Salesianum Joins the APAC

Philadelphia, PA – May 7, 2026 – The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference (APAC), the Philadelphia region’s premier scholastic ice hockey conference, is proud to announce that Salesianum School of Wilmington, Delaware has been approved as the league’s seventh member institution, effective with the 2026–27 hockey season.

Founded in 2017, the APAC was created to provide a premier scholastic hockey conference for independent and preparatory schools committed to excellence in academics, athletics, sportsmanship, and student-athlete development, while fostering strong competition and traditional rivalries among member institutions.

“On behalf of the APAC member schools, we are pleased to welcome Salesianum School to the conference,” said Steve Mackell, Chairman of the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference. “Salesianum’s longstanding reputation for academic excellence, athletic achievement, and strong institutional values aligns perfectly with the mission of the APAC. Their addition further strengthens the quality and competitiveness of our league, and we look forward to their participation beginning in the 2026–27 season.”

A highly respected college preparatory school founded in 1903, Salesianum School has established a tradition of success across its athletic programs while maintaining a strong commitment to character formation, leadership, and academic achievement.

“We are incredibly excited for Salesianum Ice Hockey to join the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference,” said Brian LeBlanc, Head Coach of Salesianum Ice Hockey. “This is a major step forward for our program and an opportunity to compete in what has quickly become the premier scholastic hockey league in the region. The APAC represents outstanding competition, tradition, and sportsmanship, and we are proud to be part of a conference that aligns so well with the values and culture of Salesianum Hockey. Our players, families, and alumni are looking forward to the challenge and excitement that comes with this next chapter.”

Beginning with the 2026–27 season, Salesianum School will compete alongside the following APAC member institutions:

La Salle College High School
Holy Ghost Preparatory School
Malvern Preparatory School
St. Joseph’s Preparatory School
The Hun School
Devon Preparatory School

Devon Prep Joins the APAC

Devon Prep will join the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference for the 2026-27 hockey season.

“We are pleased to announce the addition of the Devon Preparatory School to the APAC,” said APAC Chairman Steve Mackell. “Devon Prep brings a strong hockey program and excellent academic reputation to our league. We are excited to add them as our newest member and look forward to the competitive matchups they will bring to the ice starting in the 2026-27 season.”

“Devon Prep is humbled to join the APAC,” said Tide coach Matt Fabrizio. “We look forward to upholding the values and traditions established by some of the best hockey programs in the entire state.”

The Tide is entering its fifth season of varsity hockey. Fabrizio has been the head coach from the start.

“For a hockey program to take off, you really need buy in from the entire school,” he said. “I just happened to be the lucky guy that was in the school that was ready for it.

“The administration has been incredibly supportive. Our athletic encouraged us to start it.”

The 2026-27 will be the APAC’s ninth. The four founding members, Holy Ghost Prep, La Salle College High School, Malvern Prep, and St. Joseph’s Prep, launched the conference at the start of the 2018-19 season.

This year’s conference schedule will include 10 regular season games. All si teams will qualify for the Founders Cup playoffs; the top two finishers will get byes into the semifinals.

The Hun School became the conference’s fifth member school for the 2021-22 season. The member schools are comitted to creating an environment where their student-athletes can thrive academically and athletically.

2026 APAC All-Stars Named

The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference All-Star Team was selected by the five conference coaches

First Team

F Chase Logue Junior Holy Ghost Prep

F Pax Hoishik Senior Malvern Prep

F Cole Gargon Junior St Joseph’s Prep

D Nate Romer Junior Holy Ghost Prep

D Adam Charrafi Senior Saint Joseph’s Prep

G Matt Salita Junior Holy Ghost Prep

Second Team

F Lucas Gonzalez Senior Holy Ghost Prep

F Anthony Valeriote Senior Holy Ghost Prep

F Braden Fisher Senior St Joseph’s Prep

D Andrew Frantz Sophomore LaSalle College High School

D Andrew Darst Senior Hun School

G Blake Echternacht Senior Hun School

Honorable Mention

F Zach Vallee Junior Hun School

F Liam Greenawalt Sophomore LaSalle College High School

F Patrick Lunsford Junior LaSalle College High School

D Danny Burke Junior LaSalle College High School

D Reece Hanna Senior Malvern Prep

G Declan Geary Junior St Joseph’s Prep

APAC Concluding 8th Season This Week

When the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference was launched in the fall of 2018 it was unique in the realm of Philadelphia-area interscholastic hockey; a hockey-only conference comprised of schools where hockey was a full-fledged varsity sport, overseen and supervised by administrators at each member institution; Holy Ghost Prep, Hun School, La Salle, Malvern Prep and St. Joseph’s Prep.

Hun School joined the APAC following its second season, the other four institutions have been part of the conference since it was founded.

As the APAC concludes its eighth season this week, with the Class AAA Flyers Cup final on Tuesday between Holy Ghost Prep and La Salle, with the state title hame to follow on Saturday, what was something of an experiment has proven to be an unqualified success, a successful melding of academic, athletic, and spiritual components.

Steve Mackell is in his second season as the Commissioner of the APAC, having succeeded Jim Britt, who had served in the commissioner’s post from the time the alliance was founded.

Mackell, who has had a long career in amateur hockey as a coach and administrator, cited the keys to the APAC’s success.

“I’m honored to be in the shoes of Jim Britt,” he said. “I think that the level of people we’re dealing with, the coaches, understand the game, they understand what they want to do with the kids, to make them men.

“I think it’s a combination of the academic environment and the athletic environment, which puts the APAC at really the echelon of hockey in this area.”

Mackell stresses the importance of the hockey programs at each conference school being a full-fledged varsity under direct institutional supervision.

“I think it’s the key to our conference,” he said, “that this is a varsity sport. The schools all fully back the sport. The student bodies there, the athletic directors there. The principals have been to many of the games and we’re very fortunate to have the support of the schools in our league.

”I think that’s what makes it real easy to deal with them because they can deal with a lot of stuff from an expectation standpoint before they even come into the rink.

{The players and coaches} know what they’re dealing with because they have to answer to people at school as well.”

Mackell is proud of the APAC’s success in helping its student athletes strike a balance among the various components of their lives and achieve success on and off the ice.

“All hockey players have a lot going on.” he said. I think the level of academics, what they need to do to stay in good standing at their schools from an academic standpoint, the spiritual world, and also the athletic side, to play at that level of hockey.

“There’s a lot of juggling that goes on between their club teams, their high-school teams, between their academic lives and their spiritual lives. I think that you see motivated young men that are all looking to move on to the next level, whether it’s in college, whether it’s in {junior hockey}, whether it’s in a different sport, whether it’s no sport, or academics, they understand their high schools are very important to where they are and I think they’re all striving for that.”

Flyers Cup Finals Game Times

Monday, March 16

Class A Final

Hershey vs 2. Penncrest 7:00 at Ice Line PPD to 3-18 7:30 at Ice Line

Tuesday, March 17

Class AAA Final

Holy Ghost Prep vs. 3. La Salle 6:00 at Hatfield Ice

Class AA Final

North Penn vs. 2. Boyertown 8:45 at Hatfield Ice

Thursday, March 19

Girls Final

Avon Grove vs. 3. Lower Merion 7:00 at PNY Arena

La Salle 6 Father Judge 2

The idea that {insert a postseason tournament here} is a new season is, in most instances, an overused cliché. But it’s a concept that the La Salle Explorers can embrace, particularly after Tuesday night. After a season that featured an abundance of frustration and disappointment, the Explorers put all the pieces together on the biggest stage in local scholastic hockey.

The result was a 6-3 win over Father Judge in the opening round of the Class AAA Flyers Cup tournament in front of a full house at Hatfield Ice. The win sends the third-seeded Explorers (7-13) into the semifinals next Thursday, March 12 against St. Joseph’s Prep. Sixth-seeded Father Judge ends its season at 13-10-1.

Junior forward Patrick Lunsford scored two of La Salle’s goals. He noted that the underclassmen in the lineup needed some time to adjust to the Flyers Cup environment.

“I think some of the guys at the beginning had a little bit of the jitters,” he said. “But as the game went on I think we really adapted and it worked out well for us.”

It was the Crusaders who scored first. Nolan Rauch launched a shot from the left point that found its way through a sea of legs all the way to the back of the net, giving Judge the lead with 1:34 remaining in the first period.

It took Lunsford just 13 seconds to answer and the opening period ended deadlocked, in no small measure because of the work La Salle goaltender Anthony Foster who made some quality saves in the opening session.

Thomas Leonards and John Greenwalt added goals in the second period to extends La Salle’s lead. The Explorers seemed to grow more comfortable with each shift.

“I think they definitely settled in a little bit,” said La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner. “They started to make some better decisions with the puck and we started to get a little rhythm going.

Mathew Jones and Luke Bauman extended. the Explorers’ lead with goals early in the third period. Jake Proud added a power-play goal for Judge with 4:42 left to remind the Explorers they had to keep concentrating, but Nolan Hirska answered with a power-play goal of his own to complete the scoring.

The only negative on the La Salle side of the scoresheet was the eight minor penalties the Explorers took.

“We were in the box way too much,” Muehlbronner said.

But there will be another game to play, and the Flyers Cup title is still within reach.

Lunsford, despite whatever doubts he may have had, has always had faith in his teammates and coaches.

“I had belief in the team,” that we would get here,” he said, “and we’ve gotten to this point. We’ve just got to keep going.”

• St. Joseph’s Prep, the second seed in the tournament, bested seenth-seeded Salesianum 8-0 in another quarterfinal game on Tuesday

Father Judge 1 0 1—2

La Salle 1 2 3—6

First-period goals: Nolan Rauch (FJ) from Jake Proud. 15:26; Patrick Lunsford (L) from Bill Podulka, 15:39

Second-period goals: Thomas Leonards (L) from Andrew Frantz and John Greennwalt, 3:00; Greenwalt (L) unassisted, 14:27 (pp)

Third-period goals: Matthew Jones (L)from Luke Bauman and Matt Martin, 2:08; Lunsford (L) from Padilla, 9:11; Proud (FJ) from Rauch and Gavin Culver, 12:18 (pp); Nolan. Hirshka (L) from Thomas Leonards, 14:36 (pp)

Shots: Father Judge 34, La Salle 36; Saves: Jonathan Dilliplane (FJ) 30, Anthony Foster (L) 32

Holy Ghost Prep 4 St. Joseph’s Prep 1

It took longer to get to the finish line than expected. But the wait was worth it

Holy Ghost Prep overcame an early 1-0 deficit to score a 4-1 over St. Joseph’s Prep Wednesday evening and successfully defend its Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference Founders Cup championship.

The game was delayed 23 minutes early in the third period and the Firebirds leading 2-1 due to a hole in the ice that forced the contest to be moved from the B Rink at Grundy Arena, to the A Rink in the front half of the building.

The top-seeded Firebirds (18-4) adapted quickly to their new surroundings and extended their lead with two additional goals.

“It’s amazing,” said senior forward Anthony Valeriote. “This is what we’ve worked for all year. We went undefeated in the APAC and now that we’ve finally won it, it’s exciting, but it’s like a relief. We know we did it, but the bottom line is we’ve still got a Flyers Cup to win.”

The third-seeded Hawks (16-7) struck first, 5:22 into the opening period. Cole Gargon made a move down the right wing that led to Michael Castelli beating Firebird netminder Matt Salita from close range.

But that was all the Hawks could muster offensively.

“They have a good goalie,” said Prep coach Charlie Van Kula. “It’s a matter of making it hard on him.

“We probably played a solid game. it is hard to win championships, harder to beat teams like Ghost.”

The Firebirds picked up pace later in the opening period. Billy Harmar tied the game when he finished a play that started behind the Prep by converting a setup from Valeriote.

Chase Logue made it a 2-1 game 36 seconds later and it stayed that way into the early moments of the third period until, with 13:23 remaining in the third period, Proceedings came to a halt. One of the linesmen discovered a large hole in the ice along the wall near the blue line directly across the ice from the Firebirds’ bench.

A series of conversations followed that at various points included the coaches, Holy Ghost Prep Assistant Athletic Director Gump Whiteside, and APAC Commissioner Steve Mackell. There were also some unsuccessful efforts to patch the hole. After a 15-minute wait, the decision was made to continue the game in the A Rink.

The hosts responded with goals from Mason Thomas and Chase Logue in a span of 2:25.

Senior defenseman Chris Marshall, the Firebirds’ captain, said he and his teammates stayed focused during the stoppage.

“Our guys stayed locked in,” he said. “We knew we couldn’t get unfocused. We were ready to ho. We came out pumping in the third.”

The Hawks had some quality chances after play was resumed but Salita stood tall in goal; he finished with 24 saves.

“I thought we were really rolling certainly in the first two periods,” Van Kula said. “I thought the first few shifts in the third we kept up the pace and we were just kind of a step slower after that. Both teams had to deal with the delay so I don’t want to blame it on that but it did seem like we were a little more flat footed coming out of that.”

• Both teams will move on to the Class AAA Flyers Cup. Holy Ghost Prep, the top seed in the field of seven and defending champion, has a bye into the semifinals and will face either fourth seed Malvern Prep or fifth seed Devon Prep on Thursday, March 12. The Hawks, the second seed, will take on seventh-seeded Salesianum in a quarterfinal game on Tuesday, March 3.

St. Joseph’s Prep 1 0 0—1

Holy Ghost Prep 2 0 2—4

First-period goals: Michael Castelli (SJP) from Ben Judson ands Cole Garson, 5:22; Billy Harmar (HGP) from Anthony Valeriote and Chris Marshall, 10:38 (pp); Chase Logue (HGP) from Lucas Helms, 11:14;

Third-period goals: Mason Thomas (HGP) from Harmar and John Gavaghan, 10:27; Chase Logue (HGP) from Lucas Gonzalez ands Josh Zdunkiewicz 12:52 (pp)

Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 25, Holy Ghost Prep 25 Saves: Declan Geary(HGP) 21, Matt Salita (HGP) 24

APAC Championship Preview

Wednesday, February 25

APAC Founders Cup Championship Game

Holy Ghost Prep vs 3. St. Joseph’s Prep

4:00 at Grundy Arena

Holy Ghost Prep

Coach: John Ritchie

Record: 17-4

Key Players: Chase Logue 25 goals, 6 assists, 31 points in all competitions; Lucas Gonzalez 11-11-22; Antony Valeriote 7-15-22; Chris Marshall 7-12-19; Matt Salita .956 save % 1.00 GAA

St. Joseph’s Prep

Coach: Charlie Van Kula

Record: 16-6

Key players: Cole Gargon 14 goals, 26 assists, 42 points in all competitions; Bradan Fisher 10-13-23; Michael Waslick 9-9-18; Adam Charrafi 7-10-17; Declan Geary .930 save %, 1.61 GAA

This season:

12-17 Holy Ghost Prep 2 St. Joseph’s Prep 1

2-4 Holy Ghost Prep 5 St. Joseph’s Prep 1

Ice chips: This game marks the conclusion of the APAC’s eighth season … The Firebirds, who are the defending conference champions, also reached the finals in 2019, ’20, and ’23, losing to La Salle each time …The Hawks’ only previous trip to the Founders Cup final came in 2020 when they lost to La Salle.

The Firebirds are seeded first for the upcoming Class AAA Flyers Cup and the Hawks are seeded second. Those seedings will not be impacted by the results of this game.

Holy Ghost Prep 3 Malvern Prep 0

For most of the evening, it was a goaltending dual. But eventually, Holy Ghost Prep found the answers it was looking for. The Firebirds scored three times in the third period to post a 3-0 shutout over Malvern Prep at Ice Line.

Top-seeded and defending APAC champion Holy Ghost Prep (16-4) will host Sr. Joseph’s Prep next Wednesday afternoon at Grundy Arena at 4 p.m. with the Founders Cup at stake. Fifth-seeded Malvern Prep (5-11-2) will find out where it will be seeded for the upcoming Class AAA Flyers Cup tournament.

For most of the evening, Firebird netminder Matt Salita and Ike Matoney, his Malvern Prep counterpart, occupied center stage. Both were tested and for 34 minutes, both were perfect.

“It’s a lot of fun to go back and forth with another good goalie,” Salita said. “I thought he played pretty well.”

After the post-second period ice cut, the Firebirds returned for the third period energized.

“During intermission, Coach {John Ritchie} kind of gave us a wakeup call,” Salita said. ‘We kind of listened and we kind of simplified what we were going to do,

The retooling paid off. Lucas Gonzalez finally solved Matoney with a shot from long range, 3:01 into the final period. Nathan Romer followed at 8:53 and Billy Harmar finished the scoring with a power-play effort at 14:23.

“I thought we started off a little flat,” Salita said, “but we did our jobs in the third and got the job done.”

Ritchie made it clear to his team that despite an unblemished APAC record (9-0 including Wednesdays game) the road will only get tougher for the reigning APAC and Flyers Cup champions and that this is a new year.

“Last year, we took a couple losses at the beginning of the year,” he said, “and I think that helped fuel us.

“We’ve been in tight games, but we’ve come out on top all year {In conference play}. We’re seeing teams for the third and fourth time (Wednesday’s game was the fourth between the Firebirds and the Friars}. Every game is going to be tighter. There are no secrets. Everybody knows what everybody has.

Malvern came out with a games plan and I thought they did really, really well for most of the game.”

Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan echoed those sentiments.

“I thought we came out strong,” he said. “Our message was to match their intensity and match their physicality. I thought we did that for two periods.

The first two periods were tight, they were close. It went back and forth, there was pressure each way. In the third period, they just outmatched us a little bit. They got a goal quick and we couldn’t recover.”

Malvern Prep 0 0 0—0

Holy Ghost Prep 0 0 3—3

Third-period goals: Lucas Gonzalez (HGP) from Anthony Valeriote, 3:01; Nathan Romer (HGP) from John Gavaghan and Brady Flynn, 8:53; Billy Harmar (HGP) from Chris Marshall and Chase Logue. 14:23 (pp) Sots; Saves: Malvern Prep 18, Hoy Ghost Prep 32; Saves: Ike Matoney (MP) 29, Matt Salita (HGP) 18

St. Joseph’s Prep 4 Hun School 2

There was an abundance of emotion on display at Ice Line Wednesday evening following the APAC semifinal between St. Joseph’s Prep and The Hun School. The Hawks earned the right to play for a conference title while the Raiders were a study in frustration, wondering what might have been.

Four different Prep players scored goals as the third-seeded Hawks (16-6) prevailed 4-2 to advance to next Wednesday’s Founders Cup championship game against top-seeded defending champion Holy Ghost Prep at Grundy Arena (game time 4 p.m.). They will learn Sunday where they are seeded for next month’s Class AAA Flyers Cup tournament.

Second-seeded Hun School closes the season at 13-13. The Raiders will not compete in the Flyers Cup due to s School policy that dictates when their season must end.

The most prominent numbers on the scoresheet Wednesday afternoon revolved around penalties. The officials called 25 minor penalties, 15 of them against the Raiders, who spent much of the afternoon skating uphill.

Hun School coach N.G. Welsh noted the impact of the numerous penalties.

“It was trying different line combination,” he said. “Trying different things. A guy is in the box, so this line can’t go. This guy is in the box so this guy can’t go.

“You’re putting out every single option you have at your disposal hoping something works. Today, it didn’t.”

Three of the four Prep goals came on power plays.

One Raider goal came when they were enjoying a two-man advantage the other while they were shorthanded.

St. Joseph’s Prep coach Charlie Van Kula noted the impact of special teams, both pro and con.

“I don’t think our power play was quite as crisp as it has been,” he said. “It worked out enough times to make it successful.

“Our PK has been a staple all year. One kind of broke down from being five-on-three for so long. Otherwise, I thought they really stuck to what we do well.

Cole Gargon scored the Hawks’ first goal with 1:07 left in the first period. Vince Burnett made it 2-0 with 2:42 left in the second frame.

Zachary Vallee made it a 2-1 game when he scored for the Raiders on a shorthanded breakaway with 1:23 left in the period but Michael Castelli made it a two-goal game once more before the period ended.

Jason Kelly-LePage kept Hun School in the game with a power-play goal 7:10 into the final period but Michael Washlick shut the door at the 11:28 mark.

St. Joseph’s Prep 1 2 1—4

The Hun School 0 1 1—2

First-period goal: Cole Gargon (SJP) from Frank Ely and Adam Charrafi, 15:53 (pp)

Second-period goals: Vince Burnett (SJP) from Jake Ely and Charrafi, 14:18; Zachary Vallee (HS) unassisted, 15:37 (sh); Michael Castelli (SJP) from Ben Kurson, 16:08 (pp);

Third-period goals: Jason Kelly-LePage (HS) from Conor Mulligan, 7:10 (pp); Michael Washlick (SJP) from Charaffi and J. Ely, 11:28 (pp)

Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 40, Hun School 12: Saves: Declan Geary (SJP) 10, Blake Echternacht (HS) 10