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Below are the newest Flyers Cup rankings as of 2-5-24. This is the last set of rankings before the tournament field is announced on Sunday, February 25
Class AAA
Class AA
Class A
1. Garnet Valley
2. West Chester East
3. Hershey
4. Marple Newrown
5. Lower Dauphin
Girls
WEST GOSHEN—In one sense, it was an unfortunate way for a hockey game to end.
James Young scored in the second round of a shootout to give Malvern Prep a 2-1 win over Holy Ghost Prep Thursday evening at Ice Line. Young’s goal, the only one of the shootout, brought down the curtain on a splendid display of high-school hockey between two teams looking to bolster their positions for the upcoming APAC playoffs and the Class AAA Flyers Cup tournament.
Young, a freshman, noted the importance of a stuck-to-basics approach.
“We’ve got to focus on the goal,” he said. “You’ve got to keep playing and pursue what you want to do.”
The Friars (8-6, 4-3 in the APAC) did just that for 56 minutes and beyond, none more so than their goaltender Matt Crawford, who faced 43 shots and stopped 42 of them; Malvern Prep was outshot 43-27.
“Facing a lot of shots like that isn’t much to me,’ Crawford said. “It’s just a game. It’s keeping me active, it’s keeping my focus on the game.”
Crawford feels he’s more effective when he’s busy.
“As a goalie, getting a lot of shots, you’re always focusing on the next shot,” he said. “So, I feel like when there’s no pressure in the zone it’s a mental struggle.”
Jeremy Jacobs gave Malvern Prep a 1-0 lead with 2:32 left in the second period when he launched a rocket from the top of the slot that beat Holy Ghost Prep netminder Jack Unger. The goal came while the Firebirds’ Matt Cholaj was in the box serving an interference penalty.
Caiden Canale and Brady Doyle assisted on the goal.
Canale, one of six Malvern Prep seniors who were recognized Thursday night, noted that he and his teammates are comfortable in close games.
“It definitely matters,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of games like this this season and we know what it takes. So, we just went out and did everything we could to win.”
Doyle said the goal gave he and his teammates a lift they needed.
“It gave us a huge advantage the rest of the game,” he said. “Our energy was kind of bad to start the game and once we [scored] t was a lot better.”
Unger came up big for his team with 8:29 left in the third frame when he denied Jacobs on a breakaway. That set the stage for A.J. Prete’s game-tying goal with 3:26 remaining.
The Firebirds (7-12, 3-5 in conference) had additional opportunities, but couldn’t solve Crawford a second time. But their coach, John Ritchie, took a lot of positives away from the encounter.
“I thought it was the most complete game we’ve played all year,” he said. “I think after a huge letdown in terms of our effort against St.Joe’s Prep [Wednesday night] I couldn’t have asked for any better response from our guys tonight.
“Unfortunately a couple of the bounces didn’t go our way but Malvern played just as well and kept it close.”
With one APAC game remaining and the postseason to come, Doyle says Thursday’s win will give the Friars an energy boost.
“We’ve got to get the win and carry that momentum with us,” he said.
Holy Ghost Prep 0 0 1 0 (0)—1
Malvern Prep 0 1 0 0 (1)—2
Second-period goal: Jeremy Jacobs (MP) from Caiden Canale and Brady Doyle, 14:28
Third-period goal: A.J. Prete (HGP) from Chris Marshall and Andrew Morgan, 13:34
Shootout goal: James Young
Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 43, Malvern Prep 27; Saves: Jack Unger (HGP) 26, Matt Crawford (MP) 42
BRISTOL—Plymouth Whitemarsh and Bensalem dressed to impress Thursday night. The Colonials and the Owls took the ice at Grundy Arena looking to impress each other and future opponents well as members of the Flyers Cup Committee charged with constructing that tournament field.
In that sense, the evening was an all-around success.
Blake Ambler’s goal 3:59 into the third period gave Plymouth Whitemarsh a 3-2 win and, for the time being, first place in the SHSHL’s American Division.
The Colonials and the Owls have split two meetings this season; Bensalem prevailed 4-3 in overtime on December 7, and Thursday’s matchup was just as crisply played; each team had an abundance of opportunities and the flow of the game was interrupted by two just penalties, one of which was not enforced because it occurred as a goal was being scored.
The goaltenders were the stars of the evening. Winning netmimder Julian Lucks made 22 stops, a number of them requiring extraordinary effort. His counterpart at the other end of the ice, Rick Gonzalez was even busier, making 38 saves and standing firm against near constant incoming fire, notably in the third period when the Owls, who had only 11 skaters dressed, were running on fumes.
Bensalem (9-2, 7-2 in divisional play) got off to a hot start when Alex Hood beat Lucks from left wing just 13 seconds after the opening faceoff. Hood made it 2-0 with 1:40 left in the period before David Branigan went top shelf for the Colonials with 13 seconds remaining to make it a one goal game.
Chris London scored for Plymouth Whitemarsh (9-3, 8-1 in the division) with 19 seconds left in the second session, setting up what figured to be a scintillating final chapter.
Lucks described himself as ready for whatever came his way.
“I talked to my team,” he said. “They helped me cool down and just stay rested.”
Rest was a luxury the Owls could not afford.
“I liked our start,” said Bensalem coach Bill Hood. “We jumped out on them pretty well at the beginning of the game.”
Eventually however the Owls were hurt by a lack of numbers.
“We had a short bench,” Hood said. “I think the second period we kind of took a step back. They made their push then.”
That trend continued in the third period when Plymouth Whitemarsh outshot Bensalem 13-4.
Colonial coach Dave Cox celebrated the win.
“This is a true team victory,” he said. “We love it. We’ve been waiting for this rematch since we lost to them the first time.
We know in order to be the team we want to be we have to go through tough teams like this. Hats off to Bensalem. They may have tired bodies but they’re always there.”
Ice chips—The Colonials and the Owls will face each other a third time next Thursday night at Grundy. Both teams are assured of being part of the three-team SHSHL American Division playoffs; as of now the Colonials would be seeded first, the Owls second.
The Colonials are eligible for the Class A Flyers Cup tournament, the Owls are classified Class AA
P-W 1 1 1—3
Bensalem 2 0 0 —2
First-period goals: Alex Hood (B) from Alex Bazylevich, :13; Good (B) from Bazylevich and Nick Gambino. 15:20; David Branigan (PW) from Daniel Guller, 16:47
Second-period goal: Chris London (PW) from Blake Ambler and Luke Smith, 16:41
Third-period goal: Ambler (PW) from London, 3:59
Shots: Plymouth Whitemarsh 41, Bensalem 24; Saves; Julian Lucks (PW) 22, Ricky Gonzalez (B) 38
The Flyers Cup Committee has released its second set of rankings for the 2023-24 season. Rankings are based on a team’s on-ice performance and observations of committee members.
The Flyers Cup is an invitational tournament. There are no automatic qualifiers.
AAA
AA
A
Girls
The newest Hockey Happenings podcast is now live.
Check it out here as Rick Woelfel and Eric Tye look at what’s been going on and look ahead to the 45th Flyers Cup tournament
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
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
Class AA
Class A
Girls
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.
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
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
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
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