Back to Back: Knights reign supreme in Flyers Cup for second year in a row

 Just over four months have passed since these teams last met in November, which was only the third week of the season in a non-conference matchup. At the time it felt like just another game, but in hindsight, it marked the beginning of the journey for both teams. Now, that journey comes full circle, as one will end its season against the very same opponent. 

#1 North Penn (26-1-0; 16-0-0) welcomed in #2 Boyertown (17-6-0; 12-3-0) for the 2025/26 Flyers Cup AA Championship on Tuesday night at Hatfield Ice, and for the second year in a row it was the Knights holding the hardware high over their heads as they skated off the ice. 

Coming into the matchup, the Knights were the clear favorites. They had already defeated Boyertown earlier in the season, and entered the game as the defending champions. Coach Vaitis has harped all season long on the boys keeping their composure each and every game, and the same message carried into last night.

“Obviously with the experience we had last year we knew what we were coming into tonight, and I told the boys it’s not going to come easy and it didn’t. It was a close game there until the very end, and we just have to continue to work and chances will come their way and they finally did,” Knights head coach Kevin Vaitis said.

As the puck dropped, so did the volume in the arena. For the first half of the game it felt like you could hear a pin drop at Hatfield Ice, as both teams played very tense out of the gate. 

The penalty was the story of the first period, with little else taking place. Both teams went back and forth, sharing time in the box, and trading power-play opportunities. Each side tallied three penalties, but neither was able to capitalize on the advantage. Just like two rounds ago, the period ended in a scoreless tie.

The second period picked up right where the first left off, with tensions rising even higher. Boyertown senior Dylan Remick opened the period by earning a trip to the penalty box for roughing.

The Knights were unable to capitalize on the power play, but just a minute later, Knights senior Danial Cabrales broke through. Off a pass from senior James Boyle, Cabrales sniped one top net, busting the goalies water bottle as he put his team up 1-0 in the championship game.

After the goal, Boyertown junior Declan Black went to the box for interference. As he was exiting, North Penn freshman Gavin Lombardi took his place in the box for a tripping/clipping/leg checking penalty.

Boyertown couldn’t capitalize on the penalties, and play continued for another four minutes. With it still a 1-score game, tensions remained high in the arena. That was until Knights senior assistant captain Nolan Shingle struck. Off an assist from sophomore Ismael Cabrales, Shingle similarly fired a shot top shelf to extend North Penn’s lead to 2-0.

    North Penn hoists trophy in front of student section after brilliant victory. (Ty Bryson)
  

As the Knights sat at a multi-goal lead it felt like the tension had lifted a little for them and all the momentum was completely on their side.

“I think it was huge because the guys were playing well, and we were getting lots of chances and things like that. Danny’s (Cabrales) goal was huge to get us on the board and really get us going, and then Nolan (Shingle) scored right after that. Just a great job all around from them,” Vaitis explained.  

That would be it for scoring for the second period as the only other point of action was from Boyertown junior Jacob Bilotta being tagged with a slashing minor and serving his two minutes alone in the box. North Penn would lead 2-0 heading into intermission.

The gameplan coming out of the break for Boyertown was clear, fire as many shots as you can and hope they start falling. The Bears doubled their shots on goal from the game in just the 3rd period alone, but unfortunately for them, Knights sophomore Andy Norton stood in their way between the pipes and single handedly put a stop to their entire plan. 

The third period would start slow overall with no notable action until over five minutes in when the first big fight of the night broke out. Knights junior Deaclan Leahy found himself on the floor after a brawl with a pair of penalties being handed to two Bears, Remick and sophomore Brayden Kotzen. Leahy wouldn’t escape this without a penalty of his own though, as he was hit with a roughing penalty.

Both teams would go back and forth on penalties for about seven minutes until another brawl broke out. This time Boyertown senior Jack Schreiber was the one causing the chaos as he was given four total penalties for his actions. He would be removed from the game, and for the time being this would give the Knights a 1-man advantage. 

That would be short lived, however, because less than 45 seconds later North Penn would lose a man of their own. Junior assistant captain Sam Norton was hit with two penalties, which resulted in him being removed as well. Coach Vaitis of the Knights took time to argue the call but no changes were made and the Knights would have to play the rest of the game without the standout junior. 

Boyertown felt like they had the momentum now and started trying everything they could to get back in the game. Pulling the goalie on and off the ice to try and give themselves the advantage would finally work as Bears junior Logan Brown ended the Knights shutout and cut the lead in half after he scored off the assist from senior Zach Rosen. 

Shortly after the goal, Boyertown pulled their goalie again which would lead to the dagger for the Knights. With an open net on the opposite end of the ice, Boyle found himself with the puck and let a full rink shot fly. He stood there with his arms in the air as he watched the puck cross the line of the goal and essentially send his team back to the state championship.

Boyertown wouldn’t give up, as they continuously fired shots at Norton in the goal, but the sophomore stood his ground for the final minute and a half of play.

“Andy and I had a pretty good talk about two weeks ago. We knew there was another gear inside him that he needed to find and he was able to find that these last few weeks,” Vaitis shared. “He was totally locked in and in that 3rd period we had to kill off a bunch of penalties, so we needed that and it was just great.”

As Norton fought for his life, the last seconds of the game ticked away. As the clock hit zero, the Knights players threw their sticks and gloves in celebration and rushed the ice to celebrate their second consecutive Flyers Cup Championship.

    Knights bench mobs senior Nolan Shingle after game winning goal. (Ty Bryson)
  

“I’m so happy for these boys, all the work they put in and especially the seniors. The seniors’ freshman year we only won one game, so to be where we are now is just a huge credit to them,” Vaitis said. “They stayed committed, they stayed bought in, and all the work they put in. I’m just so happy for them tonight.”

With this victory, North Penn returns to the AA State championship this weekend. It’s a short turnaround for such a big game, but for the Knights they went through this process just one year ago. 

With history on the line, and the possibility of being down one of their best players in junior assistant captain Sam Norton, the team knows they have to give it their all for the next five days just one last time.

“Job’s not finished,” Vaitis acknowledged. “We’ve got one more game Saturday. We’ll practice Friday, watch some tape Friday, and get ready for Saturday. We are going to have to expect another dog fight from the team from Pittsburgh, they’re going to be a good hockey team, and we have to come ready to play.”

The Knights will make the brief 45-minute drive to West Chester on Saturday, March 21st, to play in their second straight state title matchup. They will take on the AA Champions from the Penguins Cup, the Penn-Trafford Warriors, with the puck dropping at 2:00 PM. Most athletes spend their entire high school career trying just to reach the state championship. For this group of Knights, however, it’s already their second appearance, and now they aim to win it all once again.

Final Score:

Knights 3

 Bears 1

Shots on goal:

Knights 39 

Bears 28

Saves:

Norton 27

Yancey 36

Goals:

2nd Period:

NP 13:01 D. Cabarles

NP 5:53 N. Shingle

3rd Period:

BTWN 2:09 L. Brown

NP 1:01 J. Boyle