HATFIELD— Hill School had a substantial head start in its matchup against La Salle Wednesday afternoon. The Blue scored twice before the contest was three-and-a-half minutes old and went on to a 4-1 win over the Explorers at Hatfield Ice in a Mid-Atlantic Prep League encounter.

The Explorers (8-12) found themselves outgunned in the early going. Gabriel Shipper opened the scoring for the Blues (9-4-1) just 23 seconds after the opening faceoff when he beat La Salle netminder Aidan McCabe. Will Schiller made it a 2-0 game at the 3:26 mark.

“(The Hill School) is a tough team to play catch-up against,” said La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner. “We know what we’re up against. Most of these Mid-Atlantic Prep schools are older than us across the board. They’ll have guys repeat a grade. But that’s very good for us, I think.
‘We have to learn to move our feet, compete harder, for the things that ultimately in the end will make us a better team.”

Schaller scored his second goal of the game on a power play effort with 43 seconds left in the first frame. After that, the two teams skated on something closer to even terms. Thomas Beaudoin extended Hill School’s lead with a goal in the final minute of the second period,

Meantime, Sean Parker was impregnable in the Blues’ net. Colin Keiser finally got La Salle on the scoreboard 1:19 into the final period, But that was all the Explorers could manage.

Next up for La Salle is an APAC matchup against St. Joseph’s Prep on Friday.
“We’re hoping for a good practice tomorrow,” Muehlbronner said, “Get ready for Friday night, which will be our Senior Night. That’s our focus right now.”
Hill School 3 1 0—4
La Salle 0 0 1—1
First-period goals: Gabriel Shipper (HP) from Henry Gartner and Michael Rockovich, :23; Will Schaller (HS) from Otto McLaughlin and Brock Weimar, 3:26; Schaller (HS) from McLaughlin and Shipper, 16:17 (pp)
Second-period goals:Thomas Beauvoir (HS) from Nico McCurrach,14:49;
Third-period goals: Colin Keiser (L) from Keenan Schneider and Jake Harmon, 1;19.
Shots: Hill School 28, La Salle 16; Saves: Sean Parker (HS) 15; Aidan McCabe (L) 24