St. Joseph’s Prep 3 La Salle 1

Joey Samango delivered a hat trick to lead St. Joseph’s Prep to a 3-1 win over La Salle Friday night in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference game at the Skatium.

The win lifted the Hawks to 13-3-2 overall and 2-3-1 in APAC play. It also avenged a 5-1 loss to the Explorers at the APAC Outdoor Classic last Wednesday. La Salle dropped to 7-8-2 overall and 4-2 in conference play.

Both teams were missing several key players who were away on club duty.
Samango’s first goal was a shorthanded effort that came with 30 seconds left in the opening period while his teammate Dante Passio was serving a sentence for roughing.

Samango made it a 2-0 game 8:34 into the middle period.

James Carpenter scored for La Salle 3:01 into the third period to make it a one-goal game before Samango responded at the 8:35 mark.

The game included 17 penalties, including a skirmish at the final buzzer that saw five players penalized.

La Salle 0 0 1—1

St. Joseph’s Prep 1 1 1—3

First-period goal: Joey Samango (SJP) from Luke Schienholtz, 16:30 (sh)

Second-period goal: Samango (SJP) unassisted, 8:26;

Third-period goals: James Carpenter (L) from Dean Carvalho, 3:01; Samango (SJP) unassisted, 8:35

Shots: La Salle 27, St. Joseph’s Prep 21; Saves: Jake Rossi (L) 18. Rocco Bruno (SJP) 26

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Council Rock South 6 Pennsbury 3

BRISTOL—After one period against Pennsbury Tuesday night, Council Rock South was reeling, staring at a 2-0 deficit and playing at less than full strength; four regulars were out of the lineup.
In the end, none of that mattered. The Golden Hawks exploded for four goals in the second period and went on to a 6-3 win over the Falcons in a SHSHL National Division game at Grundy Arena.

With the win, South (9-1-0-1 overall, 4-0-0-1 in divisional play) is once more atop the divisional standings. And at a point in the season where every game matters just a little bit more and teams are starting to think more seriously about where they might fit in the SHSHL playoff and Flyers Cup brackets, the Golden Hawks displayed their resiliency.

“We clearly had to learn from what we did wrong in that first period,” said junior Kevin Koles. “We stuck to our game plan, stuck to what our coach (Joe Houk) said and we came out with a win.”

Koles had much to do with his team’s comeback, scoring three goals, two in the decisive second period and one in the third.

Blaize Pepe assisted on all three of Koles’ goals and scored a goal himself.

“We just didn’t get rattled,” Pepe said. “We kept our heads and we outplayed them the whole second and third periods. And we controlled the whole pace of the game.”

Pennsbury (8-4, 4-2 in the National Division) jumped in front when Aidan Macainsh scored twice in a three-minute span off South netminder Carson Lopez to put the Falcons up 2-0 with 4:45 left in the first period.

But the Hawks took over the game in the second stanza. Koles scored twice in a stretch of three-and-a-half minutes to tie the game with 8:25 left in the period

Pepe put the Hawks in front for good with a power-play goal with 1:34 left in the period, but Jagger Smith struck another blow for South when he beat Aaron McDaniel in the Pennsbury net with 18.4 seconds left in the period to give his team a 4-2 lead.

Macainsh completed a hat trick 6:52 into the final period to make it a one-goal game but Gavin Nisenzon scored an insurance goal for South with 3:41 left in the game.

Koles completed his hat trick by scoring into an empty net with 1:50 remaining.

Pennsbury coach Ryan Daley took away a number of positives, despite the result.

“The first period was awesome,” he said. “Lopez is a stellar goalie, we knew that going in. It’s always hard to score on him.

“The second period, we obviously weren’t too thrilled about it. But I wouldn’t even say we couldn’t keep up with them it was just kind of the way it went. It was a tough second period, but overall, I’m happy with the way we played.”

Pepe credited his teammates for bouncing back after the slow start.

“Coach gave us a nice little speech,” he said. “It set us straight and we didn’t look back from there. Once we got one, we just kept putting them in. And Carson played outstanding.”

Council Rock South 0 4 2—6

Pennsbury 2 0 1—3

First-period goals: Brendan Macainsh (P) from Justin Marlin, 9:25; Macainsh (P) from Andrew Falkenstein and Chris Sarver, 12:15

Second-period goals: Kevin Koles (CRS) from Blaize Pepe, 4:58; Koles (CRS) from Pepe, 8:35; Pepe (CRS) from Illia Mukhin, 15:26 (pp); Jagger Smith (CRS) from Jake Maurer and Jordan Sarne, 16:42

Third-period goals: Macainsh (P) from Falkenstein, 6:52; Gavin Nisenzon (CRN) unassisted, 13:19; Koles (CRS) from Pepe, 15:10 (en)

Shots: C.R. South 31, Pennsbury 27; Saves: Carson Lopez (CRS) 24, Aaron McDaniel (P) 25

Pennridge 7 C.B. South 2

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP— An evening that began with a lot of buildup evolved into a blowout.

Pennridge dominated from start to finish Wednesday in the course of a 7-2 win over Central Bucks South in a key SHSHL National Division matchup in front of a full house at Hatfield Ice.

Shane Dachowski fueled the Rams effort, contributing a pure hat trick plus two assists as his team won its fourth straight game and served notice that it is not prepared to surrender its SHSHL, Flyers Cup, and state titles, at least not without first making a vigorous defense of those laurels.

The Rams started the evening in aggressive fashion by jumping to a 2-0, and were never headed.

“That was our plan,” Dachowski said. “We weren’t supposed to let them have space at all. We know how they play. We play them all the time and we have a thing going with them.”

The Rams (9-3, 4-1 in divisional play) got things started 5:06 into the first frame when Tyler Manto scored off a scramble in front of Titan goaltender Dom Varacallo via a setup from Dachowski. It became a 2-0 game with 40 seconds left in the period when Dachowski sent a pass up the center of the ice Andrew Lizak collected the puck and beat Varacallo at the end of a breakaway.

The Titans (7-4-0-1 overall, 4-2 in the division) got on the scoreboard 2:26 into the middle period thanks to a goal from Aydin Thierolf.

But after that it was all Pennridge. Varacallo found himself under heavy fire and his support was lacking. Dachowski scored a power-play goal at the 5:09 mark, then promptly scored his second goal of the night 14 seconds later. He completed a pure hat trick with a shorthanded goal at 9:25. Andrew Savona made it a 6-1 game with 4:56 left in the period. South coach Shuan McGinty eventually rescued Varacallo from the barrage while making it clear the scoreline was not the netminder’s fault.

“Our goalie has been playing well all season,” he said, “we let him hang out to try. I pulled him because it’s just not good for his confidence.

“All in all, they played well, we didn’t.”

The Titans Aidan Linso and Lizak traded goals in the third period.

Pennridge coach Jeff Montagna says his team is playing as well now as it has all season. “That’s three games against good teams with Pennsbury, this game, and Neshaminy,” he said. (The Rams won all three games and scored 23 goals in the process). “We’ve really started to find out who we are. It took some time this year but they’re really starting to click. It’s cool to watch.”

The Titans suffered a major loss with 3:01 left in the game when Matt Crouch was accessed a major penalty plus a game misconduct for a check from behind; he’ll serve as suspension when South faces Council Rock South net Thursday in another game with significant playoff and Flyers Cup implications.

“We’ve got to finish up the season hard here,” McGinty said. “We have (Council Rock South) net and we won’t have our captain because of a selfish play.

“Guys are going to have step up.” and we have Pennsbury still to go.”

Pennridge 2 4 1—7

C.B. South 0 1 1—2

First-period goals: Tyler Manto (P) from Shane Dachowski 5:06; Andrew Lizak (P) from Shane Dachowski, 16:20

Second-period goals: Aydin Thierolf (CBS) from D.J, Lindenmuth and Colin Mendham, 2:26; Shane Dachowski (P) from Colin Dachowki and Kevin Pico, 5:09 (pp); Shane Dachowski (P) from Andrew Savona, 5:23; Shane Dachowski (P) from Pico, 9:25 (sh); Savona (P) from Ian Brouse, 12:04

Third-period goals: Aidan Linso (CBS) from Sean Cutter and Ryan Frey, 6:59 (pp); Lizak (P) unassisted, 9:06

Shots: Pennridge 39, C.B. South 31

Hun School 4 Malvern Prep 2

Elian Estulin’s goal midway through the third period proved to be the game winner as Hun School bested Malvern Prep 4-2 in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference game Wednesday afternoon at Ice Line.

Scott Richmond, Ryan Levesque, and Justin LaPlante also scored goals for the Raiders, who improved to 5-8 overall
and moved into third place in the APAC standings with a 2-3 conference mark. LaPlante and Brendan Marino contributed two assists each.

Julian Arsensult got the win in goal, making 51 saves in the process.

Jimmy and Jeremy Jacobs scored goals for the Friars (7-4, 1-4).

Jimmy Jacobs gave Malvern Prep a 1-0 lead 10:22 into the second period. Richmond tied the game for the Raiders with a power-play goal at the 13:32 mark before Levesque put Hun School in front with 2:03 left in the middle period.

Jeremy Jacobs tied the game for the hosts 6:11 into the final period but Estulin’s effort with 8:27 left in the game proved decisive.

Hun School 0 2 2—4

Malvern Prep 0 1 1—2

Second-period goals: Jimmy Jacobs (MP) from Gabe Bedwell and Aidan Kelly, 10:22; Scott Richmond (HS) from Justin LaPlante and Brendan Marino, 13:32 (pp); Ryan Levesque (HS) from LaPlante and Marino, 14:57

Third-period goals: Jeremy Jacobs (MP) from Jack Sharer and Jimmy Jacobs, 6:11; Elian Estulin (HS) unassisted, 8:33; LaPlante (HS) from LeVesque, 16:06 (en)

Shots: Hun School 30, Malvern Prep 53; Saves: Julian Arsenault (HS) 51, Matt Crawford (MP) 26

La Salle 11 Haverford School 0

Dean Carvalho, Julian Tarsi, and Michael Zarzycki scored two goals each as the Explorers rolled over the Fords on Wednesday afternoon at Hatfield Ice.

Max Monzo, Bill Gregorio, Ryan Wiley, Luke Murphy, and Grant LeGrecca also scored goals for La Salle.

Dante Defruscio picked up the shutout in goal as La Salle improved to 7-7-2 on the season.

SHSHL Update 1-17-23

National Division W L T OTL Pts

C.B. South (7-4-0-1) 4 1 0 0 8

Pennsbury (8-3) 4 1 0 0 8

Pennridge (8-3) 3 1 0 0 6

C.R. North (2-8-1-1) 2 3 1 1 6

C.R. South (7-1-0-1)) 2 0 0 1 5

C.B. East (6-4-1) 2 1 1 0 5

Neshaminy (7-3-1) 2 1 1 0 5

Souderton (4-7-0-1) 2 4 0 0 4

C.B. West (3-8) 1 3 0 0 2

Bensalem (2-7) 1 2 0 0 2

North Penn (3-7-1) 0 4 1 0 0

American Division W L T OTL Pts

Abington (10-0-1) 9 0 1 0 19

Plymouth Whitemarsh (7-4) 6 3 0 0 12

Wissahickon (5-5) 5 4 0 0 10

Quakertown (5-3-1) 4 3 1 0 9

Springfield (0-8-0-1) 0 8 0 1 1

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Scoring

National Division G A Pts

Brendan Macainsh (Pb) 19 11 30

Andrew Savona (Pr) 13 17 30

Seth Grossman (Soud) 16 11 27

Kevin Pico (Pr) 13 12 25

Aydin Thierolf (CBS) 12 12 24

Alex Hood (Ben) 16 4 20

Shane Dachowski (Pr) 12 7 19

Corey Kosick (CBE) 12 6 18

Max Gallagher (Nesh) 12 5 17

D.J. Lidenmuth (CBS) 8 9 17

American Division G A Pts

Matthew Flynn (PW) 14 14 28

Will Hussa (Wiss) 20 5 25

Pat Stelacio (Ab) 14 10 24

Ian Heydt (Ab) 9 15 24

Dylan Novitski (PW) 13 10 23

Matt Kramer (Ab) 16 7 23

Branden McNally (Q) 13 9 22

David Branigan (PW) 7 15 22

Danny Hussa (Wiss) 12 6 18

Sam Paulik (Ab) 9 9 18

Jordan Heydt (Ab) 11 6 17

Seth Abramson (Ab) 8 9 17

More Reflections from the APAC Outdoor Classic

The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference, its member schools, and fans, are basking in the glow of Wednesday’s APAC Outdoor Classic at the Spring Mountain resort

APAC Commissioner Jim Britt was lavish in his praise for the inaugural Classic.

“It’s idyllic,” he said. “I am very impressed by what they’ve done here to develop this into an adventure; an outdoor classic. The amenities are set up, it’s easy to watch a game, the lighting is great.

“The students are reacting tremendously. Everybody is having a great time and we really appreciate what they’ve done here to develop this and four teams being here for the APAC Outdoor Classic is something special to see.”

The results of the games mattered of course. La Salle bested St. Joseph’s Prep 5-1 in the back end of the twin bill but senior Tim Whitlock pointed out he and his teammates’ most vivid memories will be of the Classic itself.

‘The guys are excited,” he said Wednesday night. “It was a different type of game, kind of. It was a good game.

Whittock said the energy of the fans on hand added to the experience.

“Definitely a little more,” he said. “But, by the end of the day, it doesn’t matter about the people on the sidelines. It matters about the boys on the ice.”

Malvern Prep in white ands Holy Ghost Prep line up for the National Anthem on Wednesday. (Max Mangigian)

Holy Ghost Prep senior and captain Brady Baehser helped his team to a 6-5 win over Malvern Prep to open the evening’s festivities.

“This is an experience we’re going to remember for the rest of our lives,” he said.

Baehser noted that the conditions mandated the players make some adjustments.

“When we first got out there we were having trouble seeing the puck he said “and trouble with the lighting. But it’s the same for everyone so you get used to it and you play the game.”

Baehser was asked for his most vivid memory of the evening.

“Honestly when you first step on the ice,” he said. “You look around, and it’s a beautiful atmosphere.”

La Salle’s Ryan Wiley carries the puck Wednesday night. #33 for St. Joseph’s Prep is Dante Pasio (Max Mangigian)

St. Joseph’s Prep’s Tyler DiGirolamo moves the puck. (Max Mangigian)

Holy Ghost Prep’s Kieran Mulholland (in blue) is challenged by Malvern Prep’s Jack Sharer (Max Mangigian)

APAC Offers a Memorable Evening With Inaugural Outdoor Classic

The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference enhanced its legacy Wednesday night. The inaugural APAC Outdoor Classic brought four of the five conference schools to the Spring Mountain resort for a doubleheader in a unique outdoor setting.

For the record, Holy Ghost Prep edged Malvern Prep 6-5 and La Salle downed St. Joseph’s Prep 5-1. But as significant as the results were in the APAC conference standings, the impact of the evening and the setting made a deeper impression on the fans in attendance and most notably on the participants.

The Holy Ghost Prep-Malvern Prep matchup, which opened the doubleheader, was believed to be the first outdoor game in Malvern Pep history, and certainly the first outdoor game in the program’s modern era, which dates back more than half a century.

Senior Jimmy Jacobs is the Friars’ captain. “It was a really cool atmosphere,” he said. “It’s definitely a lot different than what we’re used to.

“When you’re playing outdoors, there’s nothing to complain about, It’s an awesome atmosphere. The ice is a little different, but that’s what we expected. It was really awesome to play outdoors.”

Holy Ghost Prep senior Landon Stout basked in the outdoor atmosphere. Wednesday marked Holy Ghost Prep’s second outdoor game in seven days; the Firebirds faced North Allegheny outdoors last Thursday in Pittsburgh.

“There’s nothing like it,” Stout said of playing outdoors. “That’s all I have to say. It’s a great experience.”

Stout noted the impact the conditions had on play. When the puck was dropped to begin the Holy Ghost Prep-Malvern Prep game, the temperature was in the low 40s, mild enough to impact ice conditions. The lighting conditions were impactful as well

“It’s a lot different than playing inside,” Stout said. “Especially for the goalies, it’s probably pretty hard to see the puck out here.”

St. Joseph’s Prep junior defenseman Shane O’Neill wasn’t happy with the loss to archrival La Salle. But playing a rivalry game in an outdoor setting left memories that are certain to endure.

“It was awesome,” he said. “We got a little taste of it last year against (Cardinal O’Hara), but it’s really nice coming out here under the stars and stuff.

O’Neill could feel a rush of energy when he first took the ice.

“It’s a lot of excitement,” he said. “It’s a different environment out here, but it’s still a lot of fun. At the end of the day, we’re still just playing hockey so, you try not to think too much about where we’re playing, and just get a win.”

La Salle senior Dante DeFuscio was in an observer’s role Wednesday night as the Explorers’ backup goaltender, but he embraced the setting as deeply as anyone in attendance.

“It was definitely unusual but surreal at the same time,” he said. “I don’t think many of our guys have played outside, maybe a handful, two or three. And, we’re just really thankful to be out there.”

DeFusico spent time attempting to absorb the energy and emotion of the occasion.

“I’m just trying to take it all in,” he said, “as much as possible. Especially because I don’t have to be 100 percent locked in. I have to be focused on the game (but) just enjoying keeping the guys loose.”

Holy Ghost Prep 6, Malvern Prep 5—The Firebirds scored three times in the first period and went on to the win that opened the APAC Outdoor Classic. The win kept the Firebirds alone in atop the conference standings with a 4-1-0-1 league record (12-4 overall).
Brady Baehser scored two goals in the win and assisted on another. Kieran Mulholland had a goal and two assists. Landon Stout, John Seravalli and Mike Holt also scored goals.

Jeremy Jacobs scored twice for Malvern Prep (7-3, 1-3) which was seeing its first action of the New Year. Brady Doyle, Jack Sharer, and Caiden Canale also scored for the Friars.

Holy Ghost Prep 3 2 1—6

Malvern Prep 1 3 1—5

First-period goals: Kieran Mulholland (HGP) from John Seravalli, 1:47; Brady Doyle (HGP) from Aidan Kelly, 5:45 (pp); Landon Stout (HGP) from Brady Baehser and Mike Holt, 8:38; Baehser (HG) from Shaun Moore and Mulholland, 12:54

Second-period goals: Jeremy Jacobs (MP) unassisted, 4:09; Jack Sharer (MP) from Matt Barbacane and Jimmy Jacobs, 11:08 (pp); Holt (HGP) from Mulholland, 13:53; Seravalli (HGP) from Mulholland and Shaun Moore, 14:27; Jeremy Jacobs (MP) unassisted, 15:00

Third-period goals: Baehser (HGP) from Seravalli, :48; Caiden Canale (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs, 13:28 (pp)

Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 34, Malvern Prep 44; Saves: Colin Mudrick (HGP) 39, Brandon Novabilski (MP) 28

LaSalle 5, St. Joseph’s Prep 1—Liam Donahue scored twice as the Explorers bested the Hawks in the nightcap of the APAC Outdoor Classic. Chase Hannon, Thomas Doucet and Evan Golato also scored for the Explorers who are now 6-7-2 overall but 4-1 in the APAC. La Salle is one point behind Holy Ghost Prep in the conference standings with a game in hand,

Jeffrey Hammond scored for St. Joseph’s Prep (12-3-2 overall, 1-3-1-0 in conference) which saw a seven-game unbeaten streak snapped.

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 1 0—1

La Salle 2 2 1—5

First-period goals: Chase Hannon (L) from Evan Golato, 3:03; Thomas Doucet (L) from Hannon, 9:16

Second-period goals: Liam Donahue (L) from Max Monzo and Will Gregorio, 1:36; Jeffrey Hammond (SJP) unassisted, 7:17 (pp); Donahue (L) from Monzo, 10:24

Third-period goal: Golato (L) from Declan Kelly, 9:28 (pp)

APAC Standings as of 1-20-22

Won Lost OTW OTL Pts GF GA

Holy Ghost Prep (12-5) 4 1 0 1 13 31 25

La Salle (7-8-2) 4 2 0 0 12 22 16

St. Joseph’s Prep (13-3-2) 2 3 1 0 8 16 23

Hun School (5-8) 2 3 0 0 6 19 17

Malvern Prep (7-4) 1 4 0 0 3 16 20

Teams receive: 3 points for a regulation win

2 points for an overtime win

1 point for an overtime loss

This week

Wednesday, 1-18

La Salle 11 Haverford School 0

Hun School 4 Malvern Prep 2

Thursday, 1-19

St. Augustine 7 Holy Ghost Prep 1

Friday 1-20

St. Joseph’s Prep 3 La Salle 1

St. Joseph’s Prep 8 Holy Ghost Prep 4

Joey Samango erupted for five goals and assisted on two others as St. Joseph’s Prep defeated Holy Ghost Prep 8-4 Monday afternoon in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference game at the University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 1923 Rink.

The win was the second for the Hawks (12-2-2-0, 1-2-1-0 in the APAC) over the Firebirds this season.

Zach Pers gave Holy Ghost Prep (11-4-3, 3-1-0-1) a 1-0 lead just 72 seconds after the opening faceoff but Samango tied the game for the Hawks at the 3:22 mark before Shane O’Neill’s goal at 11:07 gave the hosts a lead they would not relinquish.

Tristan Winata and Samango scored goals in a span of 1:39 to put St. Joseph’s Prep up 4-1 2:45 into the middle period.

“We capitalized in a couple of their mistakes right around the net,” said Sr. Joseph’s Prep coach David Giacomin, “a couple turnovers rom defensemen and nice move from one of our forwards, Next thing you know we were up 4-1 which was kind of surprising at that point.”

At that point, Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside used his timeout and lifted goaltender Colin Mudrick in favor of Jack Unger. At that point, momentum shifted in the Firebirds’ direction; Brady Baehser’s goal at the 6:49 mark made it a 4-2 game and Holy Ghost Prep enjoyed a 21-7 shot advantage in the middle period.

“In the second period, they called a timeout and totally turned up their legs,” Giacomin said.

But the Firebirds could come no closer. Samango and Holy Ghost Prep’s John Seravalli traded goals before Samango scored his fourth goal of the game with 45 seconds left in the period to give the Hawks a 6-3 advantage.

Seravalli scored his second goal of the game 2:27 into the final period but Jeffrey Hammond answered a minute-and-a-half later. Samango scored his fifth goal into an empty net.

Monday’s game was the Hawks’ first time on ice since winning the Purple Puck tournament just prior to New Year’s Day.

“I think this team’s a really good team,” Giacomin said. “We’re certainly strong up front and we have great goaltending. Our defense is starting to come into its own. We’re playing with the right kind of pace.”

The Hawks have been shorthanded in several games this season, including their two conference losses.

“Any time you’re missing three or four of especially your better players, you’re going to have a hard time playing against these APAC teams,” Giacomin said.

Holy Ghost Prep 1 2 1—4

St. Joseph’s Prep 2 4 2—8

First-period goals: Zach Pers (HGP) from Brady Baehser, 1:12; Joey Samango (SJP) from Jeffrey Hammond and Patrick Sweeney, 3:22; Shane O’ Neill (SJP) from Jake Schultz, 11:07

Second-period goals: Tristan Winata (SJP) from Samango and Caden Kelly, 1:06; Samango (SP) unassisted, 2:45; Baehser (HGP) unassisted, 6:49; Samango (SJP) from Hammond and Winata, 12:27; John Seravalli (HGP) from Baehser and Shaun Moore, 14:57 (pp); Samango (SJP) from Winata and Hammond, 16:15;

Third-period goals: Seravalli (HGP) from Moore and Kieran Mulholland, 2:27: Hammond (HGP) from Ben Kerson, 3:56; Samango (SJP) from Winata, 16:17 (en)

Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 49, St. Joseph’s Prep 24; Saves: Colin Mudrick (HGP) 4 and Jack Unger (HGP) 12; Ajay White (SJP) 45

More about St. Joseph’s Prep at https://www.sjprep.org

More about Holy Ghost Prep at https://www.holyghostprep.org