Category: Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference

Council Rock South 5 Holy Ghost Prep 4

WARWICK TOWNSHIP—There was an air of anticipation in the building when Holy Ghost Prep and Council Rock South took the ice at Revolution Ice Gardens Monday night.

The matchup brought together two teams who are legitimate Flyers Cup contenders in their respective classes; the Firebirds in Class AAA and the Golden Hawks in Class AA.

It was the Golden Hawks who prevailed on this occasion overcoming am early 2-0 deficit to post a 5-4 win.

Monday’s game was also a meeting of two of the area’s most respected coaches. Joe Houk has been at Council Rock South for 17 seasons. Gump Whiteside has been at Holy Ghost Prep for 15 seasons and spent eight years at Germantown Academy before that.

Both Houk and Whiteside have won scores of games and have Flyers Cup and state titles on their resumes. They share a passion for the game of hockey—and a mutual respect that goes back to when they played against each other in their high-school days.

“Joe’s a pro,” Whiteside. “Quite honestly, he’s been a mentor to me. I’ve coached Joe for many, many, many, many years and he’s always been a pro,

“He always approaches it the right way. He doesn’t have an ego it’s not about him. It’s about his players.

“And you could see it tonight. He had his team prepared. Joe is the ultimate pro, the ultimate mentor, and quite honestly a great guy.”

Whiteside noted the tenaciousness Houk’s teams regularly bring to the rink. 

“They play with grit,” he said.”

Houk similar sentiments.

“Gump is a good guy, a good human being,” he said. “He brings such a good quality of the sport to the game.

“He’s a man of character. And he cares about the kids. It’s not ‘Win at all costs’ with him. It’s more about development and hopefully, you move some of those kids on.

“He’s just a good guy. He’s a good guy for the sport.”

• Jake Weiner scored a pair of goals 45 seconds apart that turned a 2-2 standoff into a 4-2 South lead and the Golden Hawks never trailed again.

The win was South’s 11th of the season against two defeats with one of the losses coming in overtime.

Houk said going against a team the Firebirds said a lot about his own team’s potential for success.

“If we can at that sustained level we played at tonight,” he said. “The physical part of it, keeping things simple, keeping things to the outside, getting the opportunities on transition. I thought we controlled the whole game (but) they’re good. They’ve got some really, really good skill players. They move the puck well. They’re a good team. They’re going to go far too.”

Brady Baehser scored three goals for the Firebirds, who saw their record drop to 13-6.

“We got up 2-0 and that’s when we started to take them lightly,” he said. “And we just fell apart.”
Baehser said the defeat highlighted the importance delivering a solid effort from the start to finish of each game.”

“We’re a very talented team and we think we can win games based off that. But that outworked us all night, all three periods and it showed on the scoreboard.”

Holy Ghost Prep 2 2 0­—4

Council Rock South 2 3 0—5

First-period goals: Landon Stout (HGP) from Patrick Slook and John Seravalli, 1:03; Brady Baehser (HGP) from Seravalli, 5:18; Blaize Peppe (CRS) unassisted, 8:39; Kevin Koles (CRS) from Gavin Nisenson, :41

Second-period goals: Jake Weiner (CRS) from Illia Muckhin, 3:19; Weiner (CRS) from Jeremy Rayher, 4:04; Baehser (HGP) from Seravalli, 8:26 (pp); Joseph Diiulio (CRS) from Weiner and Pepe, 12:04; Baehser (HGP) from Stout, 12:35 (pp)

Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 27, Council Rock South 41; Saves: Jack Unger (HGP) 36 Carson Lopez (CRS) 23

Malvern Prep 3 St. Augustine Prep 2 OT

Jimmy Jacobs scored a goal 46 seconds into overtime to give the host Friars a 3-2 over St. Augustine Prep Monday afternoon at Ice Line in a non-league encounter.

Gabe Bedwell and Jonathan Holt also scored for Malvern Prep, which improved to 7-5 on the season.

St. Augustine Prep 1 1 0 0—2

Malvern Prep 0 2 0 1—3

First-period goal: Caleb Capecci (SA) from Ty Simonet, 10:16 (pp)

Second-period goals: Gabe Bedwell (MP) from Aidan Kelly and Jonathan Holt, 6:25; Grayson Esposito (SA) from Dom Riccardi, 6:59; Holt (MP) from Bedwell and Kelly, 10:29

Overtime goal: Jimmy Jacobs (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs, :46

Trainer Sal Raffa Doing His Part to Make Hockey a Safer Game

By Rick Woelfel

He is one of hockey’s unsung heroes. Whether he is working for the Philadelphia Flyers or covering an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference game for La Salle, Sal Raffa is always on alert when he’s at an ice rink. 

After more than two decades as an athletic trainer, Raffa is well aware of the risks that accompany the game of hockey, and cognizant of his responsibility to minimize those risks. When he’s on duty, very little happens on or around the ice that escapes his detection.

“You look for body language for one,” he said. “Whether it be a puck to the foot or hand, or writs, or elbow.

“You’re looking for body language. Typically, it’s body reaction. If you get hit in the throat, your hands automatically go to your throat.

“A lot of times, you look for the environmental stuff, meaning external, like the boards and things like that.  A lot of times, if you’re not paying attention and I’ve seen it in my career, athletes will leave a door open for instance to the bench; you can impale a vital organ.”

Just as athletes must (or should) understand basic fundamentals of their sport, so it is for trainers. Raffa never takes that fundamental knowledge for granted.

“Every night, before I cover an event, I go through a process in my head even on the bench I remember the ABCs, (airways, breathing, circulation)” he said. “On the bench I’m looking and watching everything. You don’t know really what’s going to happen but the ABCs, just know that, and kind of practice that when you’re out of this environment, when you’re at home, and just practice, practice, practice.”

Raffa’s vigilance, and that of his colleagues, is particularly important at the high-school level.

“Myself and the other trainers, we’re the only medical professionals here,” Raffa points out.  “Typically for a professional hockey game, you have physicians, you have an emergency room physician, you have paramedics, you have surgeons, you have everybody. “For (a high-school game) you’re going on your instincts, you’re looking for something that’s going on. The best thing you can do is rely on what you learn and what you know.”

‘What you know’ in Raffa’s case encompasses a broad knowledge base acquired through his years in the profession. When he staffs an event, his medical kit will contain everything from an AED to tourniquets to QuikClot® so he’s prepared in the event of an emergency.

“I have a whole bunch of stuff like that,” Raffa said. “You’re relying on your instincts, you’re holding pressure, calling 9-11.”

One of trainer’s most important attributes is the ability to control his or her emotions in an emergency.

“You gave to remain calm if a kid is choking,” Raffa says. “The worst thing you want to do is freak out. Calm cool collected. 

“Same thing on the ice. You see blood, Okay. It’s blood. Control the situation as best as you can. The environment is not a controlled situation because you’re (in a rink) but you can control it as best as you can.”

Raffa stresses the importance of knowing the emergency action plan of each rink he works in, whether be Hatfield Ice Arena, the Wells Fargo Center, or elsewhere. something he says all trainers should do.

“Before you work any events know what you’re dealing with,” he said. “Know where you’re going, and know the surroundings. Know 911, the paramedic’s number, know the closest hospital know all that stuff. You should know that before you cover any event.”

Wyoming Seminary 8 Hun School 2

Mathis Pellerin delivered a hat trick as Wyoming Seminary downed the host Raiders 8-2 Friday afternoon at Ice Land.

Elian Estulin and Brendan Marino scored first-period goals for Hun School (8-10) which didn’t score again after taking the 2-0 lead.

The Raiders will host La Salle in an APAC game on Wednesday.

Wyoming Seminary 2 3 2—8

Hun School 2 0 0—2

First-period goals: Elian Estulin (HS) from Justin Laplante, 3:04; Brendan Marino (HS) from Estulin and Vincent Gregoire, 4:15; Yoan Gagnon (WS) from Mathis Pelletin, 7:00; Pellerin (YS) from Gagnon and Alexis Billequey, 10:22

Second-period goals: Xavier Beaulac (YS) unassisted, 13:19; Billequey (YS) from Vitello and Gagnon, 13:57; Oliver Van Der Groen from Ford Boock, 15:10

Third-period goals: Pelletin (YS) from Billequey, 1:08; Matyas Tichy from Daniel Svozil, 3:58; Pellerin (WS) unassisted, 16:33.

Gump Whiteside Announces Retirement

Gump Whiteside has announced his retirement as the hockey coach at Holy Ghost Prep. Whiteside will step down at the end of the 2023 season, his 15th as the Firebirds’ head coach.

In that span, Whiteside’s teams have won two Flyers Cup Class AAA titles (in 2015 and ’17), the 2015 Pennsylvania Class AAA state championship, and five National Scholastic Invitational tournament titles.

In 2020, Whiteside was honored by USA Hockey with the 2020 Bob O’Connor Award for Excellence in Coaching Education. The award is given each year to a member of the volunteer coaching staff of USA Hockey’s coaching education program.

Whiteside previously coached at Germantown Academy. He will remain at Holy Ghost Prep as the assistant director of athletics and assistant director for the Holt Center and facilities.

APAC Standings as of 2-8-23

                                              Won  Lost  OTW  OTL Pts  GF  GA

La Salle (10-8-2)                     5       2        0       0      15   27  18 

Holy Ghost Prep  (15-5)        4      1        1        1      15  34  27

St. Joseph’s Prep (14-5-2)    3      4        1      0         11  24  28

Hun School (9-12)              3       5        0      0        9     24  30

Malvern Prep (8-6)                2       5        0      1     4     24   25

Game Results

Wednesday, February 8

Hun School 2, Malvern Prep 1

La Salle 4 Council Rick South 0

Holy Ghost Prep 7 Pennsbury 5

Holy Ghost Prep 3 Malvern Prep 2 OT

BRISTOL—There wasn’t much to choose between Holy Ghost Prep and Malvern Prep Wednesday afternoon. The regulation 51 minutes wasn’t enough to decide things. It took Brady Baehser’s goal 2:03 into overtime to give the host Firebirds a 3-2 win in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference game at Gundy Arena.

The win lifted Holy Ghost Prep to 13-5 overall and 4-1-1-1 in the APAC. Malvern Prep dropped to 6-5 overall and 1-4-0-1 in conference.

Baehser said the Friars controlled the flow of the game for most of the afternoon.

“It looked like they were trying to slow down our speed and eliminate chances,” he said. ”When we did get chances, their goalie had a really good game, but we started to figure it out towards the end and got the win.”

Senior forward Zach Pers said the Firebirds’ experience (there are 10 seniors on the roster) made an impact in the late going.

“Going down the stretch in a game like that shows how deep our team is,” he said. “We got a couple fortunate bounces, guys looked like they were slipping on banana peels out there. But other than that, I think we have a good group here that knows what they’re doing and is up to any task.”

It could be argued the Friars deserved a better fate. They never trailed until Baehser scored his game-winning goal. Their goaltender, sophomore Matt Crawford, was stellar between the pipes, making 36 saves.

“Matt hasn’t had much time in the net this year,” said Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan. “It was his second game. We played him against Hun last week and he looked good and we wanted to give him a shot against Ghost. 

“He looked good. He stood on his hand, he kept control of the puck, and have us an opportunity to win the game.”

The Friars took a 1-0 lead on Jeremy Jacobs’ shorthanded goal with 5:16 left in the first period. The goal came while his teammate Colin Inskeep was serving an interference penalty.

Pers tied the game for Holy Ghost Prep with 2:16 left in the period. It was the only regulation goal scored with both teams at full strength.

Malvern Prep got another power-play chance early in the second period when the Firebirds’ Patrick Slook was sent to the penalty box for delay of game when he was judged to have purposely knocked his own net off its moorings. Jack Sharer scored the go-ahead goal for the Friars 3:52 into the period.

Kieran Mulholland tied the game for the Firebirds with 3:37 left in the second session.

The third period was scoreless, largely in part to Crawford’s efforts on goal. He stopped 14 shots in the final session.

The Firebirds began the overtime on a power play after the Friars’ Jimmy Jacobs was boxed for an obvious holding infraction with 1:41 left in regulation.

The winning goal was set up by Mulholland’s dash up the center of the ice. Crawford stopped his shot but Baehser put in the rebound for the win.

Firebird senior Ciaran Chambers credited his teammates for their patience.

“It was extremely important to wait for our time,” he said. “We knew as a unit, going into this game, that we are the better team. We knew that going in. We wanted to go out there and wait for our time because we knew it was going to come.”

Holy Ghost Prep’s Ciaran Chambers (in white) battles with Malvern Prep’s Jack Sharer in front of Malvern Prep goaltender Matt Crawford during Wednesday’s game. (Photo by Robert Barnes)

Malvern Prep  1 1 0 0—2

Holy Ghost Prep 1 1 0 1—3

First-period goals: Jeremy Jacobs (MP) from Jimmy Jacobs, 11:44 (sh); Zach Pers (HGP) from Ronnie Selzer and Kieran Mulholland, 14:49

Second-period goals: Jack Sharer (MP) from Jimmy Jacobs and Jeremy Jacobs, 3:52 (pp); Mulholland (HGP) from Brady Baehser and Landon Stout, 13:23 (pp)

Overtime goal: Baehser (HGP) from Mulholland, 2:03

Shots: Malvern Prep 22, Holy Ghost Prep 39; Saves: Matt Crawford (MP) 36, Colin Mudrick (HGP) 20

CLICK HERE for more information about Holy Ghost Prep

CLICK HERE for more information about Malvern Prep

St. Joseph’s Prep 4 St. Augustine Prep 3

Jeffrey Hammond scored two goals, including the game winner with 2:08 left in the third period proved to be the game winner as St. Joseph’s Prep downed St. Augustine Prep on Monday at Holly dell Ice Arena.
John Lynch and Patrick Sweeney also scored for St. Joseph’s Prep (14-3-2).

Kai Ackerman scored twice for the Hermits.

The Hawks built a 3-0 lead on first-period goals from Lynch, Sweeney, and Hammond.

Ackerman scored with 2:21 left in the middle period to get St. Augustine Prep on the scoreboard, then added his second goal with 11:55 left in the third period.

Hammond’s second goal have his team a two-goal advantage before Enzo Fanelli scored for the Hermits to make it a one-goal game with 1:48 left in the final period. got the win in goal, making 32 saves.

Ajay White earned the win in goal with 32 saves.

St. Joseph’s Prep 3 0 1—4
St. Augustine Prep 0 1 2—3

First-period goals: John Lynch (SJP) from Joe Samango, 6:45; Patrick  Seeeney (SJP) from Dante Passio and Samango, 12:28; Jeffrey Hammond (SJP) from Eric Seo and Lynch, 12:49

Second-period goal: Kai Ackerman (SAP) from Enzo Fanelli and Dale Curtis,14:39

Third-period goals: Ackerman (SAP) from Curtis and Fanelli, 5:05; Hammond (SJP) from Tristan Winata and Matthew Giuliani, 14:52; Fanelli (SAP)) from Ty Simonet and Robert Romarino, 15:12.
Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 18, St. Augustine Prep 35

Samango Showing the Way for St. Joseph’s Prep

By Rick Woelfel

Friday night was a big night for Joe Samango. A very big night.

The senior scored all three of his team’s goals as St. Joseph’s Prep downed archrival La Salle 3-1 in an APAC game at the Skatium. The loss gave the Hawks a measure of revenge for a 5-1 setback at the hands of the Explorers nine days earlier at the APAC Outdoor Classic.

It was Samango’s second hat trick of the week. He scored five goals and assisted on another in an 8-4 win over Holy Ghost Prep last Monday.

Samanago says he and his teammates were especially motivated heading into the rematch with La Salle.

“Absolutely,” he said. “I don’t think we were prepared going into that (first meeting with La Salle) but we knew we weren’t going to let that happen again, so we all kind of came together, talked about it, decided we were going to play hard, and give it our best shot.”

There was more to the evening than the final result. Friday was also Pink the Rink night at the Skatium with the focus on collecting funds to benefit cancer victims and their families. Samango, a four-year varsity player, says the entire student body gets behind the effort.

“It does get promoted around school,” he said. “Everybody wants to chip in and help raise money. It’s always highly anticipated, everyone is excited to play, to wear the pink jerseys. It’s a great time.

Joe Samango #20 in pink in action in the Pink the Rink game on 1-20-23

(Video courtesy of Jost Winata)

“We always get a good crowd out there and get to raise some money and its always a fun game to play in.”

St. Joseph’s Prep starts this week with an overall record of 13-3-2 (2-3-1 in the APAC). Samango says the Hawks are a close-knit group off the ice.

“It’s just practice, texting each other, hanging out after school all that stuff,” he said. “Seeing each other at school, I think that’s the great thing about high-school hockey. You get to see all your teammates in school and you go to practice it’s a great bonding experience.

Like many of his peers, Samango, a resident of Haverford Township, found his freshman year at St. Joseph’s Prep was, in his words, “A huge adjustment.

“I was used to not traveling as much and that year,” he said. “I also made the jump to AAA hockey (Samango plays club hockey for the Little Flyers). That was big. I went from practicing twice a week to five times a week. playing games on weekends, traveling.

“And the work freshmen year at the Prep really hard. It’s a huge adjustment, but once you get used to it. Once you learn to manage your time, you get more used to it and it becomes second nature almost. You feel like you learn better when you’re doing all the work and it’s a really great process.”

That process includes having free periods that are built into the school day.

 “That gives you a good opportunity to get some of your work done in school,” Samango said. “But also, whenever I get home, I plan out what I have to do and what comes first and really just manage it that way. Getting the big things out of the way first and just going from there.”

Samango credits the Prep’s faculty for their support of the students.

“A lot of the faculty has been there for a very long time,” he said. They push know but they know when to lay off a little bit. They want to bring the best out of you.”