Rams ice hockey on the verge of "elite" status

Just two years ago, Spring-Ford Ice Hockey Club coach Bill Booth would never have imagined spending the week of St. Patrick's Day preparing his team for the quarterfinal round of the Class AA Flyers Cup.

Following a 7-5 win over sixth seeded Central Dauphin, however, that is exactly what Booth, his coaches and his much-improved Rams squad are doing.

After traveling to Harrisburg last Wednesday, the Rams will hit the road again as they travel to Vorhees, New Jersey and skate on the same ice that the Philadelphia Flyers, for which the cup in named, practice on every day.

“A couple of years ago, this would not have been a thought,” said Booth. “I think just getting selected for the Flyers Cup is such an honor and a tribute to how hard this team as worked to get to this point.”

Spring-Ford (8-7-3), which has reached the elite eight in the most prestigious high school ice hockey tournament in the tri-state area, will battle number three seed Washington Township on Tuesday night.  Washington finished as the Flyers Cup runner up in class AA in 2007.

On Tuesday night, the Rams will depend, as they have all season, on goaltender Pete Esslinger and solid defense in front him to keep Washington off the board and give Spring-Ford an opportunity to advance to the semifinals.

“This wouldn’t have been a dream a few years ago,” said senior Sean McCabe. “We used to be known for anything but hockey skill. We used to thug it up pretty good. It has been awesome to see how far we have come in just a couple of seasons.”

A formidable foe, Washington Township, lost its league championship to Cherokee (the only other New Jersey team left in the Flyers Cup) 6-5 on a heartbreaking goal with 15 seconds left. They will, however, be riding the momentum of 5-3 win over William Tennant as they skate into Voorhees.

Spring-Ford seniors Tyler Hoffman, Drew Hunsberger, Sean McCabe and Jake Murphy will be called upon to maintain the intensity in the offensive end that has led to the Rams posting 54 goals thus far.

“We are thrilled to have this opportunity,” said Steve Lampman, vice president of Spring-Ford Ice hockey. “To be selected at all takes a very strong season, and you have to play some very good teams along the way. The kids have relished the support they have gotten from their fans all season, and hopefully we can keep on playing.”

Spring-Ford will have to keep a tight leash on senior forwards Eddie Sarin (2 goals, 2 assists) and Ben BaSalma (2 goals, assist), who combined for 7 points in Washington Township's opening round win over the Panthers.

Tuesday night, when the Rams take the ice that so many Flyers greats have skated on, it will be yet another step in a journey to establishing Spring-Ford as a prominent force on the Inter-County Scholastic Hockey League (ICSHL) landscape for years to come.

“Our fans have been great all year,” said Tyler Hoffman. “We have had some great games and some times when we haven’t played our best, but they have been there for us all season. We hear them and it really energizes you when you take the ice.”

In a season that featured a six-game unbeaten streak and huge wins over Boyertown and West Chester Henderson, the Rams will look to channel that magic to send Washington Townhsip home and advance to a semifinal match up with the winner of the Boyertown/Central Bucks East game.

#11) Spring-Ford at #3) Washington Township, Skate Zone in Vorhees, NJ. 7:20 pm

 Other Quarterfinal match ups:

#2) Central Bucks East vs. #10) Boyertown   at Warwick 7:00 pm

#1) Council Rock South vs. #8) North Penn  at BCI Face Off  7:00 pm

#12) Cherokee vs. #13) Downingtown East  at Warwick 8:45 pm