Month: October 2021

WORCESTER STATE 3, ARCADIA 2 (OT)

COLMAR, Pa. – The Arcadia University women’s ice hockey team fell to Worcester State, 3-2, in overtime on Sunday afternoon at Hatfield Ice Arena. The Lancers scored two third-period goals to send the game to the extra frame, before they scored the game-winner in overtime. 

First-year forward Ariel Williamson scored the first goal in program history for the Knights. The Rome, N.Y. native found the top corner of the goal in the second period to put the Knights on the board for the first time. 

WORCESTER STATE 3, ARCADIA 2 (OT)
HOW IT HAPPENED

  • After neither team found the back of the net in the first period, Williamson scored just over four minutes into the second period to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.
  • Karahkwenhawe White converted on the power play in the second period to give the Knights a 2-0 lead. Williamson tallied her second point of the day with an assist on White’s goal.
  • Worcester State scored its first goal with less than four minutes to go in the third period. The Lancers tied it with a minute and a half left to send the game to overtime. 
  • The Lancers scored the game-winner 1:41 into overtime after a pass in front was tipped past Arcadia goaltender Sophia Szelag. 

Arcadia Teams Fall

Aurora Men 6, Arcadia 3—James Spaagaren scored two goals, including the first in program history, but the Knights fell 6-3 Saturday afternoon in a non-conference game at Hatfield Ice. Carson Asper also scored for the Knights (0-2) to tie the game at 3-3 before Aurora took command with three goals.

Lucas Brine made 38 saves in goal while taking the loss.

Worcester State Women 5, Arcadia 0—The Arcadia women’s hockey team opened its inaugural season Saturday evening with a 5-0 loss to Worcester State at Hatfield Ice. Arcadia coach Kelsey Koelzer, a Hatboro-Horsham High and Princeton grad, made history by officially becoming the first African American woman to coach an NCAA hockey team.

Arcadia Women Ready for Debut

History is being made this weekend at Hatfield Ice as the Arcadia Knights open their inaugural season of NCAA Division III women’s hockey. The Knights will face off against Worcester State Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 12:15.

For Head Coach Kelsey Koelzer, the start of the regular season concludes nearly two years of preparation.

“It’s exciting,” she said, a little nerve wracking. Just seeing all of our hard work and seeing the progress that we’ve made. But overall, it’s really exciting.

“It’s nice to start to get into game play. It was 690-some days from the time that I got hired to when our players even moved on campus. And even then, once you get there, you don’t start to get working with them until the first week of October, so there’s another month. And even now, we’ve been all practice for the last three or four weeks.
So, to get to actually play some games and get into kind of crunch time is really exciting.”

Game time will be a new experience for all 19 players on Koelzer’s roster. None have ever played college before; in fact 18 of the 19 are freshmen. But all have taken on the challenge of helping build a startup program.

“It’s not for everyone,” Koelzer said, “but you kind of (sort) that out in the recruiting process as well. The players know that not every day is going to go our way. And you have a lot of adjustments to make.

“We needed players that could pick things up quickly and know that they’re going to be picking up minutes from the beginning and have to just roll with the punches and be okay with making mistakes and getting out there the very next shift.

“So, I think there is a slightly different mindset because the players don’t get to hide behind upperclassmen. They all kind of have to pick it up at the same time and help each other and really just roll with our bumps and bruises.”

Arcadia Counting Down to Opener

The Arcadia Knights are a step closer to beginning their inaugural season of NCAA Division III hockey. The Knights will play a pair of exhibition games before opening their regular season on October 29 when they host Aurora University.

Coach Vincent Pietrangelo says his players are looking forward to facing an opponent. 

“It’s exciting,” he said. “We’ve had really, really good practices and really good competition. But, since the boys have been here at the start, they’ve only been practicing against themselves so a change of pace will be nice, it will be refreshing, it will be exciting,  

“That’s what we all came here for, to play college hockey and compete against other schools. We have a couple exhibition games against other opponents before we start our regular season, and it will be a really good test for us. We’ll kind of see how we stack up and see maybe where some guys end up.”

Pietrangelo was asked if he felt his team was ready for the start of the regular season. “I guess we’ll never know until our first game,” he said. “I really like what we have. I’m pleasantly surprised at what we have. 

“We’re a lot further along in terms of skill. There have been a few guys that have really surprised me. From the recruiting process, they’ve gotten a lot better over the summer. They’ve put the time in, they’ve put the work in, so I’m very happy to see that. That was really good to see, guys coming in and doing the right things.”

One of Pietrangelo’s concerns is injuries. “We have a few guys banged up right now We have some opportunities for some other guys to certainly make their mark in the lineup and (the exhibition games) will be a really good tool evaluating tool for myself and my assistant coach.”

Only one player on the Arcadia roster has NCAA hockey experience.

St. Joseph’s Prep 5, Father Judge 1

St. Joseph’s Prep 5, Father Judge 1

Liam Mooney scored two goals and three other players scored one goal, each as the Hawks opened the season with a win over the Crusaders Wednesday evening at the Class of 1923 Rink.

Matthew Giuliani, Jeffrey Hammond, and Mooney all scored in the first period to give the hosts a 3-0 lead, Cathal Dowd scored in the second period and Mooney added his second goal in the third.

Rocco Bruno and Ajay White split time in goal.

Father Judge 0 1 0—1

St. Joseph’s Prep 3 1 1—5

The APAC is Expanding

The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference will be a five-team alliance for 2021-22. The Hun School from Princeton, N.J. will join Malvern Prep, Holy Ghost Prep, St. Joseph’s Prep, and two-time defending champion La Salle for the upcoming season.

Ian McNally is the Raiders’ hockey coach. “We’re excited to join the league,” he said. “We have competed with each of the APAC school programs for several years now and it will only improve the level of competition in our games when implications on standings, stats, playoff seeds and everything else that comes with league play are introduced.  I think we share a common understanding of scholastic athletics with the APAC member schools and so we have strong existing relationships with the other coaches and athletics offices.”  

Tracey Arndt is the Co-Director of Athletics at The Hun School. “The Hun School of Princeton is grateful for the opportunity for our Ice Hockey team to join the APAC this season,” she said. “This is a top-notch ice hockey league with likeminded schools that will allow us to compete at a high level throughout the year. We look forward to the competition with such respected programs.”

The Hun School is no stranger to the other conference members, having regularly competed against them in non-league games.

“The APAC was founded with the belief that exceptional schools and scholastic hockey could thrive side by side in a competitive league that values sportsmanship, academic distinction and a quality Spirit,” said Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside. “The Hun School is a welcomed addition to strengthening our rivalries, traditions and desire for excellence.”

La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner is enthusiastic about the Raiders coming on board. “La Salle is very excited to have Hun School join the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference,” he said. “Hun has had a long history of great competition versus the founding APAC schools. Their commitment to competing at a high level further strengthens the conference.”

St. Joseph’s Prep coach David Giacomin is looking forward to competing against the Raiders. “St Joseph’s Prep is extremely excited to welcome The Hun School into the APAC,” he said. They are a great school and we can’t wait to compete for years to come.”

Bill Keenan is the head coach at Malvern Prep, the reigning Class AAA Flyers Cup and state champions. “We are excited to have The Hun School join the APAC this upcoming season. It is great to have another quality, competitive team join our league. We are looking forward to competing against them this season.”

APAC institutions have been successful at the highest levels of scholastic hockey, competing at national tournaments and capturing every Class AAA Flyers Cup and Class AAA Pennsylvania State Championship since 2017.
Last year’s postseason was not completed. La Salle and Malvern Prep were scheduled to meet in the Founders Cup final but that game was eventually cancelled because of Covid issues. Malvern Prep went on to win the Flyers Cup and the state championship.

SHSHL Sets Alignment for 2021-22

A total of 17 varsity teams will skate under the Suburban High School Hockey League banner this season. Eleven Class AA teams and six Class A squads will be in the fold when the 2021-22 season commences on Wednesday, November 3.

There will be some changes in the makeup of the league; Council Rock North will return to the Class AA sector. Bensalem will skate in Class AA this season while Truman, which was a Class A team a year ago, will not field a varsity team this winter.

The Class AA National Division will include defending champion Pennsbury, along with Neshaminy, Council Rock South, Council Rock North, and Bensalem. The Continental Division will encompass North Penn, Souderton, Central Bucks East, Central Bucks West, and Central Bucks South.

The American Division will feature the league’s Class A schools, including defending champion Wissahickon, Plymouth Whitemarsh, Hatboro-Horsham, Quakertown, William Tennent, and Abington.