Your Source for High School Hockey
Dean Carvalho, Julian Tarsi, and Michael Zarzycki scored two goals each as the Explorers rolled over the Fords on Wednesday afternoon at Hatfield Ice.
Max Monzo, Bill Gregorio, Ryan Wiley, Luke Murphy, and Grant LeGrecca also scored goals for La Salle.
Dante Defruscio picked up the shutout in goal as La Salle improved to 7-7-2 on the season.
National Division W L T OTL Pts
C.B. South (7-4-0-1) 4 1 0 0 8
Pennsbury (8-3) 4 1 0 0 8
Pennridge (8-3) 3 1 0 0 6
C.R. North (2-8-1-1) 2 3 1 1 6
C.R. South (7-1-0-1)) 2 0 0 1 5
C.B. East (6-4-1) 2 1 1 0 5
Neshaminy (7-3-1) 2 1 1 0 5
Souderton (4-7-0-1) 2 4 0 0 4
C.B. West (3-8) 1 3 0 0 2
Bensalem (2-7) 1 2 0 0 2
North Penn (3-7-1) 0 4 1 0 0
American Division W L T OTL Pts
Abington (10-0-1) 9 0 1 0 19
Plymouth Whitemarsh (7-4) 6 3 0 0 12
Wissahickon (5-5) 5 4 0 0 10
Quakertown (5-3-1) 4 3 1 0 9
Springfield (0-8-0-1) 0 8 0 1 1
The Grundy Skate Shop is a full-service hockey pro shop inside the Grundy Arena, offering a great selection of equipment, brands and various services. We do a full range of repairs as well as offer custom hockey jerseys. Owner Bill Keyser, has over 25 years experience in the industry and specializes in skate sharpening, including profiling. Please visit our Facebook page or stop in and check us out
Scoring
National Division G A Pts
Brendan Macainsh (Pb) 19 11 30
Andrew Savona (Pr) 13 17 30
Seth Grossman (Soud) 16 11 27
Kevin Pico (Pr) 13 12 25
Aydin Thierolf (CBS) 12 12 24
Alex Hood (Ben) 16 4 20
Shane Dachowski (Pr) 12 7 19
Corey Kosick (CBE) 12 6 18
Max Gallagher (Nesh) 12 5 17
D.J. Lidenmuth (CBS) 8 9 17
American Division G A Pts
Matthew Flynn (PW) 14 14 28
Will Hussa (Wiss) 20 5 25
Pat Stelacio (Ab) 14 10 24
Ian Heydt (Ab) 9 15 24
Dylan Novitski (PW) 13 10 23
Matt Kramer (Ab) 16 7 23
Branden McNally (Q) 13 9 22
David Branigan (PW) 7 15 22
Danny Hussa (Wiss) 12 6 18
Sam Paulik (Ab) 9 9 18
Jordan Heydt (Ab) 11 6 17
Seth Abramson (Ab) 8 9 17
The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference, its member schools, and fans, are basking in the glow of Wednesday’s APAC Outdoor Classic at the Spring Mountain resort
APAC Commissioner Jim Britt was lavish in his praise for the inaugural Classic.
“It’s idyllic,” he said. “I am very impressed by what they’ve done here to develop this into an adventure; an outdoor classic. The amenities are set up, it’s easy to watch a game, the lighting is great.
“The students are reacting tremendously. Everybody is having a great time and we really appreciate what they’ve done here to develop this and four teams being here for the APAC Outdoor Classic is something special to see.”
The results of the games mattered of course. La Salle bested St. Joseph’s Prep 5-1 in the back end of the twin bill but senior Tim Whitlock pointed out he and his teammates’ most vivid memories will be of the Classic itself.
‘The guys are excited,” he said Wednesday night. “It was a different type of game, kind of. It was a good game.
Whittock said the energy of the fans on hand added to the experience.
“Definitely a little more,” he said. “But, by the end of the day, it doesn’t matter about the people on the sidelines. It matters about the boys on the ice.”
Malvern Prep in white ands Holy Ghost Prep line up for the National Anthem on Wednesday. (Max Mangigian)
Holy Ghost Prep senior and captain Brady Baehser helped his team to a 6-5 win over Malvern Prep to open the evening’s festivities.
“This is an experience we’re going to remember for the rest of our lives,” he said.
Baehser noted that the conditions mandated the players make some adjustments.
“When we first got out there we were having trouble seeing the puck he said “and trouble with the lighting. But it’s the same for everyone so you get used to it and you play the game.”
Baehser was asked for his most vivid memory of the evening.
“Honestly when you first step on the ice,” he said. “You look around, and it’s a beautiful atmosphere.”
La Salle’s Ryan Wiley carries the puck Wednesday night. #33 for St. Joseph’s Prep is Dante Pasio (Max Mangigian)
St. Joseph’s Prep’s Tyler DiGirolamo moves the puck. (Max Mangigian)
Holy Ghost Prep’s Kieran Mulholland (in blue) is challenged by Malvern Prep’s Jack Sharer (Max Mangigian)
The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference enhanced its legacy Wednesday night. The inaugural APAC Outdoor Classic brought four of the five conference schools to the Spring Mountain resort for a doubleheader in a unique outdoor setting.
For the record, Holy Ghost Prep edged Malvern Prep 6-5 and La Salle downed St. Joseph’s Prep 5-1. But as significant as the results were in the APAC conference standings, the impact of the evening and the setting made a deeper impression on the fans in attendance and most notably on the participants.
The Holy Ghost Prep-Malvern Prep matchup, which opened the doubleheader, was believed to be the first outdoor game in Malvern Pep history, and certainly the first outdoor game in the program’s modern era, which dates back more than half a century.
Senior Jimmy Jacobs is the Friars’ captain. “It was a really cool atmosphere,” he said. “It’s definitely a lot different than what we’re used to.
“When you’re playing outdoors, there’s nothing to complain about, It’s an awesome atmosphere. The ice is a little different, but that’s what we expected. It was really awesome to play outdoors.”
Holy Ghost Prep senior Landon Stout basked in the outdoor atmosphere. Wednesday marked Holy Ghost Prep’s second outdoor game in seven days; the Firebirds faced North Allegheny outdoors last Thursday in Pittsburgh.
“There’s nothing like it,” Stout said of playing outdoors. “That’s all I have to say. It’s a great experience.”
Stout noted the impact the conditions had on play. When the puck was dropped to begin the Holy Ghost Prep-Malvern Prep game, the temperature was in the low 40s, mild enough to impact ice conditions. The lighting conditions were impactful as well
“It’s a lot different than playing inside,” Stout said. “Especially for the goalies, it’s probably pretty hard to see the puck out here.”
St. Joseph’s Prep junior defenseman Shane O’Neill wasn’t happy with the loss to archrival La Salle. But playing a rivalry game in an outdoor setting left memories that are certain to endure.
“It was awesome,” he said. “We got a little taste of it last year against (Cardinal O’Hara), but it’s really nice coming out here under the stars and stuff.
O’Neill could feel a rush of energy when he first took the ice.
“It’s a lot of excitement,” he said. “It’s a different environment out here, but it’s still a lot of fun. At the end of the day, we’re still just playing hockey so, you try not to think too much about where we’re playing, and just get a win.”
La Salle senior Dante DeFuscio was in an observer’s role Wednesday night as the Explorers’ backup goaltender, but he embraced the setting as deeply as anyone in attendance.
“It was definitely unusual but surreal at the same time,” he said. “I don’t think many of our guys have played outside, maybe a handful, two or three. And, we’re just really thankful to be out there.”
DeFusico spent time attempting to absorb the energy and emotion of the occasion.
“I’m just trying to take it all in,” he said, “as much as possible. Especially because I don’t have to be 100 percent locked in. I have to be focused on the game (but) just enjoying keeping the guys loose.”
Holy Ghost Prep 6, Malvern Prep 5—The Firebirds scored three times in the first period and went on to the win that opened the APAC Outdoor Classic. The win kept the Firebirds alone in atop the conference standings with a 4-1-0-1 league record (12-4 overall).
Brady Baehser scored two goals in the win and assisted on another. Kieran Mulholland had a goal and two assists. Landon Stout, John Seravalli and Mike Holt also scored goals.
Jeremy Jacobs scored twice for Malvern Prep (7-3, 1-3) which was seeing its first action of the New Year. Brady Doyle, Jack Sharer, and Caiden Canale also scored for the Friars.
Holy Ghost Prep 3 2 1—6
Malvern Prep 1 3 1—5
First-period goals: Kieran Mulholland (HGP) from John Seravalli, 1:47; Brady Doyle (HGP) from Aidan Kelly, 5:45 (pp); Landon Stout (HGP) from Brady Baehser and Mike Holt, 8:38; Baehser (HG) from Shaun Moore and Mulholland, 12:54
Second-period goals: Jeremy Jacobs (MP) unassisted, 4:09; Jack Sharer (MP) from Matt Barbacane and Jimmy Jacobs, 11:08 (pp); Holt (HGP) from Mulholland, 13:53; Seravalli (HGP) from Mulholland and Shaun Moore, 14:27; Jeremy Jacobs (MP) unassisted, 15:00
Third-period goals: Baehser (HGP) from Seravalli, :48; Caiden Canale (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs, 13:28 (pp)
Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 34, Malvern Prep 44; Saves: Colin Mudrick (HGP) 39, Brandon Novabilski (MP) 28
LaSalle 5, St. Joseph’s Prep 1—Liam Donahue scored twice as the Explorers bested the Hawks in the nightcap of the APAC Outdoor Classic. Chase Hannon, Thomas Doucet and Evan Golato also scored for the Explorers who are now 6-7-2 overall but 4-1 in the APAC. La Salle is one point behind Holy Ghost Prep in the conference standings with a game in hand,
Jeffrey Hammond scored for St. Joseph’s Prep (12-3-2 overall, 1-3-1-0 in conference) which saw a seven-game unbeaten streak snapped.
St. Joseph’s Prep 0 1 0—1
La Salle 2 2 1—5
First-period goals: Chase Hannon (L) from Evan Golato, 3:03; Thomas Doucet (L) from Hannon, 9:16
Second-period goals: Liam Donahue (L) from Max Monzo and Will Gregorio, 1:36; Jeffrey Hammond (SJP) unassisted, 7:17 (pp); Donahue (L) from Monzo, 10:24
Third-period goal: Golato (L) from Declan Kelly, 9:28 (pp)
Won Lost OTW OTL Pts GF GA
Holy Ghost Prep (12-5) 4 1 0 1 13 31 25
La Salle (7-8-2) 4 2 0 0 12 22 16
St. Joseph’s Prep (13-3-2) 2 3 1 0 8 16 23
Hun School (5-8) 2 3 0 0 6 19 17
Malvern Prep (7-4) 1 4 0 0 3 16 20
Teams receive: 3 points for a regulation win
2 points for an overtime win
1 point for an overtime loss
This week
Wednesday, 1-18
La Salle 11 Haverford School 0
Hun School 4 Malvern Prep 2
Thursday, 1-19
St. Augustine 7 Holy Ghost Prep 1
Friday 1-20
St. Joseph’s Prep 3 La Salle 1
Joey Samango erupted for five goals and assisted on two others as St. Joseph’s Prep defeated Holy Ghost Prep 8-4 Monday afternoon in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference game at the University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 1923 Rink.
The win was the second for the Hawks (12-2-2-0, 1-2-1-0 in the APAC) over the Firebirds this season.
Zach Pers gave Holy Ghost Prep (11-4-3, 3-1-0-1) a 1-0 lead just 72 seconds after the opening faceoff but Samango tied the game for the Hawks at the 3:22 mark before Shane O’Neill’s goal at 11:07 gave the hosts a lead they would not relinquish.
Tristan Winata and Samango scored goals in a span of 1:39 to put St. Joseph’s Prep up 4-1 2:45 into the middle period.
“We capitalized in a couple of their mistakes right around the net,” said Sr. Joseph’s Prep coach David Giacomin, “a couple turnovers rom defensemen and nice move from one of our forwards, Next thing you know we were up 4-1 which was kind of surprising at that point.”
At that point, Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside used his timeout and lifted goaltender Colin Mudrick in favor of Jack Unger. At that point, momentum shifted in the Firebirds’ direction; Brady Baehser’s goal at the 6:49 mark made it a 4-2 game and Holy Ghost Prep enjoyed a 21-7 shot advantage in the middle period.
“In the second period, they called a timeout and totally turned up their legs,” Giacomin said.
But the Firebirds could come no closer. Samango and Holy Ghost Prep’s John Seravalli traded goals before Samango scored his fourth goal of the game with 45 seconds left in the period to give the Hawks a 6-3 advantage.
Seravalli scored his second goal of the game 2:27 into the final period but Jeffrey Hammond answered a minute-and-a-half later. Samango scored his fifth goal into an empty net.
Monday’s game was the Hawks’ first time on ice since winning the Purple Puck tournament just prior to New Year’s Day.
“I think this team’s a really good team,” Giacomin said. “We’re certainly strong up front and we have great goaltending. Our defense is starting to come into its own. We’re playing with the right kind of pace.”
The Hawks have been shorthanded in several games this season, including their two conference losses.
“Any time you’re missing three or four of especially your better players, you’re going to have a hard time playing against these APAC teams,” Giacomin said.
Holy Ghost Prep 1 2 1—4
St. Joseph’s Prep 2 4 2—8
First-period goals: Zach Pers (HGP) from Brady Baehser, 1:12; Joey Samango (SJP) from Jeffrey Hammond and Patrick Sweeney, 3:22; Shane O’ Neill (SJP) from Jake Schultz, 11:07
Second-period goals: Tristan Winata (SJP) from Samango and Caden Kelly, 1:06; Samango (SP) unassisted, 2:45; Baehser (HGP) unassisted, 6:49; Samango (SJP) from Hammond and Winata, 12:27; John Seravalli (HGP) from Baehser and Shaun Moore, 14:57 (pp); Samango (SJP) from Winata and Hammond, 16:15;
Third-period goals: Seravalli (HGP) from Moore and Kieran Mulholland, 2:27: Hammond (HGP) from Ben Kerson, 3:56; Samango (SJP) from Winata, 16:17 (en)
Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 49, St. Joseph’s Prep 24; Saves: Colin Mudrick (HGP) 4 and Jack Unger (HGP) 12; Ajay White (SJP) 45
More about St. Joseph’s Prep at https://www.sjprep.org
More about Holy Ghost Prep at https://www.holyghostprep.org
The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference will stage an outdoor doubleheader Wednesday night at the Spring Mountain resort in Schwenksville.
The event will feature two APAC conference games. Holy Ghost and Malvern Prep will open the doubleheader at 5:00; St. Joseph’s Prep and La Salle will follow at 7:15.
Malvern Prep comes into the week 7-2 overall and 1-2 in APAC play. Jeremy Jacobs has collected two goals and five assists for the Friars in three conference games, while his teammate Caiden Caniale has contributed five goals and an assist in APAC play.
Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan is looking forward to seeing four APAC schools facing off under the lights.
“I think introducing the APAC Outdoor Classic is a way to bring a fun, entertaining atmosphere for all teams,” he said. “For these kids to get an opportunity to play outside is something they have looked forward to since playing hockey.
“This is the first time our program will be playing outdoors. The boys are eager to experience the excitement of this game. This will be a memory for many years to come.”
Holy Ghost Prep starts the week with an 11-3 overall record and in the first place in the APAC with a 3-0-0-1 conference mark; its conference loss was to St Joseph’s Prep in overtime.
Brady Baehser leads the APAC in scoring with five goals and five assists in conference games. Kieran Mulholland (six goals) and Landon Stout (three goals, three assists) are next with six points each).
LaSalle comes into the week with a 5-6-2 overall mark; the Explorers stand 3-1 in the APAC. Dean Carvalho is the Explorers’ top scorer in conference play, with three goals and three assists. James Carpenter has contributed four goals in conference games.
St. Joseph’s Prep comes into the week with an 11-2-2 overall mark after winning the National Capital Tournament over the holidays. The Hawks are 0-2-1-0 in conference play. Tristan Winata (two goals, one assist) and Jeffrey Hammond (one goal, two assists) are the top scorers in APAC play.
David Giacomin has taken his St. Joseph’s Prep team to Spring Mountain in the past. He’s looking to Wednesday’s return trip.
“St Joes’ is looking forward to returning to Spring Mountain for an outdoor game,” he said. “The boys are excited to participate with the other APAC teams and hopefully make this a yearly special event. “
WARWICK TOWNSHIP—There is a lot of history within the walls of the Bucks County Ice Sports Center. The rink, originally called Face Off Circle, opened its doors in 1975 when the Philadelphia Flyers were the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
It’s the place where Central Bucks East Coach Jeff Mitchell learned to skate. And it’s where Mitchell brought his Patriots Friday night to renew one of the area’s traditional rivalries.
His players met expectations, scoring a 7-1 decision over Central Bucks West, a win that gave the Patriots two vital points in the SHSHL National Division standings. With the playoff field being reduced to six teams this season from the customary eight, the result was especially significant in terms of the standings.
Perhaps more importantly however the win was the Patriots’ second straight following a four-game losing streak, a losing streak that was especially difficult to endure after East (6-4, 2-1 in divisional play) began the season with four straight wins.
The Patriots displayed an abundance of scoring balance. Stephen DiRugeris scored two goals, while Owen Brackbill, Ethan Cenci, Anthony Dowd, Corey Kosick, and Drew Trask provided one goal each.
“The last two games have been a little bit of a sigh of relief,” Mitchell said, “that we’re getting back to the right motions that we’re running through when we’re playing our games.
“Were kind of getting back to our core values. Probably the past four or five games have been very subpar, slow, a lack of effort. It’s almost like we had an easy start to the season.”
With a full lineup in uniform, Mitchell was enthused about the balanced scoring.
“Having everybody back in the lineup really helped,” he said. “We spread the puck around, we were able to get four full lines out there. Rotate four lines throughout the game.
“It definitely helps a lot with getting a little pressure off the top two lines.”
After a scoreless first frame, the Patriots took control with goal from Brackbill, DiRugeris, and Cenci to go up 3-0 with 6:46 left in the middle period. Anthony Dowd scored for West (3-7, 1-2) 43 seconds later but by the midpoint of the third period, the Bucks were running on empty. Kosick, DiRugeris, and Gerken scored goals in a span of 2:20.
“On the spectrum of how we play, I think we played pretty well the first half of the game,” said West coach Dave Baun. “In fact, I don’t think we played that badly the entire game for where we are right now.
“East is a little better and they beat us.”
Mitchell noted the importance of every point in the standings in light of the new playoff format.
“I think every team that makes the playoffs is going to be a top-tier team,” he said. “I think seeds one through six are all going to be challenging. So, we’re going to have to do our best to play the games we have left in the season and kind of get a feel for the competition.”
C.B. West 0 1 0—1
C.B. East 0 4 3—7
Second-period goals: Owen Brackbill (CBE) from Kyle McIntyre, :50; Stephen DiRugeris (CBE) from Corey Kosick, 5:06; Ethan Cenci (CBE) from Gavin Widmer, 10:14; Anthony Dowd (CBW) from Zane Sanders, Ryan Gerken (CBE) unassisted, 15:24
Third-period goals: Kosick (CBE) from Jason Young, 9:10; DiRugeris (CBE) from Cenci, 9:52 Drew Trask (CBE) from Brackbill, 11:30.
Shots: C.B. West 27, C.B. East 38; Saves: Kyle Fasolak (CBW) 31, Matt Magiacapre (CBE) 18 and Cole Breen (CBE) 8
The Suburban High School Hockey League playoff brackets will be more compact this season.
The fields in both divisions will be reduced; the National Division playoff bracket will contain six teams instead of the eight that has been customary in recent years, while the American Division bracket will feature three teams rather than four.
The SHSHL has not announced playoff dates; the regular season is scheduled to conclude on Thursday, February 16 subject to weather-related postponements and ice availability.
The National Division bracket will see the top two seeds receiving byes into the semifinals while the third seed will face the sixth seed and seeds four and five will square off in the opening round.
In the American Division, the regular-season champion will receive a bye into the championship game while seeds two and three will face off in a semifina
HATFIELD TWNSHIP— With their halo of invincibility having disintegrated, Abington took the ice Thursday night with a renewed sense of purpose.
And it showed. Three goals in four-and-a-half minute span late in the first period left the Galloping Ghosts in command on the way to a 5-1 SHSHL American Division win over Plymouth Whitemarsh at Hatfield Ice Arena.
It was the first start for Abington (9-0-1, 8-0-1 in the division) since it sustained the only blemish on its record, a 2-2 standoff with Quakertown two days before Christmas. Thursday’s result allowed the Galloping Ghosts to leave that game far behind them.
“It was very important to start fast,” said senior forward Jordan Heydt. “This is arguably the most important game of the season. It solidifies us for a really good chance at first place, taking about the playoff bracket for this year (which will include three teams).
“(The regular-season champion) having a first-round-bye is huge.”
Abington has built its record despite the fact that two of its top scorers, Pat Stelacio and Matt Kramer remain sidelined with injuries. That has led some line juggling and other adjustments.
“We really have to have our players step up,” Heydet said. “We have to have our assistant captain, captain, and even the freshmen, they all have to step up.
“They all have to play their roles. They don’t have to do a lot, but they just have to play the system and play like they know how to play.”
Griffin Carpenter gave Abington a 1-0 lead 10:25 into the first period off a feed from Sam Abramson. Heydt made it a 2-0 game at the 11:53 mark, and Sam Paulik gave his team a three-goal advantage when he scored during a power play with 2:01 left in the period.
Playing their third game in three nights, the Colonials (6-4, 5-3 in the division) found themselves trying to dig out of a deep hole.
“We’ve done it before,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Dave Cox. “But tonight, it just wasn’t there. Our third game in three days, I think started to take its toll.”
The Colonials’ Conlan Carpenter beat Abington netminder Sam Nemec on a power-play effort 1:16 into the middle period. But that was all he and his teammates could manage.
Heydt and Abramson added goals for Abington in the third period.
“We came out with energy tonight,” said Abington coach Ken Brzozowski. “We kind of knew it was a big matchup, they’d been winning some games, they’re right behind us in the standings.
“We knew if we could come out of here with a win, it would really put us in a good spot for the rest of the year.”
• Ice Chips— The two teams will play again in a non-league game at the Wells Fargo Center on January 18 to celebrate both teams’ Senior Nights. Face-off time is now set for 7 p.m.; the Senior Night celebration will precede the opening faceoff.
Abington 3 0 2—5
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0 1 0—1
First-period goals: Griffin Carpenter (A) from Sam Abramson, 10:25; Jordan Heydt (A) from Sean Doyle and Seamus Donofry, 11:53; Sam Paulik (A) from Donofry and Devin Bates, 14:59 (pp).
Second-period goal: Conlan Carpenter (PW) from Dylan Novitsky, 1:16 (pp)
Third-period goals: Heydt (A) from Paulik. 4:17; Abramson (A) unassisted, 5:37
Shots: Abington 39, PW 20; Saves: Sam Nemec (A) 19, Chris Maslij (PW) 33
Hockey Happenings 