Keystone State Games
 Junior Female Ice Hockey Team
DVL/MET Team South - Philadelphia Freedom

GOLD
MEDAL
WINNERS
Top Row from Left to Right:  Michelle Billingsley (Head Coach), Ashley Michalak (Reserve), Allison Tyndall, Tabatha Schury, Chelsea Ward, Shannon Sisk, Brie Ward, Christine Hurlock, Stephanie Doyle, Kaitlin Hein, Jessica Bryan, Mariel Marchand, Sarah Hannan, Bridget Cleary
Bottom Row from Left to Right:  Katie Michalak, Andrea Darch, Ashley Koltenback, Allie DiRico, Nicki Werner, Melissa Pecitti, Gina Kerns, Tricia Silvestri
 
  2002 Summer Keystone State Games 
(Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Delaware and Philadelphia Counties)
DVL/MET Team South
 Philadelphia Freedom Roster
 www.keystonegames.com

Head Coach: Michelle Billingsley
Assistant Coach: Matt Kennedy
Assistant Coach: Ted Hein
#  Name P
o
s
i
t
i
o
n		 Hometown Age
as
of
Dec '02		 Height Played Last
Season For
14 Jessica Bryan D West Chester, PA 16 5' 7" Delco Phantoms
11 Bridget Cleary D/F West Chester, PA 18 5' 4" Delco Phantoms
6 Andrea Darch "Dre" F Aston, PA 19 5' 2" Hershey Bears
4 Allie DiRico G West Chester, PA 16 5' 4" Delco Phantoms
18 Stephanie Doyle "Stevie" F Wayne, PA 18 5' 10" Delco Phantoms
5 Sarah Hannan D Philadelphia, PA 20 5' 4" Neumann College
15 Kaitlin Hein D West Chester, PA 18 5' 10" Delco Phantoms
16 Christine Hurlock F Blue Bell, PA 18 5' 10" Glaciers
9 Gina Kerns F Norwood, PA 16 5' 3" Delco Phantoms
3 Ashley Koltenback F Doylestown, PA 18 5' 0" Princeton Tiger Lilies
2 Mariel Marchand F Drexel Hill, PA 18 5' 6" Delco Phantoms
1 Katie Michalak D Yardley, PA 15 5' 2" Grundy Senators
8 Melissa Pecitti "Missy" F Glen Mills, PA 19 5' 4" Neumann College
19 Tricia Silvestri D Horsham, PA 16 5' 4" Glaciers
10 Shannon Sisk F Pipersville, PA 15 5' 6" Princeton Tiger Lilies
& Archbishop Wood
7 Tabatha Schury F West Chester, PA 16 5' 4" Glaciers
13 Allison Tyndall F West Chester, PA 16 5' 2" Quakers
12 Brie Ward D/F Yardley, PA 19 5' 7" Neumann College
17 Chelsea Ward F Yardley, PA 16 5' 6" Grundy Senators
20 Nicki Werner G Quakertown, PA 17 5' 7" Glaciers
 
The Ice Box, 197 Old Boston Rd, Pittston, PA 18640
Game 1
Friday, August 2nd
End of
Period		 South West
1 0 0
2 1 0
3 1 1
OT 2 1
Shots
on
Goal		 49 32

This game lasted 2 hours and 20 minutes due to a thunderstorm that kept knocking out the lights.

 Game 2
Saturday, August 3rd
End of
Period		 East South
1 2 4
2 2 7
3 2 12
Shots
on
Goal		 12 45

 

 Game 3
Sunday, August 4th
End of
Period		 North South
1 2 4
2 2 4
3 4 7
Shots
on
Goal		 25 42

Game Pucks
 Tabatha Schury
Stephanie Doyle

 Medalists
Sunday, August 4th

South (Red) - Gold
Central (Blue) - Silver
West (Yellow) - Bronze
 

DelVal/Met teams take three of four
divisions at Summer Classic

More evidence of the increasing depth of hockey talent in the Delaware Valley was on display at the 2002 Keystone Games, as the Delaware Valley/Metro teams (South) took three of the four ice hockey divisions at the Ice Box in Pittston, PA. Some of the area's finest young players made the trip north, and they did not come home disappointed.

Gold:
Girls 19U (Coach Michelle Billingsley)
Junior Boys (Coach Bill Weil)
Midget Boys (Coach Andy Richards)

Silver:
Bantam Boys (Coach Mark Gonsalves)
Girls 19U:
Neumann College Women's Ice Hockey Coach Michelle Billingsley had a daunting task on her hands as she prepared to take the Delaware Valley 19U team to Pitttston: with only three tryouts spread out across three months, how could she fashion a cohesive unit from a collection of players that were often bitter rivals? She made up her mind from the beginning that the only thing to do was to take the best players and not let any hard feelings affect her judgment. With the limited practice time, Billingsley also focused mainly on positioning, rather than skills and drills. Keeping to her self-imposed mandate to field the best team possible and thereby bring added attention to women's hockey in the Delaware Valley, Billingsley made the tough decision to cut two of her Neumann College players in constructing this team. From a total pool of 34 players, Billingsley took 18 skaters and two goalies up north for the competition.

As it turned out, the difficulties for the team were just beginning. The players had to overcome problems with other guests at their hotel as well as a fair degree of in-fighting on the team before they even got on the ice. But when they did get on the ice, the DelVal/Metro squad demonstrated their superior talent. In the first tilt, the DelVal team narrowly escaped with a 2-1 overtime victory, thanks in large part to the brilliant goaltending of Quakertown's Nicki Werner. Aside from Werner, Billingsley spoke in glowing terms about the play of rising star Gina Kearns. "Gina carried the team," Billingsley stated. "She was the best player on the ice for us, and at age 15! Playing with the boys definitely helps, just as it helps all the top girls." I'd love to have Gina at Neumann when the time comes." In addition to scoring the teams only two goals in the first game, Kearns tallied a hat trick in the South's 12-2 rout of the East squad in game two and spurred the offense in the deciding victory against Central in game three.

Billinsley also singled out a few other girls for praise, including Christine Hurlock from Blue Bell, PA. "'Beaner' was just great. She played every shift hard." Billingsley also credited Tricia Silvestri and Ashley Koltenback with very spirited play. In praising Chelsea Ward, the younger sister of Neumann College standout Brie Ward, Billingsley was effusive. "What a gun she has! You have a couple of really proud parents in that family with the kind of players their daughters have become."
 
Those who gave more than their skill and stamina

Day 2 Kaitlin Hein
Day 3 Bridget Cleary
Day 3 Ashley Koltenback
Day 3 Allison Tyndall