Holy Ghost Prep 6 La Salle 2

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—Crisp and efficient. That phrase would best describe Holy Ghost Prep’s performance against La Salle Wednesday afternoon.

Landon Stout scored two goals and assisted on another and Kieran Mulholland found the back of the net twice as the Firebirds dominated in the course of a 6-2 win over La Salle at Hatfield Ice in the season and APAC opener for both schools.

The Firebirds had their foot on the gas from the opening faceoff. Stout and Mulholland scored goals 59 seconds apart to give their team a 2-0 advantage with 5:48 left in the first period. Stout’s goal came on a power play.

“It helped us out a lot,” Stout said of his team’s start. “That’s what we try to do, try to come out and get a quick start.”

Evan Golato got La Salle on the scoreboard 4:19 into the second frame but there weren’t many bright spots for the Explorers after that.

Stout scored his second goal of the game with 2:49 left in the period before assisting on a goal from Zach Pers 38 seconds into the third. Anthony Valeriote and Mulholland added additional goals before Charlie Kennedy scored for La Salle with 2.9 seconds remaining.

Colin Mudrick got the win in goal, making 25 saves

Stout spoke to the Firebirds’ depth and their senior leadership; there are 10 seniors on the roster.

”We had all four line rolling,” he said. “I think, when the older guys set an example, it kind of gets the younger guys going. I think we did a good job of that.”

Stout notes the importance of senior showing the way for their teammates.
“It’s a huge responsibility,” he said, “and I think our seniors did a good job of it.”

Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside celebrated his team’s performance.

“We were really happy with the game today,” he said. They’ve been working hard in practice.

“We knew we had some good kids, we just didn’t know what type of team we were going to have and I though we responded really well, all four lines. We had good leadership out on the ice and I thought we did some really good things. But it’s only Game One. It’s a long season.”

For La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner, Wednesday’s opener was an exercise in frustration

“We got outworked for a full game,” he said. “Guys didn’t step up. We got outworked the full game.

Muehlbronner pledged that his team would discover a work ethic. “We’re going to find it,” he said.

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—Crisp and efficient. That phrase would best describe Holy Ghost Prep’s performance against La Salle Wednesday afternoon.

Landon Stout scored two goals and assisted on another and Kieran Mulholland found the back of the net twice as the Firebirds dominated in the course of a 6-2 win over La Salle at Hatfield Ice in the season and APAC opener for both schools.

The Firebirds had their foot on the gas from the opening faceoff. Stout and Mulholland scored goals 59 seconds apart to give their team a 2-0 advantage with 5:48 left in the first period. Stout’s goal came on a power play.

“It helped us out a lot,” Stout said of his team’s start. “That’s what we try to do, try to come out and get a quick start.”

Evan Golato got La Salle on the scoreboard 4:19 into the second frame but there weren’t many bright spots for the Explorers after that.

Stout scored his second goal of the game with 2:49 left in the period before assisting on a goal from Zach Pers 38 seconds into the third. Anthony Valeriote and Mulholland added additional goals before Charlie Kennedy scored for La Salle with 2.9 seconds remaining.

Colin Mudrick got the win in goal, making 25 saves

Stout spoke to the Firebirds’ depth and their senior leadership; there are 10 seniors on the roster.

”We had all four line rolling,” he said. “I think, when the older guys set an example, it kind of gets the younger guys going. I think we did a good job of that.”

Stout notes the importance of senior showing the way for their teammates.
“It’s a huge responsibility,” he said, “and I think our seniors did a good job of it.”

Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside celebrated his team’s performance.

“We were really happy with the game today,” he said. They’ve been working hard in practice.

“We knew we had some good kids, we just didn’t know what type of team we were going to have and I though we responded really well, all four lines. We had good leadership out on the ice and I thought we did some really good things. But it’s only Game One. It’s a long season.”

For La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner, Wednesday’s opener was an exercise in frustration

“We got outworked for a full game,” he said. “Guys didn’t step up. We got outworked the full game.

Muehlbronner pledged that his team would discover a work ethic. “We’re going to find it,” he said.

Landon Stout speaks with Rick Woelfel about Wednesday’s game

Holy Ghost Prep 2 1 3—6

La Salle 0 1 1—2

First-period goals: Landon Stout (HGP) from Brady Baehser and John Seravalli, 10:19 (pp); Kieran Mulholland (HGP) from Shaun Moore and Mike Holt, 11:18

Second-period goals: Evan Golato (L) from Ryan Warner, 4:19; Stout (HGP) From Baehser, 14:11

Third-period goals: Zach Pers (HGP) from Stout and Patrick Slook, :38; Anthony Valeriote (HGP) from Slook, 4:01; Mulholland (HGP) from Baehser and Pers, 12:38 (pp); Charlie Kennedy (L) from Dean Carvalho.

Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 36, La Salle 27; Saves Colin Mudrick (HGP) 25, Aries Carangi (L) 30

APAC Getting Ready for Year 5

As the start of a new scholastic hockey season approaches, the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference is continuing to evolve.

The APAC, which will be starting its fifth season this fall, will once again include five teams. Defending conference and Class AAA Flyers Cup champion Malvern Prep will be joined by Holy Ghost Prep, The Hun School, St. Joseph’s Prep, and La Salle.

In addition, the conference has created partnerships with two other private schools, The Haverford School and Devon Prep which will compete against APAC member schools this season.

“The APAC schools are coordinating as scheduling partners with The Haverford School and Devon Prep, two institutions with developing varsity ice hockey programs,” said APAC Commissioner Jim Britt. Those games will not count as part of the APAC regular-season standings, but the competitions will help develop future opportunities.”

While the complete APAC schedule has yet to be announced, the conference has scheduled two doubleheader events for this season. The first will be sometime in mid-November on a date and at a site to be announced. The second will be an outdoor event on January 11, 2023 at the Spring Mountain outdoor rink in Spring Mount.

Mark Gall Says Sports Should Be Fun

Mark Gall thinks sports should be fun. That may seem like an obvious statement but many young athletes lose their love of sports for one reason or another.

Gall didn’t want that to happen to his 7-year old brother Robert. So, he’s spending part of his spring helping coach his brother’s travel baseball team.

A native of Summit, N.J. and a junior at The Hun School, where he’s a forward on the hockey team, Gall seized on the opportunity to have an impact on his brother’s life.

“I understand the importance that a coach can play in an athlete’s life,” he said. “So, when I was presented with the opportunity, I felt like I could make a positive impact on these kids because they’re so young.

“My dad came with the idea and I thought it would be great because I want to interact with my little brother, especially now since I’m going to college. I thought like I could have an impact on the team as a whole and my little brother.”

Gall played baseball growing up, but the former shortstop put away his bat and glove at age 13 to concentrate on hockey. He speaks to the importance of young athletes having fun.

“The most important part is that you have fun,” he said. “You don’t want any kid to feel like they’re being forced to play. You want them to feel like you want to play, so I feel like can make things more fun, because the head coach of the baseball team is pretty serous. So, I like to come in and kind of relax everybody and make it more of and fun experience.”

Gall says Ian McNally his coach at Hun School, is committed to giving his players a positive experience.

“I started playing for Ian after I quit baseball,” Gall said, “but he definitely teaches about what it’s like to have a great team environment and overall how to be a better man.

“He gives everybody a shot. There’s not only one team that he lets sit on the bench and rot away their potential. He gives everybody a shot and if he sees somebody that’s disengaged, he makes sure that they’re (involved).”

Gall says he wasn’t so fortunate earlier in his hockey career when he played for a coach who wasn’t as focused on his players having fun.

“It was more kike just a business,” he recalls. “It was just all around a tough experience, he’s a tough coach. It was to the point where you would be afraid to make a mistake or mess up a drill.

“That circles back to Ian McNally and his caching style. He has his players not afraid to do something wrong.”

Gall says committed to seeing that his brother and his teammates enjoy their foray into team sports.

“I want them to experience the fun part of it,” he said, “and I want them to realize that if they are ever presented with a coach that is going to basically scold them and talk bad about them, that that’s not really what the game is all about. It’s about having fun and getting better and learning to be a better man.”

Malvern Prep 4 La Salle 1

WEST GOSHEN TOWNSHIP—Their opportunity was delayed 12 long months. Which made their accomplishment all the more satisfying.

Malvern Prep scored twice in the first period and went on to a 4-1 win over La Salle Wednesday night to claim the Founders Cup, symbolic of the championship of the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference, at Ice Line.

An enthusiastic audience was on hand to see the Friars (14-3) claim the championship they did not have the opportunity to play for last season because of Covid issues; the scheduled conference final between the Friars and the Explorers was never contested.

Even after Malvern Prep went on to win the Class AAA Flyers Cup and state titles, there was something missing from a glittering resume. Wednesday’s result perhaps helped fill that void.

“It’s super satisfying,” said Friars captain Matt Harris. “We don’t have to share that trophy any more and we can bring it back to Warren Avenue and not have to split it between two teams.

“It’s good to have a full season and get what we deserve. We put in the work on Mondays in practice and brought it back to Warren Ave.

The Friars jumped in front 2:47 into the first period. Brady Doyle launched a knuckleball from just inside the blue line that caught the top right corner of the net. According to LaSalle coach Wally Muehlbronner, goaltender Aries Carangi was screened on the play and never saw the puck.

Teague Murray hit the same corner of the net on Carangi’s glove side to make it a 2-0 game at the 13:47.From that moment on, La Salle (8-8-1) was trying to climb a very steep hill.

“They had a lot of jump,” Muehlbronner said of the Friars. “They scored some really nice goals on some really good shots. We did not have a whole lot of jump tonight. We did not give them the game that I was hoping we were going to.”

Muehlbronner said his team needed to respond of Larocque’s early goal, but didn’t. “We needed a spark after we went down 1-zip,” said,. We didn’t get it.We had a couple opportunities around the net, but nothing that was really a strong opportunity.”

At period’s end, Muehlbronner made a goaltender change, with Will Braun replacing Carangi.

Harris, the APAC’s scoring champion, extended the Friars’ lead 12:10 into the second period on what was most certainly one of the most picturesque goals of the season. The senior made a move down the right wing, cut to his left and split two defenders before beating Braun.

La Salle got on the scoreboard on a goal from Patrick Brace 9:12 into the final period before Harris scored into an imply net with 1:47 remaining.

Brace’s goal was the only blemish on Anthony Perti’s record, the Malvern Prep netminder stopped 37 shots.

“We wanted to come in and win (the Founders Cup) for ourselves,” he said. “Keep it for ourselves and ourselves only.”

Perti said Wednesday’s game was reminiscent of last year’s Flyers Cup final, which saw the Friars top the Explorers. “Same type of game, same type of atmosphere,” he said. “Honestly I was pretty calm, didn’t think too much of it. Just another game.”

La Salle 0 0 1—1

Malvern Prep 2 1 1—4

First-period goals: Brady Doyle (MP) unassisted, 2:47; Teague Murray (MP) from Gavin Wilson, 13:47

Second-period goal: Matt Harris (MP) from Jack Shaver, 12:10

Third-period goals: Patrick Brace (L) from Ryan Desmond, 9:12; Harris (MP) from Quinn Dougherty, 15:13 (en)

Shots: La Salle 38, Malvern Prep 40; Saves: Aries Carangi (L) 12 and Will Braun (L) 24; Anthony Perti (MP) 37

The game’s first goal

Matt Harris extended Malvern Prep’s lead in the second period.

Patrick Brace scores for La Salle

Video courtesy of Erin Schneider

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Explorers, Friars Set to Play for Founders Cup

Last year’s championship matchup never happened because of Covid issues. But La Salle and Malvern Prep are letting nothing stand in their way this season. The Explorers and the Friars will meet Wednesday night at Ice Line for the Founders Cup and the championship of the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference. Game time will be 8:00.

The two teams were scheduled to meet for the Cup last season but that game was cancelled and the APAC title declared vacant. due to Covid Malvern Prep went on to defeat La Salle in the Class AAA Flyers Cup final and later won the state championship.

La Salle won the first two Founder Cup titles in 2019 and ‘20

La Salle

Coach: Wally Muehlbronner

Record: 8-7-1/4-3-0-1 in the APAC seed 2

Semifinals: def. St. Joseph’s Prep 4-1

Top scorers (APAC games only)

Keenan Schneider 5 goals, 2 assists 7 points

Max Maddalo 3 goals 3 assists 6 points

Chris Wnek 2 goals 4 assists 6 points

Malvern Prep

Coach: Bill Keenan

Record: 13-3/5-1-2-0 in APAC seeed 1

Semifinals: def. Holy Ghost Prep 4-1

Top scorers (APAC games only)

Matt Harris 11 goals, 9 assists, 20 points

Jim Jacobs 8 goals, 9 assists, 17 points

Jeremy Jacobs 7 goals, 7 assists, 14 points

Pierre Larocque 5 goals, 7 assists, 12 points

Earlier this season:

November 5

Malvern Prep 2 La Salle 0—Pierre Larocque scored the winning goal with 5:55 remaining in regulation in the APAC season opener at Hatfield Ice. Matt Harris added an empty net goal.

January 24

Malvern Prep 5 La Salle 4 OT—Matt Harris scored with 1:08 remaining in overtime to give the Friars the win at Ice Line. LaSalle forced overtime. Harris and Jimmy Jacobs scored two goals each.

La Sale forced overtime with goals from Keenan Schneider and Chris Wnek in the final 87 seconds of regulation.

The Grundy Skate Shop is a full-service hockey pro shop inside the Grundy Arena, offering a great selection of equipment, brands and various services. We do a full range of repairs as well as offer custom hockey jerseys. Owner Bill Keyser, has over 25 years experience in the industry and specializes in skate sharpening, including profiling. Please visit our Facebook page or stop in and check us out!

APAC Update for 1-31-22

Won Lost OTW OTL Pts GF GA

Malvern Prep (11-3) 4 1 2 0 16 29 19

St. Joseph’s Prep (7-6) 3 2 0 2 11 22 18

La Salle (6-7) 3 3 0 1 10 16 15

Hun School (7-7) 2 3 1 0 8 15 13

Holy Ghost Prep (9-8) 1 4 1 1 6 15 28

This Week

Monday: La Salle 5 Holy Ghost Prep 1

Tuesday: Hun School 2 La Salle 1

Wednesday: Spaulding at Malvern Prep 3:30

Friday: St. Joseph’s Prep 3 Hun School 1

Scoring GP G A Pts PPG

Matt Harris (MP) 7 7 8 15 2.14

Jim Jacobs (MP) 7 7 7 14 2.00

Joey Samago (SJP) 6 8 2 10 1.67

Jeremy Jacobs (MP) 7 5 6 11 1.57

Pierre Laracque (MP) 7 4 5 9 1.29

Jeffrey Hammond (SJP) 6 3 4 7 1.17

Dante Passio (SJP) 6 1 6 7 1.17

Sean Marshall (HGP) 7 4 3 7 1.00

Elian Estulin (HS) 4 2 2 4 1.00

Josh Ovelette (HS) 4 1 3 4 1.00

conference games only (minimum of 3) through February 1

Scoring through January 31

Conference games only (minimum of 3)

APAC Sets Playoff Dates

The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference has set the dates for the Founders Cup playoffs.

The postseason will begin on Monday, February 14 with the fourth-place regular season finisher hosting the fifth-place team.

The winner will advance to the semifinals, which will be staged as a doubleheader at Ice Line on Wednesday, February 16. The championship game will be played on either Wednesday, February 23 or Thursday, December 24 and will be hosted by the highest seeded finalist.

Because of when they are scheduled, the results of the Founders Cup playoffs will factor into the seedings for the Flyers Cup tournament which will be announced on Sunday, February 27.

The complete Founders Cup playoff schedule is as follows:
1st Round – Feb 14th: 4 x 5 play in, Site TBD (Highest Seed)

Semifinals – Feb 16th @ Iceline: 6:45pm & 8:45pm

Championship: Feb 23rd/24th (TBD), hosted by higher seed

The Founders Cup playoffs will mark the conclusion of the APAC’s fourth season. La Salle claimed the first two league titles in 2019 and ’20. Last year’s playoffs were not concluded because of Covid issues.

APAC Update for 1-23-22

Won Lost OTW OTL Pts

Malvern Prep (10-3) 5 1 1 0 17

St. Joseph’s Prep (4-5-1) 2 2 0 2 8

La Salle (5-6) 2 2 0 1 7

Holy Ghost Prep (9-7) 1 3 1 1 6

Hun School (6-6) 1 2 1 0 5

This Week

Monday: Malvern Prep 5 La Salle 4 OT

Wednesday: Hill School 4 Hun School 1

Lawrenceville 6 La Salle 0

Thursday: Pingry School at Hun School 4:00

St. Joseph’s Prep 4 Malvern Prep 2

Scoring GP G A Pts. PPG

Jeremy Jacobs (MP) 5 5 6 11 2.20

Matt Harris (MP) 5 4 6 10 2.00

Joey Samango (SJP) 5 7 2 9 1.80

Jim Jacobs (MP) 5 5 4 9 1.80

Pierre Larocque (MP) 5 3 3 6 1.20

Sean Marshall (HGP) 6 4 3 7 1.17

Brady Baehser (HGP) 6 3 3 6 1.00

Jeffrey Hammond (SJP) 5 2 3 5 1.00

Elian Estulin (HS) 4 2 2 4 1.00

Josh Ovelette (HS) 4 1 3 4 1.00

Conference ganes only

Riley Frost’s Journey to The Hun School

Riley Frost is a long way from home; some 3,000 miles. The Carlsbad, Calif. native arrived at The Hun School two-and-a-half years ago. Now, he’s a senior and the Raiders’ captain. His passion for hockey runs deep.

“Hockey is kind of in my family,” he said. “Both my dad and my grandpa played hockey and my mom plays ringette (a sport for females that is played on ice and in some aspects, resembles ice hockey). So, it was kind of in my blood.”

One might not think of Southern California as a hockey hotbed but the Los Angeles Blades skated in the Western Hockey League immediately prior to the creation of the Los Angeles Kings when the National Hockey League expanded from six to 12 teams in 1967.
San Diego’s hockey history dates back to the 1960s and the present-day San Diego Gulls skate in the American Hockey League.

Following his freshman year of high school however, Frost, who is 17, decided to take another step in his hockey career.

“I realized that I kind of wanted to go further with it,” he said, “and decided to come out to the East Coast. Hun was a great fit for me so I decided to come here.”

Frost says his coach, Ian McNally, significantly influenced his decision to enroll at the school.

“Kind of off that first meeting my family and I kind of really trusted him,” he recalls, “and we really fell in love with the school after that.”

As a boarding student, Frost’s days are full.

“Normally I wake up for classes around 8:00 and start the day off,” he said. And then throughout the day I’ll have a few free periods. That’s really when I get a lot of work done and get in as much schoolwork as I can.

“And then after that, hockey (the team practices daily), then usually after hockey come back, have a little down time, and then study hall starts.”

Boarding students at the school have a mandatory two-hour study hall five nights a week, Sunday through Thursday.

“It’s really great,” Frost said, “because you have a set time every night where everyone is doing work. If you have a buddy in a class, you can go work on a project or whatever together.

Sometimes there are teachers out and about. If you have any questions you can go talk to them. it’s been very nice to have that kind of study hall. When those two hours come down, everyone knows it’s time to dial it in, it’s time to work.”

Frost note that work ethic carries over into the ice. The Raiders navigate a demanding schedule against Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference and Mid-Atlantic Hockey League opposition.

“I kind of like our schedule this year,” Frost said. “It’s definitely gotten more competitive over the years.’

The Raiders stand at 5-5 overall and 1-2-1-0 in the APAC through January 19; they haven’t played a game since December 15 because of Covid issues that have impacted several scheduled opponents.

Frost has scored three goals in nine game and added six assists. McNally cites his contributions to the Hun School hockey program over the course of his career.

“Riley has been a great addition to our team and school since his arrival in 10th grade,” McNally said. “He was a natural selection to wear a “C” this year as he is a glue guy all over campus, in the room and on the bus, in the dorms and in the classroom, and of course with his play on the ice. He is getting the opportunity to put up points this year and is deserving of any accolades that come his way.”

Riley Frost

This is Hun School’s first season in the APAC. Frost has been impressed with the competitive balance among the five conference schools.

“Balance is a good word,” he said. We’re obviously all very competitive people and every game we’re going to come out and we’re going to play our hearts out and that’s really going to be what leads us to hopefully our end goal this season.”

Frost notes how much he, his teammates, and the student-athletes throughout the conference respect the game and respect each other on the ice.

“I think we all recognize that we’re all high-level athletes,” he said, “and obviously, we would like to go as far as we can in our careers and so that level of respect that all the teams have for each other is pretty crucial to our league.”

In the wake of the layoff, Frost says he and his teammates are gathering themselves for what in effect will be a sprint to the end of the season

“Definitely,” he said. “Trying to dial in all our systems and truly getting that team chemistry going again is going to be essential for us.”

In addition to playing hockey, Frost also plays lacrosse; he’s an attackman and midfielder. He stresses the importance creating a system to manage his time effectively.

“Once you find something that works for you, it really becomes quite simple,” he said. “You have your practice time, you have a little bit of down time and then it’s your schoolwork, getting everything done, making sure you have a good night’s sleep and you’re ready for the next day. I think once you find what works, that’s really important.”

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APAC Update for 1-18

Won Lost OTW OTL Pts

Malvern Prep (9-2) 5 0 0 0 15

La Salle (5-4) 2 2 0 0 6

Hun School (5-5) 1 2 1 0 5

St. Joseph’s Prep (4-5-1) 1 2 0 2 5

Holy Ghost Prep (9-7) 1 4 1 0 5

This Week

Wednesday Hill School 3 La Salle 2

Thursday Malvern Prep 4 Holy Ghost Prep 3 OT

Hun School at Portledge ppd

Friday La Salle 2, St. Joseph’s Prep 1

Rutledge-Fair Haven at Hun School ppd

Scoring GP G A Pts. PPG

Matt Harris (MP) 4 4 6 10 2.50

Jeremy Jacobs (MP) 4 4 5 9 2.25

Joey Samango (SJP) 4 7 1 8 2.00

Jim Jacobs (MP) 4 4 3 7 1.75

Pierre Larocque (MP) 4 3 2 5 1.25

Jeffrey Hammond (SJ) 4 3 2 5 1.25

Brady Baehser (HGP) 5 3 3 6 1.20

Shaun Marshall HGP) 5 3 3 6 1.20

Liam Mooney (SJP) 4 0 4 4 1.00

Elian Estulin (HS) 4 2 2 4 1.00

Josh Ovelette (HS) 4 1 3 4 1.00

Conference games only through January 17. Shootout goals not included