La Salle 4 Council Rock South 0

Four different players scored goals as La Salle bested Council Rock South 4-0 Wednesday afternoon in a non-league game at Hatfield Ice.

Patrick Brace and Tim Whittock gave the Explorers a 2-0 first-period lead; Declan Kelly and Dean Carvalho added goals in the final period.

The Explorers improved to 10-8-2. The Golden Hawks dropped to 13-3 with one of their defeats coming in overtime.

Council Rock South 0 0 0—0

La Salle 2 0 2—4

First-period goals: Patrick Brace (L) from Grant LeGreca, 2:54; Tim Whittock (L) from Max Monzo, 4:13

Third-period goals: Declan Kelly (L) from Ryan Warner and Ryan Desmond, 10:12 (pp); Dean Carvalho (L) from Owen Quinn, 12:55

Shots: C.R. South 23m LaSalle 44; Saves: Carson Lopez (CRS) 41< Aries Carangi 23

Hun School Proving a Good Fit for Justin LaPlante

When Justin LaPlante first stepped on the ice for The Hun School this season he was uncertain about where and how he’d fit in.

“When the first practice (was held) I was wondering,” he said. “I was in doubt, But I figured my role would be pretty big from the start. I took that role and now I’m one of the leaders of the team. I really like that role.”

A junior at Hun School, LaPlante has played in all 20 of the Raiders’ games this season, scoring 15 goals and adding 19 assists.

His coach, Ian McNally, cites his blend of abilities.

“I think Justin is a rare combination of skill, speed and strength,” McNally said. “Whenever he takes off, someone on the bench is inevitably going to yell out “See ya” because he just flies by people, whether he has the puck on his stick already or he’s racing someone to a loose one.

“He exudes power; he can skate, he can shoot and he can hit. He made an immediate impact with us this year because he’s just a great kid. He’s mature and personable and he wants to win. We’re lucky to have him.”

Justin LaPlante (photo: Tamara Gillon Photography)

LaPlante’s arrival at Hun School this past fall was something of a matter of happenstance. A native of Quebec City, where he played football as well as hockey, LaPlante was dealing with an injury when first crossed paths with McNally.

“I had broken my wrist playing football two months prior to meeting Coach McNally,” LaPlante recalled. “I was supposed to be out for another due to my wrist. But I decided to play in a Montreal showcase. I talked to (McNally) and he watched me play and the rest is history.”

LaPlante played football for the Raiders and found himself having to adjust to U.S. rules after learning the game in Canada.

“It was a really big step,” he said. “The Hun football program is simply incredible. I had my role here and I was playing on the special units a lot. I made some big plays throughout the year and it was really fun. I really enjoyed my time playing football.”

For all the adjustments LaPlante has made on the ice and on the football field, his greatest challenges have some in the classroom.

“It’s been a challenge for sure,” he said, “because English is not my first language and English classes here are pretty hard, so I would say that’s my biggest academic challenge. But otherwise, I’ve always been really good in school and I’ve never really struggled with anything, so I’m doing all right.”

While English is not LaPlante’s first language, no one engaging in conversation with him would realize it.

“I adapted to it really well,” he said. “When I speak to my family in English, they tell me that I’ve really improved, that I’ve adapted myself really well.

“I would say the people that spoke just French in my family was the older generation because they never really got English classes, but for the new generation, we got really good English teachers and classes so it’s been easier for me to learn that way.

“Listening to hockey and football in English, and watching the TV too has been really helpful so I think I’ve adapted really well since being here.”

McNally says playing football helped ease LaPlante’s transition to a new setting.

“He fit in seamlessly,” McNally said. “I think by playing football in the fall he was able to come to pre-season before school actually started, move into the dorms early and make friends right away with teammates.

“Hockey is maybe what led him to look at boarding schools, the experience of being away is the real takeaway and I think and so he’s jumped right in. Hun has kids from all over the world, so most of them are initially adapting. It makes it easier when they are all in the same boat.”

Even with the adjustments he’s had to make, in the classroom and as an athlete, LaPlante’s time at The Hun School has been enjoyable and satisfying.

“Honestly, the first thing that comes to mind is life on the border here is pretty crazy and insane,” he said, “because on the weekends you get to do a lot of stuff that other schools can’t.

“I went to see a couple of (NCAA D-1) games, either football or basketball and I’m going to watch an NHL game in a few weeks. Those are experiences that I’ve never had in my life.

“As far as hockey goes, I would say that I’ve never been that much of an offensive guy or the star of a team so it feels good to experience that this year and being one of the best players on my team and being able to be a leader.”

Hockey-wise, it’s been an up-and-down season for the Raiders as they approach their APAC regular-season with Malvern Prep on Wednesday. They stand 8-12 overall and 2-5 in conference play as of February 7. But LaPlante says the team has played better than its record indicates.

“It has been up and down,” he said. “But I feel like we should have won five of those losses so it’s still a really good season for us.

“We haven’t played really bad, it’s just that we can’t close out games. But we’ve been holding up against really good teams, so that’s hopeful for us.

SHSHL Update 2-8-2023

National Division W L T OTL Pts

*C.R. South (13-2-0-1) 7 0 0 1 15

*Pennsbury (11-4) 7 2 0 0 14

*Neshaminy (10-3-1) 5 1 1 0 11

Pennridge (10-4) 5 2 0 0 10

C.B. East (8-5-1) 4 2 1 0 9

C.B. South (7-7-0-1) 4 4 0 1 9

C.R. North (4-9-1-1) 3 4 1 1 8

C.B. West (5-10-0-1) 3 5 0 1 7

Souderton (5-9-0-1) 3 6 0 0 6

Bensalem (2-12) 1 6 0 0 2

North Penn (4-9-1-1) 0 6 1 1 2

American Division W L T OTL Pts

*Abington (13-0-1-1) 10 0 1 1 22

Plymouth Whitemarsh (10-6) 6 5 0 0 12

Quakertown (8-4-1-1) 5 4 1 1 12

Wissahickon (8-6) 5 5 0 0 10

Springfield (1-13) 0 10 0 0 0

• Clinched playoff spot

SHSHL Announces Playoff Dates

The Suburban High School Hockey League has set its schedule for its upcoming playoffs.

The postseason will commence on Wednesday, February 22 with two National Division first-round games featuring the third-place finisher against the sixth seed and the fourth seed facing the fifth seed.

Those games will at Hatfield Ice and Grundy Arena, with game times and sites to be determined.

The winners will advance to semifinal games on Wednesday, March 1 at Hatfield Ice and Grundy Arena against the first and second seeds, both of whom have opening-round byes.

The championship game will be played on Thursday, March 2 at either Hatfield or Grundy with a scheduled start time of 7:20.

The American Division playoffs will feature just three teams. The second and third seeds will meet on Thursday, February 23 at Hatfield at 7:10. The winner will face the top seed in the division championship game on Wednesday, Match 1 at 7:20 at Hatfield Ice.

APAC Sets Playoff Dates

The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference has set dates for the Founders Cup playoffs.

The postseason will commence the week of February 13 with a play-in game between fourth seed Hun School and fifth seed Malvern Prep on Tuesday, February 14 at 4:00. Hun School will ahve home-ice advantage. The winner swill advance to the semifinals and face the top seed, the winner of Monday’s game between Holy Ghost Prep and La Salle.

The semifinals will be played as a doubleheader on Wednesday, February 22 at Hatfield Ice, with game times set for 4:00 and 6:00. The Holy Ghost Prep-La Salle loser will be seeded second and face St. Joseph’s Prep, which will be seeded third

The Founders Cup championship game will be played Wednesday, March 1 and hosted by the highest seeded finalist.

That means the APAC champion will be determined after the Flyers Cup seedings are unveiled on February 26.

St. Joseph’s Prep 7 The Hun School 1

HAVERFORD TOWNSHIP —All the pieces fit together for St. Joseph’s Prep Friday night.

Joe Samango scored three goals and assisted on three others and Jeffrey Hammond added two goals and two assists as the Hawks, with the heart of their roster on hand, celebrated Senior Night with a 7-1 win over The Hun School 7-1 in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference game at the Skatium.

The win assured St. Joseph’s Prep (14-4-2 overall, 3-3-1-0 in the APAC) of a third-place finish in the conference regular-season standings; the Hawks will conclude conference play against Malvern Prep on Thursday.

The Raiders to 8-12 overall and 2-5 in the APAC.

It was a night when the Hawks had their big guns on hand. That hasn’t always happened this season; there have been multiple occasions on which they were shorthanded because of key players being away on club duty.

After witnessing his team’s effort Friday night, it was impossible for Coach David Giacomin not to speculate on what they might have achieved, and might accomplish going forward.

“I know we’re a really good team when we have everybody here and healthy,” he said.

The Hawks were shorthanded when they absorbed a 7-0 loss to the Raiders on December 7 and Giacomin said that result motivated his team Friday night.

“This was basically all the seniors having that will and desire,” he said. “They didn’t want to lose on Senior Night. That’s what it came down to.

Goals from Samango and Shane O’Neill, sandwiched around a goal from Hun School’s Brendan Marino, gave the hosts a 2-1 lead after one period before they broke the game open with four goals in the second frame, two from Hammond and one each from Samango and Tristan Winata, the Hawks’ number-one line.

Samango completed his hat trick in the third period. The trio accounted for 14 points.

“When we play together as one unit, we score a lot of goals,” Hammond said. “But when we don’t, we break apart.

“Games where we find each other and play s one unit we (do well).

The Raiders outshot the Hawks 31-29 but only Marino could solve Rocco Bruno in the Hawk net. The visitors’ frustrations boiled over on occasion; they were whistled for nine of the game’s 14 penalties.

“Obviously (St. Joseph’s Prep) they flipped the script here today,” said Hun School coach Ian McNally. “That’s kind of been the storyline for two weeks now. “It’s like, we’re trying really hard, we outshoot them, but we basically have very few actual scoring chances. And, every five minutes we let a team rush to the other end and score.”

Hun School 1 0 0—1

St. Joseph’s Prep 2 4 1—7

First-period goals: Joe Samango (SJP) from Patrick Sweeney and Shane O’Neill, 1;53; Brendan Marino (HS) from Justin LaPlante, 11:24; O’Neill (SJP) from Jeffrey Hammond and Samango, 14:04 (pp)

Second-period goals: Hammond (SJP) from Tristan Winata and Samango: 23; Samango (SJP) 5:33 (pp) Winata (SJP) from Hammond, 7:46; Hammond (SJP) from Samango, 14:21;

Third-period goal: Samango (SJP) from Winata and Hammond, 14:33

Shots: Hun School 31, St. Joseph’s Prep 29; Saves: Julian Arsenault (HS) 22; Rocco Bruno (SJP) 30

CLICK HERE for more about The Hun School

CLICK HERE for more about St. Joseph’s Prep

Holy Ghost Prep 7 Haverford School 0

Kieran Mulholland scored twice and five other players scored one goal each as Holy Ghost Prep scored a 7-0 shutout over Haverford School Friday night on Senior Night at Grundy Arena.

Jack Gavaghan, Patrick Slook, John Seravalli and Ciaran Chambers all scored goals for the Firebirds, who improved to 14-5 on the season.

Haverford School 0 0 0—0

Holy Ghost Prep 2 2 3—7

Council Rock South 5 Pennridge 3

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—The Flyers Cup tournament is just over a month away, but Council Rock South and Pennridge offered a preview on Wednesday night.

The Golden Hawks and the Rams demonstrated why they are serious Class AA Flyers Cup contenders before the Hawks emerged with a 5-3 win in front a of a full house in the Blue Rink at Hatfield ice.

The win lifted South to 12-1-0-1 on the season and 6-0-0-1 in SHSHSL National Division play. The Hawks are listed third in the current Class AA Flyers Cup rankings.

The loss dropped Pennridge 10-4 overall and 5-2 in the division. The Rams stand fourth in the Flyers Cup rankings.

The opening period saw the teams combine for five goals in a span of 8 minutes, 48 seconds.
Evan Mostoller started it off for the Golden Hawks just 1:52 with a shot along the ice from the right point that eluded Pennridge netminder Jacob Gilbert. Jake Weiner made it a 2-0 game at the 3:34 mark.

Dane Fitchett got the Rams on the scoreboard at 4:47 and Shane Dachowski tied the game at 10:13 but Illia Mukhin answered for South 27 seconds later via bad bounce and the Hawks never trailed again.

At period’s end Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna made a goaltender change, inserting Jacob Winton between the pipes.

“He allowed us to regain our equilibrium,” Montagna said. “He did exactly what you need him to do when you come into that situation. It is not an easy spot for a sophomore playing his fourth varsity game.”

Winton and South’s Carson Lopez were virtually impregnable most of the rest of the way. Lopez did not yield another goal while Winton was steadfast until Mukhin and Chase Tovsky scored goals 42 seconds apart to give South a 5-2 lead with 6:42 left in the third period.

With 48.2 seconds remaining in the game emotions boiled over and a scrum erupted along the boards near the Council Rock South bench. Four players were penalized.

South’s Blaize Pepe received a roughing minor plus a major penalty for fighting. Lopez, the only goaltender the Hawks had dressed, was penalized for leaving his crease and banished for being the third man in a fight.

The Rams lost Dachowski via a fighting major and a game misconduct and Andrew Savona for being a third man in.

What followed was the unique circumstance of the Golden Hawks playing with a three-goal lead and defending an empty net, since they had no one available to replace Lopez in goal. It took just nine seconds for Kevin Pico to score into the empty net to make it a two-goal game.

That turned out to be the last goal of the evening but the fireworks weren’t over; with 10 seconds left in the game Weiner and Gavin Nisenzon drew misconduct penalties for the Golden Hawks.

The late-game histrionics overshadowed Lopez’s work in the South net; he finished with 41 saves.

“He gives confidence to the team,” said South’s Ilya Kudzinau. “It gives us the confidence to push back. It’s really nice to have a goalie like that.”

Montagna noted his team was in the game up to the last.

“We outplayed that team for long stretches,” he said. “We had odd-man rush after odd-man rush but we couldn’t finish.”

In the end, the Rams were unable to get the better of Lopez.

“We know what Carson is,” Montagna said. “We got to him early and he settled in and made big save after big save for them.”

South coach Joe Houk noted his team picked up the pace in the third period.

“I thought we outplayed them in the third period,” he said. “We loved the puck better. We had more opportunities. They had a lot of power plays but they couldn’t (convert).

“Like I told the guys, a good team finds way to win and we found a way to win tonight.”

Council Rock South 3 0 2—5

Pennridge 2 0 1—3

First-period goals: Evan Mostoller (CRS) from Bobby Gilbert and Illia Mukhin, 1:52; Jake Weiner (CRS) from Kevin Koles, 3:34; Dane Fitchett (P) from Nate McKean and Andrew Lizak, 4:47; Shane Dachowski (P) from Kevin Pico, 10:13; Mukhin (P) unassisted, 10:40

Third-period goals: Mukhin (CRS) from Weiner and Ilya Kudzinau, 9:36; Chase Tovsky (CRS) from Koles, 10:18 (sh); Kevin Pico (P) unassisted, 16:21

Shots: Council Rock South 40, Pennridge 44; Saves: Carson Lopez (CRS) 41, Jacob Gilbert (P) 8 and Jacob Winton (P) 27

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—The Flyers Cup tournament is just over a month away, but Council Rock South and Pennridge offered a preview on Wednesday night.

The Golden Hawks and the Rams demonstrated why they are serious Class AA Flyers Cup contenders before the Hawks emerged with a 5-3 win in front a of a full house in the Blue Rink at Hatfield ice.

The win lifted South to 12-1-0-1 on the season and 6-0-0-1 in SHSHSL National Division play. The Hawks are listed third in the current Class AA Flyers Cup rankings.

The loss dropped Pennridge 10-4 overall and 5-2 in the division. The Rams stand fourth in the Flyers Cup rankings.

Dane Fitchett got the Rams on the scoreboard at 4:47 and Shane Dachowski tied the game at 10:13 but Illia Mukhin answered for South 27 seconds later via bad bounce and the Hawks never trailed again.

At period’s end Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna made a goaltender change, inserting Jacob Winton between the pipes.

With 48.2 seconds remaining in the game emotions boiled over and a scrum erupted along the boards near the Council Rock South bench. Four players were penalized.
South’s Blaize Pepe received a roughing minor plus a major penalty for fighting. Lopez, the only goaltender the Hawks had dressed, was penalized for leaving his crease and banished for being the third man in a fight.

The Rams lost Dachowski via a fighting major and a game misconduct and Andrew Savona for being a third man in.

That turned out to be the last goal of the evening but the fireworks weren’t over; with 10 seconds left in the game Weiner and Gavin Nisenzon drew misconduct penalties for the Golden Hawks.

The late-game histrionics overshadowed Lopez’s work in the South net; he finished with 41 saves.

“He gives confidence to the team,” said South’s Ilya Kudzinau. “It gives us the confidence to push back. It’s really nice to have a goalie like that.”

Montagna noted his team was in the game up to the last.

“We outplayed that team for long stretches,” he said. “We had odd-man rush after odd-man rush but we couldn’t finish.”

In the end, the Rams were unable to get the better of Lopez.

“We know what Carson is,” Montagna said. We got to him early and he settled in and made big save after big save for them.”

South coach Joe Houk noted his team picked up the pace in the third period.

“I thought we outplayed them in the third period,” he said. “We loved the puck better. We had more opportunities. They had a lot of power plays but they couldn’t (convert).

“Like I told the guys, a good team finds way to win and we found a way to win tonight.”

Council Rock South 3 0 2—5

Pennridge 2 0 1—3

Third-period goals: Mukhin (CRS) from Weiner and Ilya Kudzinau, 9:36; Chase Tovsky (CRS) from Koles, 10:18 (sh); Kevin Pico (P) unassisted, 16:21

Shots: Council Rock South 40, Pennridge 44; Saves: Carson Lopez (CRS) 41, Jacob Gilbert (P) 8 and Jacob Winton (P) 27

La Salle 5 Hun School 2

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, N.J.—Evan Golato scored two goals and three other players scored one goal each as La Salle bested Hun School 5-2 Wednesday afternoon in an APAC game at Ice Land.

The win moved La Salle (9-8-2, 5-2 in conference) into a tie for first place with Holy Ghost Prep in the conference standings.

The Explorers broke the game open with four unanswered goals in the second period. Ryan Desmond, Golato, Ryan Wiley, and Golato again scored goals in a span of 8 minutes, 57 seconds to give La Salle a commanding lead.

Scott Richmond scored for the Raiders (8-11, 2-4 in conference 54 seconds into the third period.

La Salle’s Grant LaGreca and Hun School’s Elian Estulin traded goals to complete the scoring.

Jake Rossi got the win in goal, stopping 40 shots. Stephen Chen made 54 saves for the Raiders in the loss.

La Salle 0 4 1—5

Hun School 0 0 2—2

Second-period goals: Ryan Desmond (L) from Evan Golato and Cam Ross, 3:11; Golato (L) from Will Gregorio and Desmond, 8:00; Ryan Wiley (L) from Tim Whittock and Julian Tarsi, 10:01; Golato (L) from Desmond and Ross, 12:08

Third-period goals: Scott Richmond (HS) from Elian Estulin, :54; Grant LeGreca from Whittock and James Carpenter, 9:33; Estulin (HS) from Justin LaPlante, 11:29

Shots: La Salle 59, Hun School 42; Saves: Jake Rossi (L) 40, Stephen Chen (HS) 54

Gloucester Catholic 7 St. Joseph’s Prep 1

Billy Sheridan delivered three goals to lead Gloucester Catholic to a 7-1 non-league win over St. Joseph’s Prep Wednesday afternoon at the Class of 1923 Rink at the University of Pennsylvania.
Jeffrey Hammond scored the Hawks’ only goal in the closing seconds of the third period.

The Hawks now stand at 13-4-2 on the season.

Gloucester Catholic 2 1 4—7

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 0 1—1