St. Joseph’s Prep built a 3-0 first-period lead and went on to a 4-1 win over Hun School Wednesday afternoon at Ice Land.
Four different players scored goals for the Hawks who improved to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in APC play. The Raiders fell to 1-4-1 overall and 0-2 in conference.
Adam Charrafi gave the Hawks a quick 1-0 lead when he beat Hun School net minder Elliott Wong 2:19 into the opening period. Thomas Ely made it a 2-0 game five minutes later and Michael Castelli extended his team’s lead before the opening period ended.
Michael Washlick extended the Hawk lead to 4–0 5:50 into tech second frame.
“We played a pretty good quick, and active first and second periods,” said St. Joseph’s Prep coach David Giacomin. “In the third period we became undisciplined.”
Anders Val Raalte’s with 4:05 left in the game got Hun School on the scoreboard.
St. Joseph’s Prep 3 1 0—4
Hun School 0 0 1—4
First-period goals: Adam Charrafi (SJP) unassisted, 2:19; Thomas Ely (SJP) from Bradan Fisher, 7:18; Michael Castelli (SJ) from Noah Stull, 14:03
Second-period goal: Michael Washlick (SJP) unassisted, 5:50
Third-period goal: Anders Val Raalte (HS) from Jake Beck, 12:55
Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 25, Hun School 12; Saves: Declan Geary (SJP) 11, Elliot Wong (HS) 21
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St. Joseph’s Prep and Holy Ghost Prep came out running and gunning on Wednesday. The Hawks never stopped and built leads of 3-0 and 4-1 en route to a 6-3 win in an APAC shootout at Grundy Arena.
Adam Charrafi and Cole Gargon each scored two goals for the Hawks, who now stand at 3-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play. Jai Perry Pereira and Thomas Ely also scored for St. Joseph’s Prep, which won its third straight after opening the season with a loss to La Salle.
Charrafi put the Hawks in front 8:52 into the first period when he beat Jack Unger in the Firebird net. Gargon made it a 2-0 game five-and-a-half minutes later before setting up Charrafi’s second goal of the game 3:34 into the second frame.
St. Joseph’s Prep coach David Giacomin was elated with the game’ up-temp pace.
“I was very pleased with the pace of play,” he said. “we played very quickly and got a nice early lead on them and knew they were going to push back, which they did.
“It was nice to play a game with two fast teams going up and down the ice.”
Anthony Valerie scored for Holy Ghost Prep (5-2, 1-2 in conference) on a power-play effort with 7:09 left in the middle period. but Thomas Ely answered for St. joseph’s Prep to extend the Hawks’ lead to 4-1 with 5:30 remaining in the period.
Before the period ended the Firebirds made a charge. Brian Kinniry and Lucas Gonzalez scored goals in a span of 2 minutes, 5 seconds to make it a 4-3 game with 2:59 still left in the second frame.
But the Firebirds could not solve Declan Geary again; he finished the game with 31 saves. Jai Perry Pereira and Gargon added goals in the closing moments to widen the final margin.
“I was extremely impressed with the way we played in the third period,” Giacomin said. “We really played a smart game and continued to skate hard and got excellent goaltending.”
Holy Ghost Prep coach John Ritchie said his team was undone by a slow start.
“We were unfocused to start the game,” he said. “St. Joe’s took it to us and we dug too deep of a hole for ourselves to get out of. I didn’t think we started playing decent hockey until halfway through the second period and by that point it was too late.”
Ritchie said the Hawks prevailed in part because of their work ethic.
“They outworked us and deserve to win,” he said. “We make too many excuses, and at the end of the day we have to be able to execute on a consistent basis against the teams in our league.”
The Firebirds have dropped their last two conference games.
St. Joseph’s Prep 2 2 2—6
Holy Ghost Prep 0 3 0—3
First-period goals: Adam Charrafi (SJP) from Frank Ely, 8:52; Cole Gargon (SJP) unassisted, 14:19
Second-period goals: Charrafi (SJP) from Gargon, 3:34 (pp); Anthony Valeriote (HGP) from John Gavaghan and Brady Logue, 9:51 (pp); Thomas Ely (SJP) from Bradan Fisher and Noah Stuhl, 11:30; Brian Kinniry (HGP) from Joseph Kaufmann, 11:56; Lucas Gonzalez (HGP) from Logue, 14:01
Third-period goals: Jai Perry-Pereira (SJP) from Michael Washlick, 15:47; Gargon (SJP) from Frank Ely, 16:40
Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 37, Holy Ghost Prep 34; Saves: Declan Geary (sjp) 31, Jack Unger (HGP) 31
Thanksgiving Eve is the single most important date on the scholastic hockey calendar as traditional rivals square off. This year is no exception. Here’s a rundown of Wednesday’s 18 scheduled games.
SHSHL
Central Bucks South 6 North Penn 5 OT—Joey Slobodian scored the weinning goal with 2:28 left in overtime. Details available elsewhere on this blog
Council Rock South 11 Council Rock North 1—Jake Weiner and Jeremy Rayher scored two goals each and seven other players added single goals as the Golden Hawks bested the Indians in the annual Rock Cup game at Revolution Ice Gardens. Rayher added three assists and Weiner two to finish with five and four points respectively. The Hawks improved to 6-1 overall and 5-0 in the National Division Jackson Accardo scored for the Indians (2-4 overall and in the division).
Neshaminy 5 Pennsbury 3—The ‘Skins overcame a 2-1 second-period deficit by scoring four goals in the third period Wednesday night. Ryan DeMatteo and Angelo Venziale each scored twice for Neshaminy which improved ro 3-2 overall and 2-2 in the division,. Nathan Parker also scored a goal. Chris Sarver, Connor Gray, and Logan Weed scored for Pennsbury (1-5, 1-4 in the division).
It was a great game tonight,” said Neshaminy coach Bill Mooney, Our Gannon Cup game was as exciting as usual. For us, this game neans so much, especially when we’re playing with the memories of our teammates Patrick Gannon and Phil Ozierduk, But the game was even more important because were playing in honor of (Former Neshaminy club President) Bud Wilkens who recently passed,
C.B. East 6 C.B. West 2 — The Patriots broke a 2-2 tie by scoring four goals in the third period and going on to a 6-2 win Wednesday night at Hatfield Ice. Joseph Walter, Gavin Widmer, David Brown, and Aiden Collins scored goals in a span of 5:50 to propel East (2-4 overall) to its second league win in five starts. Ethan Cenci and Samuel Gottesman also scored for the Patriots. Jack MIsoda and Anthony Dowd scored for West (0-6 overall and in the National Division)
Hatboro-Horsham 5 Springfield 3—Victor Wilkins scored two goals as the Hatters bested the Spartans Wednesday night at Revolution Ice Gardens, His second goal, which came with 2:50 remaining in the second period, put the Hatters in front for good. Nathan Nemchinov, William Moffa and Darius Graizani alo scored goals for the winners who improved to 3-2 and 3-1 in the American Division. Gabriel Wells, Kellen Warman, and Gavin McManus scored for Springfield (1-3 overall and in the division).
Pennridge 7 Souderton 0—Shane Dachowski and Nolan Shaw each scored two goals as the Rams shut out the Big Red Wednesday night at Hatfield Ice. James Rush, Landan Bishop and Josh Kelly also scored goals for Pennridge (4-1, 3-1 in the National Division). Jacob Winton stopped 33 shots. Souderton fell to 2-3 (2-2 in the division)
APAC
La Salle 3 Malvern Prep 2
Holy Ghost Prep 5 Father Judge 1—Colin Bara scored twice as the Firebirds downed the Crusaders Wednesday night at Flyers Skate Zone Northeast to improve to 4-1 on the season. Brian Kinniry, Chris Marshall and Patryk Oszer also scored goals. Jack Unger made 15 saves in goal.
ICSHL
Devon Prep 5 Haverford School 1
Garnet Valley 11 Marple Newtown 1
Downingtown West 2 Downingtown East 1
W.C. Henderson 2 W.C. East 1
Haverford 5 Springfield-Delco 1
Roman Catholic 3 vs. Ryan-Conwell-Egan 2
Avon Grove 3 Kennett 2
Penncrest 4 Strah Haven 0
Lower Merion 11 Harriton 1
Conestoga 10. Radnor 3
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The host Raiders (0-1-1) rallied from a 3-1 second-period deficit to force the tie in Friday’s non-league encounter. Jake O’ Connell scored two of the Hun School goals, Nate Trawinski the third.
HATFIELD—The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference’s seventh season got off to a scintillating start Wednesday afternoon. St. Joseph’s Prep and La Salle played an entertaining 51 minutes of hockey before the Explorers left Hatfield Ice Arena as 4-2 winners in a rematch of La Salle’s win in last year’s Founders Cup final.
There was little to choose between the two sides.
“It was really fun,” said La Salle’s Jacob Warner. “We’re rivals, everyone around here knows any game against St. Joe’s is a good game.
“I think we came in here and knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game. All the guys knew they were not going to roll over and die for us. They’re going to bring it.”
LaSalle’s Jacob Warner sets ip in front of the net against St. Joseph’s Prep on Wednesday. The Hawks’ Declan Geary is the goaltender (Robert Barnes photo
The Explorers were shorthanded because of injuries and coach Wally Muehlbronner chose to rotate three lines rather than his usual four.
“I think only having three lines hurt us,” he said. “We didn’t have a ton of jump throughout the game. We had our spurts but weren’t able to really get a lot of sustained pressure at times. We kind of went in spurts.”
Warner, a senior, played a significant role in the day’s events. He scored first goal of the afternoon 4:17 into the opening period period after collecting a feed from Julian Tarsi who started the play with a run down the right wing.
The two combined again 55 seconds into the second frame when Tarsi scored from close range on a play that saw Warner pick up the primary assist.
Meantime, Jake Rossi was sharp in the Explorer net; he made 25 saves over the course of the first two periods.
Nole Donahue extended La Salle’s lead 7:24 into the final session and the hosts seemed to have things well in hand, particularly when back-to-back penalties put the Hawks two men down for 32 seconds with just 4:23 left in the game.
But Carter Short gave his team a jolt of energy when the Explorers lost the puck at center ice, sending Short away on a shorthanded breakaway. His goal with 2:47 remaining gave the Hawks a boos but Grant LaGreca answered for La Salle 27 seconds later.
Bradan Fisher finished the scoring when he found the back of the net for the Hawks (0-1) with 30 seconds remaining.
Despite the result, Hawks coach David Giacomin expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance.
“All in all, we played pretty well,” he said. “We moved our feet and we proved we can be on the same ice with a team like [La Salle]. We’re relatively young still, return quite a bit from last year, but they were all really young, so all in all it was a fairly even game except for a couple shots they made.”
Warner noted the importance of the Explorers (2-0) staring APAC play with an impressive win against an opponent that have a quality effort of its own.
“I think that’s huge,’ Warner said. ”When you get evenly matched teams, it’s good because while you do build confidence when you blow somebody out, it’s not really great because then you’re going to go in and think you’re going to blow out every other team you play.”
St. Joseph’s Prep 0 0 2—2
La Salle 1 1 2—4
First-period goals: Jacob Warner (L) from Julian Tarsi, 4:17
Second-period goal: Tarsi (L) from Warner and Tristan Mitchell, :55
Third-period goal: Nole Donahue (L) from Michael Esmond, 7:24; Carter Short (SJP) unassisted, 14:13 (sh); Grant LaGreca (L) from Alex Gibson, 14;40; Braden Fisher (SJP) from Michael Castelli and Tommy Ely, 16:30
Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 32, La Salle 36; Saves: Declan Geary (SJP) 32, Jake Rossi (L) 30
On this day, last year, we lost Coach Greg McDonald.
Today, we remember and honor a man who gave so much of himself to the ice hockey community. Greg was a loving and devoted husband, father, friend, mentor and coach. He is sorely missed every day.
Please remember Coach Greg today – share a story, say a prayer, or shoot a puck to celebrate him.
Rest in peace, Coach Greg. We will keep your legacy alive!
Greg was a Philadelphia Eagles Executive for nearly 24 years. He was a loving husband and father of two young children. Sadly, he passed away from Appendiceal Cancer in October of 2023. He is sorely missed at home, at work, and on the ice – as he was a dedicated youth hockey coach for 20 years in the Philadelphia area.
The Greg McDonald Foundation (GMF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization with a mission to empower the hockey community by providing opportunities to those with the greatest need through scholarships, equipment donations, and community service.
“We will have two large scale events each year: The GMF Golf Classic; and a Pond Hockey Tournament. The funds raised at these events will continue to support our mission. Greg’s journey, woven with threads of leadership, passion for ice hockey, and boundless love for his family, continues to inspire us and we are committed to keeping Greg’s legacy alive”, explains Patti, Greg’s widow. “We are thrilled to be able to give back to a community that provided Greg with so many opportunities in his life. Paying it forward was very important to him, and we will continue to honor that.”
The golf registration is now full for the GMF Golf Classic. Limited seating is still available for the post-golf banquet – which runs from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The banquet will include live music, great food and drinks, celebrity guests, and a silent auction. If you would like to be placed on the waiting list for golf, or if you would like to purchase a seat at the banquet, please email: patti@gregmcdonaldfoundation.org For more information about Greg and the foundation, please visit: www.gregmcdonaldfoundation.org
Hershey scored four consecutive goals to overcome a 2-0 deficit to score a 4-2 over Chartiers Valley on Saturday in the Class A Pennsylvania Cup championship game at Ice Line.
Carson Hummer, Blake Umberger, Kyle Kloss, and Tyler Lucas all scored for the Trojans, who were making their first appearance in state final.
Noah Callander scored two goals 59 seconds apart to give the Colts a 2-0 lead. Umberger’s goal 10:02 into the second frame made it a one-goal game Umberger tied the game with a power-play goal with 3:27 left in the period.
Kloss’s goal 1:47 into the third period proved to be the game winner; it came during a four-on-four situation, Lucas added a goal at the 7:04 mark.
Alexander Placeres earned the win in goal making 31 saves.
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