Cole Gargon scored two goals to help the Hawks to the win over Gonzaga Friday afternoon at the University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 1923 rink.
The freshman’s second goal of the game with 1:58 left in the second period snapped a 2-2 tie. Jake Shultz added a third-period goal as the hosts improved to 2-1 on the season.
Frankie Ely, another freshman, also scored for the Hawks; his tally in the first period was the first varsity goal of his career.
Declan Geary, another freshman, got the win in goal, making 30 saves.
Gonzaga 1 1 0—2
St. Joseph’s Prep 1 2 1—4
First-period goals: Edwin Siembzeba (G) from Hamilton Nordwin, 13:13; Frankie Ely (SP) from Adam Charrafi and Carter Short, 13:29
Second-period goals: Cole Gargon (SJP) from Charrafi, 6:22; Matthew Shay (G) from Tyler Jasell, 8:57; Gargon (SP) from Tristan Winata and Charrafi, 15:52
Third-period goal: Jake Shultz (SP) from Tyler Degiralomo and Shane O’Neill, 8:18
WARWICK TOWNSHIP—With the demise of Thanksgiving Day high-school football, scholastic hockey, now more than ever, has become an entrenched holiday tradition, one which brings together traditional rivals.
Central Bucks East and Central Bucks West have been rivals in all sports for over half a century, since before either school fielded a hockey team. And their traditional Thanksgiving Eve shootout on ice brought with it a full measure of emotional energy.
“It’s good to get a lot of support from the fans from the respective schools,” said East coach Jeff Mitchell. “The homecoming [football] game and rivalry games aren’t too much of a thing anymore, especially since Covid, so it’s good that the league still lets us have these games and tries to make a little bit more special than the rest of them.”
West Coach Dave Baun spoke of the familiarity the players on both side have with one another.
“Many of the kids know the opponent,” he said, “because they went to Tohickon [Middle School] together. It’s a great rivalry, there are great kids on both teams, and we have a lot of fun.”
On this occasion, it was the Patriots who had the upper hand. Corey Kosick scored three goals in a span of 4 minutes, 57 seconds in the first period to pace his team to a 4-2 win in front of a full house at Revolution Ice Gardens.
It was the second win for the Patriots (3-1) over the Bucks (1-3-1) in 13 days; East won the first meeting 7-3 on November 9.
Kosick’s first goal of the night, his eighth of the season, came off a turnover when he when in on West netminder Liam Rogers essentially unchallenged. His second tally came at the 7:57 mark, he completed his hat trick just 19 seconds later.
Kosick was playing in his third East-West holiday matchup.
“I think we probably had the most people here for this year,” he said. “There was a lot of energy. It was fun to play in front of all these people because we don’t usually get that many.”
Evan Asimakopoulos made it a 4-0 game 29 seconds into the middle period but the Bucks were still hanging around, largely due to the work of Liam Rogers in goal. The senior made 26 saves over the course of the first two periods.
When Anthony Dowd and Adam Ricci scored goals 20 second apart West found itself trailing just 4-2 with a period-and-a-half of hockey remaining. But Cole Breen kept the Bucks at bay the rest of the way.
“I feel like we kind of took our foot off the gas at the start of the second period,” Mitchell said, “which kind of gave them room to kind of start getting back into the game and we took a couple of bad penalties.
“But all in all, the boys were pretty much giving 110 [percent] throughout the entire game.”
West was unable to take advantage of five power-play chances (one of them abbreviated).
“You would never guess that we worked on our power play breakout at practice on Monday,” said West coach Dave Baun. “but sometimes they have short memories. Some of this stuff should be second nature and it’s not.”
C.B. West 0 2 0—2
C.B. East 3 1 0—4
First-period goals: Corey Kosick (CBE) unassisted, 3:19; Kosick (CBE) from Evan Asimakopoulos and Drew Trask, 7:57; Kosick (CBE) from Asimakopoulos and Trask, 8:16
Second-period goals: Asimakopoulos (CBE) from Kosick, :29; Anthony Dowd (CBW) unassisted, 12:35; Adam Ricci (CBW) from Dowd, 12:55
Shots: C.B. West 25, C.B. East 40; Saves: Liam Rogers (CBW) 36, Cole Breen (CBE) 23
Julian Tarsi scored a pair of second-period goals to pace La Salle to a 4-1 win over Malvern Prep Wednesday night in an APAC game at Ice Line. It was the second conference win of the season for the Explorers who are 5-0 overall and have won 10 straight dating back to last season.
Aidan Kelly gave the Friars (3-2, 1-1 in conference) the lead just 21 seconds into the opening period. Michael Esmond tied the game for La Salle at the 14:34 mark.
Tarsi’s goals came in a span of 3:14 late in the second period.
La Salle 1 2 1—4
Malvern Prep 1 0 0—1
First-period goals: Aidan Kelly (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs, :21; Michael Esmond (L) from John Mullen, 14:34
Second-period goals: Julian Tarsi (L) from Dean Carvalho, 11:21 (pp); Tarsi (L) from Declan Kelly, 14:35
Third-period goal: Will Carpenter (L) from Patrick Brace and Will Gregorio 16:46 (sh),
Shots: La Salle 41, Malvern Prep 19; Saves: Jacob Rossi (L) 18, Matt Crawford (MP) 37
Elsewhere
Central Bucks East 4 Central Bucks West 2 (Recap available on this blog)
Pennsbury 3 Neshaminy 0—Three different players scored goals for the victorious Falcons. Aaron McDaniel earned the shutout in goal.
Pennridge 13 Souderton 5—Six different players scored goals for the Rams. Andrew Savona, Kevin Pico, and Shane Dachowski all delivered hat tricks.
Council Rock South 10 vs. Council Rock North 0—Kevin Koles, Jackson Mosley, and Nikita Volobuiev all scored two goals as the Golden Hawks shut out the Indians at Revolution Ice Gardens
Central Bucks South 4 North Penn 2—Ryan Frey, Jeff Kvecher, and Audan Linso all scored third-period goals to lead the Titans over the Knights.
Hatboro-Horsham/Upper Dublin 7 Springfield 6 OT
Father Judge 3 Holy Ghost Prep 1—Jason Sarmon, Joe Mullen, and Colin Howell scored goals for the victorious Crusaders in the non-league game at Grundy Arena. Anthony Prete scored for the Firebirds (0-3)
The captain’s position in hockey, whatever the level, transcends that role in other team sports.
The captain is expected to provide leadership and support to his teammates, and perhaps at times serve as a bridge between the players and the coaching staff, while taking care not to let his own on-ice performance fall off.
John Lynch is wearing the ‘C’ at St. Joseph’s Prep this season. The senior defenseman was appointed by his coach, David Giacomin, with input from his teammates. Each player on the roster was permitted to submit three names to be considered for the captaincy.
It is a role that Lynch, a South Philadelphia resident, embraces.
John Lynch
“I was happy with it,” he said. “Because I’ve been a captain before. But I was never given the actual ‘C ‘I, was just named captain.
“And to have the ‘C,’ it’s nice to have it; it just shows my dedication and my true leadership.
St. Joseph’s Prep is the first team Lynch has played for that has a designated captain but he says he’s assumed a leadership role on the club teams he’s played for (he’s currently skating for the Philadelphia Blazers 18 AA team).
“It’s good to be the guy that everyone looks up to,” he said. “This year with a lot of freshmen especially, it’s good to earn everyone’s respect and to just be positive. I have to make everyone accountable, which is the most important aspect.”
Lynch’s leadership style varies depending on he’s interacting with upperclassmen or his younger teammates.
“With the upperclassmen, I can talk to them in a different way,” he said. “And they can relate to my position. And they can help me out, see where I’m coming from. And there’s ways to address them, even though they’re in the same grade.
“It’s different with the freshmen because when you’re teaching them now, you’re setting up for the rest of their four years of high school and they can just continue to pass that on as they go.”
The lineup of 20 players the Hawks dressed in their APAC opener against La Salle included two freshmen and four sophomores. Two other freshmen didn’t dress.
Lynch points out that with a roster so young, it’s especially important that he and the other veterans set a positive tone.
“it’s important because there’s so many of them,” he said. “They all have to understand the commitment, and how we all just have to be together as one.
“You just have to show them more and earn their respect because if you don’t have their respect, it won’t work. But, if everyone just buys in, especially with the young kids, everyone just has to understand their role. If you teach them now, you’re setting them up for success later and they can eventually pass it on when they’re seniors.”
Lynch notes the importance of leading by example, of not letting his captain’s responsibilities negatively own on-ice performance.
“That’s definitely a factor,” he said. “If I’m having a bad game and I’m the captain there’s ways you can address the team, tell them we’ve got to step it up. Even if I’m not on my game, I can see through our mistakes and everything.
“They can see that I’m doing something wrong too but I can also help the team in other ways if I’m not having the best game. Like, motivating everybody getting up if they can to block shots.
“There’s other ways to address it especially if I’m not having that good a game, but it is hard to keep a positive mindset if I’m having a bad game If I am having a bad game, everyone just sees it.”
CLICK HEREfor more information about St. Joseph’s Prep
Thanksgiving Eve is one of the high points of the scholastic hockey season. It’s an occasion that sees traditional rivalries renewed in front of enthusiastic audiences that often include alumni who are home from college for the holiday.
With the SHSH’s expanded league schedule, every game on this list save one will impact league standings.
Here is the schedule
La Salle vs. Malvern Prep 6:45 at Ice Line
Holy Ghost Prep vs. Father Judge 7:00 at Grundy Arena
C.B. East vs C.B. West 7:00 at Revolution Ice Gardens
Pennridge vs. Souderton 7:00 at Hatfield Ice
Pennsbury vs. Neshaminy 7:20 at Grundy Arena
Springfield vs HH/UD 7:30 at Bucks County Ice
C.R. North vs C.R. South 8:45 at Revolution Ice Gardens
HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—The Pennridge Ram just keep rolling along. Andrew Savona’s three goals and two assists led the way as the Ram bested North Penn 7-0 Friday night in a SHSHL National Division encounter at Hatfield Ice.
The win was the fourth straight without a blemish for Pennridge, which came into the season off an appearance in the Class AA Flyers Cup finals last March and seemingly hasn’t lost a beat
The formula for this year’s success however includes different elements from a year ago when the Rams were one of the area’s most potent offensive juggernauts.
Senior Colin Dachowski is Pennridge’s captain. He notes the Rams are employing a more workmanlike, grind-it-out-style this season.
“That’s the style we have to play,” he said. “Grind every team out, wear them down.”
Which is more or less how Friday’s game played out. Pennridge had the better of the play in the first period but could only solve North Penn netminder Ian McAteer once; Shane Dachowski found the net at the 5:40 mark, but North Penn (2-1) outshot the Rams 10-9 in the opening session. Kevin Pico and Savona added goals in the middle period but the game was still competitive until the third frame when Savona scored twice, before and after a tally from Josh Kelly, in a span of five minutes, nine seconds to make it a 6-0 game halfway through the period.
Dachowski said he and his teammates have adapted to the new approach.
“I think everyone understands their role,” he said, “and we know the scorers and we know the grinders. We just go by that.”
Savona stressed the importance of the veterans in the lineup showing the way for their less-experienced teammates. “It’s a big deal,” he said. “We want to be leaders on this team and have them follow us along and work hard and keep going.”
North Penn coach Kevin Vaitis had reason to be optimistic at evening’s end. The Knights played hard at both ends of the ice and made the Rams work for their chances until using up their energy reserves in the third period.
“We came out in the first period and I think we were kind of taken by surprise a little bit,” Vaitis said. “They’ve got a lot of talent on that team and they jumped on us early with some pressure.
“But, we hung with them, we continued to battle back. It was 1-0 after the first and we were doing all the things we needed to do, playing some good hockey.”
Vaitis cited McAteer for keeping his team in the game; the sophomore finished with 36 saves.
“We’ve got three goalies on the team and all three are very capable goalies at the varsity level,” he said. “It was Ian’s job tonight and he played really well for us.”
North Penn 0 0 0—0 Pennridge 1 2 4—7
First-period goal: Shane Dachowski (P) from Andrew Savona, 5:40
Second-period goals: Kevin Pico (P) from Savona and Dachowski, 6:29; Savona (P) from Dachowski and James Rush, 8:25 (pp)
Third-period goals: Savona (P) from Dachowski, 3:11; Josh Kelly (P) from Nolan Shaw, 5:16 (sh); Savona (P) from Tyler Manto, 8:20; Rush (P) from Pico and Manto, 12:06
Shots: North Penn 18, Pennridge 43; Saves: Ian McAteer(NP) 36, Jacob Winton (P) 18
BRISTOL—Malvern Prep and Holy Ghost Prep took their first steps into the sometimes-perilous waters of the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference Thursday afternoon. It was the Friars who found smooth sailing.
Brayden Baum and Aidan Kelly scored second-period goals to give their side a 2-1 win over the Firebirds at Grundy Arena. It was the Friars’ third win in four starts.
“We’ve got a lot of good kids on our team,” Kelly said. “Everyone’s really motivated after the year we had last year (10-8 and a loss in the opening round of the Founders Cup playoffs). The coaches are doing a great of getting us motivated.”
Kelly noted that he and his teammates, including the newcomers on hand, are adjusting to their roles in this year’s lineup.
“I think everyone is really excited with their new roles,” the senior said. “It comes with a little bit of nerves, a little bit of pressure, just playing for such a great team in such a great league.
“But I think the older guys, the more experienced guys, are doing a great of helping everyone fit their role and get used to playing at this level.”
Malvern Prep enjoyed a 14-5 shots advantage in the opening period but couldn’t solve Firebird netminder Jack Botthof and the first frame was scoreless.
Baum got the Friars on the scoreboard 12:17 into the middle period and Kelly made it a 2-0 game at 13:58.
Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan was pleased with the way his players moved the puck.
“The puck was moving at both ends,” he said. “Not a lot of sustained pressure but we settled down into our game. “We were able to be a little more poised with the puck and get pucks deep and sustain that pressure. I’m pretty happy with the result.”
Two goals down and perhaps a bit back on their heels, the Firebirds (0-2, 0-1 in the APAC) came out swarming at the start of the third period.
It took A.J. Prete just 19 seconds to score and make it a one-goal game. But Matt Crawford in the Malvern Prep net was perfect the rest of the way; the junior stopped 15 of the 16 shots he saw in the final period.
“Matt is pretty much anchor here for us,” Keenan said. “He played that well against Council Rock South (a game the Friars lost in overtime) and he [played] that way here today too. I think overall, he’s got a good future here, especially within the APAC. He did well today.”
For a young Holy Ghost Prep team, Wednesday’s game was another step in the building process.
“Better than Game One,” Firebird coach John Richie said of his team’s effort. “Not good enough though. “That second period, we kind of took a step backwards, then that third period was much stronger.
“But we’re a team that can’t have a lapse in judgment for 10 minutes of the second period.”
Malvern Prep 0 2 0—2
Holy Ghost Prep 0 0 1—1
Second-period goals: Brayden Baum (MP) from Gabriel Bedwell and Paxton Hoishik, 12:17; Aidan Kelly (MP) from Caiden Canale and Matt Crawford, 13:58
Third-period goal: A.J. Prete (HGP) from Mike Holt, :19
Shots: Malvern Prep 27, Holy Ghost Prep 29; Saves: Matt Crawford (MP) 28, Jack Botthof (HGP) 25
HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—A bolt of lightning was followed by rolling thunder. La Salle scored two goals 69 second apart early in the third period and went on to a 3-1 win over St. Joseph’s Prep at Hatfield Ice Wednesday afternoon to officially kick off the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference’s sixth hockey season.
Will Gregorio scored what proved to be the winning goal 1:24 into the third frame. Dean Carvalho added an insurance goal at the 2:33 mark as the Explorers (4-0 overall), the defending Founders Cup, Class AAA Flyers Cup and state champions, won their ninth straight game dating back to the close of the 2023 regular season.
Carvalho noted it was not a perfect performance.
“I didn’t think we played as a well as we could have,” he said. “There’s room for improvement, and every week we’re working to improve every game.”
The Hawks (1-1 overall) took the first lead of the afternoon, thanks to Bobby McGinn’s goal with 1:07 left in a first period in which La Salle dominated, but was unable to solve St. Joseph’s Prep netminder Jacob Aranda. The junior finished the period with 13 saves and the game with 32.
“He played great,” said St. Joseph’s Perp coach David Giacomin. “He made some quality saves, he’s always in position.
“I’d like to see the tape on a couple of goals, he might have given them a little too much, but he kept us in there the first period.”
Alastair St. Hiaire tied the game for the Explorers 7:11 into the second period and the two teams battled on even terms for the balance of the session.
Gregorio’s game winner came during a four-on-four situation with La Salle’s Patrick Brace and the Hawks’ Brayden Collins both in the box. Carvalho’s goal came after Brace’s penalty time had expired but with two seconds still remaining on Collins’ infraction.
“I thought we came out and played well out of the gate,” said La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner. “Then I think we kind of got away from our game. And I think St. Joe’s did a really good job. Their goaltender made a lot of really good saves early on and they had some really good opportunities early on.
“I feel it was a pretty even game throughout.”
Even though it came out on the short end of the score,Giacomin was pleased with the effort of his young team; the 20 players who dressed for the Hawks included three freshmen and six sophomores.
“Obviously there are some things we messed up and I’d like to have back,” he said, “but we’re a very young team. I think what they learned today is, of they play the game the right way they can compete with pretty much anybody but with youngness comes taking your lumps here and there ands we made a couple mistakes.”
Ice chips: La Salle’s last loss came to Wyoming Seminary in its regular-season finale last season. The Explorers won five postseason games a year ago.
St. Joseph’s Prep 1 0 0—1
La Salle 0 1 2—3
First-period goal: Bobby McGinn (SJP) from Ben Kursun, 15:53
Second-period goal: Alastair St. Hilaire (L) from James Carpenter and Dean Carvalho, 7:11
Third-period goals: Will Gregorio (L) from Declan Kelly, 1:24; Dean Carvalho (L) from Gregorio, 2:33 (pp);
Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 32, La Salle 35; Saves: Jacob Aranda (SJP) 32, Jacob Rossi (L) 31
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