There weren’t a lot of surprises at the Wells Fargo Center Wednesday night. Holy Ghost Prep and Malvern Prep know each other well as a result of their history in the APAC.
It was the Friars who prevailed on this occasion. Jimmy Jacobs scored one goal and assisted on another to help his side to a 3-1 win in front of an energetic audience.
It was the fourth meeting between the two teams since last February
“I think since we played each other three times last year we kind of figured each other out,” Jacobs said. “Both goalies played really good, it was just a scrappy game. Nothing really pretty. We just had to crash the net hard and we won a lot of battles.
Gavin Wilson gave the Friars (4-1, 2-0 in the APAC) the lead 5:27 into the second period when he flipped the puck over the shoulder of Holy Ghost Prep netminder Jason Soule with Jacobs assisting. but Brady Baehser tied the game for the Firebirds (3-1, 2-1) just 22 seconds later.
Jacobs deposited what proved to be the winning goal at the 10:50 mark of the period, a power-play effort that came while the Firebirds’ Patrick Slook was serving a holding minor.
Both Soule and Anthony Perti were sharp in the third period, each making some strong saves to keep their opponents at bay.
Quinn Dougherty who played against Holy Ghost Prep in the Wells Fargo Center three years ago (he recorded an assist on that occasion) etched his name into history one more time when he scored into an empty net with 42 seconds remaining in regulation.
It was a satisfying evening for Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan. “With Ghost, coming off two big wins in the league (over La Salle and St. Joseph’s Prep) we knew it would be a tough fight,” he said. “Our boys showed up, and we’re glad to get out of here with a win.”
Keenan felt his team dealt successfully with the atmosphere inside the building. “I think overall, there was a lot of energy,” he said. “The message was to take it all in, soak it all in.
“There are only so many opportunities to play down here. The guys returning, they knew what it was like. But all these new guys, it was a big undertaking and it was good to see them settle in.”
Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside noted his team had an off night. “Credit to Malvern,” he said. “They played well, well enough to win the game. We just didn’t have our best effort. It was disappointing from a coaching standpoint. But we know we can play better.
”Whiteside is confident his team will rebound from the loss. “This is one game,” he said. “There were a lot of bad habits tonight obviously, but we’ll regroup at practice tomorrow and next week and go into Thanksgiving with some positives.”
Holy Ghost Prep 0 1 0—1
Malvern Prep 0 2 1—3
First-period goals: Gavin Wilson (MP) from Jimmy Jacobs, and Matt Harris, 5:27
Second-period goals: Brady Baehser (HGP) from John Seravalli and Sean Marshall, 5:49; Jimmy Jacobs (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs and Brady Doyle, 10:50 (pp)
Third-period goals: Quinn Dougherty (MP) from Pierre Larocque, 16:18 (en)
Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 31, Malvern Prep 26 Saves: Jason Soule (HGP) 23, Anthony Perti (MP) 30
Gavin Wilson scores the game’s first goal (Video by Gracie Cleveland)
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For more about Holy Ghost Prep CLICK HERE
Elsewhere:
St. Augustine 3, St. Joseph’s Prep 2
Enzo Fanelli’s goal with 5:30 left in the third period gave St. Augustine a 3-2 win over St. Joseph’s Prep on Wednesday at the Class of 1923 rink.
Liam Mooney and Jeffrey Hammond scored for the Hawks
St. Augustine 1 1 1—3
St. Joseph’s Prep 0 2 0—2
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