All In: Severna Park and Broadneck met on the ice on January 27, and though the Bruins took control early, the Falcons swooped in and wrested the game away with a 6-2 victory. Photos by Colin A.J. Murphy

By Colin A.J. Murphy

Hartin Code scored three goals, Nick Bondra scored twice and had three assists, and the Severna Park ice hockey team rattled off five unanswered goals in a 6-2 defeat of rival Broadneck at the Naval Academy’s McMullen Arena on January 27. With significant student support from both schools in attendance, Severna Park (11-4 overall) maintained its stranglehold on the Eastern division of the Maryland Student Hockey League, and as of February 5 the Falcons are undefeated in division play at 10-0. The players were excited to pull out the win in front of the packed stands.

“There was a lot of hype before the game,” said Code. “It was amazing having that many people at the game. It really does change how much energy goes into each stride.”

The heated rivalry between the schools and the raucous fan support made for a great hockey atmosphere, and on the ice it translated into an incredibly physical game, even by ice hockey standards. A total of 13 penalties were assessed in the game, with Severna Park notching seven and Broadneck six, and each team leveled their share of hellacious body checks during the course of the game, much to the rowdy delight of cheering classmates.

Bondra opened the scoring for Severna Park just 33 seconds into the first period, converting off a pass from Code and giving the Falcons a 1-0 lead. The Bruins, no doubt energized by the spirited student support, gave their classmates reason to cheer over the remainder of the period, quickly evening the contest at 1-1 moments later on a goal by John Ryan, assisted by Alexander Worgo and Max Mona. A game misconduct penalty on Severna Park with just three minutes remaining in the period gave the Bruins a man advantage, and Broadneck’s Scott Horst capitalized with a goal on the power play, assisted by Matt Burzenski. With a 2-1 lead after one period, Broadneck was in good position to make a run at the upset.

“I talked to the team between the first and second period and reminded them that we need to play the game, not to the crowd or the frustration of being behind,” said Severna Park Head Coach Chuck Fox. “I made them look at the scoreboard and see we had badly outshot our opponent, and that if we continue to stay the course we would put pucks in the net.”

Toe To Toe: Severna Park’s Hartin Code and Broadneck’s Travis Rooney battle for a loose puck during the second period of Severna Park’s 6-2 win on January 27.

Sure enough, the Falcons made the most of their regrouping efforts in the first intermission, and the rest of the game belonged wholly to Severna Park.

Code evened the contest at 2-2 with his first goal of the game just 23 seconds into the second period, assisted by Finley Code and Bondra. From there, the Falcons made the decisive adjustment of the game by clamping down defensively.

“Our change of pace occurred by being defense-oriented but not being afraid to skate the puck down,” said Code of the refocused defensive effort beginning in the second period. “And that’s how we scored our goals, on the transitions.”

Bondra made the most of a power play five minutes later, scoring off a passing sequence by Ryan Frey and Joe Weadon and giving the Falcons the lead at 3-2. Frey followed with a goal of his own five minutes later, and Code bookended the period with a shorthanded goal off an assist from Bondra, pushing the lead to 5-2.

Code’s hat-trick goal midway through the third period, assisted by Bondra and Jake Siefert, sealed the victory, and the Falcons did their school proud in what was an intense battle throughout.

“The motivation was there, this being the biggest rivalry of the year,” said Fox of the come-from-behind win, adding that the Falcons’ work is not done yet. “The kids want to obviously go undefeated. The goal is also to finish ranked #1 in the state in the MSHL…We have the talent to do it. It’s just a matter of not allowing a letdown and finishing strong.”

Update: The Eagles followed up the win over Broadneck with league wins over Arundel and Kent Island. They will attempt to complete the season undefeated in league play when they face Fallston on February 6.

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