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

SHSHL Playoff Recap 2-21-24

C.B. South 6, Souderton 2

Aidan Linso scored two goals and four other players scored one goal each Wednesday night as the third-seeded Titans bested the sixth-seeded Big Red at Hatfield Ice to earn a place in the National Division semifinals.

Colin Mendham, D.J. Lindenmuth, Sean Cutter, and Ryan Frey all scored for South (13-7-1) which took command in the first period when Linso scored his two goals and Mendham scored in between.

Nathan Napolitano got the win in goal.

Nick Smith and Seth Grossman scored goals for Souderton (7-12).

“We won three periods,” said South coach Shaun McGinty.

Our D-zone play was much better tonight and needs to be as we move forward. We had steady goaltending and capitalized on opportunities. It was a solid effort from both teams and showed the depth of our league.”

The Titans will second-seeded Council Rock South next Wednesday in the semifinals.

Souderton 0 1 1—2

C.B. South 3 1 2—6

First-period goals: Aidan Linso (CBS) from Ryan Frey, :30; Colin Mendham (CBS) from Sean Cutter, 12:11; Linso (CBS) from Mendham, 14:41

Second-period goals: D.J. Lindenmuth (CBS) from Joey Sobodorian, 11:00; Nick Smith (S) from Seth Grossman, 16:48

Third-period goals: Cutter (CBS) from Jeff Kvecher, 1:57; Frey (CBS) from Lindenmuth, 8:12; Grossman (S) from Snith and Max Ryon, 9:03

Shots: Souderton 30, C.B. South 42; Saves: Connor Paulus (S) 36, Nathan Napolitano (CBS) 28

Bensalem 3, Abington 0

The second-seeded Owls (13-3) advanced to the American Division championship game with the win over the third-seeded Galloping Ghosts (6-10-1) in Wednesday night’s semifinal at Grundy Arena.

Lucas Gonzalez gave his team a 1-0 lead 5:17 into the opening period. He extended Bensalem’s lead when he scored his second goal of the night with 3:40 left in the third period. Alex Hood added a goal of his own with 16 seconds remaining.

An altercation following Hood’s goal and another following the final buzzer led to five players being accessed a total of 77 minutes in penalties.

Bensalem will face Plymouth Whitemarsh net Wednesday in the American Division finale.

Abington 0 0 0—0

Bensalem 1 0 2—3

First-period goal: Lucas Gonzalez (B) from Alex Hood, 5:17

Third-period goals: Gonzalez (B) from Cole Salayda and Hood, 12:40; Hood (B) unassisted (en)

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

Holy Ghost Prep 5 Hun School 2

Holy Ghost Prep started fast on Tuesday and kept on going. A pair of first-period goals gave the Firebirds a 2-0 lead and propelled them to a 5-2 win over Hun School in the APAC play in game at Grundy Arena.

Fourth-seeded Holy Ghost Prep (11-12) earned a date with top seed and defending champion La Salle Wednesday at 4:00 at the Class of 1923 Arena at the University of Pennsylvania. Fifth-seeded Hun School closed its season at 4-11.

Having twice defeated the Raiders during the regular season, the hosts took the ice on Tuesday looking to set a tone. Pat Slook’s goal 3:12 into the opening period did just that. Jack Gavaghan made it a 2-0 on a shot from the right point with 2:34 left in the period.

“We knew that if we just jumped on them, it we got one early, we could keep rolling through them,” Slook said. “The plan was to get pucks deep and go at them, work in the corners and just grind out. Getting that first goal was a big one early.”

Nathan Romer and Caine Bickel added power-play goals for the Firebirds in the second frame, just over five minutes apart.

Special teams were impactful for much of a game that featured 12 minor penalties, six to each side.

A.J. Prete made it a 5-0 game 2:20 into the third period and the Firebirds seemed to have things well in hand.

At that point the Raiders, who had just 14 skaters dressed, seemed to be running low on energy. Following Prete’s goal, P.J. Angotti replaced Julien Arseneault in the Hun School net

But the visitors never stopped working and their effort paid off when Charles-Etienne Jette got the puck past Firebird netminder Jack Unger 5:35 into the final session. Joachim Neverdahl added a shorthanded goal just shy of four minutes later.

Hun School coach Eric Szeker celebrated his young team’s work ethic.

“My guys gave it everything they had,” he said. “Fatigue, whatever it might be, they made no excuses.

“We came out in the third when everything was against us and we still put a great effort out. That tells you about the [team] more than the score will.”

Holy Ghost Prep coach John Ritchie notes there is still work left to do as his team evolves.

“We gave up a couple breakaways late in the second period,” he said. “A young team starts to cheat a little bit when they have some success offensively and I thought we did that. It ended up hurting us.”

With the ‘second season’ now underway, Slook is encouraged by the progress he and his teammates have made over the course of the campaign.

“We grew as a team,” he said. “I think we hit a few speed bumps along the way but I think we just stayed together as a team and worked through it, and I think we’re in pretty good shape for the playoffs.”

Ice chips: Nine Hun School players concluded their high-school careers this season … The Holy Ghost Prep-La Salle game will be the first game of an APAC semifinal doubleheader matching Malvern Prep and St. Joseph’s Prep. is scheduled for a 6:15 start.

The results of the playoffs will not impact Flyers Cup tournament seedings.

Hun School 0 0 2—2

HGP 2 2 1—5

First-period goals: Patrick Slook (HGP) from Jake McCaw, 3:12; Jack Gavaghan (HGP) from Andrew Morgan and A.J. Prete, 14:26

Second-period goals: Nathan Romer (HGP) from Caine Bickel, 2:30 (pp); Bickel (HGP) from Colin Bara, 7:41 (pp);

Third-period goals; Prete (HGP) from Joseph Kaufmann, 2:20; Charles-Etienne Jette from Andrew Darst, 5:35; Joachim Neverdahl (HS) from Justin Laplante and P.J. Angotti, 9:25 (sh);

Shots: Hun School 21 Holy Ghost Prep 39; Saves: Julien Arseneault (HS) and P.J. Angotti (HS) 34, Jack Unger (HGP) 19

For more about Holy Ghost Prep CLICK HERE

For more about The Hun School CLICK HERE

Playoff Ponderings-SHSHL

Wednesday, February 21

National Division Quarterfinal

3. Central Bucks South vs. 6. Souderton

7:20 at Hatfield Ice

Winner faces Council Rock South in semifinals on 2-28

Central Bucks South (12-7-1, 12-5-1 in divisional play)

The Titans have been an up-and-down team this season. They enter the postseason having split their last six games.

D.J. Lindenmuth paces the team in scoring with 21 goals and 14 assists for 35 points. Sean Cutter has produced eight goals and 18 assists for 26 points. Dom Varacallo offers a veteran’s presence in goal with an .880 save percentage and a 3.08 GAA. Nathan Napolitano offers an .876 save percentage and a 2.83 GAA.

South split two meetings with Souderton this season.

Souderton (7-11)

The Big Red was third in the division in goals scored with 111 but also surrendered the most, 153. Maxwell Ryon tops the scoring column with 43 goals and 20 assists for 63 points. Seth Grossman is next with 24 goals and 30 assists for 54 points while Nick Smith has added 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points.

Connor Paulus took over in goal when his team needed a netminder. His season-long save percentage is .732 and his GAA stands at 8.50 but his level of play has risen impressively since the holiday break,

American Division Semifinal

2. Bensalem vs. 3. Abington

7:20 at Grundy Arena

Winner faces Plymouth Whitemarsh in final on 2-28

Bensalem (12-3, 9-3 in divisional play)

The Owls have attracted a lot of attention this season; they’ve averaged seven goals a game. Alex Hood stands third in the entire SHSHL in scoring with 52 goals and 18 assists for 70 points. Alex Bazylevich has provided 15 goals and 27 assists for 42 points.

Ricky Gonzalez is a premier goaltender, who’s carrying a .901 save percentage and a 3.06 GAA.

Abington (6-9-1, 5-7 in the division)

A young Abington team struggled at time this season but the Galloping Ghosts get a fresh start with the start of the postseason.

Seamus Donofry paces his team in scoring with seven goals and 23 assists for 30 points. Michael Romano is next with 11 goal and nine assists for 20 points.

Matt Evangelist (.864 save percentage, 4.33 GAA) and Devin Brown (.808/7.33) split time in goal.

Thursday, February 22

National Division Quarterfinal

4. Central Bucks East vs. 5 North Penn

7:10 at Hatfield Ice

Winner faces Pennridge in semifinal on 2-28

Central Bucks East (11-5-2)

The Patriots enter the postseason as one of the hottest teams in the SHSHL; the went 6-1-2 in their final nine games. They’re 1-0-1 against the Knights this season.

Corey Kosick leads the team in scoring with 26 goals and 12 assists for 38 points. Jaden Young is next with eight goals and six assists for 14 points. Eight players on the roster have accumulated 10 points or more.

Cole Breen is a force in goal with an .891 save percentage and a 3.51 GAA

North Penn (10-7-1)

After struggling much of last year, the Knights staged a big-time resurgence this season. Nolan Shingle is the top scorer with nine goals and 28 assists for 37 points. Samuel Norton has provided 17 goals and 13 assists for 30 points while Cole Pluck has contributed 15 goals and 14 assists for 29 points.

Maks-Joseph Harkins, Aidan Quigley, and Ian McAteer all see time in goal. Harkins has the most noteworthy numbers, a .918 save percentage and a 2.41 GAA.

Results of the playoffs will not impact Flyers Cup tournament selections/seedings. Abington and Bensalem are both classified ‘AA” for Flyers Cup purposes.

SHSHL Playoff Schedule 2024

SHSHL Playoff Schedule (Revised)

Wednesday, February 21

National Division Quarterfinal

3. Central Bucks South vs. 6. Souderton

7:20 at Hatfield Ice

American Division Semifinal

2. Bensalem vs. 3. Abington

7:20 at Grundy Arena

Thursday, February 22

National Division Quarterfinal

4. Central Bucks East vs. 5 North Penn

7:10 at Hatfield Ice

Wednesday, February 28

National Division Semifinals

Pennridge vs. North Penn or C.B. East

8:45 at Hatfield Ice

Council Rick South vs. C.B. South or Souderton

7:20 at Grundy Arena

American Division Final

Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. Abington or Bensalem

6:50 at Hatfield Ice

Thursday, February 29

National Division Final (tentative)

SHSHL Update for 2-19-24

Final Regular Season Standings

National Division W L T OW OL Pts

Pennridge (17-1-2) 16 0 1 1 0 0 34

Council Rock South (18-1-0) 17 1 0 0 0 34

Cent. Bucks South (12-7-1) 12 5 1 0 2 27

Central Bucks East (11-5-2) 11 5 2 2 0 24

North Penn (10-7-1) 10 7 1 0 0 21

Souderton (7-11-0) 7 11 0 4 2 18

Pennsbury (4-13-1) 4 13 1 0 2 11

Council Rock North (2-13-0) 4 14 0 1 1 9

Cent. Bucks West (3-14-1) 3 14 1 0 1 8

Neshaminy (1-14-3) 1 14 3 0 0 5

American Division W L T OW OL Pts

Plymouth White. (13-3) 11 1 0 0 1 23

Bensalem (12-3) 9 3 0 1 1 19

Abington (6-9-1) 5 7 0 0 0 10

Springfield (3-12) 3 9 0 0 0 6

Wissahickon (2-13) 2 10 0 1 4

National Division Scoring G A Pts

Kevin Pico (Pr) 28 47 75

Andrew Savona (Pr) 40 31 71

Maxwell Ryon (Soud) 43 20 63

Shane Dachowski (Pr) 27 33 60

Seth Grossman (Soud) 24 30 54

Kevin Koles (CRS) 24 26 50

Jake Weiner (CRS) 28 20 48

Blaize Pepe (CRS) 16 27 43

Nolan Shingle (NP) 9 30 39

Corey Kosick (CBE) 26 12 38

American Division Scoring G A Pts

Alex Hood (Bens) 52 18 70

Alex Bazylevich (Bens) 15 27 42

David Branigan (PW) 23 16 39

Dylan Novitski (PW) 19 12 31

Seamus Donofry (Ab) 7 23 30

Jason Segal (PW) 14 16 30

Lucas Gonalez (Bens) 10- 19 29

Tim Murphy (PW) 10 19 29

Daniel Guller (PW) 9 19 28

Owen Quinn (Sp) 18 10 28

Playoff Ponderings—APAC

Tuesday, February 20

APAC Play In

#5 Hun School at #4 Holy Ghost Prep

4:00 Grundy Arena

Hun School (4-10, 1-7 APAC)

A young Raider squad battled inexperience and injuries for much of the season. Justin Laplante scored four goals and added three assist in conference play. Julian Arsenault (.920 save percentage) and P.J. Angotti are both solid in goal.

Holy Ghost Prep (10-12, 3-5 APAC)

A young team matured as the season progressed.

Anthony Valeriote leads the team in scoring with four goals and 10 assists for 14 points in all competitions. Matt Cholaj has scored three goals and added 10 assists for 13 points.Jake McCaw finished regular season with nine goals and added four assists for 13 points; 3-3-6 in APAC play. Jack Unger is the probable starter in goal (.958 save percentage, 0.84 GAA in conference play; .893/2.36 in all competitions).

Wednesday, February 21

#1 La Salle vs Hun School/Holy Ghost Prep

4:00 at Class of 1923 Rink

La Salle (18-3, 8-0 APAC)

The defending conference, Flyers Cup, and state champion Explorers are seeking their fourth outright APAC title in the conference’s six-year history (they’ve also shared another). Dean Carvalho led the APAC in scoring with six goals and six assists for 12 points. He tallied 15 goals and 21 assists for 36 points in all competitions. Patrick Brace has collected eight goals and 11 assists for 19 point in all competitions; 4-3-7 in the APAC. Goaltender Jake Rossi has a season-long save percentage of .936 and a GAA of 1.63; .954/1.13 in conference play.

#3 St. Joseph’s Prep vs #2 Malvern Prep

6:15 at Class of 1923 Rink

St. Joseph’s Prep (14-5, 4-4 APAC)

A corps of young players combined with veteran leadership to record some impressive results for the Hawks this season. Brayden Collins led the team in scoring with eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points; 3-3-6 in conference play. John Lynch scored four goals and added 11 assists overall. Jake Schultz was the Hawks’ top scoring in APAC competition with four goals and three assists for seven points; 7-5-12 overall. Jacob Aranda started every conference game in goal and finished league play with an .894 saver percentage and a 3.09 GAA; .893/2.85 overall.

Malvern Prep (9-7, 4-4 APAC)

The Friars had their ups and down early on, but rebounded to win six of their last nine games. Jeremy Jacobs led the team in scoring with 17 goals and 15 assists for 32 points; 5-6-11 in conference play. Caiden Canale deposited six goals and added seven assists for 13 points in all competitions; 1-4-5 in the APAC. Brady Doyle added five goals and seven assists overall; 1-4-5 in conference play. Goaltender Matt Crawford turned in a .935 save percentage in APAC play with a 2.27 GAA; .911-2.62 in all competitions.

APAC Update for 2-16-24

Final Regular Season Standings

W L OTW OTL Pts GF GA

La Salle (18-3) 8 0 0 0 24 36 9

Malvern Prep (9-7) 4 4 2 2 12 18 20

St. Joseph’s Prep (14-5) 4 4 1 0 11 28 25

Holy Ghost Prep (10-12) 3 5 0 1 9 13 20

Hun School (4-10) 1 7 0 1 3 16 37

Playoff Schedule

Tuesday 2-20

4:00 (5) Hun School vs. (4) Holy Ghost Prep at Grundy Arena

Wednesday, February 21

4:00 Hun School or Holy Ghost Prep vs. (1). La Salle

6:15 (3) Malvern Prep vs. (2) St. Joseph’s Prep

Both game at Class of 1923 Rink

Wednesday, February 28

Tentative date for Founders Cup final to be hosted by highest seeded finalist

Scoring (Conference Games) GP G A Pts. PPG

Dan Carvalho (L) 8 6 6 12 1.50

Jeremy Jacobs (MP) 8 5 6 11 1.38

Patrick Brace (L) 8 4 3 7 0.88

William Carpenter (L) 8 1 6 7 0.88

Justin Laplante (HS) 8 4 3 7 0.88

Jake Schultz (SJP) 7 4 3 7 0.88

Ryan Levesque (HS) 6 1 4 5 0.83

Jake McCaw (HGP) 8 3 3 6 0.75

Brayden Collins (SJP) 8 3 3 6 0.75

Julian Tarsi (L) 8 3 3 6 0.75

Declan Kelly (L) 8 1 5 6 0.75

Will Gregorio (L) 8 1 5 6 0.75

Tristan Winata (SJP) 8 6 0 6 0.75

Save Pct (Conference Games) GP Shots GA Save Pct.

Jack Unger (HGP) 4 72 3 .958

Jake Rossi (L) 7 197 9 .954

Matt Crawford (MP) 7 293 19 .935

Julian Arseneault (HS) 4 200 16 .920

Jaccob Aranda (SJP) 8 235 25 .894

Goals Against (Conference Games)

Jack Unger (HGP) 0.84

Jake Rossi (L) 1.13

Matt Crawford (MP) 2.27

Jacob Aranda (SJP) 3.09

Julian Arsenault (HS) 3.10

(Goaltemders must have played 153 minutes in conference games)