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Will Schneider scored with 5:43 remaining in regulation to give the host Blues the win over the Explorers on Wednesday evening in a Mid-Atlantic Prep League game..
Chris Wnek and Max Maddalo scored the La Salle goals while Chase Hannon, Dan Whittock, Jackson Lindmar and Matt Giordano all had assists.
Will Braun made 35 saves in the La Salle net.
La Salle 1 1 0—2
Hill School 1 1 1—3
Won Lost OTW OTL Pts
Malvern Prep (9-2) 5 0 0 0 15
La Salle (5-4) 2 2 0 0 6
Hun School (5-5) 1 2 1 0 5
St. Joseph’s Prep (4-5-1) 1 2 0 2 5
Holy Ghost Prep (9-7) 1 4 1 0 5
This Week
Wednesday Hill School 3 La Salle 2
Thursday Malvern Prep 4 Holy Ghost Prep 3 OT
Hun School at Portledge ppd
Friday La Salle 2, St. Joseph’s Prep 1
Rutledge-Fair Haven at Hun School ppd
Scoring GP G A Pts. PPG
Matt Harris (MP) 4 4 6 10 2.50
Jeremy Jacobs (MP) 4 4 5 9 2.25
Joey Samango (SJP) 4 7 1 8 2.00
Jim Jacobs (MP) 4 4 3 7 1.75
Pierre Larocque (MP) 4 3 2 5 1.25
Jeffrey Hammond (SJ) 4 3 2 5 1.25
Brady Baehser (HGP) 5 3 3 6 1.20
Shaun Marshall HGP) 5 3 3 6 1.20
Liam Mooney (SJP) 4 0 4 4 1.00
Elian Estulin (HS) 4 2 2 4 1.00
Josh Ovelette (HS) 4 1 3 4 1.00
Conference games only through January 17. Shootout goals not included
Dean Carvalho and Max Maddalo scored second-period goals as the Explorers overcame an early 1-0 deficit to edge Seton Hall Prep 2-1 Thursday afternoon at Hatfield Ice. Aries Carangie earned the win in goal with 21 saves
Defending Class AAA Flyers Cup state champion Malvern Prep defeated Father Judge 7-3 Wednesday night in a non-league game at Flyers Skate Zone.
Pierre Larocque, Jimmy Jacobs, and Matt Haris all scored goals for the Friars. Larocque added two assists, Harris and Jacobs on each.
Malvern Prep 2 3 2—7
Father Judge 0 1 2—3
BRISTOL—St. Joseph’s Prep arrived at Grundy Arena Monday afternoon eager to get on the ice. Because of Covid-cancellations, the Hawks hadn’t played a game December 21. Upon their arrival, they spent 51 minutes of pent up energy.
The result was a 5-1 Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference win over host Holy Ghost Prep. The win was the first for the Hawks (4-4-1 overall, 1-1-0-2 in the APAC) in four conference starts and an ideal start to the six-week stretch that serves as a prelude to the Founders Cup playoffs and the Flyers Cup tournament.
“I think this is really going to set the tone for the rest of our year,” said sophomore Joey Samango.
Samango scored two goals for the Hawks and assisted on two others, giving him seven goals and two assists in conference play.
Junior Jeffrey Hammond contributed a goal and two assists. “We knew what we had to do,” he said. “Last time we played Ghost (a 5-4 overtime loss on November 12) we were winning 4-1 and then we let up with penalties. We came in knowing what we had to do.
Freshman Jake Schultz scored the game’s first goal 9:26 into the first period. Samango made it a 2-0 game at the 12:59 mark.
Nick Storti made it a 3-0 game to finish off a play that Hammond started 63 seconds into the second session.
At that point, Holy Ghost Prep coach Gup Whiteside made a goaltender change, inserting Colin Mudrick for starter Jason Soule (Soule returned for the third period).
Sean Marshall answered for Holy Ghost Prep (9-6, 1-3-1-0 in conference) just 26 seconds later but Hammond extended the Hawks’ lead with 1:44 left in the period.
Samango added his second goal of the game 11:22 into the third period.
Hammond is pleased with how this year’s edition of the Hawks has evolved through the first half of the season.
“Everyone knows their role,” he said, “and when everyone knows their role, and when everyone plays their role, we win a game. In a 5-1 win, everyone played their role.
St. Joseph’s Prep coach David Giacomin says his team is a more focused group than the team that struggled much of last year.
“This senior class, that’s all they talked about,” he said, “saying ‘We’re a good enough team to compete with everybody, but we’ve got to be ready every game and not just show up.
“So, having a full lineup definitely helps but also having the attitude that you want to be there and you want to compete hard.”
St. Joseph’s Prep 2 2 1—5
Holy Ghost Prep 0 1 0—1
First-period goals: Jacob Schultz (SJP) from Michael Ahearn. 9:26; Joey Samango (SJP) from Dante Passio and Jeffrey Hammond, 12:59
Second-period goals: Nick Storti (SJP) from Liam Mooney, 1:03: Sean Marshall (HGP) from Ciaran Chambers, 1:29; Hammond (SJP) from Mooney and Samango, 15:16
Third-period goals: Samango (SJP) from Hammond and Storti, 11:22
Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 32, Holy Ghost Prep 30; Saves: Rocco Bruno (SJP) 29, Jason Soule (HGP) 23 and Colin Mudrick (HGP) 4
For more about St. Joseph’s Prep Click Here
For more about Holy Ghost Prep Click Here
Video provided by Nur B. Adam
W L OTW OTL Pts
Malvern Prep (8-2) 4 0 0 0 12
Hun School (5-5) 1 2 1 0 5
St. Joseph’s Prep (4-4-1) 1 1 0 2 5
Holy Ghost Prep (9-6) 1 3 1 0 5
La Salle (4-4) 1 2 0 0 3
Teams receive three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime win, and one point for an overtime loss.
This Week
Monday: St. Joseph’s Prep 5 Holy Ghost Prep 1
Wednesday: Malvern Prep 7, Father Judge 3
Hun School at Wyoming Seminary Postponed
Thursday: La Salle 2 Seton Hall Prep 1
Scoring GP G A Pts. Ave.
Matt Harris (MP) 4 4 6 10 2.50
Jeremy Jacobs (MP) 4 4 5 9 2.25
Jim Jacobs (MP) 4 4 3 7 1.75
Joseph Samago (SJP) 3 5 0 5 1.67
Brady Baehser (HGP) 3 2 3 5 1.67
Sean Marshall 3 2 2 4 1.33
Pierre Larocque (MP) 4 3 2 5 1.25
Josh Ovellette (HS) 4 1 3 4 1.00
Elian Estulin (HS) 4 2 2 4 1.00
John Seravalli (HGP 3 0 3 3 1.00
Conference games only. Shootout goals not included
Shady Side Academy defeated Holy Ghost Prep 5-1 Wednesday evening. The Firebirds will play North Allegeny in a an outdoor game Thursday night.
A total of 61 teams will seek berths in the 43rd edition of the Flyers Cup tournament. Selections will be announced on Sunday, February 27 and the tournament will begin eight days later on Monday, March 7.
The Flyers Cup Committee will determine tournament qualifiers and seedings; there is no predetermined number of qualifiers.
The line of demarcation between Class A and Class AA is 625 male students.
Class AAA (7)
Cardinal O’Hara
Father Judge
Holy Ghost Prep
La Salle
Malvern Prep
Roman Catholic
St. Joseph’s Prep
Class AA (23)
Abington
Avon Grove
Bensalem
Boyertown
Central Bucks East
Central Bucks South
Central Bucks West
Conestoga
Council Rock South
Cumberland Valley
Downingtown East
Downingtown West
Haverford
Neshaminy
North Penn
O.J. Roberts
Pennridge
Pennsbury
Quakertown
Ridley
Souderton
Spring Ford
William Tennent
Class A (17)
Council Rock North
Garnet Valley
Hatboro-Horsham
Hershey
Lower Dauphin
Palmyra
Penncrest
Plymouth Whitemarsh
Radnor
Springfield-Delco
Strath Haven
Unionville
Upper Dublin
West Chester Bayard Rustin
West Chester East
West Chester Henderson
Wissahickon
New Jersey/Delaware (6)
Cherokee
Eastern
Kingsway
Moorsetown
Salesianum
Shawnee
Girls (8)
Avon Grove
Conestoga
Downingtown West
Kingsway
Pennridge
Radnor
Unionville
West Chester Henderon
Holy Ghost Prep will begin its post-holiday hockey schedule with a trip to western Pennsylvania. The Firebirds will face Shady Side Academy on Wednesday (6:30) before taking on North Allegheny, last year’s Class AAA state runner up, in an outdoor game on Friday at Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park (7:00 start).
Senior forward Brian Butler one of his team’s captains, is looking forward to the trip.
“It’s such a great experience,” he said, “especially for us, and the younger guys to get to know each other even more.
“I know we’re playing two high-caliber teams. And it’s important for us to compete, and that’s what we do well. And that’s what we’re looking forward to doing; just go and compete.”
Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside was a prep-school teammate of Mike Bagnoto, his counterpart at North Allegheny.
“Mike Bagnoto, and I were teammates at Northwood Prep back in 1981,” Whiteside recalls, “and we’ve created a friendship over the years. And North Allegheny competes in the Jamestown (N.Y.) tournament (a fixture on the Holy Ghost Prep schedule) as well. So, when this opportunity came up, I reached out to Mike and he said “Let’s do it.’”
Apart from the two hockey games, the Firebirds will also be participating in a seminar organized by the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation entitled Finding Your Dream in Pittsburgh.
The student-athletes will explore how to use their passion for hockey to create relationships with marginalized students. They will also learn how professional sports teams use their influence to lift up communities in need.
The seminar is part of the Spiritan Immersion Program and, along with the outdoor game, the brainchild of Holy Ghost Prep graduate Jim Britt Jr. who heads the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation.
“We’re really looking forward to it,” Whiteside said. “It’s another opportunity for our hockey program and our school to just find out a little bit more about other schools.”
CLICK HERE for more about Holy Ghost Prep
Shane O’Neill
The past year-and-a-half has been a time of growth for Shane O’ Neill, in the classroom and on the ice.
O’Neill is a sophomore at St. Joseph’s Prep and in the midst of his first season with the varsity as an old school, stay-at-home defenseman.
“I’m a pretty big guy (6-0, 175),” he said, “so, I try to do my role to the best of my ability which is kind of locking it down in the defensive zone and making sure no one pushes the goalie. What I’ve found helps most is always playing a physical game, always keeping your head up.”
O’Neill also plays club hockey at the U16 AA level but he has adapted his game to fit the tempo of high-school hockey and the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference. He’s comfortable in his role as his team’s sixth defenseman.
“I love it,” he said. “I feel like I’ve learned so much from my teammates just in the past year and watching those guys; all of them are incredible players. I really learn a lot from them and not only does it help the guys around them get better, it helps me get better just watching them and competing against them, and seeing what they do.”
O Neill’s coach, David Giacomin, appreciates his approach to the game.
“Shane is a hard-working defenseman,” Giacomin said. “He takes direction well and wants to get better. He is our sixth defenseman but continues to work and get better. We reward his efforts by putting him on the penalty kill and power play from time to time.”
Giacomin notes that O’Neill came to the Hawks without expectations or a sense of entitlement.
“Regularly, young players have struggled with playing time on the varsity because they are used to being top in their club teams,” he said. “It takes a bit to understand. Shane has never been that way. As a sophomore, he has come in with a mindset to fit in and get better every day. I think our team has made him better for his club team. He is a great young man to have on our team and makes us better.”
As much as O’Neill had to modify his game on the ice, his most significant adjustments came elsewhere. He was familiar with the history and traditions of St. Joseph’s Prep; his uncles and grandparents had gone to school there as well as some older friends. But there was the inevitable adjustment to a vigorous academic workload.
“It was pretty difficult,” O’Neill said, “going from a workload of back in Catholic school or middle school of probably 20 minutes a night to having sometimes multiple hours a night, upwards of three hours. It was a lot of work; it took some adjustments to get used to it. Now that I’m used to it I feel like I have an edge. I know how to get things done efficiently and well.”
Like many of his peers, O’Neill had to develop time-management skills.
“It was a big challenge at first,” he said, “especially putting down the cell phone and getting homework done. I was playing for two clubs, practicing just about every night of the week and having multiple games on the weekend. It can get pretty difficult but once I got used to it was manageable.”
O’Neill appreciates the support of the St. Joseph’s Prep faculty.
“They’re always willing to meet before school or after school to talk to you and help you out,” he said. “They always are engaging and they do a really good job getting the information into your head.”
O’Neill is most proud of how he has grown as a student and as an athlete over the last year.
“When first came to the Prep I saw some of those guys play and my draw dropped,” he said. “Some of these guys were ridiculously fast and I thought, looking at these guys play that I could never get to the level that they are.
“But, now, in playing with them and seeing what they do and learning from them, having them support you and teach you, it really helped my game out. I’m not quite at the level that they’re at, in terms of skill, but it’s fun to compete with them, it’s a lot of challenge.
“I feel the same way academically; there’s tons of really smart guys at the Prep and they’re all really nice and supportive and they’ll always help you out. And it’s really paid off, putting in the effort and watching myself improve.”
For more about St. Joseph’s Prep CLICK HERE
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