Nick Dimatos scored both goals for the Raiders who opened their season Friday evening in the opening round of the Shady Side Academy tournament.
Five different players scored goals for Shady Side.
Jack Borek stopped 39 shots while taking the loss in goal.
Hun School 1 0 1—2
Shady Side Ac. 3 1 1—5
First-period goals: Douglas Cole (S) from Michael McCoy, 3:46; Logan Mansfield (S) from McCoy and Parker Hawn, 8:03; Lakin Glessner (H) unassisted, penalty shot, 9:14; Nick Dimatos (H) from Seth Kaplar and Elian Estulin, 9:44 (pp)
Second-period goals: Jonathan English (H) unassisted, 10:57
Michael Ahearn and Christian Short scored goals as the Hawks and Gonzaga skated to a tie at the University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 1923 Rink on Friday afternoon.
Roman Villegas and Hamilton Norwind scored on second-period power plays to draw Gonzaga Prep even.
The Hawks (2-2-1 against high-school competition) will travel to The Hun School on Wednesday.
Gonzaga 0 2 0 0—2
St. Joseph’s Prep 2 0 0 0—2
First-period goals: Michael Ahearn (SJP) from Christian Short, 4:19; Jeffrey Hammond (SJP) from Quinn Egan and Luca Palachick, 5:57
Second-period goals: T.J. Kouba (G) from Roman Villegas and Hamilton Norwind, 5:36 (pp); Villegas (G) from Norwind, 15:35 (pp)
HATFIELD—The hockey season is only a few weeks old but La Salle took a demanding test Tuesday afternoon. Patrick Reilly scored two goals to lead Christian Academy to a 5-1 win over the Explorers in a non-league matchup at the Hatfield Ice Arena’s Green Rink.
The Colts, who have won eight New Jersey state championships in their history, have started their 2021-22 schedule with two wins. La Salle dropped to 0-4.
“We knew they were good,” said La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner. “They were fast, they moved the puck well. They’re a good, strong team.”
The Colts got on the board just 41 seconds into the opening period on a goal from Leighton Blesiadecki, who beat Wilum Braun in the La Salle net. Reilly made it 2-0 at the 12:47 mark before adding his second goal with 1:22 left in the period.
For a team that has scored just five goals in its first four games, the three-goal deficit was a steep hill to climb. To complicate matters further, the Explorers lost senior forward Keenan Schneider late in the period with an upper-body injury.
Zachary Wagnon made it a 4-0 game with his own power-play goal 8:06 into the middle period before assisting on Sean Guinnessey’s effort at 14:43.
La Salle got on the board 59 seconds into the final period when Ryan Desmond was able to solve Christian Brothers Academy netminder John Donohoe.
Muehlbronner took some steps on Tuesday to try to ease the Explorers’ goal-scoring woes. “We mixed the lines up a little bit,” he said. “I think we’re making progress, but we’ve just got to keep at it.”
Muelbronner is expecting his team to take some lessons away from the loss.
“They certainly should,” he said. “I think one thing we have to realize is how much we have to simplify our game when we play against a team like that. We didn’t really do it. We were holding on to the puck too long and they were on us quick. They took us off the puck, created plays.
“They moved the puck extremely well, so I guess our younger guys can learn from that. But we didn’t adapt to it quick enough.”
Ice Chips—The Colts outshot the Explorers 35-26. The Explorers will open Mid-Atlantic Prep League play next Wednesday on the road against Wyoming Seminary.
CBA 3 2 0—5
La Salle 0 0 1—1
First-period goals: Leighton Blesiadecki (CBA) from Zachary Wagnon and Sean Guinnessey, :41; Patrick Reilly (CBA) from Antonio Donohue and E. Burg, 12:47; Reilly (CBA) from Wagnon, 15:38 (pp)
Second-period goals: Wagnon (CBA) unassisted, 8:06 (pp); Guinnessey (CBA) from Wagnon and Christian Chewha, 14:43
Third-period goals: Ryan Desmond (L) from Charles Kennedy, :59
Shots: CBA 35, La Salle 26: Saves: John Donohoe (CBA) 25, Willum Braun (L) 30
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Quinn Dougherty’s connection to Malvern Prep runs deep. The senior defenseman began attending the school when he was in the sixth grade. One of his two older brothers also attended the school and his mother is employed there as a family outreach coordinator.
“Ever since I was in fifth grade, I kind of had the feeling that I’d be going there,” he said.
Dougherty, who resides in West Chester, has had an impressive career at Malvern Prep, academically, and on the ice. He’s earned Distinguished Academic Honors each semester while involving himself in an assortment of extracurricular activities and playing both scholastic and club hockey.
Dougherty credits the faculty at Malvern Prep with preparing the students to meet the school’s vigorous academic standards.
“I think honestly, the teachers do a really good job and the students as well,” he said. “They kind of ease you into it. As the grades go on, the classes obviously get harder, as most schools do, and the teachers do a really good job.
“If they know you’re coming in for your first year, they’re not going to kill you right as you walk in. They’re going to help work with you, make sure you’re doing everything you can.
“The main goal of the teachers is to help you. They’re not there to give you a bad grade on a test, they want you to succeed so as long as you meet them halfway, they’ll probably always be there to help.”
Dougherty has learned to meet his academic responsibilities while also meeting the demands of a vigorous hockey schedule (in addition to playing for Malvern Prep, he also skates for the Junior Flyers 18U AAA team).
“I think the hardest part was probably the travel in the beginning,” he said. “I’ve always heard about the words time management. My dad always preaches that to me but I really didn’t know what that meant. I do now.
“Coming back from the state championship in Pittsburgh last year I was studying for a test I had that Monday.” Dougherty learned early on that the most effective way to get his work done was to take advantage of whatever time was available, wherever he found himself.
“I had to work at the beginning of my freshman year,” he said and I realized, ‘I’ve got to do it at some time or another.’ So, I started to learn I can do stuff in the car or stuff on the plane when I was going to Detroit or Arizona for my club teams, and then also on the bus when I going to games with Malvern. Me and Pierre (Larocque) and Matty Harris we’ll be doing homework with each other, so it’s all about that time management aspect.”
Even when he’s on the road, Dougherty makes sure not to neglect his academics.
“Every time I go on a trip, whether it’s for club or Malvern, I always bring my school bag,” he said. “Kids will be hanging out and I’ll be up in my room doing homework.
“My dad always preached that grades come first and that’s something I take pride in too with myself. School comes first obviously and if my schoolwork isn’t there, Malvern will hold me accountable and I won’t be able to play hockey.
“It’s kind of second nature at this point. You’ve got to get the stuff done that you can get done if you can’t, talk to your teachers about it.”
The environment at Malvern Prep is structured to allow students to make independent decisions. Dougherty understands the importance of making gooddecisions.
“It’s really important honestly,” he said, “because you see a lot all over the news and social media now about kids making mistakes at this age and costing them scholarships and stuff like that.
“The thing I always think about is how is this going to reflect on my school and my family? Most importantly, because the last thing I want to do is taint my family’s name. There’s always a right and wrong decision whether you know it or not. I always think of my family first; how would my mom react to me making this decision versus how my friends react to it? I always try to keep that in mind.”
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There weren’t a lot of surprises at the Wells Fargo Center Wednesday night. Holy Ghost Prep and Malvern Prep know each other well as a result of their history in the APAC.
It was the Friars who prevailed on this occasion. Jimmy Jacobs scored one goal and assisted on another to help his side to a 3-1 win in front of an energetic audience.
It was the fourth meeting between the two teams since last February
“I think since we played each other three times last year we kind of figured each other out,” Jacobs said. “Both goalies played really good, it was just a scrappy game. Nothing really pretty. We just had to crash the net hard and we won a lot of battles. Gavin Wilson gave the Friars (4-1, 2-0 in the APAC) the lead 5:27 into the second period when he flipped the puck over the shoulder of Holy Ghost Prep netminder Jason Soule with Jacobs assisting. but Brady Baehser tied the game for the Firebirds (3-1, 2-1) just 22 seconds later.
Jacobs deposited what proved to be the winning goal at the 10:50 mark of the period, a power-play effort that came while the Firebirds’ Patrick Slook was serving a holding minor.
Both Soule and Anthony Perti were sharp in the third period, each making some strong saves to keep their opponents at bay.
Quinn Dougherty who played against Holy Ghost Prep in the Wells Fargo Center three years ago (he recorded an assist on that occasion) etched his name into history one more time when he scored into an empty net with 42 seconds remaining in regulation.
It was a satisfying evening for Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan. “With Ghost, coming off two big wins in the league (over La Salle and St. Joseph’s Prep) we knew it would be a tough fight,” he said. “Our boys showed up, and we’re glad to get out of here with a win.”
Keenan felt his team dealt successfully with the atmosphere inside the building. “I think overall, there was a lot of energy,” he said. “The message was to take it all in, soak it all in.
“There are only so many opportunities to play down here. The guys returning, they knew what it was like. But all these new guys, it was a big undertaking and it was good to see them settle in.”
Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside noted his team had an off night. “Credit to Malvern,” he said. “They played well, well enough to win the game. We just didn’t have our best effort. It was disappointing from a coaching standpoint. But we know we can play better.
”Whiteside is confident his team will rebound from the loss. “This is one game,” he said. “There were a lot of bad habits tonight obviously, but we’ll regroup at practice tomorrow and next week and go into Thanksgiving with some positives.”
Holy Ghost Prep 0 1 0—1
Malvern Prep 0 2 1—3
First-period goals: Gavin Wilson (MP) from Jimmy Jacobs, and Matt Harris, 5:27
Second-period goals: Brady Baehser (HGP) from John Seravalli and Sean Marshall, 5:49; Jimmy Jacobs (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs and Brady Doyle, 10:50 (pp)
Third-period goals: Quinn Dougherty (MP) from Pierre Larocque, 16:18 (en)
Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 31, Malvern Prep 26 Saves: Jason Soule (HGP) 23, Anthony Perti (MP) 30
Gavin Wilson scores the game’s first goal (Video by Gracie Cleveland)
A goal with 41 seconds left in overtime gave Delbarton, N.J. High a 4-3 won over the Explorers on Monday at Hatfield Ice Arena. The Explorers (0-3) scored twice in the third period to force overtime.
Thomas Doucet, Dan Whittock, and Max Maddalo all scored for La Salle (0-3). Aries Carangi stopped 39 shots
Delbarton 2 0 1 1—4
La Salle 0 1 2 0—3
First-period goals: Facone (D) from Kerezniak and Pendy, 13:07 (pp); Rodriguez (D) from Berezniak, 15:53
Second-period goal: Thomas Doucet (L) from Dan Whittock, 12:16 (pp)
Third-period goals: Facone (D) from Pendy, 1:02 (pp); Whittock (L) from Kenan Schneider, 2:48 (sh); Max Maddalo (L) from Whittock and Schneider, 15:50;
Overtime goal: Stewart (D) unassisted, 4:19
Shots: Dalberton 43, La Salle 30; Saves: Cai (D) 27, Aries Carangi (L) 39
The opportunity to take the ice at the Wells Fargo Center is obviously a special occasion for a high-school hockey player. Holy Ghost Prep and Malvern Prep will have that opportunity Wednesday night in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference encounter. Game time is 7:00.
The two teams met at the Wells Fargo Center in January of 2019 with the Friars prevailing 3-2 in overtime.
Malvern Prep senior defenseman Quinn Dougherty was a freshman on that team. To his recollection, there was just one other freshman in a Friars uniform on that occasion.
“I’d never had the chance to play there for a club team,” he said. “I think the last time I played there was Mites on Ice. Honestly, it was really electric. The atmosphere was amazing. All the people that came out to support us. Just walking through the halls down there, it makes you feel special, like you’re playing a really big game.”
Holy Ghost Prep senior and captain Shawn Marshall was also in the lineup that night.
“I was the only freshman on the team when we went to the Wells Fargo Center,” he said. “It was a great experience.
“We wound up losing that game so we want a little redemption this time. Playing at the Wells Fargo Center is a special thing. I’m glad I get to be a part of it and I’m glad our team gets to be a part of it.”
Dougherty has a devised a strategy for dealing with the emotions of the moment.
“I think that kind of starts in warmups,” he said. “Right in the warmups, when I hop on the ice, I try to get acclimated to what’s going on. I take a breath, try and calm myself down, and then when we huddle around the net, I try and calm everyone else down because I know their nerves are probably going a mile a minute.
“I think it takes a little while for us to get settled in especially after the first shift, but you kind of block out the outside and, you just focus on the game and the team.”
Standing on the edge of the abyss, Holy Ghost Prep refused to yield. The Firebirds scored the last three goals of the evening to overcome a 4-2 second-period deficit and record a 5-4 overtime win over St. Joseph’s Prep in an APAC contest at the Skatium that was a splendid advertisement for high-school hockey.
Brady Baehser scored the game winner with 1:21 remaining in the three-on-three overtime, his second goal of the game.
The win was the third straight for Holy Ghost Prep (2-0 in the APAC). Joey Samango scored twice for the Hawks (2-1 against high-school competition), who were opening their conference schedule
Midway through the second period, things were going pretty much the Hawks’ way. With the game tied 1-1, Dante Passio, Joey Samango, and Christian Short scored goals inn a span of 5 minutes, 21 seconds to put the hosts up 4-1 with 6:47 left in the period, prompting Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside to use his timeout.
Colin Moore’s power-play goal with 2:20 left brought Holy Ghost Prep a bit closer but the Firebirds still started the third period two goals down, albeit in full possession of their resolve.
“We don’t get down on each other,” Baehser said. “We stay together, stay positive, talk about what we need to do, and get the job done.”
Baehser delivered a power-play goal 2:52 into the third period to make it a one-goal game. For the rest of the third period the two goaltenders, St. Joseph’s Prep’s Rocco Bruno and Holy Ghost Prep’s Colin Mudrick, took turns making quality saves.
Bruno yielded just once more, when Zach Pers tied the game with 1:53 remaining in regulation.
Baehser’s overtime effort was a memorable conclusion to the evening.
“I’m really proud of our boys,” Whiteside said. “I told them at the beginning of the season I was going to ask two things from them, that they work hard, have a good work ethic, and I want you to be a good teammate.
“I think you saw that in the third period and overtime. We stuck together. I think we really settled our game down, once we called that timeout. We chased the game a little bit, which you never want to do, but I was really proud of the effort and proud of our senior leadership.”
Holy Ghost Prep 1 1 2 1—5
St. Joseph’s Prep 1 3 0 0—4
First-period goals: Landon Stout (HGP) from Kieran Mulholland and Shaun Moore, 6:27 (pp); Joey Samango (SJP) from Quinn Egan, 13:36
Second-period goals: Dante Passio (SJP) from Nick Storti, 4:52 (pp); Samango (SJP) from Luca Palachick and Egan, 6:03; Christian Short (SJP) unassisted, 10:13 Colin Moore (HGP) from John Seravalli and Luke Penepresso, 14:40 (pp);
Third-period goals: Brady Baehser (HGP) from Seravalli and Moore, 2:52 (pp); Zach Pers (HGP) from Stout and Mulholland, 15:07.
Overtime goal: Baehser (HGP) from Marshall, 3:39
Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 25, St. Joseph’s Prep 25; Saves: Colin Mudrick (HGP) 21, Rocco Bruno (SJP) 20
A fast start proved decisive for Holy Ghost Prep Wednesday afternoon. The Firebirds scored twice before the game was six minutes old and went on to a 3-1 win over La Salle in an APAC encounter at Hatfield Ice Arena.
Landon Stout beat La Salle netminder Will Braun just 41 seconds after the opening faceoff off a dash down the right wing, and Sean Marshall added a power-play goal at the 5:32 mark as Holy Ghost Prep won its second straight start and its conference opener.
Coach Gump Whiteside appreciated his team’s energy level, particularly in the first period.
“I thought we came out with a good start,” he said. “Any time you play La Salle, you’ve got to be on your toes.”
La Salle (0-2 overall and in the APAC) cut the deficit in half when Matthew Conforti scored just 12 seconds into the middle period. It was the Explorers first goal of the season and seemed to give them an energy boost; La Salle outshot the Firebirds 22-12 over the finals 34 minutes, but couldn’t pocket another goal, thanks in large part to the work of Firebird goaltender Jason Soule. The senior and first-year starter finished with 34 saves.
“Jay was huge for us,” Whiteside said. “ He’s playing really well and the kids really rally around him.”
Marshall finished the scoring with an empty-net goal with 15 seconds remaining in the final period. “We said in the the locker room before the game ‘We’ve got to come out strong,’” he said. “It’s a great team on the other side. I knew we had to come out strong, and we did. We put it too them in the first couple minutes and scored two quick.
“We lost our momentum a little bit but we got it back. We battled in the third period and never gave up.”
Despite the final result, La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner took an abundance of positives away from the encounter.
“I thought it was a good game,” he said. “After we gave up two, we settled in pretty well.
“I think Will played a great game after he settled down a little bit, and our second and third period, I thought we played really well.
“We’ve got to find a way to start scoring some goals.”
Marshall noted the game was the latest in a long strong of close encounters between the Firebirds and the Explorers. “Both teams are good every year,” he said, “A lot of people on both teams are seniors. When they graduate, new people come in. They battle every game.”
Prior to the opening face-off, the Holy Ghost Prep players presented their counterparts at La Salle a memorial puck in honor of La Salle student-athlete Blake Barklage.
Holy Ghost Prep 2 0 1—3
La Salle 0 1 0—1
First-period goals: Landon Stout (HGP) from Shaun Moore, :41; Sean Marshall (HGP) from Brady Baehser, 5:32 (pp)
Second-period goal: Matthew Conforti (L) from Patrick Brace, :12
Third—period goal: Marshall (HGP) from Baehser, 16:45 (en)
Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 25, La Salle 35; Saves: Jason Soule (HGP) 34, Will Braun (L) 22
La Salle and Holy Ghost Prep begin Wednesday’s third period
The host Firebirds scored five goals in the first period and went on to the non-league win Friday night at Grundy Arena.
Brady Baesher, Zach Pers, and Shaun Moore each scored twice for the hosts, who were opening their 2021-22 season. Six other players scored one goal each.
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