Downingtown East soars
The Cougars turned back Council Rock South for the Flyers Cup AA championship.
Downingtown East built a three-goal lead, then withstood a comeback bid by defending champion Council Rock South to capture the AA Flyers Cup championship last night with a 4-2 win at the Ice Arena in Hatfield.
The victory for the unbeaten Cougars (24-0-1) put them in the Pennsylvania Cup championship at noon Thursday at the Mellon Center in Pittsburgh. They will face the AA Penguins Cup champion, yet to be determined.
It was a little revenge for the Cougars, who were ousted by the Golden Hawks in the quarterfinals last season. South lost to Latrobe in the state cup finals.
"Coach told us it was Council Rock South's year last year but it was our year this year," said sophomore Dave Defazio, who scored one of the goals that enabled the Cougars take a 3-0 lead. "We were determined to make it our year."
Ryan Urban scored a pair of goals as the Cougars built that 3-0 lead, but the key to the game was a defense that essentially kept the Golden Hawks' big three - Patrick Grilli, Tyler Deitrick and Peter Malmud - off the scoreboard. They had accounted for 91 goals before last night, but only Grilli managed a goal in the title game.
"They're a very good team," said Council Rock South coach Joe Houk, whose team lost its first game to finish 22-1-3. "We saw them play against [Council Rock] North Monday night, but that doesn't leave much time to prepare for them."
Downingtown East won the semifinal game against Council Rock North, 2-1.
Urban put the Cougars up, 1-0, with his first goal a little more than seven minutes into the first period. DeFazio made it 2-0 four minutes lasters.
"I saw Ian [Hall] streaking down the ice, and he hit me with a perfect pass," DeFazio said.
Urban's second goal made it 3-0 early in the second period. Grilli cut that to 3-1 with his goal with 59 seconds left in the period. When South's Jonathon Houk scored early in the third period, it looked as if the Golden Hawks would rally. But a goal by Hall and some standout goaltending by the Cougars' Ryan Lord cut it short.
Downingtown East 2 1 1 - 4
Council Rock South 0 1 1 - 2
Goals: DE-Ryan Urban 2, David DeFazio, Ian Hall. CRS: Patrick Grilli, Jonathon Houk.
Saves: DE-Ryan Lord 22. CRS: David Chiokadze 24.