Category: Hockey News

Playoff Ponderings—APAC

Wednesday, February 28 4:00 at Hatfield Ice

Founders Cup Championship Game

  1. La Salle (19-3) vs. 3. St. Josephs Prep (15-5)

      How they got here:

       St. Joseph’s Prep defeated Malvern Prep 3-2 in the semifinals. La Salle defeated Holy Ghost Prep 3-1

Against each other:

La Salle won the first of two meetings this season, 3-1 on November 15, then overcame a 3-0 third-period deficit to post a 5-3 win on February 14.

La Salle

The Explorers have been part of every Founders Cup final in history. They claimed the APAC title in 2019, ’20, and ’23. They were declared co-champions along with Malvern Prep in 2021 when the final came was cancelled due to Covid. They lost the title game to the Friars in 2022.

Dean Carvalho leads the team in scoring with 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points in all competitions He also led the APAC in regular-season scoring with six goals and six assists for 12 points. Patrick Brace has eight goals and 12 assists for 20 point in all competitions; 4-4-8 in APAC games including the playoff semifinals. Goaltender Jake Rossi come into the final with a .938 save percentage and a 1.60 GAA.

St. Joseph’s Prep

This marks the first time the Hawks have appeared in the APAC championship game in the conference’s six-year history. Brayden Collins leads the team in scoring with eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points. He has three goals and three assists for six points in conference play. John Lynch, who scored a game-tying goal in the third period of the semifinal win over Malvern Prep, now has five goals and 11 assists for 16 points in all competitions. Jake Shultz was the Hawks’ top scorer against APAC foes, contributing four goals and three assists for seven points; 7-5-12 overall. Jacob Aranda is the likely starter in goal. He comes into the final with an .891 save percentage and a 2.78 GAA.

What comes next:

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

La Salle is the defending champion and number-one seed and will face Perkiomen Valley on March 4. St. Joseph’s Prep is seeded third in the tournament and will face Salesianum the same evening.

La Salle’s Carvalho Primed for APAC Finale

La Salle senior Dean Carvalho knows all about the rivalry between the Explorers and St. Joseph’s Prep. The two schools have been competing against each other since the Philadelphia Catholic League was founded in 1920.

“I think just the level of [competition] between both schools and just the will to win, has just grown over the many years we’ve been competing against them in hockey and many other sports,” he said. “The will to win is there.”

The rivalry between the Explorers and the Hawks will be renewed on Wednesday afternoon when the two schools meet for the Founders Cup and the championship of the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference (4:00 at Hatfield Ice). La Salle is the defending champion and has won three conference titles in five seasons while sharing another.

Carvalho sees the rivalry as mutually respectful, albeit intense.

“I think the respect is there, definitely,” he said.” We look forward to those games. In some ways, they’re a lot more fun than playing other schools because it’s a rivalry. It just makes the game that much more intense and the speed that much higher so I think it’s fun for everybody.”

Dean Carvalho

The Explorers own two wins over the Hawks this season, most recently a 5-3 win on February 14 that saw La Salle enter the third period trailing 3-0. Carvalho says the team regrouped during the post-second period ice cut.

“I think we just came together as a team and just realized how we needed to play,” he said. “Things we were doing wrong and what we needed to improve on. I think that period we came out really focused as a team, ready to play. We scored one and kept it rolling and things worked out at the end.”

Carvalho led the APAC in scoring, with six goals and six assists for 12 points (1.5 ppg) during the conference season. He enters Wednesday’s final with 16 goals and 11 assists in all competitions (22 games). He notes the Explorers are team that can and must rely on scoring balance to be successful.

“I think it’s huge,” he said. “One of our strengths as a team is the amount of depth that we have. We have four lines, probably more than four lines that can play, and more than six defenseman that can play. So, there’s never a weak link on the ice and that that reflects the success we’ve had this season so far. I think it’s really important because there’s never that weak link.”

St. Joseph Prep’s McDonald Focused on APAC Final

Wednesday’s APAC championship game for the Founders Cup (4:00 at Hatfield Ice) will be a moment in history for St. Joseph’s Prep. It will mark the Hawks’ first appearance in the final in the APAC’s six –year history.

That’s something Gareth McDonald, a senior defenseman with the Hawks, was well aware of when he spoke of what a victory would mean.

“It would mean a lot,” he said. “I know the APAC is a young league but there’s not a lot of teams in the league so we certainly should be in the championship game more often.”

The Hawks dropped two decisions to the Explorers this season. The second, on February 14 was particularly difficult to digest. St. Joseph’s Prep led 3-0 after two periods before surrendering five goals in the third, one of them into an empty net.

“I think we got a little too comfortable,” McDonald said. “We’ve just got to prove this year that we can beat them. And even after the championship game, because we’re going to have to play them in the Flyers Cup too (St. Joseph’s Prep and La Salle could meet in the Class AAA Flyers Cup finals). We’ve got to prove to them that we can beat them, and to ourselves.”

Gareth McDonald/photo by Joe Mancini

The rivalry between the Hawks and the Explorers does not lack for intensity, but McDonald is quick to point is quick to point out it is also characterized by mutual respect.

“We play against La Salle more on a personal level than if we play against other schools,” he said. “Not because of how we don’t like each other but because we’re friends with kids on the other team. It feels more on a personal level, to prove that we’re better than them.

“We respect La Salle a lot and I’m sure they give us that same kind of respect.”

As high-energy as Wednesday’s matchup promises to be, McDonald says it’s essential for he and his teammates to keep their emotions in check.

“We’re going to have to be very stale emotionally,” he said. “We can’t get down, even if they go up a goal or two.  Or, if we go up a goal or two, we’ve got to stay comfortable, keep playing our game. There’s no reason to [lose focus], regardless of anything that happens.”

McDonald admits that a loss in Wednesday’s final would leave a sour taste, even with the Flyers Cup still to come.

“It’s almost worthless getting to the game and not winning it,” he said. we want to finish the job.”

Jim Britt on the State of the APAC

Wednesday’s Founders Cup championship game between La Salle and St. Joseph’s Prep will mark the conclusion of the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference’s sixth season.

Jim Britt has served the APAC’s commissioner since the conference was formed prior to the 2018-19 season. He expressed satisfaction with how the league has evolved since then.

“We have been very pleased,” he said “The reason why the APAC has been so successful is that the institutions are so likeminded when it comes to developing the whole student, athletically, academically, and with a strong service component. This year, it’s been amazing with all the schools, how well they’ve done on the ice with the competition among each other, and against schools from other leagues.

“But the special things they’ve done off the ice have been truly amazing, so it’s a great thing. And we’re looking forward to continuing and growing that.”

Hockey is a varsity sport at all five APAC schools. Britt, who at one time was the head coach at Holy Ghost Prep, says the conference’s hockey programs are aligned with the philosophies of each member school.

“One of the benefits of the way we are structured and the schools, the way they approach it, is that hockey is an integral part of the school’s institutions,” he said.  “Their DNA, their philosophies, their values, the integrity of what they’re trying to do.

As a hockey coach, one of the things amazingly valuable was the structure that we might try and instill in the hockey players didn’t stop at the rink door. It was part and parcel of the daily experience at the school. I used to joke that I found it easy to coach when my boss was the athletic director because I knew the philosophies and values that school exhibited and wanted to demonstrate through the athletic program; it was easy to comply with that. It’s a whole lot easier to get everyone the same page.”

Britt credit the coaches of the five conference schools for their approach and for understanding what the APAC is about.

“I’ve known all of the APAC coaches for many years, dare I say decades,” he said.

“The latest coach to join, John Ritchie at Holy Ghost Prep, was one of my players. I’m very proud to be part of this circle of people who are trying to do the right thing and provide an outstanding experience for the hockey players.”

There is considerable speculation within the area hockey community concerning if and the APAC will expand beyond its current alignment of Holy Ghost Prep, Hun School, and Malvern Prep in addition to the two Founders Cup finalists. Britt deals with that issue on a regular basis.

“I don’t think a week goes by, especially this past season, where someone hasn’t pulled me aside or sent me an e-mail [regarding expansion],” he said.

“We’re going to enjoy this APAC playoff season and certainly look forward to a successful Flyers Cup season at the AAA level for the four teams who do compete in the Flyers Cup, then we’ll get together and decide the direction of next year and possible growth.

“There are several school who have expressed an interest in joining the APAC but we want to make sure that everything is aligned correctly, the right way, so that the integrity of the conference remains high. That the schools that might be considered to join APAC are competitive, are aligned with the same values on and off the ice. I would not want to predict a timeline for growth or anything in the near future.”

Flyers Cup Schedule

 A total of 41 teams in four divisions will skate in the 45th annual Flyers Cup tournament.

Eight teams will comprise the Class AAA bracket, 16 more will compete in Class AA, 12 in Class A and five in the Girls Division.

The Delaware/South Jersey bracket has been eliminated this season.

First-round games are scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, March 4 – 6; the tournament is expected to conclude March 19 or 20.

Nine SHSHL teams made the tournament field as did four APAC teams.

Here is an overview of the tournament schedule

All sites and times beyond the first round are tentative and subject to change.

Class AAA Quarterfinals

Monday, March 1. La Salle vs. 8. Perkiomen Valley 8:30/Hatfield Ice

Tuesday, March 5   4. Holy Ghost Prep vs. 5. Father Judge 8:30/Grundy

Monday, March 4   2. Malvern Prep vs. 7. Devon Prep  6:15/Ice Line

Monday, Match 4   3. St. Joseph’s Prep vs. 6. Salesianum 7:00 Skatium

Semifinals March 18 (tentative)

Finals March 19 or 20

Class AA First Round

Tuesday, March 5

1.Pennridge vs. 16. Bensalem 8:30/Hatfield

8. Central Bucks East vs. 9. Downingtown East  6:00/ Hatfield

4. Downingtown West vs. 13. Souderton 6:15/Ice Line

5. Haverford High vs. 12. North Penn 7:00/Skatium

2. Council Rock South vs. 15. Spring Ford  6:00/Grundy

7. Lower Merion vs. 10 Cherokee 9:00/Skatium

3. Boyertown vs. 14. Pennsbury 8:30/Ice Line

6. Central Bucks South vs. 11 Avon Grove 6:30 at Hatfield

Thursday, March 7

Quarterfinals

Pennridge/Bensalem vs. C.B. East/Downingtown East

Downingtown West/Souderton vs. Haverford/North Penn

C.R. South/Spring Ford vs. Lower Merion/Cherokee

Boyertown/Pennsbury vs. C.B. South/Avon Grove

Semifinals

TBD The week of 3-11

Finals

March 19, 20, or 21 Site TBD

Class A First Round

Monday, March 4

8. Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. 9. Unionville 6:00/Hatfield

5. Lower Dauphin vs. 12. Radnor 7:45 Ice Line

7. Palmyra vs. 10. Penncrest 8:30 Ice Line

6. Springfield-Delco vs. 11 West Chester Henderson 9:00/Skatium

Quarterfinals

Thursday, March 7

PW/Unionville vs. 1. West Chester East TBD/Ice Line

Lower Dauphin/Radnor vs. 4. Marple Newtown TBD

Palmyra/Penncrest vs. 2. Garnet Valley TBD

Springfield/WC Henderson vs. 3 Hershey TBD

Semifinals TBD

Finals March 19 or 20 Site TBD

Girls

Wednesday, March 6

Quarterfinal

4. Conestoga vs. 5. Lower Merion 7:45/PNY

Semifinals

Wednesday Match 13 tentative

  1. Avon Grove vs. Conestoga/Lower Merion 6:45/PNY
  2. Downingtown West vs. 3. West Chester Henderson 5:00/PNY

Monday March 18 tentative

Championship    6:00/PNY

The Flyers Cup selection show aited air on the Flyers Cup YouTube Channel

it can be accessed HERE.

C.B. East 3 North Penn 2

The storm struck suddenly, seemingly without warning. Corey Kosick and Jaden Young scored goals 32 seconds apart in the opening moments of the third period as Central Bucks East overcame a one-goal deficit to post a 3-2 win over North Penn Thursday night in a SHSHL National Division quarterfinal at Hatfield Ice.

Young scored two goals for the fourth-seeded Patriots (12-5-2) who will face top-seeded Pennridge in next Wednesday’s semifinal round. Fifth-seeded North Penn (10-8-1) will wait and see where it is seeded for the upcoming Flyers Cup tournament.

But both teams will pay a toll for their efforts Thursday night. An altercation following the final buzzer involved several players from both teams. As this story was being written, the two referees were reviewing video of the incident and adjudicating penalties. If fighting penalties and/or misconducts are accessed, the players involved will be suspended.

The incident did not diminish the performance of East goaltender Cole Breen. The Patriots were outshot 41-19 but Breen, for the most part, kept the Knights at bay with 39 saves.

Breen said the key was maintaining his concentration.

“Mainly just focusing on every shot at a time,” he said “Worrying about myself and doing my job. The team got it done also.”

The two teams held each other scoreless for nearly all of two periods before Nolan Shingle beat Boyle from close range to give the Knights 1-0 advantage with 1:32 left in the second frame.

At that point, North Penn seemingly had the upper hand.

“For the first two period I thought we absolutely controlled the play,” said North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis, “and did everything we wanted.

“Their goalie was playing great, we were getting chances, we just couldn’t put it behind him.”

But early in the third stanza, things changed, seemingly in the blink of an eye.

First, Kosick went in on North Penn goaltender Aidan Quigley and found the back of the net just 49 seconds into the period. Thirty-two seconds later it was Young’s turn; the junior gave his team a lead it would not relinquish.

“Over intermission [before the third period] we devised some of our plan,” Young said. “We knew we had to [apply] pressure to turn some of the momentum and gain an advantage, and that’s what we did.”

“They had two quick goals there,” Vaitis said, “on two quick shifts unfortunately.”

Young’s second goal was a shorthanded effort that came at the 6:24 mark and made it a 3-1 game.

North Penn got an opportunity when the Patriots’ Patrick O’Brien drew a cross-checking penalty with 4:26 to go. Down two goals at that point, Vaitis considered lifting Quigley.

“I thought about it,” Vaitis said. “We were getting a lot of good chances on the power play. We were hoping we were going to be able to capitalize on one there.”

With the North Penn net empty, Samuel Norton scored the Knights’ second goal with 64 seconds left in regulation.

The final buzzer served as a match that set off the subsequent fireworks.

“Not a smart play by us, by any means” Vaitis said. “Unfortunately, for us, if we get selected, our next game would be in the Flyers Cup and we’re probably going to be missing some guys for that.

“But there’s no need for that. We’ve got to be smarter and skate away from it.”

Central Bucks East Jeff Mitchell knows he will be without at least one player for the National Division semifinal; Carter Keiser was sent to the locker room 7:36 into the third period when he received his fourth penalty.

Mitchell would like to see the SHSHL utilize the four-person officiating system for playoff games.

“I don’t fault anybody [if] a kid looks at another kid the wrong way, or somebody feels like they’re wronged,” he said. “I get it. I was 18 once too. 

“An eye for an eye, I’m all for it obviously, but I think we need a little bit more supervision … when it comes to situations like this.”

This story will be updated as more information become available

North Penn 0 1 2—2

C.B. East 0 0 3—3

Second-period goals: Nolan Shingle (NP) from John Stinson and James Boyle, 15:28

Third-period goals: Corey Kosick (CBE) from Dave Brown, :49; Jaden Young (CBE) unassisted, 1:21; Young (CBE) 6:24 (sh); Samuel Norton (NP) from Cole Pluck and Joe Savotti, 15:56

Shots: North Penn 41, C.B. East 19 Saves: Aidan Quigley (NP) 16, Cole Breen (CBE) 39

Updated Playoff Schedule 2-22-24

Thursday, February 22

SHSHL National Division Quarterfinal

4. Central Bucks East vs. 5. North Penn

7:10 at Hatfield Ice

Wednesday, February 28

APAC Championship Game

St. Joseph’s Prep at La Salle

4:00 Hatfield Ice

SHSHL American Division Final

Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. Bensalem

6:50 at Hatfield Ice

SHSHL National Division Semifinal

C.B. South vs. Council Rock South

7:20 at Grundy Arena

SHSHL National Division Semifinal

C.B. East or North Penn vs. Pennridge

8:45 at Hatfield Ice

Thursday, February 29

SHSHL National Division Final

Site, Time TBD

St. Joseph’s Prep 3 Malvern Prep 2

All season long, St. Joseph’s Prep has counted on young players to step up in big situations. One of them did Wednesday night when it mattered most.

Sophomore Michael Castelli’s goal with 6:53 remaining in regulation was decisive as the Hawks bested Malvern Prep 3-2 in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference semifinal at the University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 1923 Arena. The third-seeded Hawks (15-5) will face top-seeded La Salle next Wednesday at Hatfield Ice (time TBD) for the Founders Cup. It will mark the school’s first appearance in the final in the six-year history of the APAC.

Castelli, a first-year varsity player, described the winning goal.

“My teammate [Ben Kersun] shot from the point,” he said. “I drove the net hard, got the rebound, and buried it.”

Castelli’s effort on the game winner is what the Hawks have come to expect from the underclassmen on the roster.  

Senior captain John Lynch noted their impact in the semifinal.

“It was huge,” he said. “They show that they deserve ice time out there. Because they’re working just as hard as [the upperclassmen] do. And we try to push them as hard as we can. “They’re really earning their ice. They’re not given the ice. They’re earning it every time and they’re getting better every game.”

Castelli says the support of the upperclassmen has sped his development as a player.

“They’v been  great,” he said. They’re just very supportive. Never negative,”

The second-seeded Friars (9-8) took the ice missing several key performers due  to injury, including their captain, Jeremy Jacobs.

But they took the early lead when Jonathan Holt found the back of the net just 1:53 into the opening period. Tristan Winata tied the game for the Hawks 10:07 into the second frame but Caiden Canale put Malvern Prep back in front with 3:52 left in the period.

Lynch tied the game for St. Joseph’s Prep with a power-play goal 4:34 into the final period as momentum gradually shifted in the Hawks’ direction.

“I thought we had a good period-and-a-half of hockey,” said Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan. “[St. Joseph’s Prep] came out in the second half of that game and played well.

“Our third period cost us. We had two penalties off the get go playing shorthanded. That cost us.”

Ice chips: Both teams will be part of the field for the Class AAA Flyers Cup beginning the week of March 4. The Hawks and the Friars split two regular-season meetings.

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 1 2—3

Malvern Prep 1 1 0—2

First-period goal: Jonathan Holt (MP) from Brady Doyle and Caiden Canale, 1:53

Second-period goals: Tristan Winata (SJP) from Calum Hartnell,  10:07; Canale (MP) from Teague Murray and Aidan Kelly, 13:08

Third-period goals: John Lynch (SJP) from Cole Garson and Hartnell; Michael Castelli (SJP) from Ben Kersun, 10:07

Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 24, Malvern Prep 15; Saves: Jacob Aranda (SJP) 13, Matt Crawford (MP) 21

La Salle 3 Holy Ghost Prep 1

In the end, there was little to choose between the two sides. A single surge separated them and that was enough.

Ben Falicki and Charlie Kennedy scored a pair of second-period goals 23 seconds apart and  La Salle went on to a 3-1 win over Holy Ghost Prep Wednesday evening in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference semifinal at the University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 1923 Arena.

The top-seeded Explorers (19-3) will host St. Joseph’s Prep in the conference championship game for the Founders Cup next Wednesday. The fourth-seeded Firebirds (11-13) will join them in the Class AAA Flyers Cup tournament the week of March 4.

The two goals which gave the Explorers the upper hand came after over 31 minutes of scoreless hockeyThe first two periods were defined by their physicality. There was one penalty called inn the first period and six more in the second but referees Eric Michaels and Laura White allowed a good amount of physical play to go uninterrupted and neither team backed away from banging bodies.

“I definitely think our team came out hard,” said La Salle goaltender Jake Rossi. “It’s just a different animal in the playoffs. Everyone in our league is going to be tough.”

 Ben Falicki ended the scoreless draw when beat Holy Ghost netminder Jack Unger on a shot from the left point with 2:48 left in the middle period. Charlie Kennedy made it a 2-0 game when he scored from the right circle just 23 seconds later.

Kennedy said he was confident goals would eventually come despite the absence of goals over the first half of the game,

“Definitely,” he said. “We were getting tons of opportunities and were coming up short. We got [two] quick ones and that gave us a lot of confidence, moving the puck and stuff.”

The Firebirds may have been staggering at that point but they remained unbowed. Jake McCaw finished a rush by beating La Salle goaltender Jake Rossi with 35 seconds left in the period to make it a one-goal game with one period to go.

The only goal of the third period came off the stick of La Salle’s Dean Carvalho with 10 seconds remaining.

Holy Ghost Prep coach John Ritchie talked of what might have been.

“I haven’t quite figured out why some of those pucks didn’t go in for us,” he said. “Six on five [on power plays] we get two or three really good chances.and they just take wired bounces.

“But I’m super proud of my group.”

Holy Ghost Prep 0 1 0—1

La Salle 0 2 1—3

Second-period goals: Ben Falicki (L) from Grant LaGreca and Will Gregorio, 14:49; Charlie Kennedy (L) from Ryan Wiley and Patrick Brace, 15:12; Jake McCaw (HGP) from Michael Holt, 16:25

Third-period goal: Dean Carvalho (L) from Blake Baudelaire, 16:50

Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 27, La Salle 30; Saves: Jack Unger (HGP) 27, Jake Rossi (L) 26