Holy Ghost Prep 4 Malvern Prep 1

Looking to pick up its second Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference win in two days, Holy Ghost Prep didn’t miss a beat. Chase Logue scored two goals as the Firebirds downed Malvern Prep 4-1 Thursday night at Ice Line.

The win was the Firebirds’ fourth straight and lifted them to 8-3 overall and 3-2 in the APAC.

Logue opened the scoring 6:28 into the first period with an assist from his brother Brady. John Gavaghan made it a 2-0 game with a shorthanded goal just 28 seconds into the second frame while his teammate Logan Barnes was in the box serving a tripping penalty.

Andrew Starck answered for the Friars (2-4, 1-2 APAC) with a power-play goal 46 seconds later.

Chase Logue scored his second goal 1:13 into the final period, again with his brother’s assistance and again while his team was shorthanded; Anthony Valeriote was in the box at the time.

The Firebirds enjoyed a 40-19 edge in shots. Jack Unger got the win in goal. Losing goaltender Matt Crawford kept his team in the game by making 36 saves.

The evening served as fundraiser in support of families dealing with Rubnenstein Taybi Syndrome, a genetic disorder. Connor Keenan, the son of Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan, is afflicted with the disorder.

Holy Ghost Prep coach John Ritchie said he and his players were homoted to e part of the occasion.

“Holy Ghost Prep was very grateful to be asked to be part of such a great event,” he said. “The event’s success is a testament to our league and to our school communities as they support Bill and his family and it’s an event that I hope continues for many years.”

Holy Ghost Prep 1 1 2 —4

Malvern Prep 0 1 0—1

First-period goal: Chase Logue (HGP) from Brady Logue, 6:28

Second-period goals: John Gavaghan (HGP) unassisted, :28 (sh); Andrew Starck (MP) from James Young, 1:14 (pp);

Third-period goals: Chase Logue (HGP) from Brady Logue, 1:13 (sh); Brady Logue (HGP) from Lucas Gonzalez, 11:33

Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 40, Malvern Prep 19; Saves: Jack Unger (HGP) 18, Matt Crawford (MP) 36

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Holy Ghost Prep 6 La Salle 4

Brady Logue’s goal with 9:32 left in the third period was the game winner as Holy Ghost Prep topped La Salle 6-4 Wednesday afternoon at Hatfield Ice. Logue scored three goals and added an assist as the Firebirds improved to 2-2 in the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference and 7-3 overall. It was their second win over the Explorers this season

Grant LaGreca and Michael Zarzycki each scored twice for the Explorers, who stand at 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the APAC. LaGreca also added an assist.

Santino Tibero have Holy Ghost Prep a 1-0 lead 4:58 into the first period. LaGreca answered with a power-play goal less than a minute later.

Logue scored two goals of his own before the period ended, the second one coming during a power play with one second remaining in the period after the Explores were penalized for having too many players on the ice.

LaGreca and Zarzycki scored goals in a span of 1:57 to tie the game at 3-3 5:44 into the second period. Chase Logue’s shorthanded goal with 7:54 left in the middle period put the Firebirds back in front but Zarzycki responded with a shorthanded goal of his own 5:35 into the third frame, setting the stage for Logue’s game winner.

Brian Kinniry added an empty net goal with 19 seconds remaining.

”I like some of the adjustments that we made,” said Holy Ghost prep coach John Ritchie, “and they seemed to pay off today.

”That being said, I know the La Salle team we will see come playoff time will be different.

”All in all, I think it was a good win but we have plenty to work on as we try to figue out who we are as a team.”

Holy Ghost Prep 3 1 2—6

La Salle 1 2 1—4

First-period goals: Santino Tibero (HGP) from Joe Spadaccino and Brady Logue, 4:58; Grant LaGreca (L) from Jacob Warner and Cameron Ross, 5:55 (pp); Brady Logue (HGP) from Anthony Valeriote, 11:46; Brady Logue (HGP) unassisted, 16:59 (pp)

Second-period goals: LaGreca (L) unassisted, 3:48 (pp) Michael Zarzycki from LaGreca and Tristan Mitchell, 5:44; Chase Logue (HGP) unassisted, 9:06 (sh)

Third-period goals: Zarzycki unassisted, 5:35 (sh); Brady Logue (HGP) 7:28 (pp); Brian Kinniry (HGP) unassisted, 16:41 (en)

Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 34, La Salle 27; Saves: Jack Butthof (HGP) 23, Jake Rossi (HGP) 28

HGP-Malvern Prep Matchup About Much More Than Hockey

Thursday’s Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference matchup between Malvern Prep and Holy Ghost Prep will be about much more than what happens on the ice.

For the third year in succession, the hockey community is coming together for RTS Awareness Night and highlight the fight against Rubnenstein Taybi Syndrome, a genetic disorder. Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan and his wife Sarah joined the fight when they learned their son Connor, who will turn 5 in January, was afflicted with RTS.

Connor is the youngest of the Keenans’ three children. His brother JJ is 10, his sister Olivia is 8.

Proceeds from Thursday’s game (6:45 puck drop at Ice Line) will go to support the families of children dealing with the disorder.

“This is our third annual RTS Awareness Night,” Keenan said. “It’s a great night to come together as a community and raise awareness not only for RTS but those affected with rare diseases.

“Sometimes life is bigger then sports or a hockey game. We are grateful for the community that surrounds us and the support they provide to Connor and our family.”

“We look forward to continuing this event for many years to come. The past two years we played against St. Joseph’s Prep and this year Coach Ritchie without hesitation willingly said Holy Ghost would participate. It is a great sign of strength in why we play in this league because again it’s more than just a game.”

Holy Ghost Prep at National Scholastic Invitational

Holy Ghost Prep 2 St. Joseph’s 0

Lucas Gonzalez and Brian Kinniry scored goals in the first period and Jack Botthof was percet on goal as the Firebirds recorded their second consecutive Saturday shoutout.

Holy Ghost Prep 3 Lake Forest 0

John Gavaghan. Nate Romer, and Patryk Oser all scored goals as the Firebirds bested the Scouts Saturday afternoon at the National Scholastic Invitational. Jack Unger earned the shutout in goal.

Pine Richland 5 Holy Ghost Prep 3

Alexander Verszyla and Carson Parkhill scored goals 71 second apart late in the third period to give Pine Richland, the reigning Pennsylvania Class AAA state champions a 5-3 win over Holy Ghost Prep Friday night in the opening round of the National Scholastic Invitational in Jamestown, New York.

Verszyla put his team ahead for good when he scored his second goal of the game with 2:22 remaining in the final period after Lucas Gonzalez scored two second-period goals that enable the Firebirds to overcome a 3-1 deficit.

Brian Kinniry scored for Holy Ghost Prep to give his team a 1-0 lead in the first period.

The Firebirds will face Lake Forest Illinois at noon on Saturday and St. Joseph’s Collegiate Prep from Buffalo at 6:00.

La Salle 6 Hun School 0

The La Salle Explorers went about their business one step at a time Wednesday afternoon. The results were impressive, a 6-0 win over The Hun School in an APAC matchup at Hatfield Ice Arena.

Grant LaGreca and Michael Zarzycki scored two goals each as La Salle improved to 5-2 on the season and 3-1 at the midway point in its APAC campaign.

LaGreca, a senior, cited the Explorers’ stick-to-basics approach.

“We’re just trying to focus on playing the right way,” he said. “Focusing on the D-zone, not cheating the game. Just kind of letting the hockey gods reward us with goals and playing good.”

It was LaGreca who got things started when he beat Raider netminder Patrick Donoghue just 45 seconds into the opening period. Zarzycki provided the setup before initiating a three-goal blitz with a shorthanded effort 69 seconds into the second frame. LaGreca followed up with a power-play effort at 4:57 before Zarzycki scored his second goal the game with 1:35 left in the middle period.

Hun School coach Eric Szeker the Raiders (0-2-1, 0-1 in the APAC) was hurt by a slow start.

“We were kind of running in quicksand for a bit there,” he said. “It was only 1-0 after the first. We just couldn’t find our game.

“It is what it is. We’re three games onto the season, we’ve got a young team [there were five underclassmen in the Hun School lineup) so, a lot to learn. We get to play again Friday, so we’re going to reset and look forward to that one.”

Because of school policy and NJSIAA regulations the Raiders start their season later than the other four APAC schools. But Szeker refused to cite scheduling issues as contributing to Wednesday’s result.

“We’ve been on the ice a couple weeks,” he said, “so, we should have a pretty good idea of what we want to do.

“I think of lot of credit goes to La Salle and [Coach Wally Muehlbronner] and what they have going on over there. They’ve got several lined that can play, they have a lot of good defensemen and a good goalie. We just ran into a good team today.”

Muehlbronner himself gave his team high marks.

“I thought we played well,” he said. “We came out hard, moved the puck well, all four lines played well, the D played well.”

LaGreca said efforts like Wednesday’s allow the veterans on the roster to set a standard for their teammates to emulate.

“All the returning seniors just want to show the younger guys and the new guy how to play the game and how to play the right way,” he said. “Because we’ve been there before.

• Jake Rossi earned the shutout in goal with 20 saves.

Hun School 0 0 0—0

La Salle 1 4 1—6

First-period goals: Grant LaGreca (L) from Michael Zarzycki, :45

Second-period goals: Zarzycki (L) unassisted, 1:09 (sh); LaGreca (L) from Zarzycki, 4:57 (pp); Zarzycki (L) from Tristan Mitchell and Declan Kelly, 15:25; Alastair St. Hilaire (L) from Noel Donohue and Luca Staffieri 16:58

Third-period goal: Julian Tarsi (L) from Staffieri and Donohue 10:50

Shots: Hun School 20, La Salle 54; Saves: Patrick Donoghue (HS) 48, Jake Rossi (L) 20

Warner Finds a Good Fit at La Salle

By all accounts, Jacob Warner and La Salle College High School have been a good fit.

Warner, senior, is in his first season at the varsity level. He was originally listed on the roster as a defenseman but Coach Wally Muehlbronner moved him up front. Warner has responded with two goals and an assist through the Explorers’ first three APAC games, including the winning goal in his team’s 3-2 win over Malvern Prep on Thanksgiving Eve.

Muehlbronner commends Warner on his work ethic and willingness to learn.

“He’s just been a sponge in practice,” Muelhbronner said. “He wants to learn, wants to do well, and works really, really hard. He’s done a good job and he’s earning his ice time.”

Muehlbronner is quick to point out Warner’s willingness to step in wherever he’s needed.

“He’s had that attitude of ‘Whatever it takes, wherever he’s going to be able to play’” he said. “He wants to be on the team and and play; that’s where he can help us the most.”

A native of suburban Chicago, Warner was first exposed to La Salle when his family moved to the Philadelphia area prior to him starting seventh grade.

“We were looking for schools in the area,” he said. “My mom grew up around here and she went to [Mount St. Joseph] so she knew about La Salle and St. Joe’s.

“So, I came here seventh grade; I toured La Salle and I really liked it. I came back, I toured it again to see what it was like. I had a great time there, a great experience. I really liked the school, I felt it had a lot to offer for me.

“I wanted to play hockey at La Salle because I knew how solid their program was but I think just going in the school building it felt like a really good learning environment for me, for me at least, where I could thrive.”

Jacob Warner (Rick Woelfel photo)

Warner strives to strike the proper balance between academics and hockey but admittedly finds it difficult on game days.

“It’s tough, especially when you’re starting off the season,” he said. “Then when you get to playoffs there’s a different type of buzz around the school for the team.

“But, I think it’s mainly in school, you want to be thinking about that game, you don’t want to completely take your mind off it but it’s easy to let your mind roam. For me at least, I try to stay dialed in; from 8:00-2:40 I’m dialed in on school. if we have a game right after that when that bell rings at 2:40 my mind just shifts and I’m on that game.”

Click for more about La Salle College High School

Flyers Cup Eligible Announced

The Flyers Cup Committee has released a list of 54 teams who are eligible for invitations to the 46^th annual Flyers Cup Tournament.

The 54 teams will skate in four divisions.

The list of eligible teams is as follows.

Girls (7)

Avon Grove

Conestoga

Downingtown West

Pennridge

Radnor

West Chester East

West Chester Henderson

Class A (19)

Council Rock North

Garnet Valley

Harriton

Hatboro-Horsham

Hershey

Kennett

Marple Newtown

Moorestown

Palmyra

Penncrest

Plymouth Whitemarsh

Radnor

Springfield-Delco

Springfield Montco

Strath Haven

Unionville

WC East

WC Henderson

Wisshickon

Class AA (18)

Abington

Avon Grove

Boyertown

Central Bucks East

Central Bucks South

Central Bucks West

Conestoga

Council Rock South

Downingtown East

Downingtown West

Haverford

Kingsway

Lower Merion

North Penn

Pennridge

Pennsbury

Souderton

Spring-Ford

Class AAA (10)

Devon Prep

Father Judge

Haverford School

Holy Ghost Prep

La Salle

Malvern Prep

Owen J. Roberts

Perkiomen Valley

Salesianum

St. Joseph’s Prep

The size of the Flyer Cup field will be at the committee’s discretion. There are no automatic bids.

Hockey Happenings is looking for interested individuals to assist with our coverage of scholastic ice hockey in the Greater Philadelphia area. Interested individuals should have writing experience, be knowledgeable about ice hockey, and be capable of meeting deadlines.

For further information contact Hockey Happenings at rwoelfel2013@gmail.com or at 215-260-9575.

If you’re interested in promoting your product or service on this blog, contact us via our contact page or at rwoelfel2013@gmail.com

St. Joseph’s Prep 5 Gonzaga 4

Joseph’s Prep built a 5-0 third-period lead and hung on for a 5-4 non-league win over Gonzaga College High at the Class of 1923 Rink Friday afternoon in the two schools’ traditional post-Thanksgiving matchup.

Frank Ely scored twice for the Hawks, who improved their record to 2-1 overall. Cole Sullivan, Cole Gargon and Tristan Winata scored one goal each. Gargon and Michael Castelli each had two assists.

Quinten O’ Connor scored two goals for Gonzaga, which didn’t get on the scoreboard until 4:21 remained in the third period, Roman Villega and Lucas Abrantes added additional goals.

“We played really well for two-and-a-half periods,” said St. Joseph’s Prep coach David Giacomin,” then we stopped skating and they took it to us. It was a good lesson to play until the final buzzer.”

Declan Geary got the win in goal after a 38-save effort; the Hawks were outshot 42-21.

Gonzaga 0 0 4—4

St. Joseph’s Prep 1 3 1—5

First-period goals: Cole Sullivan (SJP) from Patrick Sweeney, 2:18 (pp)

Second-period-goals: Cole Gargon (SJP) from Michael Castelli and Caden Kelly, 4:41; Frank Ely (SJP) from Gargon, 7:08; Tristan Winata (SJP) from Michael Washlick and Jai Perry- Pereira, 9:03 (pp)

Third-period goals: Ely (SJP) from Waslick and Gargon, 9:51; Quinten O’Connor (G) from Brendan Rossello and Edwin Siembeida, 12:39; Roman Villega (G) from Lucas Abrantes and Jack Gardner, 14:48; O’Connor (G) from Villega and Matt Shay, 16:54; Abrantes (G) unassisted, 16:59

Shots: Gonzaga 42, St. Joseph’s Prep 21; Saves: Parker Amico (G) 8 and Claude Engle Kes G 8; Declan Geary (SJP) 38

For further information contact Hockey Happenings at rwoelfel2013@gmail.com or at 215-260-9575.

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La Salle 3 Malvern Prep 2

Jacob Warner’s goal with 8:28 left in regulation proved decisive as La Salle topped Malvern Prep 3-2 Wednesday night in an APAC game at Ice Line.

Grant LaGreca and Nole Donohue also scored goals for the Explorers who improved to 2-1 in conference play and 3-1 overall.

LaGreca’s goal gave La Salle a 1-0 lead with eight seconds remaining in the opening period. Henry Tesoriero tied the game for the Friars (2-2, 1-1 in conference) with 3:40 remaining in the middle period.

Donohue’s goal came with 13:20 left in regulation time off a feed from Declan Kelly and gave the Explorers the lead for good. Warner’s goal extended his team’s lead but Teague Murray scored a power play goal with 6:04 remaining while Alistair St. Hilaire was in the box serving a roughing minor.

From that point on, La Salle goaltender Jake Rossi was resolute in goal despite being under pressure; he made 19 saves in the third period.

La Salle 1 0 2—3

Malvern Prep 0 1 1—2

First-period goal: Grant LaGreca (L) unassisted, 16:52

Second-period goal: Henry Tesoriero (MP) from Gabe Bedwell and Logan Love, 13:20

Third-period goals: Nole Donohue (L) from Declan Kelly, 3:49; Jacob Warner (L) from Michael Zarzycki, 8:32; Teague Murray (MP) from Cole Scrabinsky, 10:56 (pp)

Shots: La Salle 31, Malvern Prep 40; Saves: Jake Rossi (L) 38, Matt Crawford (MP) 28

Holy Ghost Prep 5 Council Rock South 1

Holy Ghost Prep overcame an early 1-0 deficit and rolled to a 5-1 non-league win over Council Rock South Monday night at Revolution Ice Gardens.

Brady Logue scored twice for the Firebirds (3-1 overall). Logan Barnes, Chris Marshall, and Anthony Valeriote also scored goals.

Daniel Filippov scored for the Golden Hawks, who lost for the first time in six starts.

Holy Ghost Prep 0 4 1—5

C.R. South 1 0 0—1