Author: Rick Woelfel

Rick has worked in print and broadcast journalism for more than 35 years. He's covered golf in one medium or another for more than 30. He is the co-author of the book So You Want to Play Golf with PGA professional Kim Verrecchio and the host of the Women's Golf Report podcast. Most recently, Rick served as an associate editor for The Mulligan Magazine. He also served as an associate editor for Philadelphia Golf Magazine and New Jersey State Golf from 2004-07. Rick covered his first LPGA Tour event in 1986 and continues to cover women's golf for various media outlets. High on his bucket list is having the opportunity to one day play in an LPGA Tour pro am. Rick is also a longtime correspondent for two suburban Philadelphia daily newspapers, the Intelligencer and the Bucks County Courier Times in Doylestown, PA. Over the course of his career he has coverzed a wide variety of sporting events. He is also a veteran play by play and public address announcer, and handles the PA mic for the nationally ranked Delaware Valley University football program. Rick is also a longtime contributor to Referee, a magazine devoted to sports officiating. He called his first baseball game at age 13 and continues to umpire softball and baseball today.

A New Chapter is Unfolding at The Hun School

With the arrival of the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference season, a new era of Hun School hockey has begun.

Nathaniel Welsh is now the man behind the Raiders’ bench, having taken over for Eric Szeker last week. His team hadn’t played a game since until it defeated St. Joseph’s Prep 2-1 in overtime on Wednesday at the University of Pennsylvania’s historic Class of 1923 Rink.

Welsh, who played midget hockey for former Hun School coach Ian McNally and was later an assistant coach there, says the transition has been a smooth one.

“Eric Szeker was a phenomenal coach,” he said, “and had, very, very close personal ties with a lot of them. He recruited a lot of those player and coached a lot of those players as the JV assistant and the varsity head coach (Szeker was beginning his third season as head coach when he resigned).

“It’s a tough thing to change a coach at any point and it’s a very tough thing to change a coach a week or two into a season but there hasn’t been a missed beat, there hasn’t been a missed practice, there hasn’t been a slowdown. I give all of the athletes credit for continuing to show up and continuing work just as hard for each other, and for the common goal of winning some games.

In terms of Xs and Os, Welsh is making only minor tweaks.

“Eric and I have a very similar philosophy on how the game of hockey is played and on how we approach coaching it,” he said. “We’ll make a minor tweak or two to our forecheck, but as to the philosophy of how we run practice and how we run the team, it’s pretty much the same and that was one of the great things about coaching with him.

“We had the same values and the same core ethos we were trying to impart to the players so that doesn’t change.”

Due to a combination of school policy and NJSIAA regulations, the Raiders take to the ice later than the four other APAC schools. But they are making up for lost time. They’ll be on the ice five days a week between now and the holiday break and will be participating in the 31st Purple Puck Tournament in Springfield, Virginia between Christmas and New Year’s.

“I think the first couple of games is always a tough thing because we’re playing schools that have practiced and played for a month or two ahead of us,” Welsh said, “so I think it’s a disadvantage for the first game or two, having three weeks of practice vs. two months and five games. But, once we get going, it’s an easier thing to do because it’s a routine that all the players get into. We play three times a week, we practice twice a week. We’re on the ice five times a week and it’s easier to keep the momentum once you get going.

“So we’ve got to find our footing but then I think it’s easier to continue with it in that rapid-shot fashion we do for three months.”

Holy Ghost Prep 4 La Salle 0

Holy Ghost Prep kept up its winning ways Wednesday afternoon. Four different players scored goals as the Firebirds bested La Salle 4-0 in an APAC encounter at Hatfield Ice.

Holy Ghost Prep (6-1 overall) has now won six straight decisions and stands a perfect 4-0 in the APAC.

Senior Jake Smaron scored one goal and assisted on another.

“It’s been a big change this year,” he said. “A lot of guys graduated but I think we’ve come together as a group really well. Especially in these early months, which you usually don’t see a lot.

“We’ve been pretty efficient with the way we scored. A lot of gritty goals I would say.”

The scoreless first period saw the Firebirds and La Salle (1-6, 0-4) battle on even terms. But the Explorers’ goal-scoring drought continued.

“We’re definitely making progress,” said La Salle coach Wally. Muehlbronner. “We’ve just got to find a way to score some goals.

“We had some really good opportunities in the first period. The goalie (Matt Salina) made some nice saves. We just had to find a way to get one past him.”

Chase Logue gave Holy Ghost Prep the lead 4:17 on a solo effort 4:17 into the second frame.

Smaron made it 2-0 with 3:51 left in the period when a loose puck eluded La Salle netminder Anthony Foster in the goal mouth and Smaron tucked it in the net.

“I’m a bit of a grinder they say?” Smaron said. “But sometimes, to get the puck in the net, it’s not going to be the most flashy. You’ve just got to get it in sometimes. That’s what we did today.”

Smaron, a defenseman, is in his second season as a full-time varsity player; he was a swing player as a sophomore. He commented on how his role has evolved over the course of his career.

“I kind of played as a little more of a goal scorer on JV,” he said. “But I’ve really accepted my role on varsity as kind of a leader and helping the younger guys.

“I’m not much of a flashy player but getting the puck in the net is kind of my thing.”

Lucas’s Gonzalez and Billy Harmar scored goals 88 seconds apart early in the third period to allow the Firebirds to build on their lead. Foster was lifted for Danny Trainor midway through the period.

Holy Ghost Prep coach John Ritchie is pleased to see his team getting production from a variety of sources. “We’re getting production from our top three lines,” he said. “Any time you can get scoring from any line, it’s always a positive.”

Ritchie notes the advantages of having a deep roster.

“It’s harder to match against when you have depth,” he said. “Last year we had a really elite player that I think most teams tried to zero in on and he was still able to produce. But, this year, we’ve got those top guys but {scoring] could come from anyone up front.”

Holy Ghost Prep. 0 2 2—4

La Salle 0 0 0—0

Second-period goals: Chase Logue (HGP) unassisted, 4:17; Jake Smaron (HGP) from Sean Devine, 13:09

Third-period goals: Lucas Helms (HGP) from Lucas Gonzalez and Anthony Valeriote, 1:44; Billy Harmae (HGP)) from Lucas Helms and Smaron, 3:12

Shotas: Holy Ghost Prep 25, La Salle 30Holy Ghost Prep kept up its winning ways Wednesday afternoon. Four different players scored goals as the Firebirds bested La Salle 4-0 in an APAC encounter at Hatfield Ice.