minutes. Derek DeLong got another goal for the Knights to close the gap to 5-4 but in customary fashion, as the Falcons had done throughout the game, they came back twenty seconds later with back-to-back goals separated by only ten seconds, extending their lead to 7-4 and thus putting the game virtually out of reach for the Knights to mount any kind of comeback bid. This has been happening all season long with North Penn. They score a goal that looks like it's going to change the disposition of the game in their favor and then they immediately give up a goal ten to twenty seconds later. Pennsbury did not own the Knights in the second period, the Knights once again outplayed themselves neutralizing their opportunity to advance with mistakes, shots were 27-17 after two.

There isn't much to discuss in the third as both teams played like they did in the first, very conservatively. Justin McCaw scored to double up the Knights at 8-4. Then Tyler Porubski scored halfway through the third when Joey Silvotti won a fight for the puck down low behind the Pennsbury goal line. Silvotti spotted Porubski wide open at the point and Porubski made no mistake firing a seed, beating the unscreened McDaniel low, short side on the right post. The Final score was 8-5 Pennsbury with a shot total of 34-24 also in the Falcons favor. Falcons defenseman Justin Marlin provided half of the team's offense scoring 4 goals.

GAME RECAP

1ST PERIOD
13:10 NORTH PENN #10 Matt Yothers (even strength) (#87 Nolan Shingle, #18 Gabe Dunn)
11:41 PENNSBURY #66 Justin Marlin (even strength) (#11 Brendan Macainsh, #88 Andrew Falkenstein)
1:43 PENNSBURY #66 Justin Marlin (powerplay) (#77 Logan Doyle, #8 Sean Taggart)
2ND PERIOD
15:13 NORTH PENN #91 Jack Bates (even strength) (#13 Luke Haftel)
10:32 NORTH PENN #53 John Stinson (even strength) (unassisted)
10:04 PENNSBURY #11 Brendan Macainsh (even strength) (#19 Jake McCaw)
6:54 PENNSBURY #77 Logan Doyle (penalty shot)
6:35 PENNSBURY #66 Justin Marlin (short handed) (#11 Brendan Macainsh, #88 Andrew Falkenstein)
1:45 NORTH PENN #23 Derek DeLong (even strength) (#48 Cole Pluck, #53 John Stinson)
1:21 PENNSBURY #11 Brendan Macainsh (even strength) (#88 Andrew Falkenstein, #77 Logan Doyle)
1:10 PENNSBURY #66 Justin Marlin (even strength) (#11 Brendan Macainsh)
3RD PERIOD
16:23 PENNSBURY #19 Jake McCaw (even strength) (unassisted)
10:36 NORTH PENN #28 Tyler Porubski (even strength) (#87 Nolan Shingle)