Month: March 2022

Peters Township 5 Malvern Prep 4

WEST GOSHEN TOWNSHIP— It was game that turned into a shootout in very short order. In the end, Malvern Prep ran out of ammunition and fell to Peters Township 5-4 in the Class AAA Pennsylvania state championship game Saturday night at Ice Line.

Five different players scored goals for the Indians (18-5-1) who claimed their third Class AAA Pennsylvania Cup and sixth overall. They previously won Class AAA state titles in 2014 and ’17 and Class AA State titles in 2002, ’04, and ’05.

The goals came fast and furious Saturday night; six of them in the first period alone on a night when neither goaltender was particularly sharp.

Malvern Prep (16-4) scored first. Haydon Campbell beat Indian netminder Nolan Hilbert just 1:35 into the first frame. 

Kolby Ringwald tied the game for Peters Township on a shot that sailed high and wide of the Malvern Prep net and caromed off the end boards and back in front of the goal. Ringwald tucked the puck behind Anthony Perti at the 6:11 mark.

Quinn Dougherty put the Friars back in front just 13 seconds later but Camden Martin retied the game for the Indians at 7:56. Caleb Kovac put Peters Township for the first time at the 12:21 mark before Jimmy Jacobs retied the game at 14:15, on a shot that Hilbert couldn’t handle, to being down the curtain on a first period that featured some unexpected twists and turns.

“Each team capitalized on the other’s mistakes,” said Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan. “Overall, I thought our boys came out and played the game. They worked hard. Unfortunately, some of the bounces didn’t go our way, but that’s the game of hockey.” 

It was more of the same in the second stanza. Jimmy Jacobs gave Malvern Prep the lead just 34 seconds into the period, but back-to-back penalties to Jack Sharer and Steve Getsie left the Friars two men short for 1:47 and the Indians took advantage. Austin Malley tied the game for the Indians with 5:50 left in the session. The penalty boxes were empty when William Tomko out in a rebound of Malley’s original shot with 3:11 left in the period.

That turned out to be the last goal of the game. The Friars picked up the pace in the third period but couldn’t net the equalizer.

“We tried to push the puck up the ice,” Keenan said. “Peters Township did a good job of keeping everything in front of them, put the puck deep, and just made us go the length of the ice.”

Malvern Prep was attempting to become the first Class AAA team to successful defend a state title since La Salle in 2009.

Peters Township 3 2 0—5

Malvern Prep 3 1 0—4

First-period goals: Hayden Campbell (MP) unassisted, 1:35; Kolby Ringwald (PT) from Colin Kimberling, 6:21; Quinn Dougherty (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs, 6:34; Camden Martin (PT) from Caleb Kovac and Kimberling, 7:56; Kovac (PR) from Martin and Kimberling, 12:21; Jimmy Jacobs (MP) from Caiden Canale, 14:15

Second-period goals: Jimmy Jacobs (MP) from Dougherty, :26; Austin Malley (PT) from Martin and William Tomko, 11:10 (pp); Tomko (PT) from Malley, 13:49

Shots: Peters Township 41, Malvern Prep 39; Saves:  Nolan Hilbert (PT) 35, Anthony Perti (MP) 36

Pennridge 4 Thomas Jefferson 3 2OT

WEST GOSHEN TOWNSHIP—Pennridge and Thomas Jefferson matched each other stride for stride and shift for shift Saturday afternoon. At day’s end, it was the Rams who prevailed.

Kevin Pico’s goal 12:01 into the second overtime gave his team a 4-3 win over the Jaguars in the Pennsylvania Class AA state championship game in front of a full house at Ice Line.

The victory was well earned.

“That was a fabulous hockey game,” said Pennridge coach Montagna. “It was just a great game.”

Andrew Savona, Jack Lowery, and Tyler Manto scored regulation goals for Pennridge, which completed its season at 22-0-1.

The Rams enjoyed a 2-1 lead going into the third period but soon found themselves back on their heels.  Colby Bilski scored his second goal of the game off a turnover 3:43 into the period to draw Thomas Jefferson (21-2) even before setting up Nick Stock during a power play to put the Jaguars up 3-2 at 7:31.

Lowery noted and his teammates stayed on an emotional even keel at that point, despite being behind.

“There was not an ounce of panic on our bench,” he said. “We were calm. “We knew that we’ve come back in multiple games before. Every championship game we’ve been in (In the SHSHL and Flyers Cup finals) we’ve been down and come back and won. And there wasn’t a doubt in our minds that we were going to come out in this game on top.”

Indeed, the Rams responded. Tyler Manto tied the game with 5:22 left in the regulation to leave the two teams searching for whatever they might have left for overtime.

“We did not have a lot left in overtime,” Montagna said. 

In the end Pico scored the most significant goal of his career, after Manto and Savona worked the pick down low. The goal came off a rebound of Savona’s original shot

“That’s probably the biggest goal I’m ever going to score my whole hockey career,” Pico said.

Had it not been for Ryan Pico’s work in the Pennridge net, the drama might have ended differently. The senior goaltender faced 65 shots and turned 62 of them aside against an opponent Montagna called the best his team faced all season (the Rams were outshot 62-49).

“He was unbelievable,” Kevin Pico said of his brother. I’ve never seen him play that good in my whole life.”

Montagna echoed those sentiments. “Ryan Pico was absolutely incredible,” he said. “He kept us in there”

The postgame awards pentation and celebration was an emotional time for Lowery, one of the Pennridge captains.

“I feel like I’m top of the world right now,” he said. “No one can take me from that. We said all year, ‘Until this game is over, the job is not finished.’ And it feels great. The job is finally finished for us. 

“That’s a hell of a hockey team we played today. It really could have gone either way. But we came out, played our game and came out on top. That’s just all we could do.”

Thomas Jefferson 0 1 2 0 0—3

Pennridge 2 0 1 0 1—4

First-period goals: Andrew Savona (P) from Tyler Manto, 1:13; Jack Lowery from Aeryk Lehrhaupt, 9:41 (pp)

Second-period goal: Colby Biski (TJ) from Lance Smith, 10:10 (pp)

Third-period goals: Bilski (TJ) from Brett Smith, 3:43; Lance Smith (TJ) from Nick Stock and Bilski, 7:31 (pp); Manto (P) from Colin Dachowski, 11:38

Second-overtime goal: Kevin Pico (P) from Manto and Savona, 12:01

Shots: Thomas Jefferson 65, Pennridge 49; Saves: Billy Siemon (TJ) 45, Ryan Pico (P) 62

FLYERS ALUMNI ANNOUNCE MAJOR COMMUNITY WALK, RUN, STROLL EVENT

All proceeds from the April 23 event will benefit Flyers Alumni charitable initiatives

Registration is open NOW at FlyersAlumni.net

PHILADELPHIA (February,  2022) – Today, the Flyers Alumni Association announced the Inaugural Flyers Alumni Walk, Run, Stroll Event set to take place on April 23 at the historic Washington Crossing State Park. All proceedsfrom the event will benefit Flyers Alumni charitable efforts, including the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation, Every Child Deserves a Bike, Flyers Power Play, 12 Days of Christmas Giving, Flyers Warriors, and the YMCA of Bucks County Veterans Wellness Initiative. Flyers Alumni members will be joined by Philadelphia Flyers front office leaders, Lou Nolan, Lauren Hart, Gritty, and many more! 

“The Flyers Alumni are thrilled to invite Flyers fans and the entire Delaware Valley community to join us at this brand-new, family-friendly fundraising event as we continue to make a difference,” said Brad Marsh, President of Flyers Alumni. “Along with support from the Flyers organization, the Flyers Alumni rely on fundraising initiatives like this to support their work in the community, so we’re excited to bring members of the Flyers family and our incredible fans together in April.” 

“One of the things that makes the Philadelphia Flyers one of the best organizations in professional sports is our connection to our incredible alumni,” said Valerie Camillo, President of Business Operations for the Philadelphia Flyers.  “This new event supports the great work of the Flyers Alumni Association, but it’s also an important opportunity to bring the entire Flyers family together.”

Event participants will walk, run, or stroll along the historic pathways of Washington’s troops as they head towards the Delaware River with the option to choose from a 10K run, 5K run or walk, or a 1K family stroll. Those who can’t make it to Washington Crossing can also participate from home. Perfect for the whole family, the event will include fun, family-friendly activities for participants of all ages including historic reenactors and a fife and drum corps.

In addition to participating in the Walk, Run, Stroll Event, participants also have the option to become a Flyers Alumni Teammate and earn special prizes like Flyers Alumni swag, running shoes, Flyers tickets, and more. 

Flyers Alumni is (a 501(c)(3) organization) that has maintained a tradition of giving back to the Delaware Valley community by supporting a number of local charities. Registration is open now for the Inaugural Flyers Alumni Walk, Run, Stroll event at FlyersAlumni.net.

Pennridge Wins Flyers Cup Over Council Rock South

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP— If a single word were used to describe Pennridge’s performance Tuesday night, ‘relentless’ would be fitting. The Rams gradually wore down Council Rock South en route to a 5-1 win over the Golden Hawks in the Class AA Flyers Cup championship game in front of an overflow crowd at Hatfield Ice.

Shane Dachowski and Kevin Pico each scored two goals as Pennridge (21-0-1), the tournament’s top seed, claimed the first Flyers Cup in school history.

The Rams will conclude their journey by facing Penguins Cup champion Thomas Jefferson for the state title Saturday at 2:00 at Ice Line.

Pico was the recipient of the Bobby Clarke Award as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player while Dachowski, with six goals and three assists, led the tournament in scoring.

It was an emotional evening for Jeff Montagna, the Rams’ head coach. “Words can’t describe how satisfying this is,” he said. “I think what I’m most satisfied with is the way they did it. The way they did it and the ability to deal with expectation (of winning the Flyer Cup) all year.

“I really don’t know how you do that and play as well as they did.”

The third-seeded Golden Hawks (16-2-2-1) scored first. Blaise Pepe beat Ryan Pico in the Pennridge net 9:23 into the opening period. But that was all that South could manage, despite having a 46-36 advantage in shots.

Kevin Pico tied the game for the Rams from close range at the 13:16 mark when he bested South netminder Carson Lopez, then put his team in front for good 2:26 into the second frame. Shane Dachowski added back-to-back goals in the second period and Colin Dachowski provided one more in the third.

South coach Joe Houk was without forward Matt Constantini, who was out of the lineup with an injury. He noted his team couldn’t build on its early goal.

“We didn’t show up for all three periods,” he said. “We showed up for the first (nine) minutes and then just stopped working. (Pennridge) outworked us.”

Kevin Pico noted the Rams’ overcame a slow start. “We were a bit hesitant at first,” he said. “Nervous. But then, after that, we were just fine.”

The Rams’ defensive effort was particularly noteworthy since Aidan Boyle, arguably their premier blueliner, was serving a suspension due to his actions in the Rams’ Cup semifinal win over Avon Grove. With Boyle not available (he will also miss the state championship game), Montagna was forced to reposition his troops.

“Credit to Trey Mikulich and Jacob Lizak,” he said. “They logged a lot more ice time tonight then they have been. They were really good back there. They only thing we tweaked a little bit, we put (Tyler) Manto back there some and I thought we didn’t take as many chances.”

Ryan Pico lauded the collective efforts of his defense corps. “It was amazing,” he said. “We were down one of our best defensemen and to have everybody else play the way they did means a lot to our team.”

Notes: The Rams lost the Flyers Cup championship game to Conestoga in 2008. They fell to eventual champion Haverford in last year’s semifinals.

 The all-tournament team included forwards Kevin Pico, Andrew Savona, and Shane Dachowski, all from Pennridge, along with defensemen Colin Dachowski (Pennridge) and Kevin Koles (Council Rock South), plus Lopez in goal. 

Saturday’s game will be part of a tripleheader. West Chester East and Norwin will meet in the Class A final at 11:00 while Malvern Prep and Peters Township will play for the Class AAA title at 5:00

Council Rock South 1 0 0—1

Pennridge 1 3 1—5

First-period goals: Blaise Pepe (CRS) from Julian Wagenmann and David Vergules, 9:23; Kevin Pico (P) from Colin Dachowski, 13:16

Second-period goals: Pico (P) from Andrew Savona, 2:26; Shane Dachowski (P) from Aeryk Lehrhaupt and Jack Lowery, 4:00; Shane Dachowski (P) from Lehrhaupt, 15:05

Third-periods goal; Colin Dachowski (P) from Shane Dachowski and Lehrhaupt, 12:52

Shots: Council Rock South 46 Pennnridge 36; Saves: Carson Lopez (CRS) 31, Ryan Peco (P) 45

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West Chester East 6 Springfield Delco 2

West Chester East 6 Springfield Declo 2

Trey Jefferis III scored two goals and four other players scored one goal each as West Chester East downed Springfield Declo 6-2 Monday night to claim the Class A Flyers Cup title at Ice Line.
The Vikings will take a perfect 25-0 record into Saturday’ state championship game against Norwin (11:00 at Ice Line). The Cougars finished at 18-2-0-3.

The first period turned into a shootout that featured five goals. and ended with the Vikings holding a 3-2 advantage. Ronan Mulholland scored just 48 seconds to the game to give the Cougars the early lead. Before the ended West Chester East had secured a 3-2 advantage.

Jefferis, Henry Thornton, and Connor Watson all scored for the Vikings in the opening session while Colin Hannigan added a goal for Springfield.

West Chester East broke the game open early in the second period when Danny Tirendi and Chase Becnel scored goals in a span of 1:48. Jefferis added his second goal with 6:24 left in the period.

This marks the third time West Chester East has won the Class A Flyers Cup. The previous two came in 2008 and ’13.

 Springfield 2 0 0—2

West Chester East 3 3 0—6

First-period goals: Ronan Mulholland (S) from Adam Baumann, :48; Trey Jefferis (WCE)  from Michael Cardarelli, 9:34; Henry Thornton (WCE)from Kyle Gross and Cam Greenawalt, 12:12 (sh); Colin Hannigan (S) from Zach Crain and Dominic Romolini, 13:16 (pp); Connor Watson (WCE) from Cardarelli, 14:49

Second-period goals: Danny Tirendi (WCE) from Thornton and Chase Khounsacknarath,:44; Chase Becnel (WCE) Cardarelli, 2:32 (pp); Jefferis (WCE) from Becnel, 10:36

Shots: Springfield Delco 24, West Chester East 56; Saves: Luca DiMarcantonio(S) 50, Jesse Davis (WCE) 22

Malvern Prep 6 St. Joseph’s Prep 1

WEST GOSHEN TOWNSHIP— Malvern Prep put on a hockey clinic Monday night. The Friars came out storming right from the opening faceoff and rolled to a 6-1 win over St. Joseph’s Prep in the Class AAA Flyers Cup final at Ice Line.

With the win, the Friars (16-3) became the first team to successfully defend the Class AAA Flyers Cup since 2014. It’s the 10th Cup title in school history.

“I think our mentality is just ‘We want it back,’” said senior Matt Harris. “That’s been the message all year. We knew that we had a mark on our back, but we knew, coming out here, we had to give our all and that for the seniors, it could be our last game out here.”

Harris shouldered his share of the load and then some. He scored three goals and assisted on another Monday night and finished as the tournament’s leading scorer with seven goals and two assists in two games while being named the winner of the Bobby Clarke Award as the tournament’s most valuable player.

Pierre Larocque, Jimmy Jacobs, and Jonathan Holt also scored goals for the Friars. Jacobs and Quinn Dougherty each contributed a pair of assists.

“We have the mentality on our team that anybody can step up and fill a role,” said Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan. “I have guys that play club and I’ve got guys that don’t play club. 

“For me, it’s just looking for the right fits in our lineup every day. When the guys come to practice, they compete, they work hard, and they fill in the roles. It’s a ‘Next guy up’ mentality in this locker room and I think that’s what keeps the guys going.”

It didn’t take the top-seeded Friars long to gain a firm hold on the proceedings. Jeremy Jacobs found Larocque in front of the Hawks’ net and Larocque put the puck behind Rocco Bruno just 1:39 into the opening period.

Harris made it a 2-0 game at the 13:08 mark with a shot from the deep right wing off a deflection. He scored his second goal of the night 3:25 into the middle period when he put in a rebound of Jacobs’ shot from the low slot.

Holt found the back of the net at the 4:56 mark, leaving the third-seeded Hawks (10-9-1) down 4-0, prompting their coach, David Giacomin, to use his timeout.

“Unfortunately we gave up that one early,” he said. “The momentum we had coming out of the locker room I thought would have been high. But any time that happens and you’ve got a bunch of young kids, their heads drop a little bit and it took a little while for us to get our legs moving.”

The Friars celebrate with their fellow students following their win over St. Joseph’s Prep Monday night.

St. Joseph’s Prep got a goal from Nick Storti 1:49 into the final frame but Jacobs and Harris scored two minutes apart late in the period to clinch the Cup and send the Hawks into the state championship game against Penguins Cup champion Peters Township Saturday at Ice Line (5:00 start).

No Class AAA team has successfully defended the state title since 2009.

Notes—The All-Tournament team selected by the Flyers Cup Committee, included Harris, Jacobs, and Jeffrey Hammond from St. Joseph’s Prep at forward, Larocque and Storti on defense, and Malvern Prep’s Anthony Perti in goal.

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 0 1—1

Malvern Prep 2 2 2—6

First-period goals: Pierre Larocque (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs, 1:39; Matt Harris (MP) from Caiden Canale and Jimmy Jacobs, 13:08

Second-period goals: Harris (MP) from Jimmy Jacobs and Steven Getsie, 3:25; Jonathan Holt (MP) from Gavin Wilson and Aidan Kelly, 4:56

Third-period goals: Nick Stori (SJP) from Christian Short, 1:49; Jimmy Jacobs (MP) from Harris and Dougherty, 13:14 (pp); Harris (MP) from Dougherty, 15:12 (sh)

Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 31, Malvern Prep 35; Saves: Rocco Bruno (SJP) 29, Anthony Perti (MP) 30

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Flyers Cup Class A Final

West Chester East faces Springfield Delco at 8:30 Monday night for the Class A Flyers Cup title at Ice Line.

West Chester East

Coach Eric Wolf 

Record: 24-0

This tournament: Defeated Radnor 11-1, Hershey 6-1

Key players: Trey Jefferis 4 goals and 1 assist for 5 points in the tournament

Michael Cardarelli 3-2-5

Henry Thornton 3-2-5

Andrew Denny 2-3-5

Springfield Delco 18-1-0-3

Coach: Phil Eastman

Record: 18-1-0-3

This tournament: Defeated West Chester Henderson 4-1, Palmyra 6-1

Key players: Zach Crain 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points in the tournament

Dominic Romolini 3-2-5

Roman Mulholland 0-4-4