Pope John Paul II head coach Jim Ginnetti had a feeling it was coming.
The Golden Panthers’ first win as a team may have taken nearly four months to arrive, but as it came against PAC-10 rival Phoenixville, dashing the Phantoms hopes for a playoff berth, it was worth the wait.
What Ginnetti hadn’t counted on was for the 8-4 thrashing of the Phantoms to ignite a three game win streak, enabling PJP2 to close out the season unbeaten in its last four trips to the ice.
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“I knew it was coming,” said Ginnetti. “They were all starting to come together. It was just a matter of time. You could just feel it in the air that night when we played Phoenixville. Now these guys have started believing in themselves and it has showed on the ice.”
Freshman goaltender Brendan Heller, who helped the Golden Panthers navigate the treacherous waters of the Tri-County league for most of the season by turning away a nightly barrage of vulcanized rubber, has been rewarded with three consecutive victories.
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“My defense has played great all year,” said Heller. “As a goaltender, I know there are always going to be nights when I face a lot of shots. It was hard in the beginning of the year, but we have really come together as a team.”
Heller recorded the most saves in the league with a total of 487. His next closest competitor had only 343. Heller's .805 save percentage also placed him in the top ten netminders in the league.
Pope John Paul II, which did not have a single point in the standings until the Phoenixville game, ended the regular season Friday night with a 3-14-1 record, following their win over Chichester on senior recognition night.
Led by senior Joe Mammana (3 goals, 1 assist), who competed a hat trick midway through the second period to give the Golden Panthers a 5-1 lead, PJP2 trounced Chichester 7-2 to push past the Eagles by four points in the final standings. They also drew within one point of Harriton for fourth place in the division.
In the last two weeks of the regular season, PJP2 outscored the opposition by a 28-15 margin. That can help erase a lot of miscues in the defensive end of the ice.
The season ending win streak has helped ensure that Golden Panthers ice hockey fans will have more to cheer about during the 2011-12 campaign.
“This senior group helped the underclassmen in so many ways,” added Ginnetti. “They have helped get the program started and have matured in so many ways since the beginning of the year. The have provided a great work ethic for the younger players to follow.”
Season scoring leaders for the Golden Panthers
1. Joe Mammana 21 goals, 7 assists
2. Cole Bernstiel 11 goals, 8 assists
3. Blaise Kilroy 11 goals, 6 assists
4. Jimmy Kelly 10 goals, 7 assists
5. Zach Russell one goal, six assists.
