It was a first step for a team with lofty ambitions for the days to come. Brady Logue scored twice and three other players contributed one goal each as Holy Ghost Prep downed The Hun School 5-1 Friday night at Grundy Arena.
The win gave the Firebirds (13-4-2, 6-2 in the APAC) the APAC regular-season title, but far more importantly, the top seed for the Founders Cup playoffs next month. The result also solidifies Holy Ghost Prep’s position atop the latest Class AAA Flyers Cup rankings.
The Firebirds are 9-1-1 in their last 11 starts. Their captain, senior defenseman Ryan Lippy says cohesiveness has been at the foundation of that record.
“I think coming together as a team in the locker room {has been a factor},” he said. “We’ve been getting more involved as a team. We can bring it together and make it more of a team so everyone can work together better.”
The hosts were in control from the start. Logue scored the first goal of the game 4:10 into the opening period. Joe Spadaccino made a 2-0 with 4:02 left in the period when he stole the puck at center ice and went in alone on Raider goaltender Elliott Wong.
Logue made a big run of his own less during a power play than two minutes into the second frame when he rocketed down the right wing before dishing off to Anthony Valeriote who finished the play.
William Harmar made it a 4-0 affair with 6:33 left in the period before Jake O’ Connell got Hun School (3-10-2, 0-5) on the scoreboard by beating Firebird goaltender Matt Salita through the five-hole.
Logue’s second goal of the night was the only goal of the third period but the final session did not lack for fireworks. There were 12 penalties called in the period, five of them as the result of a scuffle with 9:11 left in regulation that sent three players to the penalty box.
With 2:44 remaining, Hun School’s Justin Bibeau, who assisted on his team’s goal, was called for spearing and was accessed a major penalty plus a game misconduct.
Senior defenseman Joe Kaufmann, the Firebirds’ alternate captain, stressed the importance of he and his teammates maintaining their poise.
“We kept our composure,” he said. “We tried not to get any guys not able to play in the APAC playoffs.”
Hun School coach Eric Szeker was missing half a dozen players from his lineup due to illness but was pleased with the effort he got from the players who were available.
“You can either show up or decide not to,” he said. “We showed up and tried to play our best.
The Firebirds celebrated the win but Kaufmann was quick to point out there’s a long way to go.
“The job’s not done yet,” he said. “We’ve still got a lot of games ahead of us. We’ve got to take it one day at a time.”
• Holy Ghost Prep will host the Founders Cup semifinals on February 19. The semifinal results will factor into the Flyers Cup selection/seeding process.
Hun School 0 1 0—1
Holy Ghost Prep 2 2 1—5
First-period goals: Brady Logue (HGP) from Lucas Gonzalez and Joe Spadaccino, 4:10; Spadaccino (HGP) unassisted, 15:20 (sh)
Second-period goals: Anthony Valeriote (HGP) from Logue, 1:51 (pp); William Harmar (HGP) from Nathan Romer, 10:27; Jake O’ Connell (HS) from Justin Bibeau, 15:07
Third-period goal: Logue (HGP) unassisted, 13:31 (sh)
Shots: Hun School 10, Holy Ghost Prep 44; Saves: Elliot Wong (HS) 39, Matt Salita (HGP) 9
For more information about The Hun School CLICK HERE
For more information aout Holy Ghost Prep CLICK HERE
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