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The high-school hockey season is now in full swing. On this edition of the Hockey Happenings podcast, Rick Woelfel and Flyers Cup Committee President Eric Tye offer an overview.
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The captain’s position in hockey, whatever the level, transcends that role in other team sports.
The captain is expected to provide leadership and support to his teammates, and perhaps at times serve as a bridge between the players and the coaching staff, while taking care not to let his own on-ice performance fall off.
John Lynch is wearing the ‘C’ at St. Joseph’s Prep this season. The senior defenseman was appointed by his coach, David Giacomin, with input from his teammates. Each player on the roster was permitted to submit three names to be considered for the captaincy.
It is a role that Lynch, a South Philadelphia resident, embraces.
John Lynch
“I was happy with it,” he said. “Because I’ve been a captain before. But I was never given the actual ‘C ‘I, was just named captain.
“And to have the ‘C,’ it’s nice to have it; it just shows my dedication and my true leadership.
St. Joseph’s Prep is the first team Lynch has played for that has a designated captain but he says he’s assumed a leadership role on the club teams he’s played for (he’s currently skating for the Philadelphia Blazers 18 AA team).
“It’s good to be the guy that everyone looks up to,” he said. “This year with a lot of freshmen especially, it’s good to earn everyone’s respect and to just be positive. I have to make everyone accountable, which is the most important aspect.”
Lynch’s leadership style varies depending on he’s interacting with upperclassmen or his younger teammates.
“With the upperclassmen, I can talk to them in a different way,” he said. “And they can relate to my position. And they can help me out, see where I’m coming from. And there’s ways to address them, even though they’re in the same grade.
“It’s different with the freshmen because when you’re teaching them now, you’re setting up for the rest of their four years of high school and they can just continue to pass that on as they go.”
The lineup of 20 players the Hawks dressed in their APAC opener against La Salle included two freshmen and four sophomores. Two other freshmen didn’t dress.
Lynch points out that with a roster so young, it’s especially important that he and the other veterans set a positive tone.
“it’s important because there’s so many of them,” he said. “They all have to understand the commitment, and how we all just have to be together as one.
“You just have to show them more and earn their respect because if you don’t have their respect, it won’t work. But, if everyone just buys in, especially with the young kids, everyone just has to understand their role. If you teach them now, you’re setting them up for success later and they can eventually pass it on when they’re seniors.”
Lynch notes the importance of leading by example, of not letting his captain’s responsibilities negatively own on-ice performance.
“That’s definitely a factor,” he said. “If I’m having a bad game and I’m the captain there’s ways you can address the team, tell them we’ve got to step it up. Even if I’m not on my game, I can see through our mistakes and everything.
“They can see that I’m doing something wrong too but I can also help the team in other ways if I’m not having the best game. Like, motivating everybody getting up if they can to block shots.
“There’s other ways to address it especially if I’m not having that good a game, but it is hard to keep a positive mindset if I’m having a bad game If I am having a bad game, everyone just sees it.”
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Thanksgiving Eve is one of the high points of the scholastic hockey season. It’s an occasion that sees traditional rivalries renewed in front of enthusiastic audiences that often include alumni who are home from college for the holiday.
With the SHSH’s expanded league schedule, every game on this list save one will impact league standings.
Here is the schedule
La Salle vs. Malvern Prep 6:45 at Ice Line
Holy Ghost Prep vs. Father Judge 7:00 at Grundy Arena
C.B. East vs C.B. West 7:00 at Revolution Ice Gardens
Pennridge vs. Souderton 7:00 at Hatfield Ice
Pennsbury vs. Neshaminy 7:20 at Grundy Arena
Springfield vs HH/UD 7:30 at Bucks County Ice
C.R. North vs C.R. South 8:45 at Revolution Ice Gardens
North Penn vs C.B. South 9:00 at Hatfield Ice
National Division W L T OW OL Pts
Council Rock South 4 0 0 0 0 8
Pennridge 4 0 0 0 0 8
Central Bucks East 2 1 0 0 0 4
North Penn 2 1 0 0 0 4
Cent. Bucks South 1 1 1 0 0 3
Cent. Bucks West 1 2 1 0 0 3
Neshaminy 0 2 2 0 0 2
Souderton 1 2 0 1 0 2
Pennsbury 0 3 0 0 1 1
Council Rock North 0 3 0 0 0 0
American Division W L T OW OL Pts
Bensalem 3 1 0 0 1 7
Plymouth White. 3 0 0 0 0 6
Abington 1 1 1 0 0 3
HH/UD 1 1 1 0 0 3
Wissahickon 1 2 0 0 1 2
Springfield 0 4 0 0 0 0
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National Division Scoring G A Pts
Andrew Savona (Pr) 7 9 16
Kevon Koles (CRS) 7 8 15
Shane Dachowski (Pr) 5 8 13
Blaize Pepe (CRS) 7 6 13
Kevin Pico (Pr) 6 6 12
Jake Weiner (CRS) 8 4 12
Alex Bazylevich (Bens) 2 8 10
Maxwell Ryon (Soud) 7 3 10
Chase Tovsky (Soud) 3 7 10
American Division Scoring G A Pts
Alex Hood (Bens) 16 5 21
William Hulbert (HH/UD) 10 3 13
Seamus Donofry (Ab) 2 9 11
Dylan Novitsky (PW) 6 3 9
Kevin McGinley (HH/UD) 3 5 8
Michael Romano (Ab) 4 4 8
Jason Segal (PW) 3 5 8
HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—The Pennridge Ram just keep rolling along. Andrew Savona’s three goals and two assists led the way as the Ram bested North Penn 7-0 Friday night in a SHSHL National Division encounter at Hatfield Ice.
The win was the fourth straight without a blemish for Pennridge, which came into the season off an appearance in the Class AA Flyers Cup finals last March and seemingly hasn’t lost a beat
The formula for this year’s success however includes different elements from a year ago when the Rams were one of the area’s most potent offensive juggernauts.
Senior Colin Dachowski is Pennridge’s captain. He notes the Rams are employing a more workmanlike, grind-it-out-style this season.
“That’s the style we have to play,” he said. “Grind every team out, wear them down.”
Which is more or less how Friday’s game played out. Pennridge had the better of the play in the first period but could only solve North Penn netminder Ian McAteer once; Shane Dachowski found the net at the 5:40 mark, but North Penn (2-1) outshot the Rams 10-9 in the opening session.
Kevin Pico and Savona added goals in the middle period but the game was still competitive until the third frame when Savona scored twice, before and after a tally from Josh Kelly, in a span of five minutes, nine seconds to make it a 6-0 game halfway through the period.
Dachowski said he and his teammates have adapted to the new approach.
“I think everyone understands their role,” he said, “and we know the scorers and we know the grinders. We just go by that.”
Savona stressed the importance of the veterans in the lineup showing the way for their less-experienced teammates.
“It’s a big deal,” he said. “We want to be leaders on this team and have them follow us along and work hard and keep going.”
North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis had reason to be optimistic at evening’s end. The Knights played hard at both ends of the ice and made the Rams work for their chances until using up their energy reserves in the third period.
“We came out in the first period and I think we were kind of taken by surprise a little bit,” Vaitis said. “They’ve got a lot of talent on that team and they jumped on us early with some pressure.
“But, we hung with them, we continued to battle back. It was 1-0 after the first and we were doing all the things we needed to do, playing some good hockey.”
Vaitis cited McAteer for keeping his team in the game; the sophomore finished with 36 saves.
“We’ve got three goalies on the team and all three are very capable goalies at the varsity level,” he said. “It was Ian’s job tonight and he played really well for us.”
North Penn 0 0 0—0
Pennridge 1 2 4—7
First-period goal: Shane Dachowski (P) from Andrew Savona, 5:40
Second-period goals: Kevin Pico (P) from Savona and Dachowski, 6:29; Savona (P) from Dachowski and James Rush, 8:25 (pp)
Third-period goals: Savona (P) from Dachowski, 3:11; Josh Kelly (P) from Nolan Shaw, 5:16 (sh); Savona (P) from Tyler Manto, 8:20; Rush (P) from Pico and Manto, 12:06
Shots: North Penn 18, Pennridge 43; Saves: Ian McAteer(NP) 36, Jacob Winton (P) 18
BRISTOL—Malvern Prep and Holy Ghost Prep took their first steps into the sometimes-perilous waters of the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference Thursday afternoon. It was the Friars who found smooth sailing.
Brayden Baum and Aidan Kelly scored second-period goals to give their side a 2-1 win over the Firebirds at Grundy Arena. It was the Friars’ third win in four starts.
“We’ve got a lot of good kids on our team,” Kelly said. “Everyone’s really motivated after the year we had last year (10-8 and a loss in the opening round of the Founders Cup playoffs). The coaches are doing a great of getting us motivated.”
Kelly noted that he and his teammates, including the newcomers on hand, are adjusting to their roles in this year’s lineup.
“I think everyone is really excited with their new roles,” the senior said. “It comes with a little bit of nerves, a little bit of pressure, just playing for such a great team in such a great league.
“But I think the older guys, the more experienced guys, are doing a great of helping everyone fit their role and get used to playing at this level.”
Malvern Prep enjoyed a 14-5 shots advantage in the opening period but couldn’t solve Firebird netminder Jack Botthof and the first frame was scoreless.
Baum got the Friars on the scoreboard 12:17 into the middle period and Kelly made it a 2-0 game at 13:58.
Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan was pleased with the way his players moved the puck.
“The puck was moving at both ends,” he said. “Not a lot of sustained pressure but we settled down into our game. “We were able to be a little more poised with the puck and get pucks deep and sustain that pressure. I’m pretty happy with the result.”
Two goals down and perhaps a bit back on their heels, the Firebirds (0-2, 0-1 in the APAC) came out swarming at the start of the third period.
It took A.J. Prete just 19 seconds to score and make it a one-goal game. But Matt Crawford in the Malvern Prep net was perfect the rest of the way; the junior stopped 15 of the 16 shots he saw in the final period.
“Matt is pretty much anchor here for us,” Keenan said. “He played that well against Council Rock South (a game the Friars lost in overtime) and he [played] that way here today too. I think overall, he’s got a good future here, especially within the APAC. He did well today.”
For a young Holy Ghost Prep team, Wednesday’s game was another step in the building process.
“Better than Game One,” Firebird coach John Richie said of his team’s effort. “Not good enough though. “That second period, we kind of took a step backwards, then that third period was much stronger.
“But we’re a team that can’t have a lapse in judgment for 10 minutes of the second period.”
Malvern Prep 0 2 0—2
Holy Ghost Prep 0 0 1—1
Second-period goals: Brayden Baum (MP) from Gabriel Bedwell and Paxton Hoishik, 12:17; Aidan Kelly (MP) from Caiden Canale and Matt Crawford, 13:58
Third-period goal: A.J. Prete (HGP) from Mike Holt, :19
Shots: Malvern Prep 27, Holy Ghost Prep 29; Saves: Matt Crawford (MP) 28, Jack Botthof (HGP) 25
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HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—A bolt of lightning was followed by rolling thunder. La Salle scored two goals 69 second apart early in the third period and went on to a 3-1 win over St. Joseph’s Prep at Hatfield Ice Wednesday afternoon to officially kick off the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference’s sixth hockey season.
Will Gregorio scored what proved to be the winning goal 1:24 into the third frame. Dean Carvalho added an insurance goal at the 2:33 mark as the Explorers (4-0 overall), the defending Founders Cup, Class AAA Flyers Cup and state champions, won their ninth straight game dating back to the close of the 2023 regular season.
Carvalho noted it was not a perfect performance.
“I didn’t think we played as a well as we could have,” he said. “There’s room for improvement, and every week we’re working to improve every game.”
The Hawks (1-1 overall) took the first lead of the afternoon, thanks to Bobby McGinn’s goal with 1:07 left in a first period in which La Salle dominated, but was unable to solve St. Joseph’s Prep netminder Jacob Aranda. The junior finished the period with 13 saves and the game with 32.
“He played great,” said St. Joseph’s Perp coach David Giacomin. “He made some quality saves, he’s always in position.
“I’d like to see the tape on a couple of goals, he might have given them a little too much, but he kept us in there the first period.”
Alastair St. Hiaire tied the game for the Explorers 7:11 into the second period and the two teams battled on even terms for the balance of the session.
Gregorio’s game winner came during a four-on-four situation with La Salle’s Patrick Brace and the Hawks’ Brayden Collins both in the box. Carvalho’s goal came after Brace’s penalty time had expired but with two seconds still remaining on Collins’ infraction.
“I thought we came out and played well out of the gate,” said La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner. “Then I think we kind of got away from our game. And I think St. Joe’s did a really good job. Their goaltender made a lot of really good saves early on and they had some really good opportunities early on.
“I feel it was a pretty even game throughout.”
Even though it came out on the short end of the score,Giacomin was pleased with the effort of his young team; the 20 players who dressed for the Hawks included three freshmen and six sophomores.
“Obviously there are some things we messed up and I’d like to have back,” he said, “but we’re a very young team. I think what they learned today is, of they play the game the right way they can compete with pretty much anybody but with youngness comes taking your lumps here and there ands we made a couple mistakes.”
Ice chips: La Salle’s last loss came to Wyoming Seminary in its regular-season finale last season. The Explorers won five postseason games a year ago.
St. Joseph’s Prep 1 0 0—1
La Salle 0 1 2—3
First-period goal: Bobby McGinn (SJP) from Ben Kursun, 15:53
Second-period goal: Alastair St. Hilaire (L) from James Carpenter and Dean Carvalho, 7:11
Third-period goals: Will Gregorio (L) from Declan Kelly, 1:24; Dean Carvalho (L) from Gregorio, 2:33 (pp);
Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 32, La Salle 35; Saves: Jacob Aranda (SJP) 32, Jacob Rossi (L) 31
Blaise Pepe’s goal with 1:27 left in overtime gave Council Rock South a 3-2 non-league win over host Malvern Prep Monday night at Ice Line.
Illia Mukhin and Chase Trovsky also scored for the Golden Hawks who have started the season with three consecutive wins, two of them over APAC opponents.
Tovsky’s shorthanded goal with 4:26 left in the second period tied the game after Brady Doyle scored a pair of goals two minutes apart to give the Friars (2-1) a 2-1 lead.
Trevor Rakszawski got the win in goal; he was credited with 54 saves. Matt Crawford was credited with 40 at the other end of the ice.
Council Rock South 1 1 0 1—3
Malvern Prep 0 2 0 0—2
First-period goal: Illia Mukhin (CRS) from Kevin Koles and Jake Weiner, 13:48
Second-period goals: Brady Doyle (MP) from Caiden Canale, 10:11; Brady Doyle (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs and Adan Kelly, 12:11 (pp); Chase Trovsky (CRS) unassisted, 12:34 (sh)
Overtime goal: Blaise Pepe (CRS) unassisted, 3:33
Shots: Council Rock South 56, Malvern Prep 43; Saves: Trevor Rakszawski (CRS) 54, Matt Crawford (MP) 40
As high-school senior, Mike Holt is experiencing some changes in his life, in the classroom and on the ice. Next spring, he will graduate from Holy Ghost Prep.
Even before he enrolled there, the Huntingdon Valley resident sensed he and the school would be a good fit.
“Going in (as an eighth grader) for your shadow day, you see the type of brotherhood and the type of community we have here” he said. “Whether it’s just talking with your friends at the lunch table, or getting together and maybe studying for a test, it’s the sense of brotherhood and community that you get at a smaller school like Ghost. I think that’s one of the biggest aspects for me being able to have close connections with my teachers and my friends in such a nice space.”
The curriculum at Holy Ghost Prep is set up to allow students to make an assortment of independent decisions. Invariably, as Holt points out, this leads to learning from a wrong decision, particularly in the area of time management.
“Definitely learning some things the hard way for sure,” he said, “but I think it’s a great opportunity for young men like us, trying to mold our minds and making those decisions on whether you want to go play basketball with your friends or if you need to get some work done.
“But, I think a big part of that maturity factor goes into our free time and how we access it, and I think a lot of people in our school do a great job at that.”
Holt speaks of the life lessons he’s absorbed during his years at Holy Ghost Prep, including the willingness to ask for help when he’s floundering.
“I think one of the biggest core values they try to teach us at Ghost is obviously being gentlemen and to be a man,” he said, “but with that comes the ability having the ability, to recognize when you need some help and recognize when you need to collaborate with someone and you need to talk to that teacher and you need to go for that extra [help].
“I think a lot of men today really think they can do it all themselves and I think Ghost is a great space where you can really kind of collaborate and work on what you need to work on without having to do it all by yourself so I think it’s definitely a great space where you can rely on each other in that sense.”
As a captain this season, Holt embraces the responsibility of showing the way for his teammates.
“I feel like [leadership ability] came pretty easy to me early on,” he said, “but obviously, there are things you always need to work on. I always had to work on being a better leader myself but I feel early on, freshman year, sophomore year, junior year, I was always feeling that need to help the guys out. If they needed something to get done, I’d help them out with it.
“I feel like the top leadership role is a new thing for me, but I also feel like I can rely on my teammates and I feel like I’ve grown in a space where I can really express that leadership and be the reliable kind of personality that the guys need and that I need from the guys.
“It’s not just all about me and the two other assistants, it’s about the team.”
Mike Holt
The Firebirds are putting a young team on the ice this season. Holt is counting on contributions from all hands.
“I feel athletically, obviously, we’re going to need guys to step up and play a role,” he said, “not just as good players but obviously as leaders. I think our captains are definitely capable of doing it this year and I think we’ve got a really strong corps of leaders that are able and willing to lead this team and I think that’s my mindset going into it.”
The competition in the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference promises to be as rugged as ever. Holt says the team that develops cohesiveness will have the best chance of success.
“We have end players playing in the APAC,” he said. “Everybody knows that it is a very [ competitive] conference but I think it’s [about] the team that really molds together as a family and is willing to fight got each other. The guy to your left is the guy you want to be worrying about and it just goes up and down the line throughout the whole team.
“You’ve got to be able to really rely on each other and I think a big aspect of what teams are going to be successful with is working together and just being one team. A family.”
The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference is embarking on its sixth season. Here’s a look at what to expect.
Holy Ghost Prep
Coach: John Richie (first season)
Last year: 18-8, 4-2-1-1 in APAC
Key players: Jr. Jack Unger (G); Sr. Mike Holt (D); Jr. Ryan Lippy (D); Sr. A.J. Prete (F); St. Matt Cholaj (Sr.); Sr. Jake McCaw (F)
Outlook: Richie, who once played for the Firebirds, takes over for the retired Gump Whiteside.
This year’s team will be a young group that will be lacking much of last season’s offensive firepower.
“The strength of this year’s team will be the returning defensive corps,” Richie said, “who have all played varsity before. We have great depth within the program and expect a lot of players to get opportunities at the varsity level this upcoming season as players look to establish their role and solidify their spots come playoff time.”
Unger’s experience in goal will help.
Hun School
Coach: Eric Szeker (first season)
Last year: 11-13, 3-5 in APAC
Key Players: Sr. Julien Arseneault (G); Sr. Charles-Étienne Jetté (D); Sr. Ryan Levesque (F); Sr. Justin Laplante (F); Sr. Brendan Marino (F); Sr. Jack Neckritz (F)
Outlook: Szeker, a Hun School alum, takes over for Ian McNally after serving as his assistant. Ten seniors are gone from last year’s team but some impressive talent returns and Szeker is enthused about the newcomers who will be stepping into the varsity lineup.
“We will be looking to our sophomore class to make a big jump this season,” he said, “with plenty of holes to fill.”
Arsenault heads up the goaltending corps, while Levesque, Laplante and Marino will be counted on to provide the majority of the scoring punch.
La Salle
Coach: Wally Muehlbronner (26th season)
Last year: 16-9-2, 6-2 in APAC; defending Founders Cup, and Class AAA Flyers Cup and state champions
Key players: Jr. Jake Rossi (G); Sr. Thomas Doucet (D); Sr. Charlie Budd (D); Jr. Cam Ross (D); Jr. Will Gregorio (D); Dean Carvalho (F); Sr. James Carpenter (F), Sr. Patrick Brace (F); Sr. Ryan Wiley (F); Sr. Charlie Kennedy (F); Sr. Liam Donahue (F)
Outlook: The Explorers come into the season off their 11th Flyers Cup title and seventh state championship. They’ve also claimed three of the previous five Founders Cup titles and shared another.
This year’s roster features what Muehlbronner calls “A nice group of players,” one that is deep and offers scoring balance.
Rossi is being counted on in goal.
Malvern Prep
Coach: Bill Keenan (fifth season)
Last year: 10-8, 2-5-0-1 in APAC
Key players: Jr. Matt Crawford (G); Sr. Brady Doyle (D); Jr. Matt Barbacane (D); So. Cole Scrabinsky (D); Sr. Jeremy Jacobs (F); Sr. Caiden Canale (F); Sr. Aidan Kelly (F); Sr. Brayden Baum (F); Jr. Gabe Bedwell (F); Jr. Teague Murray (F); So. Pax Hoishik F
Outlook: The Friars struggled in the APAC last season but they return a core group of experienced upperclassmen, including Jacobs, who is the APAC’s top returning scorer.
The mix will also include a group of promising newcomers.
“We are excited to see what this younger incoming class can do,” Keenan said. “The seniors in this group are probably one of the best groups of seniors that has come through our program since we won back in 2021. The boys are just having fun and are ready to compete day in and day out. The energy and work this group is putting in is great to see.”
St. Joseph’s Prep
Coach: David Giacomin (11th season)
Last year: 16-7-2, 3-4-1-0 in APAC
Key players: Jr. Jacob Aranda (G); Sr. John Lynch (D); Sr. Gareth McDonald (D); Sr. Shane O’Neil (D); Sr. Tyler Degirolamo (D); Sr. Brayden Collins (F); Jr. Tristan Winata (F); Jr. Jake Schultz (F); Jr. Caden Kelly (F)
Outlook: The Hawks lost 10 seniors off last year’s team, one that was a formidable group when all the pieces were in place, and claimed a title at the prestigious Purple Puck tournament.
The returning corps of veterans will be bolstered by some promising newcomers, including Aranda in goal.
“We hope to be a speed driven team that will play hard in all three zones,” Giacomin said. “Depth will play a big role this year. With offensive returnees and the defense leading the way we hope to get off to a fast start and build from there.”
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