Category: Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference

Malvern Prep 7 West Chester East 2

Malvern Prep jumped to a 4-0 second-period lead and went on to a season-opening 7-2 win over West Chester East Wednesday afternoon in a non-league game at Ice Line.

Jeremy Jacobs led the way for the Friars with three goals and a pair of assists. Caiden Canale, House Young, Brady Doyle, and Finn Gatta scored one goal each.

Teagan Stutzman and Jimmy Haynes scored for the Vikings.

West Chester East 0 2 0—2

Malvern Prep 3 3 1—7

First-period goals: Caiden Canale (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs, 16:25; House Young (MP) from Alex March, 15:42; Jacobs (MP) unassisted, 5:43.

Second-period goals: Jacobs (MP) from Brayden Baum, 15:51; Teagan Sturzman (WCE) from Colin Mastronardo, 15:14; Jacobs (MP) from Logan Love, 11:46; Jimmy Haynes (WCE) from Cam Greenawalt, 1:48; Brady Doyle (MP) from Caiden Canale and Jacobs, 1:12 (pp).

Third-period goal: Finn Gatta (MP) from Cole Soarbinsky, 8:52.

Shots: West Chester East 43, Malvern Prep 43; Saves: Cameron Chandler (WCE) 36, Matt Crawford (MP) 12 and Ryan Caterino (MP) 29

St. Joseph’s Prep 5 Avon Grove 1

Jake Schultz scored two goals and three other players scored one goal each as St. Joseph’s Prep opened the scholastic hockey season with 5-1 win over Avon Grove on Wednesday at the University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 1923 rink.

Carter Short, Brayden Collins, and Tristan Winata all scored goals for the Hawks.

Declan Geary and Jacob Aranda split time in goal.

Brendan Chandler scored for Avon Grove.

The hosts had a 56-19 shot advantage.

Avon Grove 0 0—1

St. Joseph’s Prep 1 1 3—5

Friars’ Doyle, Canale Eying Senior Season

The start of a new hockey season is at hand. That has given Brady Doyle something of a new perspective. A senior defenseman at Malvern Prep, the West Chester native understands the clock is ticking on his high-school hockey career.

“I feel like I have a lot more confidence now,” he said. “I’m playing with a lot of kids I’m older than; I have more experience. My final year I feel like I’ve got to push way harder. I’m never going to have another chance at it.

Doyle has seen plenty of ice time with the Friars and has been part of two Class AAA Flyers Cup championship teams. As a senior however, he finds himself taking on new responsibilities, notably in the realm of leadership. He says he’s comfortable in that role.

“Definitely,” he said. “I feel like all the underclassmen look up to the seniors, no matter what so. I don’t have any problem speaking up.”

Doyle enrolled at Malvern Prep in the eighth grade at the urging of teammates Jimmy and Jeremy Jacobs.

“It really felt like home,” he said.”

Like many of his peers, Doyle had to learn to manage his team and balance his commitments to academics, playing for the Friars, and club hockey.

“I try to get a lot of my academics done during the day,” he said. “Whenever I get home, I’m trying to get my homework done, then it’s practice the rest of the night.

“I kind of break it down; school first at the beginning of the day and hockey at night.”

Doyle’s teammate, senior forward Caiden Canale, had a cousin who attended Malvern Prep some years ago. Canale himself played for the middle-school hockey team before stepping up to the varsity. He says to this point he’s been enjoying his senior year of high school.

“It’s been great so far,” he said. “I’m a little nervous like everybody else. But I definitely have to step it up. Senior year is our last year so you’ve just got to make the most of it.”

Canale speaks to the importance of leadership within the ranks of the players.

“As seniors we’ve been on the team for four years,” he said. “We kind of have to help the underclassmen live up to expectations.” 

Canale, a West Chester native, believes in leading by example. “In my opinion one of the most important aspects of leadership by action is my actions,” he said.

Canale noted his perception of the game of hockey has changed over the course of his career.

“As a freshman and sophomore, it was crazy fast paced,” he said. “I’m getting a little bit more used to it now, but it’s always going to be super fast so you always have to adjust.”

Last year’s Malvern Prep team finished 10-8 overall and 2-5-0-1 in the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference before reaching the Class AAA Flyers Cup semifinals. 

Doyle notes the caliber of play in the conference dictates that its teams bring their best efforts to the rink every time out.

“I feel like every year you’ve got to step it up,” he said. Every team gets better every year.”

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Hatfield Ice to Host 3-on-3 Blind Hockey Tournament Featuring Area High School Teams

 
Nine area high schools will take part in a 3-on-3 preseason tournament to highlight the sport of blind hockey. The one-night tournament will be played on Thursday, October 26 beginning at 6:00 at Hatfield Ice. The players will skate wearing low-vision stimulation glasses to highlight visual impairment issues.

The participating teams will include Father Judge, Penncrest, Haverford and Springfield Delco from the Intercounty League, Malvern Prep and Holy Ghost Prep from the APAC, and Central Bucks South, North Penn, and Pennridge from the SHSHL.The event is being coordinated by Philadelphia Blind Hockey.

Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference All-Conference Team 2023

The 2023 All-APAC team as selected by the conference coaches.

First Team

F Brady Baehser  Holy Ghost Prep        Sr.

F Chase Hannon   La Salle                      Sr.

F Joey Samango   St. Joseph’s Prep      Sr.

D Matt Giordano   La Salle                      Sr.

D Ryan Lippy        Holy Ghost Prep      So.

G Stephen Chen  Hun School                Sr.

G Aries Carangi  La Salle                       Sr.

@ The vote for goaltender ended in a tie

Second Team

F Jeremy Jacobs     Malvern Prep            Jr.

F Jeffrey Hammond St. Joseph’s Prep    Sr.

F Justin LaPlante     Hun School              Jr.

D Brady Doyle         Malvern Prep          Jr.

D John Lynch          St. Joseph’s Prep     Jr.

G Rocco Bruno        St. Joseph’s Prep    Sr.

Honorable Mention

F Jim Jacobs          Malvern Prep             Sr.

F Elian Estulin       Hun School                Sr.

F Kieran Mulholland Holy Ghost Prep   Sr.

F John Seravalli         Holy Ghost Prep    Sr.

F Ryan Desmond      La Salle                   Sr.

F TimWhittock          La Salle                   Sr.

D Scott Richmond      Hun School           Sr.

D Michael Holt            Holy Ghost Prep  Jr.

D Jack Sharer               Malvern Prep      Sr.

D   RyanWarner               La Salle               Sr.

D Shane O’Neill              St. Joseph’s Prep Jr.

G  Brandon Novabilski  Malvern Prep       Sr.

G Colin Mudrick           Holy Ghost Prep    Sr.

La Salle 7 Peters Township 3

La Salle got contributions from all hands Saturday afternoon. The result was a state championship. Seven different players scored goals in the course of a 7-3 win over Peter Township in the Class AAA Pennsylvania Cup championship game at the Robert Morris University Sports Center outside of Pittsburgh.

The win gave the Explorers (16-9-2) their seventh state title, their first since 2019.

“It was a great team effort,” said La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner.

The Explorers broke the game open with four unanswered goals in the second period.

Charlie Kennedy gave La Salle a 1-0 lead with 41 seconds left in the first period when he put in a rebound of his own shot from the right point.

Will Tomko tied the game for the Indians early in the second period off an offensive left-circle faceoff.

But La Salle dominated the remainder of the period. Julian Tarsi, Evan Golato, Chase Hannon, and Ryan Desmond scored goals to give the Explorers a 5-1 lead at period’s end.

Peters Township (18-4-1) which came into the game as the defending state champion, drew closer with a pair of goals that made it a 5-3 game with 11:02 still left in regulation but Michael Zarzycki extended La Salle’s lead at the 7:39 mark.

Max Monzo finished the scoring with an empty net goal with 1:16 remaining.

““The boys truly bought in and gave one of their best performances of the season,” Muehlbronner said. “Our senior leadership this season was outstanding.”

Ice chips—La Salle’s previous state titles came in 1998, 2008-09, 2012, 2016, and 2019.

La Salle 2 Holy Ghost Prep 1 OT

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—Two hockey teams lifted their games and their sport into the clouds Tuesday night, and brought a full house at Hatfield Ice along for the ride. It was La Salle that emerged victorious, 2-1 in overtime over Holy Ghost Prep in the Class AAA Flyers Cup championship game.

Chase Hannon scored the winning goal 6:19 into overtime to give the top-seeded Explorers (15-9-2) their first Flyers Cup title since 2019 and their 12thoverall. They will face defending champion Peters Township for the Class AAA state title on Saturday in Pittsburgh.

The second-seeded Firebirds finished their season at 18-8. Tuesday’s game brought down the curtain on the career of Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside, who announced his retirement earlier this season

Hannon, a senior, scored both of his team’s goals.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “I lost a Flyers Cup my sophomore year (to Malvern Prep) in overtime, so, to win in overtime was great redemption.”

There was little to choose between the Explorers and the Firebirds through 51 minutes of regulation hockey and six minutes of overtime. La Salle’s Aries Carangi and Holy Ghost Prep’s Colin Mudrick were in top form in their respective nets. Mudrick denied La Salle’s James Carpenter on a backhander from close range early in the second period; it may have been the best save of the net by either goaltender.

John Seravalli gave the Firebirds a 1-0 lead 3:23 into the second period on a shot that came directly off an offensive right-circle faceoff. Hannon answered at the 11:49 mark after recovering a loose puck in the offensive zone.

But both goaltenders were sharp and knew their opposite number was as well. The two netminders embraced on the ice following the game.

Carangi, a senior was gratified he was able to play a part in his team’s win. He wound up winning the Bobby Clarke Award as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

“My sophomore year, I was a part of that team when we lost in overtime,” he said. “I was out with an injury and it felt like I couldn’t help my team at all.

“So, it felt really good to be out there, and do my job out for the guys and help them get this win today.”

Hannon’s winning goal came on a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle that rocketed past Mudrick under the crossbar. He sald he and his teammates were confident going into overtime.

“The mindset was ‘Score a goal,’” he said. “And win. If anyone on our team did it, we were happy about it. It didn’t matter who if we got the job done.”

And it was the Explorers who celebrated at evening’s end, while Whiteside reflected on his team’s effort.

“It’s one of the best games I’ve ever been involved with as a coach,” he said. “Both teams played really well. I thought either team could have won it. I thought our boys responded well and I’m just really proud of the effort our kids gave. 

“I just wish they had a better result, but it was a tremendous high-school hockey game.”

Ice chips: Besides Carangi, the All-Tournament team included Hannon and Thomas Doucet from La Salle and Seravalli, Brady Baehser, and Ciaran Chambers from Holy Ghost Prep.

Holy Ghost Prep 0 1 0 0—1

La Salle 0 1 0 1—2

Second-period goals: John Seravalli (HGP) from Shaun Moore, 3:23; Chase Hannon (L) unassisted, 11:49

Overtime goal: Hannon (L) from Evan Golato and Ryan Desmond 6:19

Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 35, La Salle 35; Saves; Colin Mudrick (HGP) 33, Aries Carangi (L) 34

Class AAA Flyers Cup Finals Preview

There will be no secrets when La Salle and Holy Ghost Prep collide for the Class AAA Flyers Cup championship Tuesday night (8:30 at Hatfield Ice). Perhaps no two area hockey teams are more familiar with each other than the top-seeded Explorers (14-9-2) and the second-seeded Firebirds (18-7).

Tuesday’s meeting will be their fourth of this season alone; Holy Ghost Prep won the first, La Salle has taken the last two including the APAC championship game on March 1st.

The Explorers have won 12 Flyers Cup titles in their history, most recently in 2019 one of those titles came as a Class AA team. The most recent of the Firebirds’ three championships came in 2017. One of those three came in the Class AA classification

La Salle (14-9-2)

Coach: Wally Muehlbronner

Players to watch: Sr. Aries Carangi (G); Sr. Ryan Warner (D) Sr. Evan Golato (F); Jr; Sr. Ryan Desmond (F)

Holy Ghost Prep (18-7)

Coach: Gump Whiteside

Players to watch: Sr. Colin Mudrick (G); Jr. Michael Holt (D); Sr. Brady Baehser (F); Sr. Kieran Mulholland (F); St. Landon Stout (F)

Previous Meetings

11-9Holy Ghost Prep 6 La Salle 2

2-13 La Salle 6 Holy Ghost Prep 5

3-1 La Salle 7 Holy Ghost Prep 3

LaSalle 3 Malvern Prep 0

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—There wasn’t much that was flashy about La Salle’s performance Tuesday night. Just three periods of good solid, fundamental hockey. That was more than enough. Three different players scored goals and Aries Carangi pitched a shutout in goal as the Explorers downed Malvern Prep 3-0 in a Class AAA Flyers Cup semifinal at Hatfield Ice.

Top-seeded La Salle (14-9-2) will try for win its 12th Flyers Cup net Tuesday against Holy Ghost Prep (8:00) at Hatfield Ice. Fourth-seeded and two-time defending champion Malvern Prep closed the season at 10-8.

The stars of Tuesday night’s show were the goaltenders. Carangi made 22 saves in the La Salle net but a case could be made that Brandon Novabilski at the other end of the ice was just as impressive. He stopped 40 shots in his final high-school game.

“I’m good buddies with ‘Nova,” Carangi said. ”He played lights out tonight. (La Salle) played really well and helped me get the shutout. I just kind of cleaned up a little bit in front, but they got it done in our own zone.

It was past the midpoint of the second period before the Explorers were able to solve Novalbilski. The goal came of the stick of Evan Golato on a play that originated behind the Friar net. Novabilski made a quality save on Ryan Desmond’s shot from between the circles before Golato put in the rebound.

James Carpenter made it 2-0 with a power-play goal at the 13:43 mark when he tipped in Thomas Doucet’s shot from the right point. The goal came while Malvern Prep’s Caiden Canale was in the box serving a holding penalty.

Meantime, the Friars were trying to find a way to solve the puzzle posed by Carangi. They never succeeded.

“We knew it was going to be a fight coming into this game,” said Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan. “Both (regular-season games against La Salle this year were tough.

“La Salle is a great team, they’re deep, they’ve got four lines they can turn. For us, I thought this was one of the most hard fought games we’ve played all year. The bounces didn’t go our way. It’s tough to win a game with 22 shots.

Charlie Kennedy put the exclamation point on the win for La Salle when he scored a shorthand goal exactly seven minutes into the final period. The junior noted the Explorers have collectively picked up their game in recent weeks. Tuesday’s win was their ninth in their last 11 games.

“Our team chemistry has gotten really good,” he said. “The boys get along great, we’re a really tight group. We’ve really got our momentum going.”

Malvern Prep 0 0 0‑0

La Salle 0 2 1—3

Second-period goals: Evan Golato (L) from Ryan Desmond and Will Gregorio, 9:47; James Carpenter (L) from Dean Carvalho and Michael Zarzycki, 13:43 (pp)

Third-period goals: Charlie Kennedy (L) unassisted, 7:00

Shots: Malvern Prep 22, La Salle 43; Saves: Brandon Novabilski (MP) 40, Aries Carangi (L) 22