When La Salle and Holy Ghost Prep meet on the ice there is generally something at stake, from an APAC or Flyers Cup title to local bragging rights.
The latest chapter in the rivalry will play out Tuesday night when the fourth-seeded Explorers and the top-seeded Firebirds collide in the Class AAA Flyers Cup final at Hatfield Ice (6:00 start).
Holy Ghost Prep (19-4) is the defending champion while La Salle (8-13) has won 13 Cup titles in its history, more than any other school.
This marks the 10th time the two schools have met in a Flyers Cup final since 1999; La Salle holds a 6-3 advantage in those games.
As intense as the rivalry is, it is characterized by mutual respect.
La Salle senior forward Luke Baumann is very familiar with the Firebirds.
“Holy Ghost is a great team from top to bottom,” he said. “I have played with or against a lot of their guys in club hockey over the years so I know how talented and competitive they are. They are number two in the state and the number one seed in the Flyers Cup for a reason, and we have a lot of respect for them.
“We also have not forgotten last year’s championship which was a tough loss for the guys who were there.
“At the same time, we have a lot of younger players who are experiencing this for the first time so it is about balancing that motivation with staying focused on the moment.”
Holy Ghost Prep senior forward Jack Gavaghan is anticipating an intense atmosphere at Hatfield Ice.
“The game is going to have high intensity,” he said. “We know they’ve begun to heat up during February and into March. They’re never a team you can take lightly.
“They’ll grind and come out with a push and we have to match that. La Salle is a team you can’t count out but we know we have what it takes to beat them. We’ll set the tone by matching their intensity and then some. Us being familiar with them will work to our advantage as we know what’s coming. We’ll be ready to go.”
The two teams took different paths to reach the finals. As the defending Cup and now two-time APAC champion, Holy Ghost Prep has amassed 40 victories over the past two seasons.
“I think our depth and experience have helped us be successful the past two years,” Gavaghan said.
“Last year we had a senior heavy group who were a big reason we were able to succeed, but we had younger guys following right behind them in a deep playoff run. This year, a lot of us have experienced what it takes to win a Flyers Cup and how difficult it is to win a state championship. That experience has been a key factor in our success this year and helped lead us back to the Flyers Cup championship.”
The Explorers meanwhile, had an up and down campaign but have played much better hockey since the start of 2026; they’ve won five of their last seven games
“I think our turnaround really comes from everything we went through earlier in the season,” Baumann said. “After losing last year’s Flyers Cup championship and graduating a big senior class, we had a young group that needed time to adjust to varsity hockey, the speed, the physicality, and our system. Early on we took some tough losses, but our coaches never let us get discouraged. They have done an unbelievable job keeping us focused, holding us accountable and putting us in the best position to succeed every day. “
The Explorers tend to pick up their level of play after their annual holiday trip and this season was no exception.
“Even though I was hurt at the time, I noticed a big shift in our team after the Rhode Island tournament at the end of December,” Baumann said. “I was only able to watch the games back at our home rink, but you could clearly see the difference in how we were playing before and after. We were more connected, more confident and playing with a lot more structure and energy. As one of only two seniors, I have seen how much this group has matured. The guys who were part of last year’s loss have helped motivate the younger players and over the last two months we have really come together. From January on we have played much more confident and disciplined hockey and that has shown in our results.”
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