Flyers Cup Rankings. 3-8-21

The Flyers Cup Committee has released its first set of rankings relating to the 2021 Flyers Cup tournament. The committee ranked five teams in each of four classes. The ratings are based on game results through March 5 and observations by the committee.
The Flyers Cup tournament is scheduled to begin on April 5. No final determination has been made regarding the number of teams in the field or in each bracket.
The Flyers Cup is an invitational event and there are no automatic bids.

Class AAA
1. Malvern Prep
2. Holy Ghost Prep
3. La Salle
4. St. Joseph’s Prep
5. Roman Catholic

Class AA
1. Downingtown West
2. Pennsbury
3. Haverford
4. Spring-Ford
5. Pennridge

Class A
1. West Chester East
2. Strath Haven
3. West Chester Henderson
4. Springfield-Delco
5. Wissahickon

Girls
1. Bux Mont
2. Downingtown West
3. West Chester Henderson
4. Bayard Rustin
5. Avon Grove

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St. Joseph’s Prep 5, Holy Ghost Prep 3

BRISTOL—A new and improved version of St. Joseph’s Prep showed up at Grundy Arena on Friday night. The Hawks built a 3-0 lead and went on to a 5-3 win over Holy Ghost Prep in front a boisterous audience.

Jack Yerger scored what proved to be the winning goal with 5:21 remaining in regulation to give the Hawks their first win in four Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference starts (3-3 overall).

The goal came just four seconds after the Firebirds’ Brady Baehser was sent to the box for tripping; Yerger scored off the ensuing faceoff.

“We’ve been sticking to the script, trying to do the same thing every game,” he said. “We were getting balance tonight. Some of the calls didn’t go our way but we persevered and we found a way to get it done.”

Yerger a senior, noted that the Hawks were moving the puck well and getting contributions from all three lines. “We’re always moving in the neutral zone,” he said, “and breaking out of the zone. We’re trying to get free and trying to get available for our defensemen. It was all working our way tonight. We were getting open, getting passes, and taking advantage of our opportunities too, which is the biggest part.”

The Hawks were outshot 36-26 but Rocco Bruno was in top form in goal. Yerger said that type of effort in goal energizes he and his teammates.

“It’s a great feeling,” he said, “and we almost feel that every time we play with both of our goalies. (Bruno and Andrew Custer). They’re both rocks for us.”

Quinn Egan and Christian Short scored goals 49 seconds apart to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead 6:03 into the first period. The goals came on similar plays that originated from the Hawks’ deep right-wing corner. Joseph Samango extended his team’s lead just 16 seconds into the second frame.
Carolos Rodriguez got the Firebirds (4-3, 3-1-0-2 in conference) at the 8:39 mark of the period. E.J. Pohl made it a one-goal game when he scored during a power play at 12:34. It was one of six power plays the Firebirds enjoyed over the course of the evening. Baehser drew the Firebirds even just 45 seconds into the final session.

After Yerger’s game winner, an empty-net goal with 51 seconds remaining assured the Hawks of their first conference win.

“We were chasing the game,” said Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside. “I liked our response; we came back and were able to tie it up. We had every opportunity to win the game.”

St. Joseph’s Prep coach David Giacomin senses his team is rounding into form. “I told you If we had our three lines we were going to be a good team down the road,” he said. “And this is just one step, we’ve been playing pretty good hockey.”

St. Joseph’s Prep 2 1 2—5

Holy Ghost Prep 0 2 1—3

First-period goals: Quinn Egan (SJP) from Connor Burman and Michael Ahearn, 5:14; Christian Short (SJP) from Nicholas Storti

Second-period goals: Joseph Samango (SJP) from Liam Mooney and Short, :18; Carlos Rodriguez (HGP) from Luke Panepresso, 8:39; E,J. Pohl (HGP) from Panepreesso and Evan Mudrick, 12:34 (pp)

Third-period goals: Brady Baehser (HGP) from Mudrick, :45; Jack Yerger (SJP) from Charlie Maratee, 10:39 (sh); Samango (SJP) unassisted, 15:09 (en)

Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 26. Holy Ghost Prep 36; Saves; Rocco Bruno (SJP) 33. Bobby Baesher (HGP) 31.

La Salle 5, Malvern Prep 2

HATFIELD— All season long, La Salle has been waiting for its offense to kick into high gear. It finally happened Wednesday afternoon. Keenan Schneider scored twice and three other players added one goal each as the Explorers built off a fast start and went on to defeat Malvern Prep 5-2 in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference game at Hatfield Ice.

The win was La Salle’s second in five APAC starts and improved the Explorers to 3-4 overall. The loss was the first for the Friars in eight games (2-1-2-0) in conference) and left then a point behind Holy Ghost Prep in an ongoing battle for first place in the APAC standings.

La Salle came out swarming and in less than four minutes built a 2-0 lead. Michel Casey beat Anthony Perti in the Friars’ net just 33 second after the opening faceoff and Schneider extended the lead at the 3:49 mark.
“We talked before the game about how differently we play if we score first,” said La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner. “That definitely gave us a lot more spark.”

Jack Constabile got cut the La Salle lead in half when he put the puck past Liam Gross with 2:05 left in the period.

Max Maddalo responded for the Explorers 2:07 into the second session when he put in a rebound of Schneider’s original shot from directly in front of the net.

The La Salle penalty killing unit came up big later in the period when Max Mozo (interference) and Dan Whitock (unsportsmanlike conduct) drew simultaneous penalties. The Explorers ended up two men short for 91 seconds but the Friars were unable to capitalize.

Casey was on the ice for the Explorers for the entire kill. “It was a big kill,” he said. “We needed it. We knew they had a really good power play, that’s where they got most of their chances.”

Casey, a senior, spoke to the discipline necessary for a penalty killing unit to perform at its best. “It takes a lot of patience,” he said. “You have to be disciplined, you can’t get overaggressive. That’s what we did. We just stayed in our triangle, kept them out of the middle of the ice, and let them take their shots from the outside.”

Just 20 seconds after the twin penalties expired, Schneider scored to give the Explorers a three-goal lead. Tim Whitock made it a 5-1 game 54 seconds after that.

Malvern Prep’s Matt Harris put in a rebound of a Chris Blango shot with 9:20 left in regulation for what proved to be the only goal of the third period.

Friars coach Bill Keenan anticipated the Explorers’ quick start. “We knew La Salle was going to come out fast,” he said. “They popped in two goals in the first four minutes of the game and our guys just never found their legs.”

• Perti was shaken up during a second-period collision. He was checked by a trainer at period’s end but played solidly in the third frame, making 14 saves.

Malvern Prep 1 0—2
La Salle 2 3 1—5
First-period goals: Michael Casey (L) from Dan Whitlock and David Kimmel; Keenan Schneider (L) unassisted, 3:49; Jack Constabile (MP) unassisted, 13:55
Second period goals: Max Maddalo (L) from Schneider and Jake Hannon, 2:07; Schneider (L) from Jake Hannon, 12:49; Tim Whitlock (L) from Chase Hannon, 13:43.
Third-period goal: Matt Harris (MP) from Chris Blango, 6:40.
Shots: Malvern Prep 22, La Salle 34; Saves: Anthony Perti MP) 29, Liam Gross (L) 20

Evan Mudrick Has Family Ties to Holy Ghost Prep

When he enrolled at Holy Ghost Prep three years ago, Evan Mudrick knew he would be comfortable. The Fairless Hills resident already had a family connection with the school.

“My brother went to Pennsbury his freshman and sophomore years and transferred to Ghost,” he recalls. “I went and watched his (hockey) games and I just fell in love with the brotherhood and the camaraderie of the team. There was nothing like it, seeing my brother just hang out with his buddies; they’re still some of his best friends now. There was just nothing like it. Nothing can compare to what I felt when I was watching his games; it was just incredible.”

Mudrick attended public school through eighth grade but was at ease at Holy Ghost Prep from the start. “It’s probably the easiest transition you could ask for,” he said. “It’s very welcoming here; smaller classes, you know everyone. If a kid walks by, you know his name it’s not like you’re in a school with (a large student population) and you barely know anyone. “Here you just feel happy and excited to come to school every day and you know people are going to be there that you like and that you can get along with and talk to without a doubt. It was one of the easiest transitions I’ve ever had.”

The curriculum at Holy Ghost Prep is designed to teach students how to make independent decisions. “I think it’s really, really good for development for a young man, a high-school student,” Mudrick said, “because you’re going to have to make decisions by yourself in life. But it’s not like they just send you out there in the dark. There’s always someone here to help you if you have a question, or need something. They’re always happy to help you.”

Mudrick says he and his fellow students are encouraged to ask for help when they need it. “The people here are always welcoming,” he said, “telling you, ‘If you ever need anything, come talk to me.’ Every teacher I’ve had at school always said ‘If you need anything, come talk to me. Every teacher here is always there for you, no matter what.”

Now a senior, Mudrick is following in his brother’s footsteps, on the ice and off. He’s one of the Firebirds’ captains and is committed to providing the leadership that others did for him in years past.

“It’s a big role that the seniors play,” he said. “The seniors play a big role when the freshmen come in. The sophomores are still the younger guys. It’s just great to have them there to guide the way for you. And that’s my responsibility now, that’s what I’m trying to do for some of the younger guys now.”

This hockey season has been unlike any other at Holy Ghost Prep. The compressed schedule has forced the players to put things together in a hurry. And certain rituals were put aside, specifically the Firebirds’ annual trip to Jamestown New York for the National Invitational Scholastic Showcase. Mudrick says he and his teammates are making the best of the situation.

“It was sad that we couldn’t go to Jamestown,” he said. “It’s annoying but you know, we’re still playing. I’m trying to bring the guys together and jell as quick as we can. “I’m going for a state championship this year. I’m not taking anything less than that. I’m just having my guys work hard every day and give it their best. That’s all we can do.”

For more information about Holy Ghost Prep Click Here

Malvern Prep 3, Holy Ghost Prep 2 SO

By Rick Woelfel

BRISTOL—For the second time in five days, Malvern Prep and Holy Ghost Prep needed a shootout to determine a winner. For the second time the Friars emerged victorious, and by the same score, 3-2 in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference game at Grundy Arena that matched the intensity and competitiveness of its predecessor.

A goal from Pierre Larocque 8:21 into the first period off a feed from Chris Blango and another from Matt Harris at the 13:52 mark off a turnover enabled Malvern Prep (7-0, 2-0-2-0 in the APAC) to take a 2-0 advantage.

The score remained unchanged through the second period but it was not for lack of effort on the Firebirds’ part. They held a 30-18 edge in shots to that point but were unable to solve Anthony Perti in the Friars’ net.

In the third period, Holy Ghost Prep (4-2 overall, 3-0-0-2 in conference) came out storming. Evan Mudrick beat Perti off a feed from Brady Baehser just 23 seconds into the period. The Firebirds successfully killed off a pair of minor penalties before stepping up the pressure down the stretch. Anthony Sparo tied the game with 1:13 left in regulation off a feed from Shaun Moore to force overtime.

Neither team seriously threatened in the extra five-minute session before Blango and Harris found the net in the shootout.

“Overtime is always fun,” Blango said, “but we’ve got to clean up stuff on our end, and especially in the third period in our D-zone. We can’t have days like this, where they score two third-period goals back to back. It’s fun, but we’ve got to take care of our stuff.”

Blango felt he and his teammates became, in his words “Too comfortable,” at some point. “We definitely got sloppy,” he said. “You could probably see it. Our passes weren’t made the same, we were not communicating as much. You’ve got to clean that up, headed into playoffs and the Flyers Cup.”

During the break between the second and third periods, Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan urged his troops to maintain their focus. “Our message in between periods, the second and third was to tell our guys ‘The next goal’s important,’” he said. “Holy Ghost came out strong and ended up tying it, but it was good to see our guys fight back and get a win in the shootout.”

Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside was philosophical about the loss. “It was a great game,” he said. “I don’t like the result, but I liked our response in the third period and we did what we had to do to win the hockey game. it’s tough to lose hockey games like that, but we did what we had to do.”

• The Firebirds outshot the Friars 50-34… Monday’s game was a makeup of a postponement. The Friars will face La Salle on Wednesday to start a stretch that will see them play three conference games in eight days. Holy Ghost Prep will take on St. Joseph’s Prep on Friday to begin a run of four conference games in 11 days.

Malvern Prep 2 0 0 0 (2)—3

Holy Ghost Prep 0 0 2 0 (0)—2

First-period goals: Pierre Larocque (MP from Chris Blango, 8:21; Matt Harris (MP) from Jack Constabile, 13:52

Third-period goals: Evan Mudrick (HGP) from Brady Baehser and Shaun Moore, :23: Anthony Sparo (HGP) from Moore and Mudrick, 14:47.

Shots: Malvern Prep 34, Holy Ghost Prep 50: Saves: Anthony Perti (MP) 48. Bobby Baehser (HGP) 32

For more about Malvern Prep Click Here

For more about Holy Ghost Prep Click Here

The scholastic hockey season will conclude in April with the Flyers Cup tournament. Hockey Happenings is offering you the opportunity to promote your product, service, or event via our web site for the balance of the season.

Contact us at rwoelfel2013@gmail.com

Malvern Prep 3, Holy Ghost Prep 2 (shootout)

WEST GOSHEN—In a normal hockey season, the field for the Flyers Cup tournament would be announced about now. Because of the pandemic, the 2021 regular season still has a month to go. But Wednesday night, Holy Ghost Prep and Malvern Prep demonstrated what a Flyers Cup game should look like.

Jack Constabile scored in the bottom of the fourth round of a shootout to give the Friars a 3-2 win over the Firebirds in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference game at Ice Line. The win kept Malvern Prep in six starts this season (3-0 in the APAC). It was the first loss for Holy Ghost Prep in four tries (2-1 in conference).

It was the first of three regular-season meeting between the two teams who have emerged as the top contenders for the APAC championship. On Wednesday night, there was little that separated them.

“I thought Holy Ghost played a tremendous game,” said Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan.”‘I think it’s a testament to our league, and how good the teams are, the strength.”

Malvern Prep’s Jack Constabile (in white) battles with Holy Ghost Prep’s Sean Marshall (photo: Gracie Cleveland)

On a night when the level of play was superb, the brightest star in the heavens was Friar goaltender Anthony Perti. He made 28 saves over the course of 48 minutes of regulation play and five minutes of three-on-three overtime including a half dozen that belong on a highlight reel. The junior sensed the importance of the occasion.

“I kind of knew,” he said. “Big moments, you’ve got to be ready for them if you want to be a big-time player, so I was definitely ready for them. It was a massive game.”

Bobby Baehser in the Firebirds’ net didn’t have to be as spectacular as his counterpart but he was just as efficient; he also finished with 28 saves.

Brady Baehser opened the scoring for Holy Ghost Prep 4:48 into the first period off a turnover deep in the Malvern Prep defensive zone. It took the Friars just 15 seconds to respond; Jeremy Jacobs won a goal-mouth scrum at the 5:03 mark.

The hosts took the lead with 1:05 left in the second stanza when Matt Harris tipped in Steven Getsie’s shot from the left point.

A few minutes prior to that however, Perti made his best save of the game when he denied Anthony Sparo at the end of a two-on-none rush.

The Firebirds stepped up the pressure in the third period, outshooting the Friars 13-5. It was Shaun Moore who scored the tying goal on a backhander from the right side of the net at the 8:11 mark.

Both teams had chances in overtime but only Constabile could find the net in the shootout. It wasn’t for a lack of trying however; the Firebirds found iron three times in four attempts.

“It was a great high-school hockey game,” said Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside. “Two good teams. I though their goalie played really well, made some big stops.

“I thought at times we didn’t have good puck luck either, a couple posts here and there. But that’s hockey.”

Ice Chips—The Firebirds and the Friars will face each other Monday afternoon at Grundy Arena and again on March 11, also at Grundy with additional meetings possible in the APAC playoffs and during the Class AAA Flyers Cup tournament … The Friars unveiled a new set of white sweaters Wednesday which featured a logo commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the school’s hockey program. The school fielded its first team in 1970.

Holy Ghost Prep 1 0 1 0 (0)

Malvern Prep 1 1 0 0 (1)

First-period goals: Brady Baehser (HGP) unassisted 4:48; Brady Doyle (MP) from Chrs Blango, 5:03.

Second-period goal: Matt Harris (MP) from Steve Getsie and Ryan Sambuco, 14:55

Third-period goal: Shaun Moore (HGP) from Landon Stoudt and Sean Marshall, 8:11.

Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 30, Malvern Prep 30; Saves: Bobby Baehser 28, Anthony Perti (MP) 28

For more about Holy Ghost Prep Click Here

For more about Malvern Prep Click Here

La Salle 3, St. Joseph’s Prep 2

HAVERFORD TOWNSHIP— When the time came to step up, La Salle met the challenge. Matt Maddalo and Dan Whitock scored goals 31 seconds apart early in the third period and the Explorers held off St. Joseph’s Prep 3-2 Friday night in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference matchup at the Skatium.
Maddalo found the back of the net at the 2:58 mark before Whitock beat Rocco Bruno with what proved to be the game winner at 3:29.

It was La Salle’s first win in four starts, all in conference play.

Michael Casey assisted on the winning goal. “We needed this one really badly,” he said. “We were all over them the first and second periods. In the third period, we had a lot of shots so we knew we could do it. We went out there and just kept pounding them.”

La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner was pleased with his team’s all-around effort. “I thought we played probably the best game we’ve played for three periods,” he said. “We’re not capitalizing on good opportunities. We did score a couple good goals by going to the net and hopefully that’s a sign of good things to come.”

St. Joseph’s Prep (2-2, 0-2 in the APAC) was quick to take advantage of two early La Salle penalties. Quinn Egan scored from the left circle 3:09 into the opening period while his team was enjoying a two-man advantage; it turned out to be the only goal of the period.

Jeffrey Hammond made it a 2-0 game with an even-strength goal 66 seconds into the second stanza.
La Salle had a power-play chance of its own minutes later one that included a brief two-man advantage when the Hawks’ Declan Pierce drew a boarding penalty that included an automatic 10-minute misconduct, but couldn’t capitalize. Casey eventually got the Explorers on the scoreboard with 2:30 left in the period.

The Hawks were missing five regulars because of injuries and club duty including three of their top defensemen. Their coach David Giacomin was more than satisfied with his team’s effort, despite the defeat.
“I’m extremely proud of them,” he said. “To be shorthanded as bad as we were and to come out and play as hard as we did for the whole game, it’s fun to watch. “And it’s great to be a coach.”

La Salle 0 1 2—3
St. Joseph’s Prep 1 1 0—2
First-period goal: Quinn Egan (SJP) from Jack Yerger and Matt Moresco, 3:09 (pp)
Second-period goals: Jeffrey Hammond (SJP) from Declain Pierce, 1:06; Michael Casey (L) from Andrew Budzynski, 13:30.
Third-period goals: Matt Maddalo (L) from Matt Giordano and Chris Wnek, 2:58; Dan Whitock(L) from Casey, 3:29.
Shots: La Salle 35, St. Joseph’s Prep 27; Saves: Aries Carangi (L) 25, Rocco Bruno (SJP) 32

For more about La Salle College High School Click Here

For more about St. Joseph’s Prep Click Here

Malvern Prep 4, La Salle 1

Malvern Prep scored four times in the first period and went on to a 4-1 win over La Salle Wednesday night in an APAC game at Ice Line.

Matt Harris, Jack Constabile, Jimmy Kirk, and Gavin Wilson all scored for the Friars, who recorded their second won over the Explorers (0-3 overall and in the APAC) in eight days.

Chase Hannon scored La Salle’s only goal.

La Salle 0 1 0

Malvern Prep 4 0 0—4

First-period goals: Matt Harris (MP) unassisted, 5:36; Jack Constabile (MP) from Jimmy Kirk, 8:56 (pp); Kirk (MP) from Constabile, 11:42; Gavin Wilson (MP) from Harris, 14:11.

Second-period goal: Chase Hannon (L) from Ryan Desmond and Gavin O’ Connell, 14:49.

Shots: La Salle 22, Malvern Prep 34; Saves: Liam Gross (L) 30, Anthony Perti (MP) 21

Holy Ghost Prep-St. Joseph’s Prep Matchup a Nod to Hockey History

Friday’s Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference matchup between Holy Ghost Prep and St. Joseph’s Prep at the Skatium will have considerable significance. It will be the first APAC conference game to be played at the celebrated venue.

When the puck is dropped shortly after 7 p.m., the lengthy history of the rink and the brief but impressive record of the APAC will be officially linked.

Located on Darby Road in Haverford Township, and built at a cost of $1.5 million, the Skatium opened its doors on September 20, 1974. The timing could not have been better. The Flyers had won their first Stanley Cup just four months and a day earlier and enthusiasm for hockey in the Philadelphia area was at an all-time high.

The name of the venue was determined via a contest that was open to all residents of Haverford Township. Twelve-year old Michael Steinberg submitted the winning entry. At first, use of the township-owned facility was restricted to Haverford Township residents, but that stipulation was eventually dropped and the rink soon became arguably an epicenter for the growth of amateur hockey in the Philadelphia area in general and Delaware County in particular. And while newer, larger facilities have been built in the years since, none have replicated the Skatium’s intimacy.

Today it is the home rink for a half dozen Inter County League teams, as well as teams from the Independence League, the St. Joseph’s University club team, and the Haverford Hawks youth program.

Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside has made numerous trips to the Skatium as a player and coach. He enjoys the venue’s atmosphere.

“I remember when it was first opened up and going there for youth games as a player and then later as a coach,” he said. “It was always clean. I liked the stands on that one side. The benches were really tight but then they did some renovations and made the benches a lot bigger and nicer, but it was a really good atmosphere to play in.”

Whiteside recalls the atmosphere in the building as being difficult for visiting teams to deal with. “It was a tough barn to play in,” he said. It’s a great atmosphere. I can remember coaching both (Germantown Academy) and Holy Ghost and having some tough games against O’Hara over the years. It’s been a great atmosphere.”

David Giacomin is in his eighth season as the head coach at St. Joseph’s Prep. When he started his career with the Hawks the team played its home games at the Skatium before moving to the University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 1923 rink. The Hawks returned to the Skatium this season.

Giacomin was asked what makes the building unique. “I think it’s the atmosphere,” he said. “In a typical year where you can have fans.

“it is an old barn. The student body and everything is all on one side. It’s built up over the glasses. You feel like everybody’s right on top of you. The ceiling has got a decent height to it but it feels like everything is on top of you. So, it’s very quaint.”

Giacomin considers the Skatium an ideal setting for high-school hockey. “It’s just a very exciting place to play,” he said. “It’s usually loud and raucous and when two teams meet, they bring their fans there. It’s just a super, great place.

“There’s the visual, the lighting in there, the ice surface is awesome. Teams seem to enjoy playing at that place, but what makes it special is the 800 to a thousand people that can be in there. It’s kind of suited for a high school hockey game.’’

In 2014, Giacomin’s first year at St. Joseph’s Prep, the Hawks were the top seed in the Class AAA Flyers Cup and faced La Salle in the one-game final at the Skatium a game eventually won by the Explorers 5-4 in overtime

Giacomin recalls that building was packed.

“It was one of those games where we didn’t know going into it how many people would show up,” he said. “Delaware County’s got a lot of hockey folks, and it wasn’t just people from St. Joe’s or La Salle there, it was people who liked hockey who wanted to come over and watch a good game.

“It was just so many people, five deep behind the benches and people wrapped three, four deep around the glasses, in that area and then on the way to the locker room it was almost 11 deep. Both teams took time to get the locker room in between periods.

“It was just a great atmosphere to be a part of and probably something that those kids will never forget.”

Giacomin is enthusiastic about the Hawks returning to the Skatium this season and bringing the APAC along with them.

“Don’t get me wrong, plying at Penn is a great experience, as well,” he said. “That’s another one of those old buildings. But if you brought in 800 people you wouldn’t know 800 people were there. With the Skatium, and all the people who love high school hockey around the area, if you brought in 800 people, you’re going to know they’re all there because it’s going to be loud. It’s just a great place to play we’re looking forward to it.

“Hopefully, we can continue that for years to come because I think presenting the APAC in that area, geographically would enhance our league.”

Malvern Prep 4, La Salle 0

HATFIELD— Malvern Prep made a statement Wednesday afternoon. And the rest of the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference is sure to notice.

Jack Constabile delivered a hat trick and Anthony Perti pitched a shutout in goal as the Friars prevailed over La Salle 4-0 at Hatfield Ice. It was Malvern Prep’s fourth win of the season without a blemish but Wednesday’s game was its first in conference play and the win over the two-time defending APAC champion Explorers served notice the Friars will be a team to be reckoned with.

Perti made 31 saves in goal, with a half dozen falling into the ‘Extremely Difficult’ category. “I wanted to come out out and prove that we are a good team,” he said,

Prior to Wednesday, Malvern Prep played three non-league games against teams from the InterCounty League, albeit teams classified below the AAA level. Perti spoke to the importance of the Friars stepping up in their conference opener.

“It can’t be (overstated),” he said. “The game we played today, I don’t think it was even the best we’ve played. So, we still have more to prove, and honestly, out goal is to win the Flyers Cup, so this is one step in the right direction.”

Malvern Prep’s Chris Blango (l) and La Salle’s Jake Armstrong battle in Monday’s game.

Jeremy Jacobs gave his team a 1-0 lead 3:51 into the opening period when he made a solo run down the left wing and beat La Salle netminder Aries Carangi. Constabile made it a 2-0 game when he tipped in Chris Blango’s blast from the high slot with 38 seconds left in the period during a Malvern Prep power play.

Constabile added two additional goals not quite four minutes apart late in the second period.
Blango, a defenseman and his team’s captain, has been experiencing the satisfaction of merely being on the ice in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It feels awesome,” he said. “My senior year and all the other seniors (on the Malvern Prep roster) and all the other schools. It feels great just to play, to be able to compete. And to try to win a Flyers Cup.”

In addition to being the two-time defending APAC champion, La Salle is the reigning Class AAA Flyers Cup and state champion. But the Explorers have dropped their first two starts, both in APAC play and in 96 minutes of hockey have scored just three goals.

Veteran coach Wally Muehlbronner is looking for answers. “Not as much progress as I was hoping for since last week’s game (a Friday loss to Holy Ghost Prep,” he said. “We’ve got to get better playing together. I don’t think we’re playing that well together.”

Muehlbronner said his team us still trying to define itself. “Right now it’s kind of about forming an identity,” he said, “getting the guys to figure out who the leaders are going to be and then filling in the roles so the guys can follow along and follow their lead.”

• Between them, the Friars (eight) and La Salle (11) have won Flyers Cups. The Friars won five straight from 2001-‘05, a record for Class AAA.

Malvern Prep 2 2 0—4
La Salle 0 0 0—0
First-period goals: Jeremy Jacobs (MP) from Pierre Larocque, 3:51; Jack Constabile (MP) rom Matt Harris and Chris Blango, 15:22 (pp).
Second-period goals: Contabile (MP) from Quinn Dougherty and Ryan Sambuco, 10:48; Constabile (MP) from Dougherty and Harris, 14:43.
Shots: Malvern Prep 28, La Salle 31; Saves: Anthony Perti (MP) 31, Aries Carangi (L) 24