Category: Flyers Cup

APAC Update 12-26-23

                                               W     L    OTW  OTL Pts  GF     GA

La Salle (10-1)                       4     0       0        0    12    16     3  

Malvern Prep (6-4)              2      2      1       1      6     9       11

St. Joseph’s Prep (5-2)        2      2      1        0     5     14     11

Holy Ghost Prep (3-9)         1      2      0       0     3      5        7

Hun School (2-4)                  0     3      0        1     1      4       16

Scoring (All Games)                      GP        G     A     Pts.   PPG

Jeremy Jacobs (MP)                      10        13   12    25     2.50

Alistair St. Hilaire (L)                     5          6    2      8       1.60 

Dan Carvalho (L)                            11         7     6     13     1.18

Caiden Canale (MP)                      10         6     5     11     1.11

Tristan Winata (SJP)                    7         6     1         7       1.00

Julian Tarsi (L)                                11         2     8     10    0.90

Patrick Brace (L)                            11         4     5      9     0.82

William Carpenter (L)                  11         1     8      9    0.82

Aidan Kelly (L)                               10        3     5      8    0.80

Anthony Prete  (HGP)                  12        5    3      8    0.75

Will Gregorio (L)                          10         3    4      7  0.70

Declan Kelly (L)                            10        1      6     7  0.70

Scoring (Conference Games)       GP        G     A     Pts.   PPG

Dan Carvalho (L)                            4         3       3     6       1.50

Jeremy Jacobs (MP)                      4          2        4    6     1.50

Declan Kelly (L)                              4          1      4      5     1.25

Tristan Winata (SJP)                     4          5       0      5     1.25

Will Carpenter (L)                         4          1       3      4     1.00

Will Gregorio (L)                          4          1       3      4       1.00

Jake Schultz (SJP)                        3         2       1      3       1.00

Justin Laplante (HS)                   3         1       2      3      1.00

Ryan Levesque (HS)                   3        1       2      3       1.00

Patrick Brace (L)                          4         2       1      3      0.75

Julian Tarsi (L)                             4         2       1      3      0.75

Aidan Kelly (MP)                         4         2       1      3.  0.75

Inaugural Flyers Cup Rankings

Hi  Folks,

Hockey Happenings has been on an unscheduled hiatus the past week. We’re glad to mark our return with a belated set of Flyers Cup rankings.  Kudos to the members of the Flyers Cup Committee for their efforts.

Flyers Cup Rankings  as of 12-18-23

Class AAA

  1. La Salle
  2. St. Joseph’s Prep
  3. Malvern Prep
  4. Salesianum
  5. Father Judge

Class AA

  1. Pennridge
  2. Council Rock South
  3. Downingtown West
  4. Boyertown
  5. Central Bucks South

Class A

  1. West Chester East
  2. Penncrest
  3. Garnet Valley
  4. Marple Newrown
  5. Lower Dauphin

Girls

  1. Avon Grove
  2. Downingtown West
  3. West Chester Henderson
  4. Kingsway
  5. Conestoga

Rankings determined by the Flyers Cup Committee based on game results and observations by committee members. The Flyers Cup is an invitational tournament; there are no automatic bids.

Bensalem 4 P-W 3 OT

Plymouth Whitemarsh and Bensalem have moved to the head of the pack in the SHSHL’s American Division. On Thursday night at Hatfield Ice, they began finding out about each other.

Alex Hood’s goal 1:38 into overtime gave the Owls a 4-3 win in what is shaping up as an entertaining season-long series. Thursday’s game was the first of three meetings between the two teams. 

The result pushed Bensalem to 5-1 overall and in the division; the Owls have been perfect since an opening-night loss to Wissahickon. They came from behind three times on Thursday.

The Colonials (4-2 overall) lost for the first time in five league starts.

Alex Baylevich set up the winning goal when he put the puck on net from his post at the right point. Hood was on hand to score his second goal of the game and his 22nd of the season. He also contributed two assists to his team’s cause.

Hood described the winning goal.

“All three of their kids were puck watching,” he said, “so I went backdoor. [Baylevich] found me like he always does. Tic tac toe in the back of the net.”

Both teams came into Thursday’s encounter at less than full strength. The Colonials had three regulars out of the lineup including two front-line centers. For their part, the Owls had only eight skaters available. That circumstance forced their coach Bill Hood to do some juggling.

“We had a lot of penalties (8) which hurt,” he said. “But we’ve got kids that play very high level club hockey so they’re used to this kind of pace.”

The scoring started early. David Branigan put Plymouth Whitemarsh in front just 55 seconds into the first period. Hood tied the game at the 2:21 mark.

Jason Segal put the Colonials back in front with 44 seconds left in the middle period and Plymouth Whitemarsh seemed to have the upper hand heading into the third frame, but the momentum shifted dramatically when Cole Salayda tied the game with a shorthanded with 12:13 left in regulation.

Tim Murphy gave Plymouth Whitemarsh the lead for the last time with a one timer from the high slot with 6:33 remaining.

But that wasn’t enough; Lucas Gonzalez poked in a rebound with 4:01 left to kick off the mad dash to the finish line.

Ricky Gonzalez in the Bensalem net might have made the biggest contribution to his team’s win. He finished with 32 saves, many of them difficult.

“Ricky’s been a rock all year,” Bill Hood said. “He definitely gives us confidence back there. We take some risks at times defensively and he’s always back there.”

The loss was a tough one for the Colonials but their coach Dave Cox took a pragmatic view.

“We knew coming in that Bensalem was going to be a tough opponent,” he said, “and I believe it was a good test of our character and what we need to work on. 

“I’m proud of our boys for faced the adversity. We had a very short bench tonight, A lot of the boys were playing with different linemate pairs and that took some adjusting to, and our power-play wasn’t working well but they worked hard every shift. Overtime losses are never easy, but we look forward to seeing this team a couple more times.”

Bensalem 1 0 2 1—4

P-W 1 1 1 0—3
First-period goals: David Branigan (PW) unassisted, :55; Alex Hood (B) from Cole Salayda and Brandon Stahl. 2:21;

Second-period goal: Jason Segal (PW) from Tim Murphy and Daniel Molony, 16:16

Third-period goals: Salayda (B) from Lucas Gonzalez and Hood, 4:47 (sh); Murphy (PW) from John Zawislak and Molony, 10:27; Gonzalez (B) from Justin Rapone and Hood, 12:59

Overtime goal: Hood (B) from Alex Baylevich, 1:38

Shots: Bensalem 25,  Plymouth Whitemarsh 35; Saves: Ricky Gonzalez (B) 32; Julian Lucks (PW) 21

La Salle 6 Hun School 0

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—The performance was not flamboyant or flashy. This season’s version of the La Salle Explorers don’t play hockey that way. But it was a textbook display of efficiency.

Six different players scored goals as the Explorers shut out Hun School 6-0 Wednesday afternoon in an APAC encounter at Hatfield Ice. The defending Class AAA Flyers Cup and state champions are a perfect 7-0 this season, 3-0 in conference play.

The Raiders are 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the conference.

Charlie Kennedy gave La Salle a lead 7:08 into the opening period and the Explorers built on their advantage from there, adding three goals in the second period and two more in the third.

Kennedy a senior, said he and his teammate were confident scoring opportunities would come, if they worked for them.

“It takes a lot of hard work,” he said. “And you’ve got to be consistent, get some shots on net. You’ve got to drive the net hard You’ve got to be there, you’ve got to communicate. And, if we do all that, that will end up in our favor. We’ve got to continue to be persistent in that way.”

Senior Dean Carvalho scored one goal and set up another.

“I think the third period was definitely our strongest,” he said. “We finished out strong. The first two there were lapses at points in our D-zone but we tightened it up and found a way to come out with a win.”

Ryan Wiley, Patrick Brace, Grant LaGreca, and Michael Zarzycki also added goals for the Explorers. Whatever shortcomings plagued them were not immediately noticeable, certainly not to Hun School coach Eric Szeker.

“That’s a good team on the other side,” he said. “Credit to them, they came out, they were ready to play. They were moving the puck well today and got some good goals.”

The hosts broke the game open with three goals in the second half of the second period from Ryan Wiley, Patrick Brace, and Grant LeGreca. Carvalho and Michael Zarzycki added goals in the third frame.

Lost amidst all this was the work of Raider goaltender Julian Arsenault, who faced 51 shots and stopped 45 of them.

“Julian’s an incredible kid,” Szeker said. “He battled today for us in a little bit of a one-sided game. He gave us a great opportunity but defensively, we kept up a little bit too much on the inside.”

“(Arsenault) was good tonight,” Carvalho said. “There were a lot of shots we put in his chest there were some really good saves that he made, point blank. He did a good job.” 

Kennedy was pleased with the Explorers level of consistency for the full 51 minutes.

‘“It felt good,” he said. “We had a little bit of a slow start but eventually got it going, got the right mindset going, and then really came up in the third period with the quality of goals that they were.

“We ended on a good note.”

Hun School 0 0 0—0

La Salle 1 3 2—6

First-period goal: Charlie Kennedy (L) from Dean Carvalho and Alex Fusaro, 7:52

Second-period goals: Ryan Wiley (L) from Will Carpenter and Logan Dicus, 8:21; Patrick Brace (L) unassisted, 14:51; Grant LaGreca (L) from Will Gregorio and Michael Zarzycki, 15:47

Third-period goal; Dean Carvalho (L) from Julian Tarsi and Declan Kelly, 11:43; Zarzycki (L) from Will Carpenter and Jake Rossi, 16:25

Shots; Hun School 32, La Salle 51; Saves: Julia Arsenault (HS) 45, Jake Rossi (L) 32

For more about La Salle College High School CLICK HERE

For more about The Hun School CLICK HERE

Hawks’ Lynch Embraces Wearing the Captain’s ‘C’

The captain’s position in hockey, whatever the level, transcends that role in other team sports.

The captain is expected to provide leadership and support to his teammates, and perhaps at times serve as a bridge between the players and the coaching staff, while taking care not to let his own on-ice performance fall off.

John Lynch is wearing the ‘C’ at St. Joseph’s Prep this season. The senior defenseman was appointed by his coach, David Giacomin, with input from his teammates. Each player on the roster was permitted to submit three names to be considered for the captaincy.

It is a role that Lynch, a South Philadelphia resident, embraces.

John Lynch

“I was happy with it,” he said. “Because I’ve been a captain before. But I was never given the actual ‘C ‘I, was just named captain. 

“And to have the ‘C,’ it’s nice to have it; it just shows my dedication and my true leadership.

St. Joseph’s Prep is the first team Lynch has played for that has a designated captain but he says he’s assumed a leadership role on the club teams he’s played for (he’s currently skating for the Philadelphia Blazers 18 AA team).

“It’s good to be the guy that everyone looks up to,” he said. “This year with a lot of freshmen especially, it’s good to earn everyone’s respect and to just be positive. I have to make everyone accountable, which is the most important aspect.”

Lynch’s leadership style varies depending on he’s interacting with upperclassmen or his younger teammates.

“With the upperclassmen, I can talk to them in a different way,” he said. “And they can relate to my position. And they can help me out, see where I’m coming from. And there’s ways to address them, even though they’re in the same grade.

“It’s different with the freshmen because when you’re teaching them now, you’re setting up for the rest of their four years of high school and they can just continue to pass that on as they go.”

The lineup of 20 players the Hawks dressed in their APAC opener against La Salle included two freshmen and four sophomores. Two other freshmen didn’t dress.

Lynch points out that with a roster so young, it’s especially important that he and the other veterans set a positive tone.

“it’s important because there’s so many of them,” he said. “They all have to understand the commitment, and how we all just have to be together as one.

“You just have to show them more and earn their respect because if you don’t have their respect, it won’t work. But, if everyone just buys in, especially with the young kids, everyone just has to understand their role. If you teach them now, you’re setting them up for success later and they can eventually pass it on when they’re seniors.”

Lynch notes the importance of leading by example, of not letting his captain’s responsibilities negatively own on-ice performance.

“That’s definitely a factor,” he said. “If I’m having a bad game and I’m the captain there’s ways you can address the team, tell them we’ve got to step it up. Even if I’m not on my game, I can see through our mistakes and everything. 

“They can see that I’m doing something wrong too but I can also help the team in other ways if I’m not having the best game. Like, motivating everybody getting up if they can to block shots. 

“There’s other ways to address it especially if I’m not having that good a game, but it is hard to keep a positive mindset if I’m having a bad game If I am having a bad game, everyone just sees it.”

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

Malvern Prep 2 Holy Ghost Prep 1

BRISTOL—Malvern Prep and Holy Ghost Prep took their first steps into the sometimes-perilous waters of the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference Thursday afternoon. It was the Friars who found smooth sailing.

Brayden Baum and Aidan Kelly scored second-period goals to give their side a 2-1 win over the Firebirds at Grundy Arena. It was the Friars’ third win in four starts.

“We’ve got a lot of good kids on our team,” Kelly said. “Everyone’s really motivated after the year we had last year (10-8 and a loss in the opening round of the Founders Cup playoffs). The coaches are doing a great of getting us motivated.”

Kelly noted that he and his teammates, including the newcomers on hand, are adjusting to their roles in this year’s lineup.

“I think everyone is really excited with their new roles,” the senior said. “It comes with a little bit of nerves, a little bit of pressure, just playing for such a great team in such a great league.

“But I think the older guys, the more experienced guys, are doing a great of helping everyone fit their role and get used to playing at this level.”

Malvern Prep enjoyed a 14-5 shots advantage in the opening period but couldn’t solve Firebird netminder Jack Botthof and the first frame was scoreless.

Baum got the Friars on the scoreboard 12:17 into the middle period and Kelly made it a 2-0 game at 13:58.

Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan was pleased with the way his players moved the puck.

“The puck was moving at both ends,” he said. “Not a lot of sustained pressure but we settled down into our game. “We were able to be a little more poised with the puck and get pucks deep and sustain that pressure. I’m pretty happy with the result.”

Two goals down and perhaps a bit back on their heels, the Firebirds (0-2, 0-1 in the APAC) came out swarming at the start of the third period.

It took A.J. Prete just 19 seconds to score and make it a one-goal game. But Matt Crawford in the Malvern Prep net was perfect the rest of the way; the junior stopped 15 of the 16 shots he saw in the final period.

“Matt is pretty much anchor here for us,” Keenan said. “He played that well against Council Rock South (a game the Friars lost in overtime) and he [played] that way here today too. I think overall, he’s got a good future here, especially within the APAC. He did well today.”

For a young Holy Ghost Prep team, Wednesday’s game was another step in the building process.

“Better than Game One,” Firebird coach John Richie said of his team’s effort. “Not good enough though. “That second period, we kind of took a step backwards, then that third period was much stronger.

“But we’re a team that can’t have a lapse in judgment for 10 minutes of the second period.”

Malvern Prep 0 2 0—2

Holy Ghost Prep 0 0 1—1

Second-period goals: Brayden Baum (MP) from Gabriel Bedwell and Paxton Hoishik, 12:17; Aidan Kelly (MP) from Caiden Canale and Matt Crawford, 13:58

Third-period goal: A.J. Prete (HGP) from Mike Holt, :19

Shots: Malvern Prep 27, Holy Ghost Prep 29; Saves: Matt Crawford (MP) 28, Jack Botthof (HGP) 25

CLICK HERE to learn more about Malvern Prep

CLICK HERE to learn more about Holy Ghost Prep

La Salle 3 St. Joseph’s Prep 1

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—A bolt of lightning was followed by rolling thunder. La Salle scored two goals 69 second apart early in the third period and went on to a 3-1 win over St. Joseph’s Prep at Hatfield Ice Wednesday afternoon to officially kick off the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference’s sixth hockey season.

Will Gregorio scored what proved to be the winning goal 1:24 into the third frame. Dean Carvalho added an insurance goal at the 2:33 mark as the Explorers (4-0 overall), the defending Founders Cup, Class AAA Flyers Cup and state champions, won their ninth straight game dating back to the close of the 2023 regular season.

Carvalho noted it was not a perfect performance.

“I didn’t think we played as a well as we could have,” he said. “There’s room for improvement, and every week we’re working to improve every game.”

The Hawks (1-1 overall) took the first lead of the afternoon, thanks to Bobby McGinn’s goal with 1:07 left  in a first period in which La Salle dominated, but was unable to solve St. Joseph’s Prep netminder Jacob Aranda. The junior finished the period with 13 saves and the game with 32.

“He played great,” said St. Joseph’s Perp coach David Giacomin. “He made some quality saves, he’s always in position.

“I’d like to see the tape on a couple of goals, he might have given them a little too much, but he kept us in there the first period.”

Alastair St. Hiaire tied the game for the Explorers 7:11 into the second period and the two teams battled on even terms for the balance of the session.

Gregorio’s game winner came during a four-on-four situation with La Salle’s Patrick Brace and the Hawks’ Brayden Collins both in the box. Carvalho’s goal came after Brace’s penalty time had expired but with two seconds still remaining on Collins’ infraction.

“I thought we came out and played well out of the gate,” said La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner. “Then I think we kind of got away from our game. And I think St. Joe’s did a really good job. Their goaltender made a lot of really good saves early on and they had some really good opportunities early on.

“I feel it was a pretty even game throughout.”

Even though it came out on the short end of the score,Giacomin was pleased with the effort of his young team; the 20 players who dressed for the Hawks included three freshmen and six sophomores.

“Obviously there are some things we messed up and I’d like to have back,” he said, “but we’re a very young team. I think what they learned today is, of they play the game the right way they can compete with pretty much anybody but with youngness comes taking your lumps here and there ands we made a couple mistakes.”

Ice chips: La Salle’s last loss came to Wyoming Seminary in its regular-season finale last season. The Explorers won five postseason games a year ago.

St. Joseph’s Prep 1 0 0—1

La Salle 0 1 2—3

First-period goal: Bobby McGinn (SJP) from Ben Kursun, 15:53

Second-period goal: Alastair St. Hilaire (L) from James Carpenter and Dean Carvalho, 7:11

Third-period goals: Will Gregorio (L) from Declan Kelly, 1:24; Dean Carvalho (L) from Gregorio, 2:33 (pp);

Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 32, La Salle 35; Saves: Jacob Aranda (SJP) 32, Jacob Rossi (L) 31

Council Rock South 3 Malvern Prep 2 (OT)

Blaise Pepe’s goal with 1:27 left in overtime gave Council Rock South a 3-2 non-league win over host Malvern Prep Monday night at Ice Line.

Illia Mukhin and Chase Trovsky also scored for the Golden Hawks who have started the season with three consecutive wins, two of them over APAC opponents.

Tovsky’s shorthanded goal with 4:26 left in the second period tied the game after Brady Doyle scored a pair of goals two minutes apart to give the Friars (2-1) a 2-1 lead.

Trevor Rakszawski got the win in goal; he was credited with 54 saves. Matt Crawford was credited with 40 at the other end of the ice.

Council Rock South 1 1 0 1—3

Malvern Prep 0 2 0 0—2

First-period goal: Illia Mukhin (CRS) from Kevin Koles and Jake Weiner, 13:48 

Second-period goals: Brady Doyle (MP) from Caiden Canale, 10:11; Brady Doyle (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs and Adan Kelly, 12:11 (pp); Chase Trovsky (CRS) unassisted, 12:34 (sh)

Overtime goal: Blaise Pepe (CRS) unassisted, 3:33

Shots: Council Rock South 56, Malvern Prep 43; Saves: Trevor Rakszawski (CRS) 54, Matt Crawford (MP) 40

Holt Embracing His Role at Holy Ghost Prep

As high-school senior, Mike Holt is experiencing some changes in his life, in the classroom and on the ice. Next spring, he will graduate from Holy Ghost Prep.

Even before he enrolled there, the Huntingdon Valley resident sensed he and the school would be a good fit.

“Going in (as an eighth grader) for your shadow day, you see the type of brotherhood and the type of community we have here” he said. “Whether it’s just talking with your friends at the lunch table, or getting together and maybe studying for a test, it’s the sense of brotherhood and community that you get at a smaller school like Ghost. I think that’s one of the biggest aspects for me being able to have close connections with my teachers and my friends in such a nice space.”

The curriculum at Holy Ghost Prep is set up to allow students to make an assortment of independent decisions. Invariably, as Holt points out, this leads to learning from a wrong decision, particularly in the area of time management.

“Definitely learning some things the hard way for sure,” he said, “but I think it’s a great opportunity for young men like us, trying to mold our minds and making those decisions on whether you want to go play basketball with your friends or if you need to get some work done.

“But, I think a big part of that maturity factor goes into our free time and how we access it, and I think a lot of people in our school do a great job at that.”

Holt speaks of the life lessons he’s absorbed during his years at Holy Ghost Prep, including the willingness to ask for help when he’s floundering.

“I think one of the biggest core values they try to teach us at Ghost is obviously being gentlemen and to be a man,” he said, “but with that comes the ability having the ability, to recognize when you need some help and recognize when you need to collaborate with someone and you need to talk to that teacher and you need to go for that extra [help]. 

“I think a lot of men today really think they can do it all themselves and I think Ghost is a great space where you can really kind of collaborate and work on what you need to work on without having to do it all by yourself so I think it’s definitely a great space where you can rely on each other in that sense.”

As a captain this season, Holt embraces the responsibility of showing the way for his teammates.

“I feel like [leadership ability] came pretty easy to me early on,” he said, “but obviously, there are things you always need to work on. I always had to work on being a better leader myself but I feel early on, freshman year, sophomore year, junior year, I was always feeling that need to help the guys out. If they needed something to get done, I’d help them out with it.

“I feel like the top leadership role is a new thing for me, but I also feel like I can rely on my teammates and I feel like I’ve grown in a space where I can really express that leadership and be the reliable kind of personality that the guys need and that I need from the guys.
“It’s not just all about me and the two other assistants, it’s about the team.”

Mike Holt

The Firebirds are putting a young team on the ice this season. Holt is counting on contributions from all hands.

“I feel athletically, obviously, we’re going to need guys to step up and play a role,” he said, “not just as good players but obviously as leaders. I think our captains are definitely capable of doing it this year and I think we’ve got a really strong corps of leaders that are able and willing to lead this team and I think that’s my mindset going into it.”

The competition in the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference promises to be as rugged as ever. Holt says the team that develops cohesiveness will have the best chance of success.

“We have end players playing in the APAC,” he said. “Everybody knows that it is a very [ competitive] conference but I think it’s [about] the team that really molds together as a family and is willing to fight got each other. The guy to your left is the guy you want to be worrying about and it just goes up and down the line throughout the whole team. 

“You’ve got to be able to really rely on each other and I think a big aspect of what teams are going to be successful with is working together and just being one team. A family.”