Springfield Blue advance to Elementary Ice playoff finals

Springfield Blue
The elementary Blue ice hockey team won a hard fought battle against Haverford 6-3 to advance to the playoff finals.
Play was tight through most of the game. Aidan Smith started the scoring in the first with his first of three goals on the night. Justin Bush notched two goals, assisted by Ronan Plummer and Nicky Medwid.
Helping net minder Lachlan Plummer look sharp was a solid defense of Zack Isetts, Aidan Shandley and Nate Bauman who stymied the Haverford offense time after time.
Versatile Matthew Shandley had an impressive night on the blue line. Ronan Plummer went top shelf in the third for the game winner. Young guns Luca Dimarcantonio, Shane Knoell and Adam Bauman all produced great pressure on offense, helping the Cougar squad keep the play in the Haverford end. Aidan and Ryan Kertis made their presence known with many opportunities along with Stephen Rice who gets stronger with every shift.
Springfield Gold
The Gold Cougars stormed into the playoff tournament as the number three seed and quickly dispatched of the Ridley Raiders with a thrilling 6-5 victory.
Brendan McCloskey and Steven Griffin led the way, each picking up three points.
Domonic Carbonetta picked a great stage to score his first goal on the season, and young Connor Rysak picked up a key assist.
Thomas Yocum and Ronnie Delfera also added assists, and the rest of the Cougars turned in a playoff worthy effort.
The win moved the Cougars into the second round to face Strath Haven. John-Paul Ahearn had a big five-point night with four goals and an assist. Carbonetta continued his hot streak with his second goal.
Yocum and Jack Spence were stellar on defense, and Yocum picked up an assist, as did offensive wizard Steven Griffin.
Forwards Ryan O'Connor, Delfera, Eric Agan and Riley Garrison played key minutes in both wins gaining some valuable playoff experience, while Brendan McCloskey played two of his best games in the tourney.
Johnny Carafa stepped into a new role and played defense like he has been there all season. He teamed with Connor Rysak and Mikey "Magic" Ahearn to hold down the Springfield zone and frustrate the Strath Haven skaters.
The star of this game was goalie
Danny McGill; he stopped all twenty-three shots he faced with many outstanding saves that shows why he is considered one of the best in the league.

Springfield Sports notices for March 28

Springfield AA Girls’ Travel Soccer Tryouts
Fall 2011 Season
Saturday, April 9 at 4:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Church Road Field
Sunday, April 10 at 4:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Church Road Field.
Monday, April 11 at 6 - 9 p.m. at Memorial Park Field.
Check www.springfieldaa.org for specific information.
Any questions, contact Gil Crystle by email at gilcrystle30@comcast.net.
Parent Meeting For SHS Football
A meeting for the parents of any current eight-grade boy interested in playing football for Springfield High School next year (2011 season) will be held on Wednesday, April 20 at 6 p.m. at Audion B in the high school.
This is an informative meeting to discuss the freshman football program, as well as the overall team and camp information. The freshman team coaches and the SHS Football Boosters will be present at the meeting.

Springfield AA at Del Val U 14 champs

Springfield AA defeated team Positive Force, from Marcus Hook, 57-55, to become the 2010-2011 Del-Val U-14 champions. Springfield lost to Positive Force twice during the regular season and took the lead with six seconds left in the game. Team members are (back row) coach Ed McCann, Brian McCloskey, Quanife Tavares, Nick Apostolu, J. Kraiza and coach Brian McCloskey; (front row) Jack Schott, Chris Strawley, assistant coach Colin McCloskey, Kenny Lynch, Kevin McCormick, Billy Smith, Tevelle Wilson and Jordan Collins. Not shown: Trevin Jones.

Springfield Athletic Association Girls’ laxers hit with spring fever

The SAA Girls’ lacrosse program kicked off their spring season with a one-mile conditioning run followed by instruction from the Springfield High School district champions. Enjoying the day are (front row) Julie Schickling, Dana Carlson, Kaily D'Matteo, Gina DeBernardi, Aly Pickett, Kerry McCann, Kristie Oakley, MacKenzie Meehan, Maddie Dienna, (middle row) Stephanie McCann, Bridget Whitaker, Kaily Crystle, Cara Dunfee, Molly Ryan, Camryn Shea, Jordan Pace, Elizabeth Totso, Gianna Zulli, (back row) Jill Kane, Ally Lee, Riley Cutcliff, Kate Martin, Kailyn Gormley, Sadie Shea, Franchesca Ciancaglini, Amanda Hopkins and Kristen Methlie.

SFA holds Final Four Beef ‘n Beer

A Final Four Beef and Beer to benefit the SFA CYO program will be on Saturday, April 2 from 7:30-11:30 p.m. The Final Four games will be shown on the big screen. There will be prizes, food, beer and a DJ. It is also BYOB. Cost is $20 pp or $35 per couple. All tickets $25 at the door. For information call 610-544-3142 or email momikenmk@verizon.net

SFA Varsity Basketball ends season

The St. Francis of Assisi varsity boys’ basketball team finished out another great season. The team finished second in the Region 25 regular season with a 12-1 record. Overall the team finished with a 23-8 record that included runner-up finishes in the Saint Kevin and Saint Philomena’s tournaments. Team members are (front row) David Lynch, Jimmy Murray, Colin Duffy, Stephen Randolph, Robbie Baxter, Jon Matty, (back row) Coach John Nolan, Ricky Sterling, Connor Clifton, Liam Green, Patrick Gower, Luke Reichert, Michael Fleagle, Coach Michael Nolan, Dan Wasson, Will Powers and Coach Dan Nolan. Patrick Smyth and Coach Steve Novielli are not shown.

Springfield sports notices for March 14

Springfield AA Registration Ending Soon
Registration for 2011 SAA spring sports will be closing soon. The open registration period ended and while registrations are still being accepted, a $25 late fee will be applied. You can register online at www.springfieldaa.org . If your child desires to participate in t-ball, baseball, softball, lacrosse, umpiring or any other spring SAA sport, they must be registered through the online process. See the SAA website for more details and contact information.

Springfield Gold Cougars are third seed in playoffs

The Gold Cougars stormed into the post season with two exciting wins over potential play-off opponents, Plymouth-White Marsh and Strath Haven.
Led by scoring sensations Steven Griffin and John-Paul Ahearn, who have combined for more than 80 goals this season, the Cougars ended the season with a 13-5 record and a third seed in the play-off tournament.
Thomas Yocum put a cap on a terrific season with two more great games; his leadership is on display every time he takes the ice.
Jack Spence and Brendan McCloskey are two more players that leave it all on the ice, scoring big goals or diving in front of shots; their experience will go a long way in the play-offs.
Goalie Danny McGill has been such a big part of the success of this team; facing more than thirty shots a game, he made over 400 saves, including two stops on penalty shots.
Speedsters Ronnie Delfera and Dominic Carbonetta will be looking to continue their difference making play well into the post season.
The emergence of youngsters Mikey "Magic" Ahearn and Connor Rysak has helped solidify the defense.
At the offensive end Ryan O'Connor, Johnny Carafa, Eric Agan and Riley Garrison have worked so hard this season to keep up with some more experienced players; their determination and dedication will continue to help the Cougars and could be the edge every team is looking for this time of year.
The play-offs begin on Sunday, March 20 at Ice Works in Aston.

Great ending to a perfect season for Holy Cross CYO

The undefeated (28-0) Holy Cross boys JV fifth/sixth grade basketball team won the CYO Region 25 on Feb. 28 by defeating St. St. Anastasia and ended up with a perfect season. Team members are Christian Lane, Andrew Shuda, Nate Lohr, Tom McNicholas, Ian Reger, Tommy Toal, Gary Kelly, Eustice Hill, Ethan Cook, John Henderson, Jake Gindhart, Jason Estep Ryan Harlow and Zach Chevalier. The coaches are Tom Flaherty, Dana Cook and Mike Henderson.
Holy Cross JV
The fifth/sixth grade boys from Holy Cross entered the Region 25 Championship Game at Prendie on Feb. 28 with the pressure of being 28-0, and it being their coach's final game.
Their opponent was St. Anastasia, who had only one loss during the regular season. Holy Cross got off to a quick lead in the first quarter thanks to Jake Gindhart hitting three baskets. Holy Cross led after one 12-4.
In the second quarter, St. Annie's made a run with S. Hahn scoring seven points of his game high 20. Holy Cross was leading at the half 19-14.
With strong rebounding from both Eustace Hill and Ethan Cook, Holy Cross got its running game ignited with Christian Lane getting two baskets, as well as Gindhart getting two more. Hill and Cook, also both scored in the quarter, increasing the Holy Cross lead to 10 after the third quarter at 31-21.
Tremendous defensive guard play from Tom Toal, Gindhart and Lane kept the Annie's guards off the scoreboard the entire game.
Much of the fourth quarter was a defensive battle, with St. Annie's employing a full court press with less than four minutes to go, but Holy Cross didn’t make one turnover.
Annie's got as close as six points, but a great assist by Tom Toal, who found an open Ethan Cook under the basket, put Holy Cross back in control.
With two minutes to play, St. Annie's knew they had to foul, hoping Holy Cross would miss in exchange for a possession. But clutch foul shooting by super sub John Henderson who went 4-4 in the final 30 seconds sealed the victory, a championship and a perfect season.
Other accomplishments by the Crusaders were winning championships in the Our Lady of Fatima Santa Slam, Coaches For Cancer and Our Lady Of Perpetual Help tournaments.
Including the undefeated summer record for Holy Cross, this team was a combined 45-0--now “that's perfect." The coaches, Tom Flaherty, Dana Cook and Mike Henderson, congratulate the team.

SFA wins Mary Mags Tournament

The St. Francis seventh/eighth-grade basketball team beat St. Laurence 34-25 to win the St. Mary Mags Basketball Tournament, Feb. 28. Chris Scarduzio led the way with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The boys won three other games to get to championship round. Team members are (front row) Joe Walker, Ray Jeffris, Thomas McCann, Chris Scarduzio, Kyle Godsey, David McCann, Anthony Walker, (back row) Coach McGuire, Anthony Swank, James Holden, Tim Delaney and Coach McCann.

St. Kevin wins nail-biter championship

Ending its season on a high note, the St. Kevin CYO boys’ varsity basketball team turned the championship game of a Time for Caring Tournament into a nail-biting win against St. Bernadette. Both teams fought hard and the game ended in overtime. Celebrating their final win of the season were (back row) Nick Fox, Jack Schott, Brett Sheeran, Bryan Biehl, Matt Conran, Jimmy Reardon, Kevin Hanley, (middle row) Joey DeCesaris, Kyle Dobinson, and (front row) Coach Paul Ward, Kurt Clements, Kyle Ryan, Jimmy Base, Coach Nick Salladino, Ryan Birch and Coach John Caramanico.

Springfield Gold Elementary icemen beat Delaware Snipers

Springfield Gold 9, Delaware Snipers 6
The Gold Cougars hit the road on Feb. 27 to take on the Snipers at the University of Delaware and brought home an important win. This followed an exciting win over Ridley earlier in the week.
For one of the few times this season, the Gold crew had all of its players and each had a piece of the win.
The Snipers jumped out to a quick two-goal lead only to see the Cougars battle back to tie. John Paul Ahearn scored two (of his six) goals in a two-minute span.
Ronnie Delfera continues to impress with his play, scoring off a pretty feed from Ahearn and picking up two assists of his own.
Brendan McCloskey played one of his best games thus far and was rewarded for crashing the net when he tied the game early in the second.
The line of Dominic Carbonetta, Johnny Carafa and Ryan O’Connor did a great job frustrating the Snipers with stingy defense and back checking.
As usual, Danny McGill stood tall between the pipes, using his long legs and quick hands to make all the key saves.
Eric Agan opened the third period by setting the table for another goal from Ahearn; Agan has been playing some of his best hockey down the stretch.
Riley Garrison played a solid game on the wing, making some big plays in her own end and had a real nose for he puck.
Connor Rysak and Mikey "Magic" Ahearn played defense in this one and may have played their way into their positions for the remainder of the year, Rysak had an assist on a huge third period goal, and Ahearn broke up plays all night. Thomas Yocum and Jack Spence anchored the defense; their play has gone a long way to the success of the Gold crew.
With the game tied and just two minutes left on the clock, the Cougars had the "Letter Men” on the ice - all six players wear either a "C" or an "A" on their uniform. Thomas Yocum fed a pass to a streaking Steven Griffith who raced ahead of the pack and deked the goalie for a goal that gave the Cougars the lead for good. Griffith, Ahearn, Yocum, Spence,
McCloskey and McGill would see to it that Springfield would skate away with this win.