Orazi regains scoring touch at right time as Haverford reaches Flyers Cup semifinal

HAVERFORD — Jake Orazi felt like he was in a little bit of a slump.

It’s all relative, of course, when you have 19 goals and 46 points in 20 regular-season games. But Orazi didn’t score in either of Haverford’s Central League playoff games, including a disappointing 3-2 loss to Springfield in the final for the top-seeded Fords, or in the eight-goal rout of Central Bucks West to open the Flyers Cup.

But Orazi’s ability to get himself going Thursday, creating offense out of thin air, helped keep the Fords in gear.

Orazi scored twice and had an assist in a five-goal first period as second-seeded Haverford routed No. 10 Pennridge, 8-1, at the Skatium, advancing to the semifinals of the Flyers Cup Class AA for the first time since 2016.

“I think it’s been coming for a long time,” the junior center said. “I haven’t been able to score for a couple of games, but I got lucky a couple of times, the puck bounced our way.”Orazi made his, and the Fords’, luck on the way to a semis date with No. 3 Perk Valley, which edged No. 6 Council Rock South, 4-3, Thursday. That game will be next week at a date and time to be determined.

The Fords opened the scoring seven minutes in when Orazi tailed a Pennridge defenseman behind his own net. Orazi, with his long reach, lifted the stick, pilfered the puck and set up Alex Gattone on the doorstep to rifle home.

But the slump-buster was furnished by defenseman Nathan Radadam when he spied Orazi lurking in the slot on the power play. Even in a slump, it wasn’t a place that Orazi misses from, and that tally proved to be the game-winner. It also set the Fords up for four goals in 3:37 to take control of the game for good, Orazi bookending the streak with tallies.

Orazi added the fifth goal of the period with less than two minutes to play, a deft faceoff win forward from the dot to the right of the goalie that he flicked past Ryan Pico before most of the Rams moved.

“It’s always nice to have somebody like that that can make those plays,” senior Jagur McClelland said. “We have pretty good depth on our team, and just to have more guys like that that can pull off moves like that and score those goals is definitely going to help us.”

The depth was on display. Daniel Quartapella, despite getting robbed point-blank twice by Pico in the first period, scored twice and added two assists. Gattone had a goal and a helper. Quinn Hawley, who scored four times in the 8-0 win over C.B. West, had a goal and a primary assist on consecutive shifts. McClellan added a goal and two assists.

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Haverford’s Jacob Orazi, right, carries the puck behind the net in the first period. Orazi broke out of his scoring slump to lead the Fords to an 8-1 victory over Pennridge in the Flyers Cup AA quarterfinals. (Pete Bannan/MediaNews Group)