Hockey happenings

by TOM UTESCHER

Mount St. Joseph Academy (21-2 overall) split a pair of PIAA District One tournament games last week, winning over Unionville High School, 2-0, in a second-round match, but then falling to Hatboro-Horsham by a 2-1 count in the quarterfinals. The Magic can still snag a spot in the state tournament with a win against Upper Perkiomen this week.

Seeded third for the Class AAA district tourney, the Mount enjoyed a first-round bye on Monday prior to Wednesday's home match against #19 Unionville. The Magic went ahead ten-and-a-half minutes into the game, when a drive by Sarah Reinprecht was blocked near the goal and Jess Mulhern poked in the rebound from near the left post. Katie Reinprecht added the insurance goal from the right side of the circle with 4:37 to go in the first half.

The locals didn't score in the second half, but controlled much of the play and finished up with a 16-8 edge in corners over the Indians.

All season long, the Magic have finished off only a low percentage of their scoring chances, and this caught up with them on Friday. Hatboro-Horsham, which likes to play a dump-and-chase long-ball game, notched the only goal of the opening period as Kelly Walter assisted scorer Casey McCartin.

Five minutes into the second half, a clump of players formed in front of the Hatters' goal, and MSJ's Casey Pollock prodded the ball towards Mulhern, who shot the equalizer. With 3:49 remaining, Hatboro's Walter scored the gamewinner off a pass from Megan Rae.

In Inter-Ac League action on the same afternoon, Germantown Academy clinched the last playoff spot for the league's four-team postseason tournament. The Patriots' 2-0 victory at Baldwin assured a fourth-place finish with a mark of 3-3-1. In the first period, Katie Barba converted a corner off of the insertion by Jackie Connard to give the visitors the only goal they'd need for the win. Connard earned another assist in the trailing half, centering the ball from the right side of the circle to set up Emily Goodwin's shot. In goal, the shutout was shared by Meredith Dean (1^st Half - four saves) and Mary Cate Cassidy (2^nd Half - one save).

A day earlier, on Thursday, Springside School turned back Academy of the New Church in a non-league match, 2-0. Emery Maine scored both goals during the second half, dribbling deep into the circle for the first strike, and then shooting the second off of a corner hit by Rachel Estepa. Keeper Sara Heinze chalked up the shutout without having to make a single save.

The outcome lifted the Lions' overall mark to 9-4-3, but within the Girls Inter-Ac their record remained a sobering 1-3-2, with just a November 2 make-up game against Episcopal left to play. Managing only a tie against Shipley on October 26, Springside helped put GA in a position to secure a place in the Inter-Ac tournament. The results of the Springside-Episcopal encounter and of a postponed meeting between 2003 co-champions Penn Charter and Notre Dame will determine both the 2004 championship (still decided solely by regular-season results) and the seeding for this weekend's postseason tourney.