Holy Ghost Prep 6 La Salle 4

Holy Ghost Prep made history Wednesday evening.

Joe Kaufmann’s goal with 12:32 left in the third period snapped a 3-3 tie and Holy Ghost Prep went on to a 6-4 win over La Salle in the APAC Founders Cup championship game at Grundy Arena.

It was the first triumph for top-seeded Holy Ghost Prep (18-4-1) in an APAC final in three tries.

The win marked the Firebirds’ third over second-seeded La Salle (15-7) this season but it did not come easily. Brady Logue, Colin Bara, and Brian Kinniry scored goals in a span of 7 minutes, 21 seconds in the first period to give the hosts a 3-0 advantage.

“That was our game plan going in,” Kinniry said. “Get on them early.”

But, just before the midway point of the second period, the Explorers woke up. Michael Esmond made a run up the middle of the ice and finished the play himself 2:19 into the period. Nole Donohue made it a 3-2 game at the 8:53 mark and Cam Ross tied the game 2:09 into the third period when he put in a rebound.

Kauffman said he and his teammates knew they had a fight on their hands as La Salle made its surge.

“We weren’t sure what was really going to happen,” he said. “We just knew when we got back on the ice in the third that we had to give it our all. Either put something in the net, or stop them from scoring.”

And Kaufmann did just that with a shot from the right wing. Logue extended his team’s lead with 9:43 left in the regulation and Kinniry scored his second goal of the game with 1:36 left.

Kinniry said he and his teammates stayed focused on their mission.

“It really gave us motivation to get through the third period,” he said. “Our second period was pretty bad so we came back out and got the go-ahead goals.”

La Salle coach Wally Muehlbonner said his team struggled from the start.

“I don’t think we played a good game at all,” he said. “We played the way we needed to in the second period, that was our best period obviously. But it’s tough to come back from down three.”

Holy Ghost Prep coach John Ritchie credited his players for a season’s worth of effort.

“This isn’t about the adults,” he said. “This is about the kids. They’re so deserving.

“It’s a long year, it’s tough to stay on top in a league like this. I can’t say enough positive things about the group that’s in there.

“Everybody bought in, everybody did their jobs and even when it got close and don’t think there was any doubt we would figure a way to beat them.”

The Firebirds and Explorers will open Class AAA Flyers Cup play on Tuesday. Top-seeded Holy Ghost Prep will face eighth-seeded Owen J. Roberts (6:15) while second-seeded La Salle will go against number-seven Devon Prep. Both games will be played at Hatfield Ice.

La Salle 0 2 2

Holy Ghost Prep 3 0 3

First-period goals; Brady Logue (HGP) from Jack Gavaghan and Ryan Lippy, 5:10; Colin Bara (HGP) from Lucas Gonzalez and Brian Kinniry, 9:15; Kinniry (HGP) from Chase Logue, 12:31 (sh)

Second-period goals: Michael Esmond (L) from John Greenawalt, 7:19; Nole Donohue (L) from Jake Warner, 8:53;

Third-period goal: Cam Ross (L) from Alistair St. Hilaire, 2:09; Joe Kaufmann (HGP) from. Anthony Valeriote, 4:28; Brady Logue (HGP) from Chase Logue, 7:17; Kinniry HGP unassisted, 15:24; Ross (L) from St. Hilaire and Declan Kelly, 16:36 (pp)

Shots totals were unavailable

Holy Ghost Prep and La Salle Set to Meet for APAC Title

APAC Founders Cup Championship Game

Wednesday, February 26 at Grundy Arena, 5:00 PM

(1) Holy Ghost Prep vs (2) La Salle

Holy Ghost Prep (17-4-1)

Coach: John Ritchie

Players to watch: Brady Logue 17 goals, 16 assists, 33 points; Joe Spadaccino 10-14-24; Anthony Valeriote 10-10-20; Brian Kinniry 15-4-19; Jack Unger 1.63 GAA, .926 save percentage; John Botthof 2.52 GAA, .891 save percentage

La Salle (15-6)

Coach: Wally Muehlbronner

Players to watch: Nole Donohue 12-15-27; Grant LaGreca 17-5-22; Julian Tarsi 10-10-20; Michael Zarzycki 10-10-20; Jake Rossi 1.78 GAA, .932 save percentage

This year: Holy Ghost Prep won both regular-season meetings, 3-1 on November 11 and 6-4 on December 11.

La Salle is the two-time defending APAC champion and comes into this game with a seven-game winning streak and having won nine of its last 10 starts. Holy Ghost Prep has won five straight and is unbeaten in its last seven starts and 14 of its last 15.

Ice chips: The teams have played in two previous Founders Cup finals. La Salle won both, 4-1 in 2020 and 7-3 in 2023. The Explorers have played in all five previous Founders Cup finals and are 4-1 in those games.

Holy Ghost Prep is 0-2 in Founders Cup finals. There was no title game in 2021 due to the pandemic; La Salle and Malvern Prep were declared co-champions.

Holy Ghost Prep is seeded first for the upcoming Class AAA Flyers Cup. La Salle is seeded second.

Organizers of the Pennsylvania state championship games announced Tuesday evening that the all-star game/showcase that was scheduled for Friday, March 21 in Pittsburgh has been postponed.

All-Star Game to Kick Off State Championship Weekend

A state championship tripleheader traditionally concludes the scholastic hockey season in Pennsylvania. This year’s state title games are set for the Alpha Ice Complex in Pittsburgh on Saturday, March 22.

This year’s festivities will kick off the night before with am All-Star game matching All-Star teams from each side of the state; Team Flyers Cup vs. Team Penguins Cup.

Thirty players have been named each team. The rosters are subject to revision; players whose teams have reached the state finals will not play in the All-Star Game.

The tentative roster for Team Flyers Cup (East)

1	Peter Pereborow	Council Rock South	D	12
2	Ryan Lippy	Holy Ghost Prep	D	12
3	Cam Ross	LaSalle	D	12
4	Ethan McKay	Marple Newtown	D	12
5	James Boyle	North Penn	D	10
6	Nash Grant	Penncrest	D	11
7	Chris Sarver	Pennsbury	D	12
8	Henri Gravel	Avon Grove	F	10
9	Noah Cutillo	Boyertown	F	11
10	Joey Slobodrian	Central Bucks South	F	11
11	Jeremy Rayer	Council Rock South	F	12
12	Jake Weiner	Council Rock South	F	11
13	Kieran Crossan	Devon Prep	F	12
14	Brody Matthews	Downingtown East	F	12
15	Nolan Stott	Garnet Valley	F	12
16	Kevin Walton	Garnet Valley	F	12
17	Blake Platz	Henderson	F	12
18	Blake Umberger	Hershey	F	12
19	Brady Logue	Holy Ghost Prep	F	11
20	Lucas Mott	Kennett	F	11
21	Grant Lagreca	LaSalle	F	12
22	Sam Norton	North Penn	F	10
23	Shane Dachowski	Pennridge	F	12
24	Dylan Cyr	Spring-Ford	F	11
25	Cole Gargon	St. Joes Prep	F	10
26	Dylan Vieira	Haverford High	G	11
27	Alexander Placeres	Hershey	G	10
28	Aiden Mott	Kennett	G	11
29	Jacob Rossi	LaSalle	G	12

30 James Winston Pennridge G 12

The tentative roster for Team Penguins Cup

1 Derek Schliebner Thomas Jefferson D 11

2 Noah Logan N. Allegheny D 11

3 Mathius Sprickman Cathedral Prep D 12

4 Cam Kiste Penn Trafford D 12

5 Tyler Held Chartiers Valley D 11

6 Roger Williams Pine Richland D 12

7 Eli Porter S. Fayette D 12\

8 Preston Miller Latrobe D 10

9 Brian Spencer Thomas Jefferson D 12

10 Max Modrovich Quaker Valley F 12

11 Tucker Cullen Fox Chapel F 10

12 Robert Chiappetta S. Fayette F 11

13 Darius Malecki Shaler F 12

14 Trevor Dallesandro S. Fayette F 12

15 Conner Ralston Avonworth F 12

16 Andrew Malecky Seneca Valley F 12

17 Liam Shinn Mt. Lebanon F 11

18 Eli Rankin Upper St. Clair F 12

19 Dominic Casile Fox Chapel F 12

20 Joey Crimboli Latrobe F 10

21 Josh Lanyard Pine Richland F 12

22 Brock Bienemann Penn Trafford F 10

23 Jake Graff Armstrong F 11

24 Xavier Bias Mt. Lebanon F 10

25 Lucas Blose Thomas Jefferson F 10

26 Aiden Moskovitz Montour F 12

27 Miles Carey Fox Chapel G 11

28 Christopher Nichols Seneca Valley G 11

29 Ben Balla Central Catholic G 12

30 Landon Butterbaugh Quaker Valley G 12

30 Cam Junker N. Allegheny G 12

Holy Ghost Prep 4 Malvern Prep 1

fast start goes along way on any night but particularly at playoff time. Holy Ghost Prep found success with that formula Wednesday evening.

By the time the game was barely three minutes old the Firebirds had a 2-0 lead. They added a third goal before the first period ended and went on to a 4-1 win over Malvern Prep in an APAC semifinal game at Grundy Arena.

Top-seeded Holy Ghost Prep (17-4-1) which is unbeaten in its last seven games, will face La Salle in the Founders Cup title game next Wednesday at the same venue (5 p.m. start). Fourth-seeded Malvern Prep will find out Sunday night where and when it will start play in the Class AAA Flyers Cup.

The loudest note of the night was sounded on the first shot of the game. William Hamar found the back of the net with forehander from between the circles just 15 seconds into the first period. Brady Logue made it a 2-0 game not quite three minutes later.

The Friars and the Firebirds split two regular-season meetings; Malvern Prep prevailed at Grundy Arena 4-2 on November 20. With that result in mind, Logue spoke to the importance of a fast start.

“Losing on home ice always leaves a bad taste in your mouth,” Logue said, “so we tried to get them back. (The Firebirds later won on Malvern Prep’s home ice.) Brian Kinniry added a goal with 1:50 left in the opening session. From that point on Malvern Prep was skating uphill.

“I think we came out flat in the beginning of the fame,” said Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan. “Ghost popped two goals in early.

“I think the second and third periods our boys’ energy was there. I thought we battled hard in the corners. The effort was there.”

Indeed. The team battle on essentially even terms for most of the rest of the way.

Teague Murray was able to solve Holy Ghost Prep netminder Jack Unger with a shorthanded effort with 1:33 remaining.

Logue scored his second goal of the game.

Unger finished his evening with 22 saves.

“Obviously we came out strong,” he said. “A goal in the first 15 seconds of the game really, really helped. When that happens, it gets the confidence level up for the whole team.”

Holy Ghost Prep coach John Ritchie says Wednesday night marked a fresh start not just for his team but for everyone in the APAC.

“Everybody is going to kind of amp up their play a little bit,” he said. “Everything is going to be tougher, we’ve got to fight for everything.

“Obviously it was nice to get the first shot on goal going in, but we’ve got to clean some stuff up and get better.”

Malvern Prep 0 0 1—1

Holy Ghost Prep 3 0 1—4

First-period goals: William Harmar (HGP) from Brady Logue and Joe Spadaccino, :15; Brady Logue (HGP) from Ryan Lippy and Harvard, 3:10; Brian Kinniry (HGP) from Lucas Gonzalez and Jack Unger, 15:10

Third-period goals: Teague Murray (MP) from Paxton Hoishik 15:27 (sh); Logue (HGP) from Spadaccino and Harmar, 16:20

Shots: Malvern Prep 23, Holy Ghost Prep 28; Saves: Matt Crawford (MP) 23, Jack Unger (HGP) 22

La Salle 7 St. Joseph’s Prep 0

La Salle is unmistakably in postseason mode. The Explorers scored pocketed two goals in the opening eight minutes Wednesday afternoon and went on to a 7-0 win over St. Joseph’s Prep in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference semifinal at Grundy Arena.

Second-seeded LaSalle (17-4) the two-time defending APAC and Class AAA Flyers Cup champion, will face Holy Ghost Prep, a 4-1 winner over Malvern Prep for the APAC title next Wednesday at Grundy Arena (5 p.m. start). Third-seeded St. Joseph’s Prep will learn Sunday evening where it is seeded for the upcoming Class AAA Flyers Cup.

La Salle’s performance in the semifinal was a study in precision.

Will Gregorio got things started for the Explorers just 4:30 into the first period after the Hawks coughed up the puck inside their own zone allowing Gregorio and open look from the left circle. Luca Staffani made it 2–0 at the 7:55 mark when he put in a rebound of Michael Zarzycki’s shot from the left wing. Grant LaGreca made it 3-0 on a tip-in with 1:10 left in the period.

“I think the boys were really ready to get out here,” Gregorio said. “This was I think the first time we’ve had a full roster; the full team playing. I think we were excited and we were ready to play.”

Nole Donohue extended La Salle’s lead with 5:25 left in the second period. Julian Tarsi added another goal 4:20 into the third period after Donohue’s shot from the left circle was blocked. Daniel Burke and Donohue added additional goals.

The Hawks (10-9) never really got started.
“They totally outplayed is from the start to the finish,” said St. Joseph’s coach David Giacomin. “We didn’t cover anybody in the beginning and got down two or three goals right away. “We’re not built for coming back from three or four-goal deficits. We’re not that type of team.”
The third period was marred by an assortment of eight penalties, four against each team including three misconducts, adding up to 40 minutes. An additional misconduct penalty was rescinded.

La Salle assistant coach P.J. Quinn stressed the importance of maintaining discipline.

“I thought we came out and got the puck deep and low in their end,” he said. “Pressuring their {defense}. “Our guts performed the first two periods really good; the third period we got a little undisciplined. Which is out of character for us.”

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 0 0—0

La Salle 3 1 3—7

First-period goals: Will Gregorio (L) from Grant LaGreca, 4:30; Luca Staffani (L) from Michael Zarzycki and Jake Warner, 7:55; LaGreca (L) from Daniel Burke and Staffani, 15:50

Second-period goal: Nole Donohue from Julian Tarsi and Alex Gibson, 11:25

Third-period goal: Tarsi (L) from Donohue, 4:20; Burke (L) from Declan Kelly, 8:43; Donohue (L) from Alastair St. Hilaire

Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 21, La Salle 25; Saves: Declan Geary (SJP) 18, Jake Rossi (L) 21

Malvern Prep 4 Hun School 0

The postseason is a time for a fresh start. Malvern Prep took advantage of the opportunity Monday afternoon. House Young scored two goals and Matt Crawford delivered a shutout in goal as the Friars bested The Hun School 4-0 in the APAC’s Founders Cup play-in game at Ice Line.

Fourth-seeded Malvern Prep (5-9) will face top-seeded Holy Ghost Prep in one half of a semifinal doubleheader on February 19 and will be part of the Flyers Cup tournament after that. Fifth-seeded Hun School (5-16-2) will conclude its schedule with two non-league games; the Raiders are bypassing the Flyers Cup.

For the Friars, who have beaten Hun School three times in 20 days, it’s been something of a new beginning.

“We’re starting to hit our stride,” said Malvern Prep Bill Keenan. “Finishing out the [APAC schedule], going into the APAC playoff and the Flyers Cup. We want to find out stride and we’re just continuing to build right now.”

The Friars had the upper hand from the outset; they outshot the Raiders 14-6 in the opening period but it took time to find the back of the net. It was 5:32 into the second frame before Andrew Starck put his team in front by going top shelf against Hun School goaltender Elliot Wong. Gabe Bedwell made it 2-0 at the 7:24 mark when he put a bullet inside the left post.

“We definitely got off to a quick start,” Bedwell said. “That’s what we need every game, a quick start, we need everybody firing, everybody going.’

“That will bring us to the Flyers Cup. I think we all just need to work together and jut get on it from the jump.”

Young scored his first goal with 4:01 left in the period. His second effort of the night came with 4:37 left in the third period. By that point the Raiders, who had just 13 skaters available, were using up their energy reserves.

“It’s been one thing or the other this year,” said Hun School coach Eric Szeker. “I give a lot of credit to our guys. They worked hard, they battled.

“Malvern played a great game too so you’ve got to give a lot of credit to the other side.”

The Friars outshot the Raiders 50-16. Matt Crawford earned the shutout in goal for Malvern Prep. His best save came when he denied Matt Trawinski from point-blank range just past the midway point of the second period. Wong made 46 saves at the other end of the ice.

“An unbelievable performance,” Szeker said. “He’s been light’s out the whole season. He’s been one of our best players so to see him have another performance like that is not too surprising.”

Hun School 0 0 0—0

Malvern Prep 0 3 1—4

Second-period goals: Andrew Starck (MP) from Peter Narog, 5:39; Gabe Bedwell (MP) from Pax Hoishik and Cole Scarbinsky, 7:24; House Young (MP) from Jake Winegartner and Hoishik, 12:59

Third-period goal: Young (MP) from Winegartner and Matt Barbacane, 11:23 (pp)

Shots: Hun School 16, Malvern Prep 50 Saves: Elliot Wong (HS) 46, Matt Crawford (MP) 16

Holy Ghost Prep 3 St. Peter’s Prep 1

Ryan Lippy, Brian Kinniry, and Colin Bara scored goals as the Firebirds won the non-league game on Monday. Jack Unger got the win in goal.

Flyers Cup Rankings 2-10-25

Class AAA

Holy Ghost Prep
La Salle
St. Joseph’s Prep
Malvern Prep
Salesianum

Class AA

Council Rock South
North Penn
Downingtown East
Haverford High
Central Bucks South

Class A

Garnet Valley
Kennett
West Chester Henderson
Penncrest
West Chester East

Girls

Avon Grove
Downingtown West
Conestoga
West Chester Henderson
Radnor

This marks the final set of Flyers Cup rankings prior to the Flyers Cup Selection Show on Sunday, February 23. The show will air at 8 PM that evening on the Flyers Cup You Tube Channel.

APAC Update 2-9-25

Regular Season Standings W L Pts OTW OTL

Holy Ghost Prep (12-4-1) 5 2 15 0 0

La Salle (11-6) 5 2 14 1 0

St. Joseph’s Prep (8-7) 3 3 10 0 1

Malvern Prep (3-8) 2 4 6 0 0

Hun School (5-15-2) 0 4 0 0 0

Scoring (Conference Games) GP G A Pts PPG

Brady Logue HGP 8 10 11 21 2.63

Cole Gagron SJP 7 8 1 9 1.29

Noel Donohue La 8 5 5 10 1.25

Grant LaGrrca La 8 8 1 9 1.13

Michael Zarzycki La 8 6 3 9 1.13

Frank Ely La 8 2 6 8 1.00

Chase Logue HGP 7 3 4 7 1.00

Anthony Valeriote HGP 8 5 3 8 1.00

Joe Spadaccino HGP 6 3 3 6 1.00

Save Percentage GP Shots GA Save %

Jake Rossi La 6 225 14 .938

John Botthof HGP 2 64 5 .922

Declan Geary SJP 7 190 15 .921

Matt Crawford MP 6 176 14 .920

Jack Unger HGP 3 79 8 .899

Patrick Donoghue HS 2 109 10 .908

Goals Against MP GA GAA

Jake Rossi La 394 14 1.81

Matt Salita HGP 153 6 2.00

Declan Geary SJP 364 15 2.10

Matt Crawford MP 208 14 2.20

John Botthof HGP 102 5 2.50

Jack Unger HGP 153 8 2.67

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St. Joseph’s Prep 7 Hun School 2

St. Joseph’s Prep exploded for five goals in a 10-minute span of the third period to pull away from The Hun School and go on to a 7-2 win Friday night at The Skatium to bring down the curtain on the APAC regular-season.

Noah Stuhl scored two goal and delivered two assists for the Hawks who closed their regular season at 10-8 an 5-3 in the APAC.

Bradan Fisher provided a goal and two assists for the Hawks. Frank Ely, Jai Perry-Pereira, Cole Gargon, and Patrick Sweeney also scored goals.

Nate Trawinski and Jake Beck scored for the Raiders (5-15-2, 0-8).
Perry-Pereira’s goal, which came 90 second into the second period, was the only goal in the game’s first 34 minutes. But the hosts found another gear at the start of the third frame.

Fisher scored just 51 seconds into the period and Sweeney made it a 3-0 game at the 2:52 mark. Ely, Gargon, and Stuhl followed; Stuhl’s goal, which came during a power play, put the Hawks up 6-0 with 6:13 remaining in regulation.

Beck broke the streak with a power-play goal of his own with 5:21 remaining. Trawinski followed just over two minutes later before Stuhl finished the scoring with 34 seconds left.

Declan Geary got the win in goal, making 34 saves along the way.

Both teams will now look ahead to the Founders Cup playoffs. The Raiders, who reseeded fifth, will take on fourth-seeded Malvern Prep on Monday at Ice Line in a play-in game. The third-seeded Hawks will take on second-seeded La Salle in a semifinal game on Wednesday, February 19 at Grundy Arena as part of a doubleheader. The Malvern Prep-Hun School winner will face top-seeded Holy Ghost Prep in the other semifinal.

Hun School 0 0 2—2

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 1 6—7

Second-period goal: Jai Perry-Pereira (SJP) from Tristan Winata and Ben Kersun, 1:30

Third-period goals: Bradan Fisher (SP) from Noah Stuhl and Thomas Ely, :51; Patrick Sweeney (SJP) from Michael Washlick, 2:52; Frank Ely (SJP) from Stuhl, 6:19; Cole Gargon (SJP) from Adam Charrafi 6:50; Stuhl (SP) from Fisher, 10:47 (pp); Jake Beck (HS) from Luca Jean, 11:39 (pp); Nathanial Trawinski (HS) from Beck and Andrew Darst, 12:49; Stuhl (SJP) from Fisher, 16:26

Shots: Hun School 36, St. Joseph’s Prep 40; Saves: Patrick Donoghue (HS) 33, Declan Geary (SJP) 34