T
here is a saying that a two-goal
lead is the most dangerous lead
in ice hockey.
In the final game of the
Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey
League (PIHL) Varsity Ice Hockey State
Championship, the Pine-Richland varsity
ice hockey team never let it get that close.
With a 3-0 shutout over back-to-back
returning champions Downington East,
the Rams captured their first state win
in more than 10 years at the Class AA
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Pennsylvania Cup on March 23 at Robert
Morris University. The win capped off a
near-perfect 22-0-1 season for the team,
which had finished in first place in the AA
Northwest Division of the PIHL.
The Rams found their lead early, when
senior Brian Phipps scored a goal with
just 1:03 on the clock, and they never
looked back. Junior goaltender Daniel
Stauffer stopped all 24 shots on net to
give the Rams the shutout.
icmags.com
Varsity Head Coach Jordan Yoklic
credits the team’s depth and work ethic
for its success throughout the season.
“Our varsity team had four hard-
working lines that could score. We were
able to get leads and continue to roll all
four lines when other teams might not
have had that luxury,” he says. “Usually,
teams would have a couple of strong lines,
but we were able to wear them down
with fresh legs each shift. Our goal was
to win all 50/50 pucks and win every
State Champs!