For the first time in more than 16 months, Quaker Valley’s hockey team lost a game Saturday.
The Quakers fell, 6-5, to West Chester East in the Class A state championship game at Ice Works in Aston, Pa. It was the team’s first loss since Nov. 3, 2011 against Mars, a streak of 46 games in which the Quakers went 45-0-1.
The lone tie was to Hampton last season.
Ryan Riordan's feature on Qualer Valley's PIHL loss:
(Photo: Quaker Valley's James Perkins gets set to shoot the puck over Mars goalie Christian Knapp as Ian Houk-Graves pursues him during the Quakers' 5-1 victory in the Penguins Cup final last week at Consol Energy Center. Rebecca Droke/Post-Gazette.)
Nick Carroll, on the PIHL Class A championship:
"ASTON, Pa. -- Quaker Valley coach Kevin Quinn was stoic after his team's 46-game winning streak ended Saturday in the PIHL Class A final against West Chester East in a 6-5 loss.
"We just came up short," he said.
That might have been the most apt way of putting it after the Quakers rallied for four third-period goals but couldn't overcome a 5-1 deficit after the second.
Quaker Valley had its chances and failed on special teams early."
Despite a late charge, Quaker Valley lost in the PIHL Class A state final against West Chester East, ending its 46-game winning streak.
Quaker Valley's Jimmy Perkins opened the scoring when he beat West Chester East goalie Tyler Percival with a wrist shot 9:29 into the game, but East responded with five straight goals.
Zach Higgins scored a minute later to tie the game and Jesse Abarca and Carter Dwyer scored in the final 4:05 of the first to build the lead.
Higgins and Chris Rodier scored a pair of power play goals in the second.
Quaker Valley chipped away in the third period. Perkins scored his second. After Abarca scored shorthanded, Ryan Dickson and Alex Quinn scored on two of the Quakers' four power plays in the frame.
Connor Quinn made it a one-goal game, 6-5, with 24 seconds left, but Quaker Valley could not tie the game.
Quaker Valley will play West Chester East Saturday at 11 a.m. at Ice Works in Aston, Pa., in the Pennsylvania High School Hockey championship.
West Chester East won the Flyers Cup Monday, defeating Springfield, 7-3.
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