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.

St. Joseph’s Prep 5, Father Judge 1

St. Joseph’s Prep 5, Father Judge 1

Liam Mooney scored two goals and three other players scored one goal, each as the Hawks opened the season with a win over the Crusaders Wednesday evening at the Class of 1923 Rink.

Matthew Giuliani, Jeffrey Hammond, and Mooney all scored in the first period to give the hosts a 3-0 lead, Cathal Dowd scored in the second period and Mooney added his second goal in the third.

Rocco Bruno and Ajay White split time in goal.

Father Judge 0 1 0—1

St. Joseph’s Prep 3 1 1—5

The APAC is Expanding

The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference will be a five-team alliance for 2021-22. The Hun School from Princeton, N.J. will join Malvern Prep, Holy Ghost Prep, St. Joseph’s Prep, and two-time defending champion La Salle for the upcoming season.

Ian McNally is the Raiders’ hockey coach. “We’re excited to join the league,” he said. “We have competed with each of the APAC school programs for several years now and it will only improve the level of competition in our games when implications on standings, stats, playoff seeds and everything else that comes with league play are introduced.  I think we share a common understanding of scholastic athletics with the APAC member schools and so we have strong existing relationships with the other coaches and athletics offices.”  

Tracey Arndt is the Co-Director of Athletics at The Hun School. “The Hun School of Princeton is grateful for the opportunity for our Ice Hockey team to join the APAC this season,” she said. “This is a top-notch ice hockey league with likeminded schools that will allow us to compete at a high level throughout the year. We look forward to the competition with such respected programs.”

The Hun School is no stranger to the other conference members, having regularly competed against them in non-league games.

“The APAC was founded with the belief that exceptional schools and scholastic hockey could thrive side by side in a competitive league that values sportsmanship, academic distinction and a quality Spirit,” said Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside. “The Hun School is a welcomed addition to strengthening our rivalries, traditions and desire for excellence.”

La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner is enthusiastic about the Raiders coming on board. “La Salle is very excited to have Hun School join the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference,” he said. “Hun has had a long history of great competition versus the founding APAC schools. Their commitment to competing at a high level further strengthens the conference.”

St. Joseph’s Prep coach David Giacomin is looking forward to competing against the Raiders. “St Joseph’s Prep is extremely excited to welcome The Hun School into the APAC,” he said. They are a great school and we can’t wait to compete for years to come.”

Bill Keenan is the head coach at Malvern Prep, the reigning Class AAA Flyers Cup and state champions. “We are excited to have The Hun School join the APAC this upcoming season. It is great to have another quality, competitive team join our league. We are looking forward to competing against them this season.”

APAC institutions have been successful at the highest levels of scholastic hockey, competing at national tournaments and capturing every Class AAA Flyers Cup and Class AAA Pennsylvania State Championship since 2017.
Last year’s postseason was not completed. La Salle and Malvern Prep were scheduled to meet in the Founders Cup final but that game was eventually cancelled because of Covid issues. Malvern Prep went on to win the Flyers Cup and the state championship.

SHSHL Sets Alignment for 2021-22

A total of 17 varsity teams will skate under the Suburban High School Hockey League banner this season. Eleven Class AA teams and six Class A squads will be in the fold when the 2021-22 season commences on Wednesday, November 3.

There will be some changes in the makeup of the league; Council Rock North will return to the Class AA sector. Bensalem will skate in Class AA this season while Truman, which was a Class A team a year ago, will not field a varsity team this winter.

The Class AA National Division will include defending champion Pennsbury, along with Neshaminy, Council Rock South, Council Rock North, and Bensalem. The Continental Division will encompass North Penn, Souderton, Central Bucks East, Central Bucks West, and Central Bucks South.

The American Division will feature the league’s Class A schools, including defending champion Wissahickon, Plymouth Whitemarsh, Hatboro-Horsham, Quakertown, William Tennent, and Abington.

Arcadia Releases Hockey Schedules

Arcadia University has announced its inaugural men’s and women’s ice hockey schedules. The Knights are making their NCAA Division III debut this season. Both teams will play their home games at Hatfield Ice Arena in Colmar.

The men, will play the program’s first game in team history under Head Coach Vincent Pietrangelo on Friday, Oct. 29 as they host Aurora University at 7 p.m.

Arcadia’s schedule consists of seven non-conference games, including the Castleton State Tournament on Nov. 26 and 27. Matchups against Aurora University, Morrisville State College, and SUNY Canton round out the non-conference schedule. 

The Knights will compete in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) and open conference play on Friday, Nov. 5 at Utica College. The UCHC slate features 18 games beginning in November and running through the final week of the regular season in mid-February.

Arcadia’s season culminates with the UCHC Tournament, which is scheduled to take place from Feb. 22 to March 5. The conference postseason tournament includes one quarterfinal game, two semifinal games, and two championship games. 

The women will play the program’s first game under Head  Coach Kelsey Koelzer in team history on Saturday, Oct. 30 at home against Worcester State University at 7:30 p.m.

Arcadia has three non-conference matchups on its schedule, traveling to SUNY Cortland for a pair of games on Dec. 10 and 11 before hosting Western New England University on New Year’s Day.

The Knights will compete in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) and open conference play on Friday, Nov. 5, hosting Utica College. The UCHC slate features 20 games beginning in November and running through the final week of the regular season in mid-February.

Arcadia’s season culminates with the UCHC Tournament, which is scheduled to take place from Feb. 26 to March 5. The conference postseason tournament features one game each for the quarterfinal, semifinal, and championship rounds. 

The Arcadia men’s hockey schedule is HERE

The Arcadia women’s hockey schedule is HERE

Members of the United Collegiate Hockey Conference include: Wilkes, Chatham, King’s, Lebanon Valley, Manhattanville, Nazareth, Neumann, Stevenson, Utica, Alvernia, and Arcadia 

Launch of Arcadia Hockey Program Marks the Start of a New Era

             A new era is dawning at Arcadia University. Beginning this fall the university will put men’s and women’s NCAA Division III varsity hockey teams on the ice. The Knights will play their home games at Hatfield Ice and compete in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference, which includes teams in Pennsylvania, New York, and Maryland.

The 25-game regular season will commence on Halloween Weekend. Several teams in the hockey-only conference, including Arcadia, are members of the Middle Atlantic Conference in other sports, including Wilkes, Lebanon Valley, and Stevenson. Kings, which did not field a team last season, is also part of the MAC.

The Arcadia men’s team is coached by Vincent Pietrangelo a Michigan native who has been on the job since September of 2019.  Before coming to Arcadia, he spent three years as an assistant at the SUNY at Canton. Prior to that he was an assistant at Division I Ferris State.

Pietrangelo, who played college hockey at Division III Finlandia University has always wanted to build his own program and embraces the challenges that accompany that, notably in the area of recruiting.

“A startup program isn’t for everybody,” he said. “I guess the one unique thing is, I have a special opportunity for guys to come in and help write the history of something and build something from the ground up.

“So, that’s the kind of players that I’ve been going after, guys pretty much like myself. I took this job on (because) I wanted to start a program from scratch. It’s been my dream job, and I want guys to have that same kind of passion, that are saying ‘I want to be part of something, I want to be one of the founding members and take this program from starting to something great.’”

One challenges Pietrangelo has faced is attracting players who can meet Arcadia’s academic standards.

“Obviously finding kids that meet that academic requirement is something I have to look at,” he said. “But I guess just getting the word out that we are starting a program and having a program was the biggest challenge.

“Year One was just kind of watching kids, letting the hockey world know that Arcadia is starting. I was able to grab five really good kids that were pretty connected in the world and were able to also kind of help me recruit. I did that up until the pandemic hit. That was very challenging, once the pandemic hit, to recruit. instead of being able to meet a player face to face at the rink, I’m having to watch a lot more video and do a lot more phone calls. I’m more of a personal recruiter, I like to be face to face. So, that was kind of a new challenge for me.”

Like all players coming into NCAA hockey. Pietrangelo’s players will have to make some adjustments, and make them in a hurry.

“We practice every day,” he pointed out, which is a very different transition for a lot of my guys that are coming in. They’re used to playing 60 games a year in junior. Now they’re only playing 25 but it’s a lot more taxing than a lot of people think just because every day these student-athletes have to get up and go to class and study. 

“They’re in the weight room, then they come to practice. That takes a toll on their bodies. All my guys are coming in at 21 as freshmen. They’ll be playing against some seniors that are 25, 26 years old.”

APAC Names All-Conference Squad

The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference has named its all-conference team for 2021.

The players were selected by the four conference coaches.

First Team

F Michael Casey, La Salle Sr.

F Matt Harris, Malvern Prep Jr.

F Brady Baehser, Holy Ghost Prep So.

D Chris Blango, Malvern Prep, Sr.

D Andrew Budzynski, La Salle  Sr.

G Anthony Perti, Malvern Prep Jr.

Second Team
F Dom Fantozzi, St. Joseph’s Prep Sr.

F Jack Constabile, Malvern Prep Sr.

F Evan Mudrick, Holy Ghost Prep Sr.

D E.J. Pohl, Holy Ghost Prep Sr.

D Nick Storti, St. Joseph’s Prep Jr.

G Liam Gross. La Salle Sr.

Honorable Mention

F Connor Burman, St. Joseph’s Prep

F David Kimmell,La Salle

F Ryan Sambuco, Malvern Prep

F Sean Marshall, Holy Ghost Prep

F Jeffrey Hammond, St. Joseph’ Prep

D Declan Pierce, St. Joseph’s Prep

D Chase Hannon La Salle

D Brian Butler, Holy Ghost Prep

D Quinn Dougherty, Malvern Prep

G Rocco Bruno, St. Joseph’s Prep

G Bobby Baehser, Holy Ghost Prep

The conference has decided that the Founders Cup final, the APAC championship game will not be played. APAC Commissioner Jim Britt issued a statement Monday night:

The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference representatives have elected to not play the Founders’ Cup Final Championship game, originally scheduled for Wednesday, March 31st between LaSalle College HS and Malvern Prep. The original championship game had been postponed due to Covid protocols.  Both teams will be recognized as 2020-2021 finalists.  The decision was made in consultation with school administrators and athletic directors, with special consideration given to schedule conflicts and impacts on spring activities and other sports.

Reflections on a State Championship

   They reached the mountaintop and came home with a state championship. 

Malvern Prep’s 4-2 win over North Allegheny in Saturday’s Class AAA Pennsylvania Cup finale was the culmination of a season’s worth of dedication, not only on the ice but, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, off the ice as well.

Junior Quinn Dougherty scored his team’s first goal, a shorthanded effort that tied the game at 1-1 7:09 into the first period. Dougherty felt that goal was the turning point in the game.

“I thought that was probably a huge goal,” said. “We were down 1-0, we were on a penalty kill, things weren’t really going out way.

“Then we scored on the penalty kill and that just gave us a bunch of life because it was a hard-work goal and it just showed we weren’t going to quit right away.”

Senior Ryan Sambuco, one of the Friars’ captains, says the championship game’s up-tempo pace worked to the Friars’ advantage. “We played the game we wanted to,” he said. “We pretty much kept it simple, getting pucks in deep and shooting low for rebounds That’s how we scored all our goals.

“I think did very well managing the other team and playing to their weaknesses and our strengths.”

Senior Matt Donatucci said the Friars picked up their game after a slow start. ”There were times we were playing sloppy,” he said, “but I think at the end of the second we definitely talked it out. We realized that we kind of had to sacrifice and played our game. I think after that we were probably smooth sailing from there.”

For Donatucci, winning the state championship marked the conclusion of a long journey. I’ve been here for seven years,” he said, “since middle school. I’ve been playing hockey the whole time. Going out on top has been awesome I’m friends with almost every guy in the locker room. It’s just a great group of guys.”

Sambuco saluted his teammate, senior defenseman Chris Blango, for his contributions to the team’s success. Blango didn’t dress for the Flyers Cup final against La Salle or for the state championship game because of injury.

“He brought to where we were, in the playoffs and everything,” Sambuco said. “Being a captain of the team, also being our number one defenseman throughout the regular season and everything, being on the bench as well. 

“He did everything to contribute to the boys. He was out there talking. He was almost like another coach on the bench.”

Malvern Prep Wins State Title

 Jack Constabile scored two goals and Quinn Dougherty and Jimmy Kirk added one each as Malvern Prep defeated North Allegheny 4-2 Saturday evening in the Class AAA Pennsylvania Cup championship game at the UPMC Sports Complex In suburban Pittsburgh.

It marks the third time the Friars (15-1) have won a state title; the previous two came in 1990 and 2004.

Nate Spak opened the scoring for North Allegheny (16-6-1) when he found the back of the net 3:17 into the first period. Quinn Dougherty tied the game for the Friars with a shorthanded goal at the 7:09 mark.

“I thought that was probably a huge goal,” Dougherty said. “We were down 1-0, we  were on a penalty kill, things weren’t really going out way.

“Then we scored on the penalty kill and that just gave us a bunch of life because  it was. a hard-work goal and it just showed we weren’t going to quit right away.”

Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan said Dougherty’s goal was the turning point in the game.

“We were down 1-0, we end up on a penalty and there’s a chance would go down 2-0,” he said. “We were able to put one in the back of the net to make it a 1-1 game and then a couple seconds later, Jack scores a goal and it changed the whole momentum of the game. We were able to settle down a little bit and get into our rhythms and our game plan and play through the rest of the game.”

Constabile put his team in front for good at 7:35 before scoring his second goal of the game at 9:31 to put Malvern Prep up 3-1 after one period.Malvern Prep’s Jimmy Kirk and the Tigers’ Connor Chi exchanged goals in the second frame to complete the scoring.

Anthony Perti got the win in goal

Malvern Prep 3 1 0—4

North Allegheny 1 1—2

First-period goals: Nate Spak (NA) 3:17; Quinn Dougherty (M) 7:09 (sh); Jack Constabile (MP) 7:35; Constabile (MP) 9:38;

Second-period goals Jimmy Kirk (MP); Connor Chi (NA) 2:39

CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES

PA State Championships

Pennsylvania Cup State Championship Games

Saturday, April 24

All Games at UPMC Sports Complex in Cranberry, PA

Class A

West Chester East 6, Indiana 3    Final

The Vikings scored four goals in the third period to claim the state title, the third in school history. The first two were in 2008 and 2013. They finished their season at 17-0.

This game can be streamed here

Class AA

Baldwin 4, Haverford 1 Final

Baldwin previously won a state title in 1988

This game is being streamed HERE

Class AAA

Malvern Prep 4, North Allegheny 2 Final

First-period goals: Nate Spak (NA) 3:17; Quinn Dougherty (M) 7:09 (sh); Jack Constabile (MP) 7:35; Constabile (MP) 9:38;

Second-period goals Jimmy Kirk (MP; Connor Chi (NA) 2:39

This game will be streamed HERE