SHL Hawks hold open registration

SHL Hawks Registration
SHL Hawks House Hockey will hold open registration at the Springfield Ice Rick from 6-8 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 7 and Thursday, Dec. 8. This program is appropriate for boys and girls 6-11 years, regardless of skating ability or hockey experience. The winter season is Jan. 7 to March 17. Cost for the season is $150. Online registration is available at http://www.hawkshousehockey.com.

St. Francis defeats Holy Cross

SFA Junior Varsity
SFA 19
Holy Cross 0
The St. Francis of Assisi (SFA) fifth and sixth grade football team converted all three first half offensive possessions into scores and shut down Holy Cross 19-0 at Scullion Field on a gorgeous Thanksgiving Day to conclude a 9-3 season.
SFA received the opening kickoff and proceeded to march 77 yards in eight plays to pay dirt. The key play in the drive was a 40-yard sprint along the sidelines by Nicky Kutufaris down to the five-yard line. Two plays later he glided four yards off tackle for the touchdown. The extra point attempt failed but SFA had an early 6-0 lead.
SFA then recovered a Cross fumble, and six plays later N. Kutufaris raced back into the end zone from 20 yards out. The extra point attempt again was no good and the first quarter came to a close with SFA on top 12-0.
SFA stopped Holy Cross on downs to start the second quarter, and then tacked on another touchdown when Justin Shields bulled off tackle for a five-yard touchdown to conclude a ten-play, 47-yard drive. Liam McKnight connected with Adam Klein on the “Adam Bomb” for the extra point and a 19-0 half time lead.
Both teams moved the ball in the second half, but were unable to score, and the game ended 19-0.
N. Kutufaris rushed for 102 yards in the first half, and finished the game with 146 yards. Shields added 61 yards to the running attack, as SFA accumulated 227 yards on the ground.
Linemen Patrick Devine, Johnny Powers, Mike Conran, Cole Dumont, Alex Smith, Tommy Kutufaris, Klein and Luke Sprague controlled the line of scrimmage.
SFA’s defense recorded their seventh shutout of the season. Leading tacklers were Klein, Conran, Shields, Devine, N. Kutufaris, Powers, Sprague, Marty O’Connell, Strain, Dumont, T. Kutufaris, Connor Hoffner, Smith, Connor Crawford and Anthony Scarduzio. Shields and Sprague also recovered fumbles.
The Turkey Bowl win capped a splendid season that included two playoff victories and a third place finish in the Parade of Champions tournament.

Springfield U10 Storm are tourney finalists

The Springfield “Storm” boys soccer team were the finalists in the U10 Delco Soccer league after playing, and losing to, Rosetree last weekend. With a week to go in the league, the Storm was in 6th place in their division out of 10 teams. They won their last two games and, with a little help from other teams, came in fourth place in their division and made the playoffs. Only the top four seeds out of the 10 teams make the play-offs. Storm coaches (across the back) are Mike Ranck (assistant coach), Andrew Hoopes (assistant coach), and Leo Broadhurst (head coach). Players are (standing) Mike Hetnick, Todd Berman, Tyler Jackson, Ryan Baker, Colin Ranck, Dominic Santerelli, Iian Priemon, (kneeling) Johnny Shields, Aiden Hoopes, Will Broadhurst, Frank Reihl, Pat Hennessy, Colin Rendon and Brett Barber.

Springfield youth club season ends with a heartbreaker

SYC 100 Pound Varsity
SYC - 14
Darby - 18
The Springfield 100 lb. Varsity team lost a heartbreaker Saturday (Nov. 12) to the Darby Township Eagles. The official's calls and the breaks didn't favor the Cougars.
Outstanding defense was evident by holding Darby to 3 first downs all afternoon. Great defensive play by Klaus Gable, Liam DiFonzo, Jeff Biancaniello, Pat Clemens, Patrick Marley Jr., Zach Broomall, Jack Pscenicska, Colin Ellis and Courtland Miller.
A missed out of bounds call by the official allowed Darby to score first. Defense did it's job and shut down the extra point. A great offensive drive by the Cougars: Anthony Rightley accumulated many positive yards.
A 15 yard pass thrown by Quarterback Patrick Toal to Patrick McCann allowed the Cougars great field position. Toal then threw another 15 yard pass completion to Broomall.
To the fans dismay the officials ruled it incomplete, it was clearly caught!
The Cougars never gave up continuing to run the ball down the field. Behind the great blocking of Jimmy Donegan, Toal was able to sneak in for the Cougars first touchdown. Rightley added the extra point, 7-6 Cougars.
Darby answered right back by returning the kickoff. Ethan Crowther busted through the line to stop the extra point. The Cougars answered right back; Rightley's 45 yard touchdown run put the Cougars right back in the game.
Jack Spence's extra point run put the Cougars up 14-12. Once again, the Eagles answered back by returning another kick off. The Cougars stopped the point again.
Springfield put many good offensive drives but just couldn't cross the goal line.
Congrats to all players, coaches and parents on an outstanding season!

Springfield Blue falls to Haverford in ice hockey match

Springfield Blue 4, Haverford 8
Springfield Blue Elementary ice hockey team played a hard-fought first game of the season against an always powerful Haverford Township.
The first period was an all out defensive battle with Scottie Francis and returning player Conor Rysak holding Haverford to eight shots on goal.
The second period started with Ronan Plummer scoring for the Cougars with an assist from Jason Francis. Both boys had three points in the game. First year player Dara Campo helped out on defense and allowed Mikey Ahern, Eric Agan and Justin Beaky to keep offensive pressure on the Hawks.
Another first year player, Finn Plummer, came to the game proving he is ready to live up to the reputation of his older brothers with a solid skating ability and a hunger to succeed. Devin DeStafano is off to a good start with his first game on ice and will stop at nothing to get the puck.
Goalie Luca DiMarcantonio fought hard all night, keeping the Cougars in the game and facing 25 shots, and Ryan O'Connor put a ton of pressure on Haverford Township all game.

Undefeated OLF defeats St. Francis JV team in semi-final playoff game

SFA’s Derek Strain (#55), Johnny Powers (#22) and Tommy Kutufaris (#33) engulf the OLF ball carrier.

SFA Junior Varsity
SFA 6, OLF 19
The St. Francis of Assisi (SFA) fifth- and sixth-grade football team lost 19-6 to an undefeated Our Lady of Fatima (OLF) team in a semi-final playoff game at Malvern High School. SFA’s record fell to 7-3.
The two teams met earlier in the year, with OLF dominating for an easy victory. This game looked to be going in the same direction as OLF jumped out to a 12-0 lead due to long touchdown runs in both the first and second quarter.
However, SFA continued to battle and cut the lead in half by marching 58 yard in eight plays. Nicky Kutufaris, Derek Strain and Justin Shields alternated carries during the drive, and facing a fourth and one situation, N. Kutufaris busted loose and raced down to the one yard line.
Two plays later, on what turned out to be the final play of the half, Liam McKnight found N. Kutufaris alone in the corner of the end zone for the score. The extra point attempt failed and the half ended with SFA behind only 12-6.
OLF opened the second half with another long touchdown run that increased their lead to 19-6 lead. SFA kept scrapping and proceeded to move the ball down field, but could not sustain the drive as the third quarter came to a close. Neither team would mount any offense in the fourth quarter and the game ended with OLF on top 19-6.
SFA linemen Patrick Devine, Johnny Powers, Cole Dumont, Alex Smith, Tommy Kutufaris, Adam Klein and Luke Sprague fought hard in the trenches against much bigger opponents.
SFA’s defense played hard, and recorded three turnovers. Devine recovered two fumbles and Sprague also pounced on a loose ball.

Former Flyer Keith Primeau honored at Neumann University

Neumann University presented the inaugural Institute for Sport, Spirituality and Character Development Award to Keith Primeau on October 12 in a ceremony on campus.

Primeau, a former captain of the Philadelphia Flyers, skated with the club from 1999 to 2006. He appeared in the National Hockey League All-Star game in 1999 and 2004. A fan favorite, he is best remembered for his goal that ended the longest playoff game in NHL history, a 5-overtime contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins in May of 2000.

The award is presented to individuals who exemplify the development of strong character through athletics and the embodiment of the good that exists in sports. Primeau has become a very public spokesperson about the dangers of concussions in ice hockey. He was diagnosed with the injury four times during his career, the last incident forcing his premature retirement.

He appears on behalf of “Play It Cool,” a concussion prevention program that hosts education days for minor league hockey players across North America. His message is that players can be courageous and competitive without risking brain damage. A Neumann alumnus, Primeau has also agreed to donate his brain to science when he dies.

After receiving the award, Primeau spoke on “The Ethical Value of Sports: Building Character through Competition.” Independence Blue Cross (IBC) was the presenting sponsor of the inaugural award.

The Institute for Sport, Spirituality and Character Development at Neumann University is committed to the concept that sport possesses an inescapable spiritual and ethical dimension that merits academic exploration and practical application. The Institute supervises Neumann’s team chaplains, trains team captains in leadership, and produces practical resources for area coaches.

In the photo above, Keith Primeau (center) receives the inaugural Neumann University Institute for Sport, Spirituality and Character Development Award from Dr. Rosalie Mirenda, Neumann’s president, and Dr. Ed Hastings, director of the Institute.

Holy Cross volleyball wins Region 25 championship

The Holy Cross girls’ JV volleyball team recently won the Region 25 championship on Saturday, Oct. 29.

The team (seen above) are (bottom row, from left) Kelly McGinley, Kelly Cook, Sarah Eck, Natalie Claffey, Alex Bilotta and Stephanie Flynn. In the top row are (from left) Coach Michele DiLeonardo, Alex Haris, Autumn Hunt, Shannon Durkin, Nicole Landolfi, Megan Marsh, Asst. Coach Briana DiLeonardo and Coach Maria Ferguson.

Springfield Gold Squad opens ice hockey season

The Springfield Cougars Gold squad opened up its play in the Delco Elementary League last Sunday, Nov. 6, at IceWorks in Aston against the Lower Merion Red Bulldogs.
The Cougars came out fighting and jumped out to an early lead, compliments of Ryan Kertis and Adam Baumann and their tough play around the net.
Springfield played a hard-fought game from there out. Lower Merion clawed back time and time again but was never able to figure out newcomer goaltender Brett Barber.
Ryan Kertis (two power-play goals) led the Cougars, along with Aidan Shandley who was in command on both ends of the ice in a 5-3 victory.
The Cougars offensive attack came in barrages from the elusive Austin Bush, Matthew Shandley, Franny Doerr and speedy Riley Garrison.
The story of the game was Barber’s stellar play in net, and he was helped by outstanding defensive efforts by Johnny Carafa, Johnny McCormick and Dylan Bush.

Springfield youth club football recap

SYC's 100-pound varsity linemen Zach Broomall (#44) and Dominic Addona (#51) get ready to attack Kennett/Unionville's offense during last weekend's playoff game at Crowell Park.

SYC's 100-pound varsity defensive linemen Pat Clemens (#90), Pat McCann (#63), Courtland Miller (#3), and Ethan Crowther (#55) wait for Kennett/Unionville's offense.


80-Pound Varsity Darby Twp. Eagles 20 Cougars 0 The Cougars traveled to the Eagles field on Nov. 5 to take on undefeated Darby.
On the opening kick off, Cougar kicker Jake Eden booted an onside kick that was recovered by Nicky Donegan to get the Cougars off to a good start.
Quarterback Nick Donegan tried to get things rolling behind the line of Nick
Cariola, Thomas Dougherty, Mike Leon, Brian Layton, Cole Rhodes, Kieran Morse, and Danny Tommarelli but the drive was thwarted.
The Eagles effectively moved the ball despite the great efforts of the Cougar defensive live of line of Darnell Curtis, Collin Renning, B. King, N. Cariola, Donegan, Morse, and Mike Leon.
The Cougars struggled on offense due to a very aggressive Eagle defense, even the running skills of Dominick Alfonsi, Jake Eden, Alex Sciarrino and Alex Williams was stonewalled.
Unfortunately, Springfield could not solve the problem of the fast Darby running game. The linebacker crew of Rhodes, Sciarrino, Monsi, and Eden couldn’t prevent the second Darby touchdown. The extra point failed and the Cougars found themselves down by 13.
On the ensuing kickoff Alfonsi ran the ball back to the Eagles 15-yard line but a flag nullified the run. The Eagles picked off a pass on the next play that was almost returned for a touchdown; however, a diving Eden made a shoestring tackle.
But the Eagles still found their way back into the end zone. With the PAT, Springfield was down 20-0 at the half.
In the second half, the Cougars moved the ball all the way to the 15-yard line of t the Eagles but couldn’t put it in and that was it for the Cougars’ season.
The Cougars definitely missed teammates Tommy Ward and Logan Chambers who had to sit out due to injury as the Cougars great season came to a close.
100-Pound Varsity Springfield 20 Kennett Union 0
The Cougars continued their winning ways by shutting out Kennett Union in the second round of the playoffs 20-0. Defensive powerhouse Klaus Gable set the tone by busting through the line and causing Kennett to fumble on first down. A defensive stop by Pat Clemens, Jack Spence, Liam DiFonzo, and Jeff Biancaniello put the Cougars offense on the field.
Unable to capitalize, the defense did its job, great tackles made by Ethan Crowther, Collin Ellis, Patrick Marley Jr. and Clemens.
With the ball back, Springfield got great running from Anthony Rightley, Patrick Toal, and Marley. A Marley touchdown put the Cougars up 6-0.
A fumble recovery by Clemens, aided by Jack Psenicska, put the offense back on the field; however, hard runn9ing by Spence, Rightly, and Marley came up short. Once again, Gabel, aided by Dom Addona, took care of the KU offense by sacking the quarterback.
The second half opened with Rightley's huge 50-yard touchdown run, plus scoring the extra point as well to put the Cougars up 13-0.
The defense held KU again, thanks to Pat McCann and Courtland Miller.
Then Marley’s 40-yard run put the Cougars in excellent field position. Rightley scored again, and a fancy fake toss by Quarterback Toal allowed him to bust in for the extra point and a 20-0 lead. There was excellent blocking by center Jimmy Donegan.
Huge defensive plays by Zach Broomall, Crowther, Biancaniello and Gable held KU to two first downs. Lastly, an interception by Rightley put the offense back on the field and victory formation took over.
The Cougars will play in the semi-final game on Saturday against Darby Township.

St. Francis JV defeats St. Max in opening round playoff

SFA’s Johnny Powers (left) and Patrick Devine converge to break up the intended St. Max pass.
SFA Junior Varsity
SFA 6
St. Max 0
The St. Francis of Assisi (SFA) fifth- and sixth-grade football team emerged victorious, 6-0, in a hard fought battle against St. Maximilian Kolbe of West Chester in an opening round playoff game at Episcopal High School. The win improved SFA’s record to 7-2.
The game was a defensive struggle, and yards were hard to come by. Neither team generated any offense in a scoreless first half.
St. Max stopped SFA on downs to start the second half, and proceeded to methodically drive down the field. SFA’s defense finally stiffened and stopped the drive on downs at the 26 yard line as the third quarter came to a close.
SFA then strung together their best drive of the game, as Justin Shields pounded the middle behind the blocking of Luke Sprague, Tommy Kutufaris, Alex Smith and Derek Strain. However, the drive stalled at the St. Max 43 yard line.
But SFA was back in business after forcing St. Max into a punting situation on fourth and sixteen, and pouncing on a bad snap at the St. Max 13 yard line.
Two plays later, Nicky Kutufaris followed the blocks of Adam Klein, Cole Dumont and Johnny Powers and streaked 10 yards into the end zone.
The extra point attempt failed but SFA led 6-0 with less than four minutes to play in the game. After a couple of anxious moments on long pass attempts by St. Max, Shields sealed the victory with an interception.
SFA’s defense played extremely well, limiting St. Max to 61 total yards while recording their sixth shutout of the year. Leading tacklers were Shields, Klein, Strain, Marty O’Connell, Patrick Devine, Mike Conran, Powers, T. Kutufaris, Sprague, N. Kutufaris, Dumont and Connor Crawford.
SFA will face an undefeated Our Lady of Fatima team in the next round of the playoffs 3 p.m. Sunday at Malvern High School.

Springfield Old Hockey League Nov. 7 standings

In action on Halloween, the White team beat the Black team 4-0. The White team was led by Ottawa native and goalie Dean Connell. Nov. 2’s game featured a hat trick by Springfield native Gerry McGillian in the Yellow team's first win, 8-5 over the Red team.
Standings
Team Wins Losses Ties Points Goals For Goals Against
White 3 1 0 6 20 13
Black 2 1 1 5 19 17
Red 1 2 1 3 21 28
Yellow 1 3 2 23 25