La Salle 5 St. Joseph’s Prep 2

HATFIELD— Having just played each other 72 hours previously, La Salle and St, Joseph’s Prep picked up where they left off Monday afternoon. The result was an intense, grind-it-out Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference semifinal that saw the Explorers prevail 5-2 at Hatfield Ice.

Second-seeded La Salle (14-13) which has now won five of its last six games, will face top seed Holy Ghost Prep for the Founders Cup Wednesday afternoon at Grundy Arena (time TBA).

La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner was not surprised by the tone of the afternoon. “Honestly, I thought that was the way it was going to be,” he said. “I thought it was going to be a tight game. That’s what i would expect. That’s the way it’s going to be down the stretch.”

Nate Benner scorers twice for the Explorers to send them into Wednesday’s final. “There were no skill goals today,” he said. “It was just rebounds and deflections, get it to the net, second and third opportunities. That’s what comes with Therese kinds of games.”

The Hawks got things started at 5:46 of the first period when Michael Urbani scored a power-play goal on a shot from midway between the top of the two circled that stayed along the ice and beat La Salle netminder Aidan McCabe on his stick (right) side. The Explorers’ response came just 23 seconds later when Chris Wnek beat Andrew Custer from after a dash down the left wing. Benner put La Salle in front with 35 seconds left in the opening period.

The second period was scoreless. Benner scored his second goal of the game 4:22 into the third frame to restore La Sale’s two-goal lead but Paulo Colavita’s goal with 6:11 left in regulation got the Hawks (11-13) back into the game.

It took LaSalle just 61 seconds to respond. Nick Astolfi restored the Explorers’ two-goal lead before Nolan Woundenberg added an empty net goal with 1:14 remaining.

“We’ve got to bring a solid (48) minutes,” said St. Joseph’s Prep assistant coach Rich Black. “We played a great seven minutes. We came out hard, we were moving … We just need to put together a full game giants these guys.”

Top seed Holy Ghost Prep defeated Malvern Prep 4-1 in the other semifinal. La Salle will be seeded second in the Class AAA Flyers Cup and will face seventh-seeded Roman Catholic on March 5 at 7:30 at Hatfield Ice in a quarterfinal game. The Hawks, who are seeded third, will face sixth-seeded Cardinal O’Hara in a quarterfinal game the same night at the Skatium. Game time will be 8:45. The Explorers have won all four meetings over the Hawks this season but two of the four required overtime.

St. Joseph’s Prep 1 0 1—2
La Salle 2 0 3—5
First-period goals: Michael Urbani (SJP) from Austin Amato, 5:46 (pp); Chris Wnek (L) from Francis Ford, 6:09; Nathan Benner (L) from Jake Armstrong and Ryan Ferry, 15:25;
Third-period goals; Benner (L) from Armstrong and Colin Keiser. 4:22; Nolan Woudenberg L) from Andrew Budzynski and Aidan McCabe, 14:46 (en).
Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 27, La Salle 31: Saves; Andrew Custer (SJP) 26; Aidan McCabe (L) 25

La Salle 6, St. Joseph’s Prep 3

By Rick Woelfel

PHILADELPHIA—La Salle took the ice Friday night as if it had something to prove. Namely, that despite an up-and-down season against a rugged schedule that it was still a dangerous hockey team. The message was delivered emphatically.

The Explorers scored three times in the game’s first six minutes and went on to a 6-3 win over St. Joseph’s Pre in the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference regular season finale at the University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 1923 Arena.

The win lifted the Explorers (13-13 overall) into second place in the APAC standings with a 3-3-2-1 conference mark, giving them home-ice advantage for a playoff semifinal against the Hawks (11-12, 3-2-0-4) on Monday.

“We came out with good focus,” said La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner. “We jumped on them right away. Which is what we always try to do, but we did it tonight. We played well. We just needed to focus on playing a good game tonight and not on anything that’s going on the weeks ahead.”

Senior defenseman Collin Keiser got LaSalle started with a shot from the deep left wing 1:58 into the game before adding a second goal at the 3:21 mark. Chris Wnek made it 3-0 at 5:39.

Keiser spoke to the importance of the occasion. “We came in knowing what we were up against,” he said, “It was like a playoff game for us, to get home-ice advantage. We came out just like any other game. Probably a little harder, knowing what was on the other side of a win.”

David Kimmel ‘s shorthanded goal 9:18 into the middle period gave the Explorers a 4-0 lead. Jeffrey Hammond got the Hawks on the board at the 10:48 mark but Chase Hannon’s shot from the left point with 1:59 left in the period made it a 5-1 game.

Andrew Centrella scored for the Hawks 3:04 into the thirsted frame but Kimmel answered back with a power-play goal at 4:53 before Centrella finished the scoring.

“The start was a tough one,” said St. Joseph’s Prep coach David Giacomin, “Giving up that goal on one shot from bad angle … When you lay a rivalry school and give up one like that it really tough to come back from. Bur we battled back. It wasn’t a bad effort.”

With Friday’s result, Monday’s APAC semifinals are now set in stone. The second-seeded Explorers and third-seeded Hawks will square of at 4:10 at Hatfield Ice. Top-seeded Holy Ghost Prep will face fourth seed Malvern Prep at 4:00. The Founders Cup championship game will be played Wednesday’s at the home rink of the highest seeded finalist.
La Salle 3 2 1—6
St. Joseph’s Prep 0 1 2—3
First-period goals: Collin Keiser (L) from Max Maddalo, 1:58; Keiser (L) from Jake Hannon and Keenan Schneider, 4:21; Chris Wnek (L) from Ryan Ferry, 5:39.
Second-period goals: David Kimmel (L) from Schneider, 9:18 (sh); Jeffrey Hammond (SJP) from Michael Urbani, 10:49; Chase Hannon (L) from Daniel Whitlock, 14:01
Third-period goals: Andrew Centrella (SJP) from Matthew Moresco, 3:04; David Kimmel (L) from Keenan Schneider, 4:53 (sh); Centrella (SJP) from Joseph Samango, 8:44.
Shots: La Salle 35, St. Joseph’s Prep 17; Saves; Aidan McCabe (L) 14, Rocco Bruno (SJP) 17 and Andrew Custer (SJP) 12

The Grundy Skate Shop is a full-service hockey pro shop inside the Grundy Arena, offering a great selection of equipment, brands and various services. We do a full range of repairs as well as offer custom hockey jerseys. Owner Bill Keyser, has over 25 years experience in the industry and specializes in skate sharpening, including profiling. Please visit our Facebook page or stop in and check us out!

The 2020 Flyers Cup selection show will air Sunday, February 22 at 7 p.m. Eastern Time on You Tube

LaSalle 6, Holy Ghost Prep 3

By Rick Woelfel

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP— All season long, LaSalle has shown the ability to score in bunches. That talent was on display Wednesday afternoon against Holy Ghost Prep in the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference championship game. The Explorers scored four second-period goals in a span of 6 minutes, 7 seconds and went on to a 5-2 win over the Firebirds to claim the first-ever Founders Cup in front of an energized audience at Hatfield Ice.

“I’m feeling really excited right now,” said Brandon Leer, one of LaSalle’s captains. “The past four years I’ve been here, this is my first championship … It feels really good right now.”

The two teams played the first period on even terms.

The Firebirds (8-13) started the scoring at the 3:12 mark when Alex D’Angelo sent a pass down the middle of the ice from deep on the left side of his own zone. E.J. Pohl collected the puck in full stride and went up the middle to beat LaSalle goaltender Aidan McCabe.

Nathan Benner tied the game for the Explorers (20-6) with two seconds left in the opening session from midway between the faceoff circles.

Holy Ghost Prep took a 2-1 lead 5:59 into the second period when he tipped in D’Angelo’s shot from the high slot.

But then the Explorers exploded. Fabrizzio Mazzarelli, Sam Lipkin, Jan Olenginski, and Daniel Sambucco all scored goals during the barrage and LaSalle found itself up 5-2 with 1:23 left in the period.

“I think we started clicking a little bit better,” said LaSalle coach Wally Meuhlbronner. “I don’t know that all the lines were on the same page to start with but once we started clicking, we were going to the net hard.”

That five different players scored the Explorers’ first five goals was a testament to the team’s scoring balance. “I think we’re fortunate,” Muehlbronner said, “and they definitely stepped up tonight. It was good to see.”

D’Angelo scored a power-play goal for the Firebirds with 6:39 left in regulation but Benner answered for the Explorers 61 seconds later.

Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside lamented his team’s inability to sustain its early momentum. “I thought we played well the first and third periods,” he said, “and that stretch in the second period our wheels fell off a little bit and they took advantage of our mistakes. Credit to them, Wally and the boys. “But we’ll see them again.”

The Flyers Cup is still ahead but the APAC officially completed its inaugural season on Wednesday. Leer noted the caliber of play was first rate all year season long. “Every team out here (including Malvern Prep and St. Joseph’s Prep was outstanding,” he said. “There was not one game where we felt as if we completely dominate the opponent. Each game we had was very close and then either we outworked the opponent and made the gap grow bigger or they backed down, which made our job a lot easier.”

Notes: LaSalle had a 34-26 edge in shots. All four APAC teams will compete in the Class AAA Flyers Cup. LaSalle is the top seed and had a first-round bye. Malvern Prep is seeded second, Holy Ghost Prep fifth, and St. Joseph’s Prep sixth.

Holy Ghost Prep 1 1 1—3

LaSalle 1 4 1—6

First-period goals: EJ. Pohl (HGP) from Alex D’Angelo, 3:12; Nathan Benner (L) from Michael Casey and Sam Lipkin, 15:58.

Second-period goals: Evan Mudrick (HGP) from D’Angelo, 5:59; Fabrizzio Mazzarelli (L) from Jan Olenginski and Lipkin, 8:30 (pp); Lipkin (L) from Casey and Zach Baker, 9:10 (sh); Olenginski (L) unassisted, 11:06; Daniel Sambuco (L) unassisted, 14:37.

Third-period goals: Alex D’Angelo (HGP) from Eric Mark and Midrick, 9:21 (pp); Benner L) from Colin Kreisler and Ryan Ferry, 10:22.

Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 26, LaSalle 34; Saves: Sean Joyce (HGP) 28, Aidan McCabe (L) 23

The Grundy Skate Shop is a full service hockey pro shop inside the Grundy Arena, offering a great selection of equipment, brands and various services. We do a range of repairs as well as offer custom hockey jerseys. We recently celebrated our 5th year at the shop but owner, Bill Keyser, has over 25 years experience in the industry and specializes in skate sharpening, including profiling. Please visit our Facebook page or stop in and check us out!

LaSalle and Holy Ghost Prep to Meet for APAC Title

FINAL LASALLE 6 HOLY GHOST PREP 3

LaSalle wins Founders Cup

The on-ice rivalry between LaSalle and Holy Ghost Prep is as intense as it is mutually respectful. On Wednesday, the Explorers and the Firebirds will collide one more time, for the inaugural Founds Cup, symbolizing the championship of the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference. Game time will be 4:00 at Hatfield Ice.

Top-seeded LaSalle comes into the final with a mark of 19-6 after defeating St. Joseph’s Prep 3-1 in the semifinals on Monday. Sam Lipkin, who captured the APAC scoring title, leads the way with 13 goals for 32 points in 10 conference games (including the semifinal). He’s joined by linemates Daniel Sambuco (14 goals, 15 assists and Michael Casey (nine goals, 18 assists). The trio are the top three scorers in the conference. Aidan McCabe is the likely starter in goal.

The third-seeded Firebirds (8-12) bested Malvern Prep 4-1 in their semifinal. Byron Hartley has recorded 15 goals in conference play plus six assists for 21 points. Sean Joyce will be in goal.

LaSalle won all three regular-season meetings between the two teams, 5-1, 3-2 in overtime, and 6-3.

Both teams will move on to the Class AAA Flyers Cup tournament.

Holy Ghost Prep and St. Joseph’s Prep will play for the APAC junior varsity championship Thursday at Grundy Arena. Game time will be 3:30

For more information about the schools in the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference click below

LaSalle College High School

Holy Ghost Preparatory School

St. Joseph’s Preparatory School

Malvern Preparatory School