Malvern Prep 6 St. Joseph’s Prep 1

WEST GOSHEN TOWNSHIP— Malvern Prep put on a hockey clinic Monday night. The Friars came out storming right from the opening faceoff and rolled to a 6-1 win over St. Joseph’s Prep in the Class AAA Flyers Cup final at Ice Line.

With the win, the Friars (16-3) became the first team to successfully defend the Class AAA Flyers Cup since 2014. It’s the 10^th Cup title in school history.

“I think our mentality is just ‘We want it back,’” said senior Matt Harris. “That’s been the message all year. We knew that we had a mark on our back, but we knew, coming out here, we had to give our all and that for the seniors, it could be our last game out here.”

Harris shouldered his share of the load and then some. He scored three goals and assisted on another Monday night and finished as the tournament’s leading scorer with seven goals and two assists in two games while being named the winner of the Bobby Clarke Award as the tournament’s most valuable player.

Pierre Larocque, Jimmy Jacobs, and Jonathan Holt also scored goals for the Friars. Jacobs and Quinn Dougherty each contributed a pair of assists.

“We have the mentality on our team that anybody can step up and fill a role,” said Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan. “I have guys that play club and I’ve got guys that don’t play club.

“For me, it’s just looking for the right fits in our lineup every day. When the guys come to practice, they compete, they work hard, and they fill in the roles. It’s a ‘Next guy up’ mentality in this locker room and I think that’s what keeps the guys going.”

It didn’t take the top-seeded Friars long to gain a firm hold on the proceedings. Jeremy Jacobs found Larocque in front of the Hawks’ net and Larocque put the puck behind Rocco Bruno just 1:39 into the opening period.

Harris made it a 2-0 game at the 13:08 mark with a shot from the deep right wing off a deflection. He scored his second goal of the night 3:25 into the middle period when he put in a rebound of Jacobs’ shot from the low slot.

Holt found the back of the net at the 4:56 mark, leaving the third-seeded Hawks (10-9-1) down 4-0, prompting their coach, David Giacomin, to use his timeout.

“Unfortunately we gave up that one early,” he said. “The momentum we had coming out of the locker room I thought would have been high. But any time that happens and you’ve got a bunch of young kids, their heads drop a little bit and it took a little while for us to get our legs moving.”

The Friars celebrate with their fellow students following their win over St. Joseph’s Prep Monday night.

St. Joseph’s Prep got a goal from Nick Storti 1:49 into the final frame but Jacobs and Harris scored two minutes apart late in the period to clinch the Cup and send the Hawks into the state championship game against Penguins Cup champion Peters Township Saturday at Ice Line (5:00 start).

No Class AAA team has successfully defended the state title since 2009.

Notes—The All-Tournament team selected by the Flyers Cup Committee, included Harris, Jacobs, and Jeffrey Hammond from St. Joseph’s Prep at forward, Larocque and Storti on defense, and Malvern Prep’s Anthony Perti in goal.

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 0 1—1

Malvern Prep 2 2 2—6

First-period goals: Pierre Larocque (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs, 1:39; Matt Harris (MP) from Caiden Canale and Jimmy Jacobs, 13:08

Second-period goals: Harris (MP) from Jimmy Jacobs and Steven Getsie, 3:25; Jonathan Holt (MP) from Gavin Wilson and Aidan Kelly, 4:56

Third-period goals: Nick Stori (SJP) from Christian Short, 1:49; Jimmy Jacobs (MP) from Harris and Dougherty, 13:14 (pp); Harris (MP) from Dougherty, 15:12 (sh)

Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 31, Malvern Prep 35; Saves: Rocco Bruno (SJP) 29, Anthony Perti (MP) 30

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Malvern Prep 4 Holy Ghost Prep 3 OT

Jeremy Jacobs scored 2:21 into overtime to give Malvern Prep a 4-3 win over Holy Ghost Prep Thursday night in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference game at Ice Line as the Friars celebrated Senior Night.

Caiden Canale, Aidan Kelly, and Jimmy Jacobs also scored for Malvern Prep (9-2, 5-0 in the APAC) which tightened its hold on first place in the APAC standings.

Sean Marshall scored for the Firebirds (9-7, 1-4-1-0 in conference) with 1:39 left in regulation to force overtime.

Canale opened the scoring for the Friars 2:34 into the first period before Brian Butler tied the game for Holy Ghost Prep with a power-play goal at the 4:14 mark. Kelly’s goal with 40 seconds left in the opening session gave the hosts a 2-1 lead.

Michael Holt tied the game for Holy Ghost Prep with 4:30 left in the middle period.

Jimmy Jacobs put Malvern Prep in front for the third time with 5:52 remaining in the third period before Marshall’s goal necessitated overtime.

“It was a big night for our team,” said Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan. “We were playing our second game since December 15 and we knew we had to come ready to play.

“(Holy Ghost Prep) is a good team, they get pucks deep and crash the net and it was good to see them get the win, especially for our seniors.”

Holy Ghost Prep 1 1 1 0—3

Malvern Prep 2 0 1 1—4

First-period goals: Caiden Canale (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs, 2:34; Brian Butler (HGP) unassisted, 4:12 (pp); Aidan Kelly (MP) from Jimmy Jacobs, 16:20

Second-period goal: Michael Holt (HGP) from Colin Moore, 12:30

Third-period goals: Jimmy Jacobs (MP) unassisted, 11:08; Sean Marshall (HGP) from Moore and Ciaran Chambers, 14:21

Overtime goal: Jeremy Jacobs (MP) from Pierre Larocque, 2:21

Shots; Holy Ghost Prep 31, Malvern Prep 34

Saves: Jason Soule (HGP) 30, Anthony Perti (MP) 28

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Malvern Prep 7 Hun School 2

WEST GOSHEN—The rest of the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference is looking up at Malvern Prep. The Friars are a perfect 4-0 in conference play after a 7-2 win over The Hun School Wednesday evening at Ice Line and have defeated each of their conference opponents once.

Wednesday’s win wasn’t an easy one, at least not at first. The teams traded goals twice in an opening period that ended in a 2-2 deadlock. The hosts went on to score five goals over the last two periods.

Jimmy Jacobs and Matt Harris contributed two goals each Jacobs added three assists and Harris two.

Pierre Larocque, Quinn Dougherty, and Jeremy Jacobs also scored goals as Malvern Prep advanced to 7-2 overall.

“We came out a little slow,” Jimmy Jacobs said, “but once we got the first one, we started clicking. I think overall our speed was able to beat their physicality.

Jimmy Jacobs scores a second-period goal

“I think we just used our speed to win some of the puck battles and also had to step up and be more physical.”

Pierre Larocque and Quinn Dougherty scored first-period goals for Malvern Prep while Josh Ovelette and Mark Gall countered for the Raiders,

Jimmy Jacobs put his team in front for good 2:17 into the middle period. Harris extended his team’s lead with 33 seconds left in the session.

The outcome was still in doubt entering the third frame but when Jacobs scored his second goal just 53 seconds in, the Raiders (5-5 overall, 1-2-1-0 in the APAC) seemingly had depleted their energy reserves.

Matt Harris scores on a tip-in

It was Malvern Prep’s second game in 24 hours; the Friars dropped a Mid-Atlantic Prep League game to Lawrenceville 5-4 on Tuesday after holding a 4-1 lead.

Raider head coach Ian McNally said his team had an off day all around. “We just didn’t have it,” he said. “We never had it for a second. We had a pretty devastating loss yesterday and you could tell it took its toll.

“As soon as we got down one or two it was pretty hard to motivate to try to claw back a little bit.”

The Raiders are now off until after the holidays. McNally it was important for his players to prove themselves to each other over the first half of the season.

‘We’re in a good spot,” he said. “I wish we had won more than we have but I think the important part of the first half is kind of prove to each other and give yourself confidence like ‘Hey, if we can do this, we can actually win a bunch of games here.’”

Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenen is pleased to be at the top of the standings at the holiday break but knows his team his still evolving.

“You can’t expect anything better from our team,” he said, “going 4-0 in the APAC early. But hey, it’s a long season and we know that going into the second half it’s a completely different game. Teams get refocused and over the break and they get ready for playoffs and the Flyers Cup.

“So, our message is we’ve got to stay dialed in, we’ve still got the task at hand, and we’ve got to execute.”

Hun School 2 0 0—2

Malvern Prep 2 2 3—7

First-period goals: Pierre Larocque (MP) unassisted, 4:34; Josh Ovelette (HS) from Seth Kaplan, 8:15; Quinn Dougherty (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs and Jimmy Jacobs, 10:06 (pp); Mark Gall (HS) unassisted, 14:39

Second-period goals: Jimmy Jacobs (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs, 2:17; Matt Harris (MP) from Aidan Kelly, 16:27

Third-period goals: Jimmy Jacobs (MP) from Harris, :53; Harris (MP) from Jimmy Jacobs, 5:36 (pp); Jeremy Jacobs (MP) from Harris, 12:03 (sh)

Shots: Hun School 33, Malvern Prep 42; Saves: Stephen Cheng (MP) 26 and Jack Borek (MP) 9, Anthony Perti (MP) 21

For More about Malvern Prep CLICK HERE

For More about The Hun School. CLICK HERE

Malvern Prep 3 Holy Ghost Prep 1

There weren’t a lot of surprises at the Wells Fargo Center Wednesday night. Holy Ghost Prep and Malvern Prep know each other well as a result of their history in the APAC.

It was the Friars who prevailed on this occasion. Jimmy Jacobs scored one goal and assisted on another to help his side to a 3-1 win in front of an energetic audience.

It was the fourth meeting between the two teams since last February

“I think since we played each other three times last year we kind of figured each other out,” Jacobs said. “Both goalies played really good, it was just a scrappy game. Nothing really pretty. We just had to crash the net hard and we won a lot of battles.
Gavin Wilson gave the Friars (4-1, 2-0 in the APAC) the lead 5:27 into the second period when he flipped the puck over the shoulder of Holy Ghost Prep netminder Jason Soule with Jacobs assisting. but Brady Baehser tied the game for the Firebirds (3-1, 2-1) just 22 seconds later.

Jacobs deposited what proved to be the winning goal at the 10:50 mark of the period, a power-play effort that came while the Firebirds’ Patrick Slook was serving a holding minor.

Both Soule and Anthony Perti were sharp in the third period, each making some strong saves to keep their opponents at bay.

Quinn Dougherty who played against Holy Ghost Prep in the Wells Fargo Center three years ago (he recorded an assist on that occasion) etched his name into history one more time when he scored into an empty net with 42 seconds remaining in regulation.

It was a satisfying evening for Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan. “With Ghost, coming off two big wins in the league (over La Salle and St. Joseph’s Prep) we knew it would be a tough fight,” he said. “Our boys showed up, and we’re glad to get out of here with a win.”

Keenan felt his team dealt successfully with the atmosphere inside the building. “I think overall, there was a lot of energy,” he said. “The message was to take it all in, soak it all in.

“There are only so many opportunities to play down here. The guys returning, they knew what it was like. But all these new guys, it was a big undertaking and it was good to see them settle in.”

Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside noted his team had an off night. “Credit to Malvern,” he said. “They played well, well enough to win the game. We just didn’t have our best effort. It was disappointing from a coaching standpoint. But we know we can play better.

”Whiteside is confident his team will rebound from the loss. “This is one game,” he said. “There were a lot of bad habits tonight obviously, but we’ll regroup at practice tomorrow and next week and go into Thanksgiving with some positives.”

Holy Ghost Prep 0 1 0—1

Malvern Prep 0 2 1—3

First-period goals: Gavin Wilson (MP) from Jimmy Jacobs, and Matt Harris, 5:27

Second-period goals: Brady Baehser (HGP) from John Seravalli and Sean Marshall, 5:49; Jimmy Jacobs (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs and Brady Doyle, 10:50 (pp)

Third-period goals: Quinn Dougherty (MP) from Pierre Larocque, 16:18 (en)

Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 31, Malvern Prep 26 Saves: Jason Soule (HGP) 23, Anthony Perti (MP) 30

Gavin Wilson scores the game’s first goal (Video by Gracie Cleveland)

For more about Malvern Prep CLICK HERE

For more about Holy Ghost Prep CLICK HERE

Elsewhere:

St. Augustine 3, St. Joseph’s Prep 2

Enzo Fanelli’s goal with 5:30 left in the third period gave St. Augustine a 3-2 win over St. Joseph’s Prep on Wednesday at the Class of 1923 rink.

Liam Mooney and Jeffrey Hammond scored for the Hawks

St. Augustine 1 1 1—3

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 2 0—2

Malvern Prep Wins APAC Opener 2-0 Over La Salle

There was an abundance of raw competitive energy on display when Malvern Prep and La Salle took the ice Friday evening. Just not a lot of goals.

Pierre Larocque scored off a neutral-zone faceoff and a La Salle turnover with 5:55 remaining in regulation and Matt Harris added a goal into an empty net in the waning seconds to give the Friars a 2-0 win at Hatfield Ice Arena in the opening game of the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference campaign.

Friday’s game was a rematch off the Friars’ overtime win in the Class 3A Flyers Cup final last April and although some names and faces had changed, the two teams seemingly picked up where they left off.

“We knew La Salle was going to be tough,” said Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan. “We picked up right where we left off last year in a tough battle.

“We got returning guys, they’ve got returning guys, we knew it would be a tough game and we were up for the challenge.”

Friday’s game soon became a goaltending duel with the Friars’ Anthony Perti and the Explorers’ Aries Carangi squaring off at opposite ends of the ice. Between them, the pair stopped 65 shots.

“You don’t see (a goaltending duel) a lot,” Perti said, “but my guys savored this game, we knew it was going to be a tough game; expectations were met.

“You’re going to get the bounce if you play the right way.”

Keenan, who saw his team improve to 2-1 overall, noted both goaltenders came up big when their best was needed. “Anthony has been great,” he said. “He was the MVP last year. He’s looked good so far this year, and a credit to La Salle’s goalie. We peppered him with shots and he came up big a lot.”

La Salle head coach Wally Muehlbronner noted that his team paid a high price for a mistake. “We turned it over and they capitalized like they certainly can,” he said “They’re a good team. But for a first game, I think it was probably good for both teams.”

Muehlbronner was asked what adjustments are required of players at the APAC level, whether they are new to the lineup entirely, or assuming new roles.

“They do play on good teams outside of La Salle so they do play at a pretty good pace,” he said. “The physical side shift to shift could be a little different, so I think that’s going to be an adjustment they’re going to have to get used to, but all in all, I think the young guys did a pretty sound job.”

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Malvern Prep (in blue) and La Salle open the APAC conference schedule

Malvern Prep 0 0 2—2

La Salle 0 0 0—0

Third-period goals: Pierre Larocque (MP) from Matt Harris, 11:05; Harris (MP) unassisted (empty net), 16:47

Shots Malvern Prep 32, La Salle 35: Saves: Anthony Perti (MP) 35, Aries Carangi (L) 30

To learn more about Malvern Prep CLICK HERE

To learn more about La Salle CLICK HERE

Flyers Cup Reflections

Thoughts on the Flyers Cup AAA final.

Malvern Prep’s Matt Harris earned the Class AAA Flyers Cup’s Bobby Clarke Award as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

Harris, a junior who spends the bulk of his time on right wing, collected three goals and an assist in the first two rounds of the tournament and played a key role in the Friars 4-3 overtime. win over La Salle in Monday night’s final.

Harris noted there was little to choose between the two finalists. “La Salle is definitely a good team,” he said, “They always have been a good team. We knew it was going to be a tough game throughout the whole game.

‘We tried to keep our pressure up. They were doing their best to match with us and we were doing our best to match with them.”

In light of the issues the Friars and the other Flyers Cup qualifiers had to deal with this season, on and off the ice, claiming the title was especially satisfying.

“Super satisfying,” Harris said, moments after the final buzzer Words can’t even describe the way everybody’s feeling right now. Covid was very unfortunate this year but we were lucky that we were able the Flyers Cup games in an and the whole season in. We were just lucky that we didn’t get taken out of the Flyers Cup for Covid-related issues, that we were able to get the job done.”

Malvern Prep celebrates on the ice after winning the Class AAA Flyers Cup Monday night (By Gracie Cleveland)

Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan Recognized what his team was part of Monday night. “We knew it was going to be a tough game,” he said. “We knew La Salle and what they’re capable of, and props to La Salle, they played a heck of a game. It was back and forth. It was tight, just like as expected.”

The Malvern Prep program was idled by Covid immediately preceding the Flyers Cup. Keenan said the shutdown provided his team with an opportunity to regroup, albeit with a caveat.

“We knew we had a long stretch of games in a short period of time,” he said. “This is what we worked for all season. I’ve coached some of these kids since middle school up through high school and it’s great to see them prevail here and come out on top.”

Kudos to the officiating crew that worked the Class AAA final. Referees Laura White and Brian McCullough read the temperature of the game perfectly and allowed the players the right amount of leeway. As high as the stakes were, the players respected each other and the game. Doug Hook and Tim Holtz worked the lines.

The All-Tournament team, as selected by the Flyers Cup Committee

All-Tournament Team

F: Jimmy Jacobs – Malvern Prep

F: Michael Casey – La Salle

F: Ryan Sambuco – Malvern Prep

D: Quinn Dougherty – Malvern Prep

D: Andrew Budzynski – La Salle

G: Anthony Perti – Malvern Prep

AAA Leading Scorer: Michael Casey – La Salle 5 goals, 3 assists, 8 points

Malvern Prep 4, Holy Ghost Prep 3 OT

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BRISTOL—For the third time this season, Malvern Prep and Holy Ghost Prep need more than the regulation 48 minutes to conduct their business.

Pierre Larocque scored a power-play goal 2:02 into the three-on-three overtime to give the Friars a 4-3 win at Grundy Arena Thursday afternoon and put a damper on the Firebirds’ Senior Day festivities.

It was the Friars’ (9-1, overall, 3-1-3-0 in conference) third win over Holy Ghost Prep this season. They prevailed 3-2 via shootout in each of the first two meetings.

The Friars were listed first in the Class AAA Flyers Cup rankings that were released on Monday.

The winning goal came just nine seconds after the Firebirds Luke Panepresso drew a minor penalty plus an automatic 10-minue misconduct for a check from behind that took the Friars’ Jimmy Jacobs into the boards behind the Firebirds’ net. It was a no-doubt-about-it call for referee Laura White.

Malvern Prep won the ensuing faceoff to set up Larocque’s game winner. It was the junior’s second goal of the game.

“This is very satisfying,” Larocque said. “Especially missing (club players) from our team, it’s very satisfying to win this game.”

Malvern Prep’ Ryan Sambuco (in white carries the puck against Holy Ghost Prep’s E.J. Pohl. #97 in white is Jeremy Jacobs. (Photo by Rick Woelfel)

The Friars were four players short on Thursday, including senior defenseman Chris Blango, their captain, senior forward Jack Constabile, and junior forward Matt Harris. All normally play major roles but all were away on club duty.

“We told our boys coming in it was going to be a tall task,” said Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan. “Going into overtime the first two games, we knew it was going to be tough. To come out again in the overtime, it was nice to get a win.”

The Firebirds (4-5 overall, 3-3-0-2 in conference) took a 1-0 lead 2:51 into the first period when Antony Sparo tipped in Panepresso’s shot from the left point after his team won a faceoff in the offensive right circle. Ryan Sambuco tied the game for Malvern Prep at the 11:47 mark.

Larocque scored to give the Friars a 2-1 lead just 2:13 into the second session but it only took John Connelly 33 seconds to respond for Holy Ghost Prep. Connelly scored his second goal of the game 2:57 into the third period to give his team the lead for the second time but Sambuco answered back with a power play goal at 6:03 while Evan Mudrick was serving a double minor.

The Firebirds finished with a 31-26 edge in shots. Anthony Perti came up big in goal for the Friars; a number of his 28 saves were extraordinarily difficult.

Keenan credits for his team’s success his senior class. “I’ve said it all year,” he said. “It’s a great group of guys, they’ve been in this program for quite some time and to see them really control the locker, control the bench during the game, it’s nice to see as coaches. Coaches can do so much but the players have got to go out and win the game.”

It was a frustrating afternoon for the Firebirds, who were listed second in the Class AAA Flyers Cup rankings, but whose losing streak has now reached four games.

“I thought we came out and played pretty well,” said Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside.” It was a good start and then a tough break at the end getting that penalty. We just can’t find ways to win right now.”

Malvern Prep 1 1 1 1—4

Holy Ghost Prep 1 1 1 0—3

First-period goals: Anthony Sparo (HGP) from Luke Panepresso and Brian Butler, 2:51; Ryan Sambuco (MP) from Quinn Dougherty and Jeremy Jacobs, 11:47

Second-period goals: Pierre Larocque (MP) from Jack Sharer, 2:13; John Connelly (HGP) from Patrick McAneny and Colin Moore, 2:22

Third-period goals: Connelly (HGP) unassisted, 2:57; Sambuco (MP) from Jimmy Kirk, 6:03 (pp)

Overtime goal: Larocque (MP) from Kirk and Dougherty, 2:02

Shots: Malvern Prep 26, Holy Ghost Prep 31; Saves: Anthony Perti (MP) 28; Bobby Baehser (HGP) 22

For more information about Malvern Prep Click Here

For more information about Holy Ghost Prep Click Here

Friday’s scheduled APAC game between La Salle and St. Joseph’s Prep has been postponed.

Malvern Prep 3, Holy Ghost Prep 2 SO

By Rick Woelfel

BRISTOL—For the second time in five days, Malvern Prep and Holy Ghost Prep needed a shootout to determine a winner. For the second time the Friars emerged victorious, and by the same score, 3-2 in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference game at Grundy Arena that matched the intensity and competitiveness of its predecessor.

A goal from Pierre Larocque 8:21 into the first period off a feed from Chris Blango and another from Matt Harris at the 13:52 mark off a turnover enabled Malvern Prep (7-0, 2-0-2-0 in the APAC) to take a 2-0 advantage.

The score remained unchanged through the second period but it was not for lack of effort on the Firebirds’ part. They held a 30-18 edge in shots to that point but were unable to solve Anthony Perti in the Friars’ net.

In the third period, Holy Ghost Prep (4-2 overall, 3-0-0-2 in conference) came out storming. Evan Mudrick beat Perti off a feed from Brady Baehser just 23 seconds into the period. The Firebirds successfully killed off a pair of minor penalties before stepping up the pressure down the stretch. Anthony Sparo tied the game with 1:13 left in regulation off a feed from Shaun Moore to force overtime.

Neither team seriously threatened in the extra five-minute session before Blango and Harris found the net in the shootout.

“Overtime is always fun,” Blango said, “but we’ve got to clean up stuff on our end, and especially in the third period in our D-zone. We can’t have days like this, where they score two third-period goals back to back. It’s fun, but we’ve got to take care of our stuff.”

Blango felt he and his teammates became, in his words “Too comfortable,” at some point. “We definitely got sloppy,” he said. “You could probably see it. Our passes weren’t made the same, we were not communicating as much. You’ve got to clean that up, headed into playoffs and the Flyers Cup.”

During the break between the second and third periods, Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan urged his troops to maintain their focus. “Our message in between periods, the second and third was to tell our guys ‘The next goal’s important,’” he said. “Holy Ghost came out strong and ended up tying it, but it was good to see our guys fight back and get a win in the shootout.”

Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside was philosophical about the loss. “It was a great game,” he said. “I don’t like the result, but I liked our response in the third period and we did what we had to do to win the hockey game. it’s tough to lose hockey games like that, but we did what we had to do.”

• The Firebirds outshot the Friars 50-34… Monday’s game was a makeup of a postponement. The Friars will face La Salle on Wednesday to start a stretch that will see them play three conference games in eight days. Holy Ghost Prep will take on St. Joseph’s Prep on Friday to begin a run of four conference games in 11 days.

Malvern Prep 2 0 0 0 (2)—3

Holy Ghost Prep 0 0 2 0 (0)—2

First-period goals: Pierre Larocque (MP from Chris Blango, 8:21; Matt Harris (MP) from Jack Constabile, 13:52

Third-period goals: Evan Mudrick (HGP) from Brady Baehser and Shaun Moore, :23: Anthony Sparo (HGP) from Moore and Mudrick, 14:47.

Shots: Malvern Prep 34, Holy Ghost Prep 50: Saves: Anthony Perti (MP) 48. Bobby Baehser (HGP) 32

For more about Malvern Prep Click Here

For more about Holy Ghost Prep Click Here

The scholastic hockey season will conclude in April with the Flyers Cup tournament. Hockey Happenings is offering you the opportunity to promote your product, service, or event via our web site for the balance of the season.

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Malvern Prep 7, Cardinal O’Hara 2

Matt Harris and Jack Constabile each scored two goals as Malvern Prep downed Cardinal O’Hara 7-2 Thursday night at Ice Line. Hayden Campbell, Jimmy Kirk, and Jonathan Holt also scored for the Friars, who recorded their second straight win to open the 2020-21 season.

The Lions got goals from Nathan Fox and Steve Graney to take a 2-1 lead after the first period but Malvern Prep took control from there.

“The boys got off to a slow start,” said Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan. “It was our first game in a few weeks and first time on the ice as a full team since Thanksgiving.
“We were missing some key players to our team tonight but we found a way to grind it out and come out with a win.’
Anthony Perti got the win in goal, making 27 saves.

Cardinal O’Hara 2 0 0—2

Malvern Prep 1 3 3—7

First-period goals: Nathan Fox (CO) unassisted, 9:26; Jack Constabile (MP) from Matt Harris, 12:18; Steve Graney (CO) from Fox, 16:12 (pp).

Second-period goals: Harris (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs, 1:27; Harris (MP) from Chris Blango, 9:16; Hayden Campbell (MP) from Matt Donatucci, 15:39.

Third-period goals: Jimmy Kirk (MP) from Blango, :16 (pp); Jonathan Holt (MP) from Jimmy Jacobs and Will Traynor, 5:44. Constabile (MP) from Harris and Jeremy Jacobs, 16:58.

Shots: Cardinal O’Hara 29, Malvern Prep 43; Saves: Ronan Marley (CO) 36, Anthony Perti (MP) 27.

Malvern Prep at the Threshold of a New Hockey Season

Malvern Prep is approaching the 1920-21 hockey season with a blend of caution and optimism. The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference will not begin its new season until after the holidays but the Friars, like other scholastic hockey teams in the area, are holding preseason drills.

Unlike most other teams however, Malvern Prep is hoping to get on the ice for some non-league games between now and the end of the year; the Friars are scheduled to go against West Chester Rustin Thursday night at Ice Line.

The three other members of the APAC, Holy Ghost Prep, St. Joseph’s Prep, and two-time defending champion La Salle, are all on the ice but none of the other three have committed to playing a game as of yet.

Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan has adjusted his practice schedule to try to get his players as much ice time as possible. “We flip flop a little bit between a varsity-only practice, and a JV and varsity combined practice,” he said, “but for the most part, all the guys are (on the ice) twice a week.”

Keenan described how he structures a practice with safety in mind. “When I go into practices, the biggest thing I try to do is implement the drills in a sense to where the kids are constantly moving and not standing in line next to each other,” he said.

““If we do have those drills where guys must stand in a line, I try to form drills so it’s not only one or two lines but a drill that has multiple components where the kids might be in five or six different lines across the ice. So, you’re taking your guys and you’re kind of spreading them and then while they’re in line they can kind of adhere to social distancing. I would say most of the guys are rarely next to each other for more than a minute or two when the drills are kicked off. And by the time they get back in line they’re starting to flow through the drill again. It’s constant movement.”
Malvern Prep’s student body is back on campus and the players are screened a minimum of twice each day.

“They get health screenings before they go on campus in the morning,” Kenan said, “They do one at home and then when they (arrive on campus) they do another one; there are color coded wristbands and they’re not allowed to come to practice without a wristband.”

The players are not forbidden to utilize the locker room facilities at Ice Line prior to or following practices.