PHILADELPHIA— Wednesday’s Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference game between La Salle and host St. Josephs Prep was divided into two distinct segments.
The first lasted 39 minutes and change and saw the teams score two goals apiece but settle nothing. The conclusion encompassed the remainder of regulation, overtime, and a shootout and featured an abundance of drama before a shootout goal from Max Maddalo that gave the Explorers a 4-3 win at the University of Pennsylvania’s recently refurbished Class of ’23 Arena. Moments earlier, Jimmy Craig scored for the Hawks with nine tenths of a second remaining in regulation to force overtime.
With the win, La Salle’s record improved to 3-3 overall, and 0-1-1-0 in the APAC). It was a win the visitors badly needed. Just as there are crossroads fights in professional boxing, Monday’s affair was a crossroads game of sorts for the Explorers, though the season is still young.
“The question we’re asking right now is who are we as a team?” said La Salle head coach Wally Muehlbronner. “We’re still trying to figure it out. We have so many new faces here. I think we will figure it out, but we haven’t yet.”
Nolan Woudenberg score two of La Salle’s regulation goals but the Explorers; number-one star was indisputably Aidan McCabe who made 27 saves over the course of regulation and overtime plus three more in the shootout. The Hawks (2-1 overall and in the APAC) outshot the Explorers 30-17.
“Our defense kept the shots to the outside, the senior said. “There were a couple times where they got shots from the slot, but I was able to make some saves and keep us in it and we wound up getting it done in the shootout.”
No one was more impressed with McCabe’s performance then St. Joseph’s Prep coach David Giacomin. “I thought we were the better team today,” he said. “Not by much, but I think of the opportunities we had right in front of him. He stood on his head and made some unbelievable saves where we had pinpoint shots. Maybe if they were one-timers instead of catch and shoot he doesn’t get to those but he made every save that he had. He had to in the big moments. That was the game right there for them.”
Woudenberg and the Hawks’ Joseph Samango traded second-period goals. Maddalo gave the Explorers a 2-1 lead 2:49 into the third frame before Michael Urbani tied the game for the Hawks at the 7:05 mark, Woundenberg scored his second goal of the game with 3:20 left in the period to set the state for the finish of regulation and all that came after.
McCabe noted the pace of play picked up in the late going. “I think the game started out really slow,” he said, “and it gradually picked up and it gradually slowed own again until the last nine minutes.
“And then we got back to the mindset of just getting pucks to the net,” he said, “and just shooting because we knew we would be able to score.”
LaSalle 0 1 2 0 (1)—4
St. Joseph’s Prep 0 1 2 0 (0)—3
Second-period goals: Nolan Woudenberg (L) unassisted, 8:26; Joseph Samango (SJP) from Jimmy Craig, (second assist unavailable) 11:43
Third-period goals: Max Maddalo (L) from Nate Benner and Ryan Ferry, 2:49; Michael Urbani (SJP) unassisted, 7:05; Woudenberg (L) unassisted 12:40; Craig (SJP) from Andrew Centrella, 15:59;
Shootout Goal: Maddalo (L)
Shots: LaSalle 17, St. Joseph’s Prep 30; Saves: Aidan McCabe (L) 27, Rocco Bruno (SJP) 14
By Rick Woelfel
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