Pennridge Ice Hockey beats Thomas Jefferson 4-3 in Double Overtime

Seventy minutes. That’s how long it takes to make state champions. In double overtime, Pennridge’s Ice Hockey team beat Thomas Jefferson High School 4-3 in the state championship game. Before the game, there was a lot of positive energy in the locker room. Assistant Coach Chris Pico said, “The boys have handled the pressure all year, and they aren’t nervous, just excited. We’ll be ready”. This sentiment was for all the players who felt that victory was assured. Andrew David, no. 88, said, “We’re gonna win. Our biggest obstacle today will be ourselves. Only way we lose today is if we let Thomas Jefferson get the better of us”. The team never came off as nervous. Goalie, Ryan Pico, no. 35, said, “All I have to do is be the wall,” in reference to his nickname “The great wall of Pico” and a wall he was with 62 saves against Jefferson’s offense.

The Pennridge team hasn’t made it this far alone; they have had the unending support of Pennridge’s P-Block, a student section of Pennridge students. When asked about P-block, the players all voiced their gratitude for the group of fans. David said, “They are the best student section. They are the reason we win.” Ryan Pico said, “P-block gets us going, hypes us up, the louder they get, the better.” Even Assistant Coach Chris Pico said, “Unbelievable the energy they give the team. Words can’t even describe it. The Seattle Kraken has the seventh man, and P-block is ours.”

Finally, the game started, and little did the team know it would go on for five periods. Within the first two minutes of the first period, Pennridge’s Andrew Savona, no. 77, scored the first goal of the game, soon followed by a second goal by no. 42 Jack Lowery on the power play bringing the score to 2-0. In the second quarter, Jefferson scored two goals made by no. 90 Colby Bilski. Moving into the third period, it was 2-2. A goal by Jefferson’s no. 25 Lance Smith put them in the lead at 3-2. Finally, after a battle in the third period, Tyler Manto, no. 48, scored Pennridge’s third goal tying up the game. With only five minutes left in the third period, neither team scored, and we moved to the first overtime.

The first overtime started, and a war was waged. The puck bounced from one end of the ice to the other. Both goalies worked hard to block multiple shots for the most grueling 15 minutes of hockey they had ever played. Defenders Colin Dachowski, no. 10, and Ryan Schuler, no. 2, played for the majority of the period and never stopped, giving 100 percent the whole time. After the period, the teams went to their respective lockers rooms while the Zamboni re-cut the ice. Tensions were high as P-block worried that their beloved team would lose for the first time. However, when Pennridge came back out onto the ice, P-block roared. The men who came out of that locker room weren’t the boys who went in. Our offense hit the ice and never relented. The team skated harder than before, and it paid off. Ten minutes into the second overtime, Manto passed from behind the net to Savona, who took a denied shot and bounced out to Kevin Pico, no. 20, who sunk the rebound over Jefferson Goalie Billy Siemon’s left shoulder for the game-winning goal.

After the goal, chaos ensued. The crowd screamed, P-block swarmed the boards, smacked the glass, the team threw gloves and helmets, and they all hugged and cried. The coaches were yelling, and the parents were cheering. The atmosphere was one of pure joy. After the celebration, the team was awarded, and they were given the state champions trophy and state champions hats. They shook hands with the other team and they entered the locker rooms. When they came back out, they were still crying. Eventually, the players went to take photos with their families and then loaded up on the bus, where a police escort took them back to Pennridge. And just like that, the team headed home after the most challenging game they’d ever played as champions.