The Avon Grove Red Devils captured the Delaware Scholastic Hockey Association ice hockey state championship with a 6-3 victory over the St. Mark's Spartans on Sunday February 26, before 900 fans at the Pond in Newark.

Avon Grove, the lone Pennsylvania team in the 12-team league, captured the title for the second straight year by out-shooting St. Mark's 31-24 and receiving a stellar effort from goalie Jason Bowker.

The two teams entered the game with identical 21-1-1 records and it was their third meeting of the season. Avon Grove won the first meeting 4-2 on January 7 and St. Mark's took the second, 3-2 on February 7.

Sunday's rubber match got off to a fast start, as the teams combined for six goals in the first period. St. Mark's took their only lead of the night when Ryan Massari streaked down the left side and fed Scott Busse for an easy goal and a 1-0 advantage less than three minutes into the game.

Avon Grove responded with three consecutive goals in the next six minutes, as Ryan McGinty, Stephen Cote and Carl Bland scored, respectively.

St. Mark's cut the gap to 3-2 when Ken Finnegan scored a power play goal, and the Spartans appeared to have seized the momentum when they began another power play with 1:37 left in the period, but McGinty scooped up a St. Mark's turnover at the Spartans' blueline and buried a slapshot for a shorthanded goal and a 4-2 lead.

"It was a chip play," McGinty said. "I read it the whole way. Their guys let up going back into their zone and I just blasted it straight past the goalie."

Avon Grove stretched the lead to 5-2 early in the third period when Eric Kukoda converted a rebound on a shot by McGinty. St. Mark's pulled within two on a goal by Finnegan with 5:03 remaining, but Avon Grove put the game away when Bland scored an empty net goal with 33 seconds remaining.

The loss ended a dream season for St. Mark's, which finished 21-2-1 after missing the playoffs in 2005.

"Last year we were probably four points out of making the playoffs," St. Mark's coach David Norsworthy said. "This year we came back and won twenty-one. The guys played absolutely great all season long and they worked hard in practice.

"It was the playoffs and in every sport, everybody comes to play. (Avon Grove) certainly wanted it hard. They beat us to the puck and ended up on top at the end."

Dorsworthy pointed to McGinty's shorthanded goal as the key play in the game.

"The shorthanded goal is just a backbreaker in the game of hockey," Dorsworthy said. "It's tough to come back from that. The boys played hard, but they just couldn't put it together. We had so many shots on net and just couldn't finish it off and get it by their goaltender. He played a great game."

The game was extremely physical throughout, with lost of big hits, but it was also played at an extremely high level and at a fast pace.

"These kids are athletes," Dorsworthy said. "It was a lot of fun watching them skate up and down."

"The intensity in these games is just amazing," McGinty said. "Everyone steps up. This is hockey, and it's great."

AVON GROVE 6 ST. MARK'S 3

TEAMS

SM 2 0 1 – 3

AG 4 0 2 – 6

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period: SM-Busse (R. Massari) 2:15, AG-R. McGinty (Moors, Cote) 3:10, AG-Cote (Struempfler, Moors) 7:38, AG-Bland (Struempfler, Kukoda), SM-Finnegan (Sherman, McCullin), AG-R. McGinty. 2nd Period: None. 3rd Period: AG-Kukoda (R. McGinty) 5:31, SM-Finnegan (Brittingham, Sherman), AG-Bland (Douthat) 14:27.

Shots on goal: Avon Grove 31, St. Mark's 24. Goalies: Avon Grove-Jason Bowker (24 shots, 21 saves), St. Mark's-Murray (11 shots, 7 saves), Hoffman (20 shots, 18 saves).