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.”

St. Joseph’s Prep 3 La Salle 1

Joey Samango delivered a hat trick to lead St. Joseph’s Prep to a 3-1 win over La Salle Friday night in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference game at the Skatium.

The win lifted the Hawks to 13-3-2 overall and 2-3-1 in APAC play. It also avenged a 5-1 loss to the Explorers at the APAC Outdoor Classic last Wednesday. La Salle dropped to 7-8-2 overall and 4-2 in conference play.

Both teams were missing several key players who were away on club duty.
Samango’s first goal was a shorthanded effort that came with 30 seconds left in the opening period while his teammate Dante Passio was serving a sentence for roughing.

Samango made it a 2-0 game 8:34 into the middle period.

James Carpenter scored for La Salle 3:01 into the third period to make it a one-goal game before Samango responded at the 8:35 mark.

The game included 17 penalties, including a skirmish at the final buzzer that saw five players penalized.

 La Salle 0 0 1—1

St. Joseph’s Prep 1 1 1—3

First-period goal: Joey Samango (SJP) from Luke Schienholtz, 16:30 (sh)

Second-period goal: Samango (SJP) unassisted, 8:26;

Third-period goals: James Carpenter (L) from Dean Carvalho, 3:01; Samango (SJP) unassisted, 8:35

Shots: La Salle 27, St. Joseph’s Prep 21; Saves: Jake Rossi (L) 18. Rocco Bruno (SJP) 26

For more information about La Salle College High School CLICK HERE

For more information about St. Joseph’s Prep CLICK HERE

Hun School 4 Malvern Prep 2

Elian Estulin’s goal midway through the third period proved to be the game winner as Hun School bested Malvern Prep 4-2 in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference game Wednesday afternoon at Ice Line.

Scott Richmond, Ryan Levesque, and Justin LaPlante also scored goals for the Raiders, who improved to 5-8 overall
 and moved into third place in the APAC standings with a 2-3 conference mark. LaPlante and Brendan Marino contributed two assists each.

Julian Arsensult got the win in goal, making 51 saves in the process.

Jimmy and Jeremy Jacobs scored goals for the Friars (7-4, 1-4).

Jimmy Jacobs gave Malvern Prep a 1-0 lead 10:22 into the second period. Richmond tied the game for the Raiders with a power-play goal at the 13:32 mark before Levesque put Hun School in front with 2:03 left in the middle period.

Jeremy Jacobs tied the game for the hosts 6:11 into the final period but Estulin’s effort with 8:27 left in the game proved decisive.

Hun School 0 2 2—4

Malvern Prep 0 1 1—2

Second-period goals: Jimmy Jacobs (MP) from Gabe Bedwell and Aidan Kelly, 10:22; Scott Richmond (HS) from Justin LaPlante and Brendan Marino, 13:32 (pp); Ryan Levesque (HS) from LaPlante and Marino, 14:57

Third-period goals:  Jeremy Jacobs (MP) from Jack Sharer and Jimmy Jacobs, 6:11; Elian Estulin (HS) unassisted, 8:33; LaPlante (HS) from LeVesque, 16:06 (en)

Shots: Hun School 30, Malvern Prep 53; Saves: Julian Arsenault (HS) 51, Matt Crawford (MP) 26

La Salle 11 Haverford School 0

 Dean Carvalho, Julian Tarsi, and Michael Zarzycki scored two goals each as the Explorers rolled over the Fords on Wednesday afternoon at Hatfield Ice.

Max Monzo, Bill Gregorio, Ryan Wiley, Luke Murphy, and Grant LeGrecca also scored goals for La Salle.

Dante Defruscio picked up the shutout in goal as La Salle improved to 7-7-2 on the season.

More Reflections from the APAC Outdoor Classic

The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference, its member schools, and fans, are basking in the glow of Wednesday’s APAC Outdoor Classic at the Spring Mountain resort

  APAC Commissioner Jim Britt was lavish in his praise for the inaugural Classic.

“It’s idyllic,” he said. “I am very impressed by what they’ve done here to develop this into an adventure; an outdoor classic. The amenities are set up, it’s easy to watch a game, the lighting is great. 

“The students are reacting tremendously. Everybody is having a great time and we really appreciate what they’ve done here to develop this and four teams being here for the APAC Outdoor Classic is something special to see.”

The results of the games mattered of course. La Salle bested St. Joseph’s Prep 5-1 in the back end of the twin bill but senior Tim Whitlock pointed out he and his teammates’ most vivid memories will be of the Classic itself.

‘The guys are excited,” he said Wednesday night. “It was a different type of game, kind of. It was a good game.

Whittock said the energy of the fans on hand added to the experience.

“Definitely a little more,” he said. “But, by the end of the day, it doesn’t matter about the people on the sidelines. It matters about the boys on the ice.”

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Malvern Prep in white ands Holy Ghost Prep line up for the National Anthem on Wednesday. (Max Mangigian)

Holy Ghost Prep senior and captain Brady Baehser helped his team to a 6-5 win over Malvern Prep to open the evening’s festivities.

“This is an experience we’re going to remember for the rest of our lives,” he said. 

Baehser noted that the conditions mandated the players make some adjustments.

“When we first got out there we were having trouble seeing the puck he said “and trouble with the lighting. But it’s the same for everyone so you get used to it and you play the game.”

Baehser was asked for his most vivid memory of the evening.

“Honestly when you first step on the ice,” he said. “You look around, and it’s a beautiful atmosphere.”

La Salle’s Ryan Wiley carries the puck Wednesday night. #33 for St. Joseph’s Prep is Dante Pasio (Max Mangigian)

St. Joseph’s Prep’s Tyler DiGirolamo moves the puck. (Max Mangigian)

Holy Ghost Prep’s Kieran Mulholland (in blue) is challenged by Malvern Prep’s Jack Sharer (Max Mangigian)

APAC Offers a Memorable Evening With Inaugural Outdoor Classic

The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference enhanced its legacy Wednesday night. The inaugural APAC Outdoor Classic brought four of the five conference schools to the Spring Mountain resort for a doubleheader in a unique outdoor setting.

For the record, Holy Ghost Prep edged Malvern Prep 6-5 and La Salle downed St. Joseph’s Prep 5-1. But as significant as the results were in the APAC conference standings, the impact of the evening and the setting made a deeper impression on the fans in attendance and most notably on the participants. 

The Holy Ghost Prep-Malvern Prep matchup, which opened the doubleheader, was believed to be the first outdoor game in Malvern Pep history, and certainly the first outdoor game in the program’s modern era, which dates back more than half a century.

Senior Jimmy Jacobs is the Friars’ captain. “It was a really cool atmosphere,” he said. “It’s definitely a lot different than what we’re used to.

“When you’re playing outdoors, there’s nothing to complain about, It’s an awesome atmosphere. The ice is a little different, but that’s what we expected. It was really awesome to play outdoors.”

Holy Ghost Prep senior Landon Stout basked in the outdoor atmosphere. Wednesday marked Holy Ghost Prep’s second outdoor game in seven days; the Firebirds faced North Allegheny outdoors last Thursday in Pittsburgh.

“There’s nothing like it,” Stout said of playing outdoors. “That’s all I have to say. It’s a great experience.”

Stout noted the impact the conditions had on play. When the puck was dropped to begin the Holy Ghost Prep-Malvern Prep game, the temperature was in the low 40s, mild enough to impact ice conditions. The lighting conditions were impactful as well

“It’s a lot different than playing inside,” Stout said. “Especially for the goalies, it’s probably pretty hard to see the puck out here.”

St. Joseph’s Prep junior defenseman Shane O’Neill wasn’t happy with the loss to archrival La Salle. But playing a rivalry game in an outdoor setting left memories that are certain to endure.

“It was awesome,” he said. “We got a little taste of it last year against (Cardinal O’Hara), but it’s really nice coming out here under the stars and stuff.

O’Neill could feel a rush of energy when he first took the ice.

“It’s a lot of excitement,” he said. “It’s a different environment out here, but it’s still a lot of fun. At the end of the day, we’re still just playing hockey so, you try not to think too much about where we’re playing, and just get a win.”

La Salle senior Dante DeFuscio was in an observer’s role Wednesday night as the Explorers’ backup goaltender, but he embraced the setting as deeply as anyone in attendance.

“It was definitely unusual but surreal at the same time,” he said. “I don’t think many of our guys have played outside, maybe a handful, two or three. And, we’re just really thankful to be out there.”

DeFusico spent time attempting to absorb the energy and emotion of the occasion.

“I’m just trying to take it all in,” he said, “as much as possible. Especially because I don’t have to be 100 percent locked in. I have to be focused on the game (but) just enjoying keeping the guys loose.”

Holy Ghost Prep 6, Malvern Prep 5—The Firebirds scored three times in the first period and went on to the win that opened the APAC Outdoor Classic. The win kept the Firebirds alone in atop the conference standings with a 4-1-0-1 league record (12-4 overall).
Brady Baehser scored two goals in the win and assisted on another. Kieran Mulholland had a goal and two assists. Landon Stout, John Seravalli and Mike Holt also scored goals.

Jeremy Jacobs scored twice for Malvern Prep (7-3, 1-3) which was seeing its first action of the New Year. Brady Doyle, Jack Sharer, and Caiden Canale also scored for the Friars.

Holy Ghost Prep 3 2 1—6

 Malvern Prep 1 3 1—5

First-period goals: Kieran Mulholland (HGP) from John Seravalli, 1:47; Brady Doyle (HGP) from Aidan Kelly, 5:45 (pp); Landon Stout (HGP) from Brady Baehser and Mike Holt, 8:38; Baehser (HG) from Shaun Moore and Mulholland, 12:54

Second-period goals: Jeremy Jacobs (MP) unassisted, 4:09; Jack Sharer (MP) from Matt Barbacane and Jimmy Jacobs, 11:08 (pp); Holt (HGP) from Mulholland, 13:53; Seravalli (HGP) from Mulholland and Shaun Moore, 14:27; Jeremy Jacobs (MP) unassisted, 15:00

Third-period goals: Baehser (HGP) from Seravalli, :48; Caiden Canale (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs, 13:28 (pp)

Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 34, Malvern Prep 44; Saves: Colin Mudrick (HGP) 39, Brandon Novabilski (MP) 28

LaSalle 5, St. Joseph’s Prep 1—Liam Donahue scored twice as the Explorers bested the Hawks in the nightcap of the APAC Outdoor Classic. Chase Hannon, Thomas Doucet and Evan Golato also scored for the Explorers who are now 6-7-2 overall but 4-1 in the APAC. La Salle is one point behind Holy Ghost Prep in the conference standings with a game in hand,

Jeffrey Hammond scored for St. Joseph’s Prep (12-3-2 overall, 1-3-1-0 in conference) which saw a seven-game unbeaten streak snapped. 

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 1 0—1

La Salle 2 2 1—5

First-period goals: Chase Hannon (L) from Evan Golato, 3:03; Thomas Doucet (L) from Hannon, 9:16

Second-period goals: Liam Donahue (L) from Max Monzo and Will Gregorio, 1:36; Jeffrey Hammond (SJP) unassisted, 7:17 (pp); Donahue (L) from Monzo, 10:24

Third-period goal: Golato (L) from Declan Kelly, 9:28 (pp)