Weekend Roundup - February 14-17

Greetings, JBH families!

The DVHL Playoffs have arrived! What an exciting weekend for the whole club, with 4 teams competing this weekend for the ultimate prize: Championship banners. A message from the DVHL:

Dear DVHL Families, Players, Coaches, and Supporters

On behalf of the Delaware Valley Hockey League, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who made the 2025 DVHL Championship Weekend an incredible success. From Friday, February 14th, through Monday, February 17, we witnessed an action-packed four days filled with dedication, teamwork, and outstanding sportsmanship.  

With 29 games on Friday, 32 games on Saturday, 28 games on Sunday, and 6 thrilling final matchups on Monday, this weekend showcased the very best of DVHL hockey. Each game was a testament to the hard work and passion our players and coaches have poured into this season. The level of competition was exceptional, and it was truly inspiring to see teams leave it all on the ice.  

A huge thank you goes out to our coaches, officials, volunteers, rink staff, vendors and commentators who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure a seamless and memorable event. Your commitment to our league and players is invaluable, and we appreciate all that you do. To our parents and families, your unwavering support and enthusiasm fuel this league, and we thank you for being such an integral part of the DVHL community.  

Most importantly, congratulations to all our teams—whether you won the championship or battled with heart and determination, you are all champions in our eyes. The growth, camaraderie, and love for the game that we saw over the weekend are what make the DVHL so special.  

Thank you for an unforgettable Championship Weekend! We look forward to another incredible season ahead.  

Sincerely,

Jay Finnigan
DVHL President

16U A National

The 16U A National team earned a spot in the DVHL playoffs this past weekend at IceWorks in Aston, PA. Their first game took place Friday evening at 8pm against Genesis Hockey Club. 

From the DVHL: Delaware Jr. Blue Hens Defeat Genesis Hockey Club in Overtime Thriller, 4-3:  In a tense playoff showdown, the Delaware Jr. Blue Hens secured a 4-3 overtime victory over Genesis Hockey Club in the 16U A National playoffs. The game saw multiple lead changes, but Brennan Austin’s overtime goal sealed the win for Delaware in dramatic fashion.  Genesis struck first at 4:33 of the first period, as Andrew Tkach found the back of the net off assists from Theodore Guarnieri and Adam Mullen. However, Delaware answered quickly at 00:22, with Aydan Savery scoring on a power play, assisted by Gavin Mellon and Evan Finnicum, tying the game at 1-1.  The second period saw Delaware take a 2-1 lead at 15:01, as Evan Finnicum scored off a pass from Steven Melson and Gavin Mellon. Genesis responded with two goals of their own: Richard Belles scored at 10:34 (assisted by Kaylee Stahneck and Andrew Tkach), followed by Ryan Aldrich’s unassisted goal at 4:00, putting Genesis ahead 3-2 heading into the final frame.  Delaware kept their playoff hopes alive in the third period, as James Austin netted the equalizer at 13:57, assisted by Wyatt Gooch, sending the game into overtime.  In the extra period, Brennan Austin delivered the game-winner just three minutes in, securing a 4-3 OT victory for the Jr. Blue Hens.  Jr Blue Hens goaltender Ryne Dominick faced 29 shots, making 26 saves in a strong performance. Genesis’s netminder held firm against 25 shots.

The next game on Saturday was against CCSC. From the DVHL: Chester County Cougars Prevail 7-4 Over Delaware Jr. Blue Hens in Playoff Battle: The Chester County Cougars delivered a 7-4 victory over the Delaware Jr. Blue Hens in a 16U A National playoff showdown. A strong offensive performance in the early periods helped Chester County secure the win and advance. Chester County took control in the first period, with Luke Ganly scoring twice—first at 8:21, assisted by Andrew Palahunik, and again at 4:35, unassisted, giving the Cougars a 2-0 lead. The second period saw a surge of goals from both teams. Ryan Syto got Delaware on the board at 14:33, assisted by Enrique Boyd. However, Chester County quickly responded with Luke Ganly completing a hat trick at 11:50, assisted by James Mitchell, making it 3-1. Delaware fought back as Brennan Austin scored at 10:28, assisted by Evan Finnicum, to make it 3-2. Chester County then added two more goals—Easton Hines at 9:00 (assisted by Luke Ganly) and Thomas Lewis at 7:45 (assisted by Ryan Salfas and Parker Thompson). In the third period, Andrew Palahunik at 11:48 (assisted by Parker Thompson), extending the Cougar lead to 6-2. Delaware pushed to close the gap. Brendan Austin scored at 6:30, assisted by James Austin, and Parker Thompson added another at 5:39, assisted by Charles Kurz, bringing Delaware within two at 6-4.  However, Chester County sealed the win with a late goal from Brennan Austin at 2:54, making it a 7-4 final. 

Game 3 found JBH up against Genesis for the second time. From the DVHL: Delaware Jr. Blue Hens Surge to a 5-1 Victory Over Genesis Hockey Club in Playoff Battle: The Delaware Jr. Blue Hens secured a commanding 5-1 playoff win over Genesis Hockey Club, showcasing a balanced offensive attack and strong goaltending. The Blue Hens wasted no time, jumping out to an early 1-0 lead at 14:44 when Evan Finnicum found the net, assisted by Wyatt Good. Shortly after, Finnicum struck again at 13:50 with an unassisted tally to extend the lead to 2-0. The offensive push continued as Gavin Ostrobrod put one past the Jr Blue Hens goaltender at 6:46, assisted by Colin Funk, making it 2-1 to close out the period. At 3:08 Enrique Boyd, set up by Andy Wu and Brennan Austin, to extend the lead to 3-1. Both teams played a tight defensive game in the second, keeping the scoreboard unchanged. Delaware Jr. Blue Hens put the game away in the final frame with two late goals. Aydan Savery scored at 13:50, assisted by Brennan Austin, making it 4-1. To cap off the dominant performance, Ryan Syto added a goal at 9:21, set up by James Austin, securing the 5-1 victory. Dylan Morrison from the Jr .Blue Hens made 17 saves on 18 shots, holding strong in net for the win. Genesis Hockey Club goalie Joseph Lonergan stopped 13 of 18 shots, battling against an aggressive offensive attack.

Game 4, back against CCSC. From the DVHL: Delaware Jr. Blue Hens Clinch 5-2 Victory Over Chester County Cougars:  The Delaware Jr. Blue Hens took control early and never looked back, securing a 5-2 victory over the Chester County Cougars in their playoff matchup. A strong offensive showing paired with solid goaltending helped Delaware advance. The Jr. Blue Hens opened the scoring at 11:19 when Brennan Austin found the back of the net unassisted. Just a minute later, at 10:18, Wyatt Gooch doubled the lead with help from Aydan Savery, giving Delaware a 2-0 lead heading into the second period. Delaware continued to dominate as Evan Finnicum extended the lead at 15:16, assisted by James Austin. Finnicum struck again at 4:49, this time unassisted, putting the Jr. Blue Hens up 4-0. The Jr. Blue Hens struck early in the third when Gavin Mellon capitalized on a feed from Enrique Boyd and Ryan Syto, extending the lead to 5-0. Chester County broke through at 14:16 when Ryan Wisely scored, assisted by Andrew Palahunik, cutting the deficit to 5-1. With just 0:26 left in regulation, Wisely added another goal off an assist from Parker Thompson, making it 5-2. Ryne Dominick (Delaware Jr. Blue Hens) was outstanding, making 34 saves on 36 shots, shutting out the Cougars through two periods, and standing tall in the final frame to secure the win. The Cougars’ goaltender faced 21 shots, keeping the game within reach, but ultimately, Delaware’s offensive pressure proved too much.

Forcing a game 5 after the previous victory meant another match up against CCSC. In true back and forth fashion, as was the case all season, this seemed to be an unfortunate case of bad timing for our Hens. From the DVHL: Chester County Cougars Overcome Early Deficit to Defeat Delaware Jr. Blue Hens 4-1 in Division Final:  The Chester County Cougars stormed back from an early deficit, scoring four unanswered goals to defeat the Delaware Jr. Blue Hens 4-1 in a decisive Championship victory. The Cougars prevail in the later stages of the game, securing the win with a strong third-period performance.  Delaware struck first at 11:24, as Tyler Heffington capitalized on a setup from Brennan Austin, giving the Blue Hens a 1-0 lead. Chester County had difficulty generating early offensive momentum but kept the deficit manageable heading into the second period. Chester County evened the score at 15:04 when Ryan Wiseley found the back of the net, assisted by Andrew Palahunik and Thomas Lewis. This goal shifted the momentum in favor of the Cougars as they gained confidence heading into the final frame. The Cougars took control in the third period, starting with Ryan Salfas scoring at 10:37, assisted by Oliver Scheff, putting Chester County up 2-1. Moments later, Andrew Palahunik extended the lead at 6:32, scoring a power-play goal with an assist from Ryan Wiseley. Chester County sealed the Championship at 2:27, as Luke Ganlay scored from Andrew Palahunik, picking up his second assist of the game. Max Reiner (Chester County Cougars) was solid in net, stopping 25 of 26 shots, keeping his team in the game after the early deficit, and shutting out Delaware in the final two periods. Ryne Dominick (Delaware Jr. Blue Hens) made 19 saves on 23 shots, holding strong early but facing relentless offensive pressure in the latter stages of the game.

We want to offer huge congratulations to the 16U A National team for putting up a fight to the very end!!

16U A American

From Coach Jesse: Here we go- 16 U A American earned the #1 seed in the DVHL playoffs. The first game was scheduled for 12:45 on Friday against the Exton Kings.  I told the boys it doesn't matter who we play, we just have to play our game.  The boys were locked in as soon as I saw them.  They were focused, and determined.  Both of our goalies are absolute beauties between the pipes so we just kept the same rotation and Brandon Aungst got the start. TK started the scoring off on a pass from Justin Silver and Ryan Roth. Then at the beginning of the second period, Kaiden McCoury beat the Exton goalie 5 hole to go up 2-0. As every hockey player knows, a 2 goal lead in hockey is a death sentence.  1 minute after we scored Exton put one past Brandon. 10 minutes later Exton tied it up from the same kid. with 5:09 left in the 3rd period the same player completed his hat trick and Exton went ahead 3-2. that would suck the life out of most kids, but not our team.  NOT TODAY!  Jason Tamin struggled all year to find the back of the net. Last weekend he got his first goal against the Quakers. I told him and his dad that once the first one goes, they will start pouring in.  With 3:47 left in the third period, down by 1 goal, Kaiden McCoury hit Ethan Chantler with a pass that he then hit Jason Tamin back pipe driving the net to tie the game.  The rink erupted, but the boys knew we weren't done.  We went to 3v3 overtime- Brandon Aungst was incredible in OT making several breakaway saves, including one on Exton’s best player and scoring threat.  He was unconscious!  OT was back and forth with both goalies refusing to submit. At 1:38 left in the first OT, Justin Silver delivered the final blow.  He took a shot that the goalie saved and picked the puck back up and circled back around, and for some reason his defender went behind the net. Justin has an outstanding hockey IQ and took the space he was given and beat the goalie glove high for the dramatic win and berth in the championship game. That win set us up for an 1845 game against unbeaten teams Saturday evening.  The winner of the game after ours would play us.  The boys were happy with their effort and celebrated a little, but quickly moved onto the next game.  

After learning that Delco knocked off Hershey, we knew exactly what we had to do.  We were focused and ready to go.  Delco never had a chance.  The first goal we scored was on a pass from Justin Silver to a streaking TK splitting the D and going bar down on the goalie.  We completely dominated Delco in every facet. Out worked, out hit, and outsmarted them.  With that team there is one kid you have to worry about, that if he gets loose can score at will.  The boys (all three lines) dominated.  Delco couldn't break out because our forecheck was relentless. If they got into our zone we took away time and space to block shots. Our second goal was scored at 9:05 by Justin Silver after he picked up the puck as F3 buzzin around the top of the circles and beat the goalie short side. It was total domination as the forecheck of Ethan Chantler and Ben Zigmond did not allow a breakout. The second period was scoreless.  Delco was starting to generate some offense, but that meant that they had to deal with Quinn Kelley. Quinn was an absolute wall all night.  The most impressive part of what Quinn was doing was his rebound control.  If he wanted the puck he kept it and covered.  If he wanted to direct it to one of our players with his pads he did. He was phenomenal in net. In complete control and seeing the puck like it was a beach ball.   Remember the 2 goal lead is the worst in hockey?  Oscar Wiebke didn’t want it to be 2-0 anymore. On a play where Jeet Patel won a board battle at the blue line and started up ice, he looked over and saw Oscar get clipped by a Delco player.  Oscar got right back up and Jeet slid the puck over to him. Oscar walked his defender and beat the Delco goalie 5 hole for his first goal of the season. Oscar started playing hockey last year. He has never quit, and has a great attitude. All of his hard work finally paid off. The arena erupted for him. The boys and coaches are so happy for him.  With 12:30 left in the 3rd period TK put the nail in the coffin again beating the Delco goalie making it 4-0.  Quinn earned the shut out.  The defense was unbelievable.  Big hit of the day was made by Wheels on a Delco player carrying the puck into the zone with his head down. Wheels made a clean hit to prevent a scoring chance.  Winning that game meant that we had to wait for the 2:45 game on Sunday to learn if it was Delco or Exton that we would play.  After the first Exton game I told the Exton coach that we would probably see them again. After the Delco game the Delco coaches congratulated the boys and said that they played a perfect game against them, and they would see us tomorrow night.  Well Exton won so we got to play them again on Sunday night for the chip. It was double elimination and we hadn’t lost so all we had to do was win one game.  

Exton came to play.. It was a scoreless game until BIG MIKE poked the puck past his defender and flew down the right side. He made a centering pass that was buried upper 90 by big game JEET PATEL. Beautiful pass and finish.  Exton scored after that with 47 seconds left in the period.  Exton scored one in the 2nd and another in the early 3rd period. On a ridiculously dirty hit, a player from Exton boarded TK which ended up breaking his collarbone.  NEXT MAN UP. I am so proud of they rallied.  They lost their Captain, and the week before one of the more physical defensemen in Ian Guarneri to a collarbone.  This made the boys mad. They never quit, they never give up. Wyatt Bolin and Justin Silver took over scoring a minute after the 3rd Exton goal.  The boys fought hard, Exton basically parked the bus in front of their goal.  With 2 minutes left I pulled Brandon for an extra skater. With 26 ticks left on the clock Justin Silver got one past the goalie to tie the game.  We have life!  I told the boys to reset and get us to OT. We are undefeated in OT and NO ONE can play against our top 10 players.  Brandon Aungst again saved our butts by stopping Exton on a break away. After 4 minutes of back and forth Chips gained control of the puck and used his spidey sense to sauce a pass out to Justin Silver who was in the neutral zone. Perfect pass, Justin gains control and Wyatt Bolin turns the jets on to make it a 2v1.  Justin drew his defender over a little that allowed him to sauce Wyatt a pass with room to deek the goalie for the OT Championship winner. They did it.  We are all so proud of them. They all contributed and earned the regular season and playoff victory.  It was complete joy. TK who had been out since the second period, depressed and hurting, was able to forget about his shoulder for a while.  Ian, who should not have been walking on the ice, ran to the boards to be a part of the celebration.  9 of these kids went though complete misery 2 years ago. Last season we were a couple bounces away from flipping the record. This season we added some pieces that put us over the edge.  All of the new players fit in seamlessly from the start. These guys are more than a team, they are a F.A.M.I.L.Y. They all play for each other and have all season. They are resilient which is rare these days. 

Forget About Me I Love You. (FAMILY)

If you play 30 minutes- go all out

If you play 15 minutes- go all out

If you play 5 minutes-go all out

if you play 1 minute -go all out

If you don’t play at all-cheer the loudest for your team. Coaches will notice.

Tanner Kinkus-C-F

Lucas (Chips) Bockhorn-A- F-D

Ian Guarneri- A- D

Wyatt Bolin-F

Justin Silver-F

Ethan Chantler-F

Jason Tamin-F

Kaiden McCoury- F

Cayden Spencer-D

Chase Wheeler- D

Connor Clark- D

Ben Zigmond-F

Brandon Aungst-G

Quinn Kelley-G

Jackson Persoleo-D

Mike Brzozowski-F

Jeet Patel-F

Oscar Wiebke-F

Ryan Roth-D-F