APAC Eyeing Mid-January Start

Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference, Flyers Cup, Hockey History, Hockey News, Scholastic Hockey News 2 Minutes

 The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference has formulated plans to begin its 2021 season the week of January 11. 

According to APAC Commissioner Jim Britt, the schedule now under consideration would see the four conference schools, La Salle, Malvern Prep, St. Joseph’s Prep and Holy Ghost Prep play a 10-game regular season schedule that would see each team face each of the others three times while also playing one additional game against a Class AAA team from the Intercounty Scholastic Hockey League (Cardinal O’Hara, Father Judge, and Roman Catholic would be among the possibilities).

That 10thgame is important because as of now, teams are required to play 10 league games to be eligible to compete in the Flyers Cup tournament this coming spring.

The four APAC schools have been off the ice in the wake of Governor Tom Wolf’s executive order that closed indoor recreational facilities around the state, including ice rinks, effective December 12. They will remain closed until January 4.

Prior to the shutdown, Malvern Prep played and won two non-league games but the other three league schools have yet to play a game this season.

Britt is hoping that APAC teams will be able to get back on the ice for practice on or shortly after January 4. He acknowledged that that may not happen.

“At this time, there is no guarantee that the pause will be lifted at that time,” he said, “potentially causing delays to the planned restart of practices and the regular season.  Player safety, with a reasonable amount of practices before starting the regular season, is an important consideration.”

Britt said the goal is to conclude the APAC regular season by mid-March with the league playoffs, prior to the start of the Flyers Cup tournament on April 5. The tournament is scheduled to conclude on April 20.

 Hun School to Join APAC

Britt also announced that The Hun School will become the fifth member of the APAC beginning with the 2021-22 season. The school’s membership application was unanimously approved by the four current conference members but due to Covid restrictions in place in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the school has suspended its winter sports programs for the current school year. Hun School has competed against APAC schools in non-league games in the past.

Published by Rick Woelfel

Rick has worked in print and broadcast journalism for more than 35 years. He's covered golf in one medium or another for more than 30. He is the co-author of the book So You Want to Play Golf with PGA professional Kim Verrecchio and the host of the Women's Golf Report podcast. Most recently, Rick served as an associate editor for The Mulligan Magazine. He also served as an associate editor for Philadelphia Golf Magazine and New Jersey State Golf from 2004-07. Rick covered his first LPGA Tour event in 1986 and continues to cover women's golf for various media outlets. High on his bucket list is having the opportunity to one day play in an LPGA Tour pro am. Rick is also a longtime correspondent for two suburban Philadelphia daily newspapers, the Intelligencer and the Bucks County Courier Times in Doylestown, PA. Over the course of his career he has coverzed a wide variety of sporting events. He is also a veteran play by play and public address announcer, and handles the PA mic for the nationally ranked Delaware Valley University football program. Rick is also a longtime contributor to Referee, a magazine devoted to sports officiating. He called his first baseball game at age 13 and continues to umpire softball and baseball today.

Published

Leave a comment