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SPRINGFIELD — By faceoff Wednesday evening, Jimmy Kennedy and his Springfield teammates had internalized a postseason truth. If the Cougars want to add a state title to the District 1 crown they won last week, they’ll have to do it without Tyler Gougler, a knee injury ruling the junior attackman out for the playoffs.
Consider the first Gougler-less test aced.
Kennedy led the way with five goals and two assists as the Cougars thumped Pennridge, 17-3, in the first round of the PIAA Class 3A championships.
“It’s always tough to see someone go down,” Kennedy said. “As great of a player as Tyler is, he’s done so much for us. He doesn’t have bad games. I’ve never seen him have a down game. But preparing, we’re just taking it one day at a time, seeing what he’s doing. It definitely hurts, but we’ve got 45 guys. Everyone has their job. We get it done as a team.”
You’d have to look hard to notice a difference Wednesday, as Gougler’s absence didn’t matter against a Pennridge team making its states debut and trying to bridge a chasm in talent. The Cougars (20-2) led 6-0 after a quarter and 12-0 at half, scoring three times in the final minute of the opening half to ensure the entire second half proceeded with a running clock.
The tactical changes were minimal to cover for Gougler, who tore an ACL late in the fourth quarter of a district final in which he scored four times to lead the Cougars past Radnor. Tyler Henderson bumped up from midfield depth to the attack line, joining Kennedy and Patrick Flaherty.
The latter two had the run of the shop. By halftime, Kennedy had scored five times, including a superb behind-the-back number upon getting a feed from Flaherty. One of Kennedy’s assists came on one of Flaherty’s three goals. He added four helpers.
Aidan Kreydt chipped in a goal and two assists. Henderson scored in the first quarter and the first goal of the third. Sean Donaldson added a pair of markers.
“We’re definitely patient, but I think we go into every game thinking this team is going to give us a good game,” Kennedy said. “Even at the start, if it doesn’t look like that, we still take our time getting good looks and putting the ball in the back of the net.”
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Springfield’s Sean Donaldson is about to unleash a shot that finds the back of the net for a first-half goal against Pennridge in their PIAA Class 3A first round game Wednesday. (Mike Cabrey – MediaNews Group)
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