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2009 - 2010  GSHL PLAYOFFS

 

LIONS END SEASON WITH OT LOSS

 The PRHS Lions came oh so close but watched their season end with an OT loss to Roswell in Duluth on Sunday night.  Roswell scored with 1:13 remaining in overtime to beat PRHS 2-1 and send the Lions home with their earliest playoff exit in the last 4 years.  Daniel Huntington scored the Lions only goal with a beautiful rush up the left side as he snapped one past the Roswell goaltender to give the Lions the lead.  Daniel Parow and Chad Cole assisted.  Roswell scored the equalizer in the second period as the Roswell goaltender surprised everyone with a long break out pass that lead to a breakaway goal.  The game stayed even until the tail end of overtime when a turnover at the PRHS blue line led to the game winner for Roswell.  Goaltender Nick Glander once again has a strong performance as he has had throughout the playoffs.   

From the Lions Den:  Chris McConnell played his last HS game and is the only senior who will not be back next year.  Roswell plays Grayson Tuesday night at Duluth in the next round.  Northview, Kennesaw Mountain and Alpharetta are also still alive in AA.  Many thanks to all those who worked diligently this season to help PRHS hockey remain one of the finest HS programs in the state.  Special thanks to coaches, Gene, Steve, Paul and Josh for the commitment and tireless efforts.

 

PRHS MOVES ON IN GSHL PLAYOFFS

 The Peachtree Ridge Ice Lions split a pair of games in the opening weekend of the GSHL playoffs, losing a heartbreaker to Northview before rebounding and knocking out archrival Brookwood to advance to the next round.  The Lions take on the winner of Chattahoochee vs. Pope in their next game.

 The Lions opened on Sunday night against Northview and they started fast as Josh Williams scored on a one timer just 1:15 into the game.  Mitch Nylen won the draw cleanly and Williams buried it to put the home team up.  Northview tied the game a minute later and the scored remained tied until early in the second when Northview took the lead with 13 minutes to play in the period.  PRHS answered right back as Nylen stole the puck along the boards and centered to Austin Shin who put it away to tie the game.  Northview took the lead for good on a power play goal with just under 5 minutes to go in the second period.  Both teams had numerous chances in the third and when the Lions went on the power play with just over 2 minutes remaining it looked like this one was heading to overtime.  Unfortunately the hosts could not net the equalizer and based on the loss were relegated to the losers bracket.  Strong goaltending by Nick Glander gave PRHS a chance to win as he made numerous strong saves to keep the game close.

 Monday night the Lions faced a “lose or go home” game against cross town rival Brookwood.   As has been the case of late, the Lions scored first as Austin Shin converted on a one-timer off a feed from Mitch Nylen. Tyler Fortier also assisted on the goal.  Daniel Parow netted what would turn out to be the game winner when he rifled one in from the high slot to put PRHS up 2-0 after Daniel Huntington got the puck down low and centered it out.  Nylen then scored his first of the night on a breakaway as Huntington once again created a turnover to set up the score before Jackson Tralango got his first of the playoffs to make it 4-0 as linemates Sage Dugas and Nick Pracht assisted after a relentless fore-check. When Nylen skated through all 5 Brookwood defenders and “sniped” one it was 5-0 and for all practical purposes Brookwoods’ season was over at the end of 2 periods. Shin and Fortier assisted on the goal.  Nylen finished his hat trick as Austin Shin picked up his 3^rd point of the night to make it 6-0 before Brookwood finally put one by goaltender Nick Glander, who was outstanding all night long, to make the score 6-1 before Chris Poncsak closed out the scoring with a slider from the slot after a nice passing sequence from Kyle Jassman and Jackson Graham and the game ended 7-1.  Coach Ruffolo said after the game, “It was the best effort from our boys all year”.

 

From the Lion’s Den:  Full squad for the second straight night and everyone got ample ice time.  Next game is Sunday March 14 at 5:50pm at the IceForum.  Several travel players will be taking part in the first ever Georgia State Championships this weekend.  The Lions knocked out Brookwood this year after Brookwood had eliminated PRHS the two previous seasons.

 

PRHS TIES THE HOOCH

 The PRHS Lions finished off a strong end of the season push, skating to a 5-5 tie with Chattahoochee Wednesday night in Duluth.  The Lions jumped out early as Josh Williams banged one home from close range after a goal mouth scramble.  Austin Shin assisted on the goal.  The Hooch scored the next two goals and led with 10 minutes left in the second when Shawn Rothlis drilled one “top shelf” off a nice drop pass from Dominic Vakoutis to tie the game at 2-2.  Less than 5 minutes later Christian Huntington gave the hosts the lead with a blast from the point off a feed from Mitch Nylen.  Chattahoochee scored just a minute and a half later but Williams netted his 2^nd of the night on an unassisted bullet from the right circle to give the Lions the lead again.  PRHS scored just before the end of the period when Tyler Fortier’s shot from the right point went in off of Nylen and the Lions led 5-3 going into the 3^rd.  The Hooch scored twice early in the third period and both teams had chances down the stretch but neither could score the game winner.   Wes Edenfield stood tall in the nets late as the visitors had several opportunities to take the lead but each time Wes came up big.  The Lions had to kill off a 5-3 late in the game and finished the game shorthanded, but Shin, Rothlis, Huntington, Chad Cole, and Fortier took turns shutting down the visitors to preserve the tie.

 From the Lions Den:  Jake Cittadino was back in the lineup after a long stint on the injured list.  Sage Dugas injured his knee in the 2^nd period and did not return.  Austin Shin was back in the lineup after his travel team won a Presidents Day tournament in Colorado Springs.  Josh Williams and Jake Cittadino were both sporting #77.  Playoffs start on Saturday February 27, with dates and times to be announced. 

 

LIONS WIN 3^RD STRAIGHT

 

The Peachtree Ridge Ice Lions continued their current winning ways by beating Northview 6-3 Sunday night in Duluth.  This was the 3^rd straight win for the Lions as they wind down the regular season and get ready for the playoffs.  Daniel Huntington had a 4 point night and Shawn Rothlis and Mitch Nylen had 2 goals apiece to lead the Lions.  PRHS scored first as Huntington centered one from behind the net that Rothlis converted less than 3 minutes into the game.  After the Titans tied it up Rothlis scored his second of the night after Huntington once again outworked the opponents and fed the puck out front and the lead was 2-1.  Northview had an answer and tied the game at the start of the 2^nd period, on a tremendous individual effort by Trevor Begley, but just one minute later Nylen took one end to end and tucked the puck through the 5 hole and the Lions had a lead they would never give up.  Nylen got the eventual game winner with just under 8 minutes to go in the 2^nd when Daniel Huntington once again jumped on a loose puck behind the net and fed it to point where Nylen drilled it home.  Chris Poncsak notched his first of the year on a great individual effort in the 3^rd period.  Poncsak knocked the puck free on a face off, skated around the defensemen and scored on a nice wrist shot from the right circle.  After Northview scored to make it 5-3, Daniel Huntington got his 4^th point and 1^st goal of the night as the result of hard work down low as he jammed one home with 20 seconds remaining to cap off a wonderful night for the Junior.  Nick Glander, finally healthy after a concussion, got his first start in nets and was solid all night in notching his first victory of the year.

 

From the Lion’s Den:   Christian Huntington sat out with a back injury and several players were missing due to travel team commitments.  Matt Saad, Chris Chapin and Corey Sebastian were in the lineup and played well.  Jamie Martens, Michelle Fortier, Jackson Graham, Dominic Vakoutis, Russell Waugh and Chris McConnell all gave strong contributions with extended ice time. Tyler Fortier logged a lot of additional ice time with several defensemen not in the lineup.  Nylen has had the game winner in all three of the games in the current winning streak.  Coaches Paul and Josh were not on the bench, possibly due to Valentine’s Day commitments.  The Lions wrap up the regular season Wednesday night in Duluth against Chattahoochee at 9:30pm.

 

PRHS  TOPS  WALTON

The Peachtree Ridge Ice Lions won their 2^nd in a row with a 6-3 victory over AAA Walton, Wednesday night in Duluth.  Led by Mitch Nylen’s 4 points and Christian Huntington’s 3 points the Lions jumped out early and finished strong beating the visitors in one of their strongest performances of the season.  PRHS scored just 1:25 into the game when Nylen beat the Walton goaltender from the high slot with assists from Josh Williams and Huntington.  10 minutes later Daniel Huntington notched his 5^th of the season on the back end of a nice passing play from Jackson Tralango and Chad Cole.  Walton scored at the start of the second to cut the lead to 2-1 before Nylen scored his second goal of the evening with a short handed slap shot from the point with an assist from Cole.  Walton again cut the deficit to 1 before Nylen completed his hat trick on a “one timer” off a beautiful feed from Christian Huntington.  Shawn Rothlis also assisted on the goal.  Again, back came Walton who scored with 2 minutes left in the second to make the score 4-3.  The Lions increased their lead back to 2 goals in the third period when Christian Huntington scored on a pass from his cousin Daniel.  Russell Waugh picked up the other assist for his first point of the season.  PRHS finished the scoring on the power play when Josh Williams tallied his 4^th from the high slot with assists from Nylen and Rothlis.

 

From the Lions Den:  Due to injuries and travel tournaments, the Lions went with 3 lines for the first time this year.  The regular season record is now 5-10-1 with only 2 regular season games remaining.  Next up is a Valentines Day game against Northview Sunday night at 8:00pm at Duluth. 

 

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