The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference has completed exactly two thirds of his inaugural season. LaSalle, Malvern Prep, Holy Ghost Prep, and St. Joseph’s Prep each have three conference games remaining, one each against each other.
APAC Commissioner Jim Britt expressed satisfaction with how the league has evolved. “It is a great start to what we hope is an ever-expanding and developing environment,” he said. “The kids are reacting well because of the support that the institutions, the school administrations, the high-quality coaching staffs that are involved.
“The kids are reacting and progressing as we’d hoped. It is a great environment to develop the students both through hockey and through the academic environment and it’s an exciting time for those programs. I’ve been very pleased with how well teams have been playing, the pace of the games, the skill quality, the fact that people are focused on playing the game right. You strip away some of the stuff that has marred (high-school hockey) in the past and it makes it a great experience for everyone involved. They’re very happy with it.”
Britt notes that a strong conference with a membership of schools committed to hockey is a major step forward for the sport.
“I think it’s important,” he said. I have been involved with high school hockey for over 20 years in a lot of different capacities. I have some very close friends who have given heart and soul, blood sweat and tears, to develop strong programs. I think what we’re doing here with the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference is the next step.
“I know coaches in various programs that are doing a bangup job in the Suburban League and the Intercounty League and (the APAC) takes it to the next step, it takes it to the next level of commitment by the institutions. And that’s important. It’s important at every level of these students’ development, that all of the adults are on the same page, all the adults are pulling for the right things, are trying to do the right things.”
In addition to facing each other three times each, the four APAC schools are all playing a group of four New Jersey institutions; Gloucester Catholic, St. Augustine, Princeton Day School, and the Hun School. Could the APAC expand?
Britt says the member schools are cautiously in that regard. “The approach is to basically take it one step at a time,” he said. The idea is to make sure that we’re doing it not just for the right way, but for the right reasons and that we don’t missing anything. That we’re not forgetting anything because of the way that we are structuring this.
“Having said that, we have had some discussions about the possibility of having other programs joining the conference.”
Batting weather complications, the SHSHL will conclude its league season on February 12. Playoff dates have yet to be announced.”
Wednesday January 30 Malvern Prep vs Holy Ghost Prep 7:00 at Wells Fargo Center
Friday, February 1 St. Joseph’s Prep at LaSalle 5:00 at Hatfield
Wednesday, February 6 Malvern Prep at Lasalle 4:00 at Hatfield
Holy Ghost Prep at St. Joseph’s Prep 4:30 at Class of 1923 Rink
Monday, February 11 LaSalle at Holy Ghost Prep 4:00 at Grundy
Tuesday, February 12 St. Joseph’s Prep at Malvern Prep, 3:55 at Ice Line
The most significant stretch of the high-school hockey season is straight ahead. The Suburban High School Hockey League and the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference are in the final weeks of the regular season.
Following that; the league playoffs and the 40th Flyers Cup tournament. We’ll be following all the action here at Hockey Happenings and here’s your opportunity to be part of it all.
Contact us to promote your product or service here at Hockey Happenings right through the Flyers Cup and the Pennsylvania state championship.
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