Avon Grove 12 Downingtown West 11

Lily Schindler’s goal with 64 seconds left in regulation gave Avon Grove a 12-11 win over Downingtown West Tuesday night in the Girls Flyers Cup championship game at PNY Arena.

The win gave Avon Grove its first Flyers Cup girls title. Downingtown West was trying for its third straight Cup and fourth in five years.

Schindler’s goal capped a stretch that saw the top-seeded Red Devils score three times in a span of 46 seconds to take a 12-10 lead. Avon Grove trailed 7-4 entering the third period but scored eight goals in the final session.

Schindler finished with three goals and three assists. Her teammate Skylar Greene scored five goals and added an assist. Emily Sullivan scored two goals for the winners while Brianna Register and Blaire Stoltzfus scored one goal each.

Ava Thomas scored for second-seeded Downingtown West with 29 seconds remaining to bring the Whippets within a goal. Thomas finished the game with nine goals and the tournament with 29.

Maddison Vitali scored the Whippets other two goals and contributed three assists.

Downingtown West 3 4 4—11

Avon Grove 2 2 8—12

Downingtown West 5 W.C. Henderson 2

Certain players can take over a hockey game when the need arises. Reed Surak displayed that talent Monday night.

The senior scored three goal as the Whippets downed West Chester Henderson 5-2 in an ICSHL Ches-Mont encounter at Ice Line. The Whippets improved to 5-4 on the season and 3-2 in the Ches-Mont and now put together a three-game winning streak.

It was the first loss for Henderson which had opened the season with eight consecutive wins (The Warriors are 5-1 in the Ches-Mont)

“The last three games we’ve kind of played back to ourselves,” said Downingtown West coach Brett Mackell. “I think this was our best game start to finish tonight, especially defensively. We were really responsible, we didn’t give them many chances.”

It was the Whippets who had the bulk of the chances in the first period; they outshot the Warriors 14-7 in the first frame. But it was Henderson that got on the board first, thanks to Hunter Haas who launched a rocket from the left wing and beat Downingtown West netminder Tom O’Brien 6:19 into the opening frame.

Surak answered for the Whippets with 7:13 left in the period.

The star of the opening session however was Henderson goaltender Matt Cieslukowski, who made 13 saves in the opening 17 minutes.

But Surak got the better of him 7:57 into the second period when he collected a loose puck in the neutral zone and went down the right wing before depositing the puck inside the right post.

Haas scored his second goal of the game with nine seconds left in the period to tie the game and complete a splendid combination that involved teammates John Catania and Declan Herr.

The third-period belonged to the Whippets Brady Cusa put in a rebound of Bruce Schuler’s shot midway through the period. Surek completed his hat trick when he found the top shelf off a feed from Schuler with 4:57 left in regulation before Schuler scored a goal of his own with 1:50 remaining.                  

Surak noted that the Whippets controlled the pace of play after the first period.

“I think as a team we picked it up,” he said. “We definitely wanted that win, we were hungry for it.”

Surak said the Whippets have evolved since the start of the season.

“We started the season a little rough,” he said. “A couple bad bounces here and there but I think as a team we all came together and decided we wanted to win.

Henderson coach Tom Aughey credited his team for its effort.

“It was a good battle” he said. “The 5-2 result I don’t think was indicative of the score, but we were a little slow tonight, Downingtown played very well, especially [Surak].”

• Henderson entered the game as the top-ranked team in the inaugural Class A Flyers Cup rankings.

West Chester Henderson 1 1 0—2

Downingtown West 1 1 3—5

First-period goals: Hunter Haas (H) from John Gordon, 6:19; Reed Surak (DW) from Mark Bronshteyn, 9:47

Second-period goals: Surak (DW) unassisted, 7:57; Haas (H) from Blake Platz and Declan Herr, 16:51 (pp)

Third-period goals: Brady Cusa (DW) from Bryce Schuler and Aleks Kepiro, 8:27; Surak (DW) from Schuler, 12:03; Schuler (DW) from Ryder Jones, 15:10

Shots: Henderson 27, Downingtown West 36; Saves: Matt Cieslukowski H) 31, Tom O’Brien (DW) 29

Downingtown West 6 Avon Grove 4

Ava Thomas scored four goals and assisted on another as Downingtown West  downed Avon Grove 6-4 Monday night in the 15th edition of the girls’ Flyers Cup championship game at PNY Arena.

The second-seeded Whippets become the first girls’ team since 2019 to successfully defend a Flyers Cup title when Unionville won the last of five straight.

It’s the second Cup title for the Whippets, who also claimed it in 2021.

Thomas, a junior, and a member of the U.S. Women’s U18 National Team, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player for the third time in her career. She also led the tournament in scoring  with six goals and four assists in two games.

Thomas and Maddison Vitali scored goals to give the Whippets a 2-0 lead at the 7:21 mark of the first period.

Lilly Schindler and Skylar Greene answered for top-seeded Avon Grove before the period ended.

Thomas gave her team the lead for good 3:49 into the second period and then added a shorthanded effort at 11:25 before Choloe Bogusch made it a 5-2 game with 2:23 left in the period.

Emmy Sullivan drew the Red Devils closer 2:31 into the the third period. Avon Grove had a chance to make it a one-goal game with 8:13 left but the apparent goal was disallowed due to a penalty.

Thomas scored her fourth goal of the game with 3:48 remaining before Avon Grove’s Kiera Post completed the scoring with 2:11 left in the game.

Downingtown West 2 3 1—6

Avon Grove 2 0 2—4

First-period goals: Ava Thomas (DW) from Riley Sagers, 4:14; Maddison Vitali (DW) from Thomas and Grace Goodman, 7:21; Lily Schindler (AG) unassisted, 8:13; Skylar Greene (AG) from Maggie Sullivan and Emmy Sullivan, 9:38

Second-period goals: Thomas (DW) from Vitali, 3:49; Thomas (DW), 11:25 (sh); Choloe Bogusch (DW) unassisted, 13:37

Third-period goals: Emmy Sullivan (AG) unassisted, 2:31; Thomas (DW) from Sagirls 12:16; Kiera Post (AG) from Molly Tursi 13:49

Shots: Downingtown West 30, Avon Grove 28; Saves: Violet Clarke (DW) 24, Ella Hydutsky (AG) 24.

This story will be updated

Flyers Cup Girls Finals

Monday, 3-18

Avon Grove vs. Downingtown West 7:00 at PNY Arena

Avon Grove (19-1)—The Lady Red Devils are seeking their first Flyers Cup title. Skylar Campanile leads the team in scoring with 34 goals and 29 assists for 63 points. Skylar Green has collected 17 goals and 29 assists. for 46 points.

The Red Devils shut out Conestoga 10-0 in the semifinals. Lilly Schindler scored three goals and added four assists. Campanile scored two goals and added four assists.

Downingtown West (5-11)—The Whippets are trying to become the first girls’ team since 2019 to successfully defend a Flyers Cup championship. They also won the title in 2021. Ava Thomas has played in just nine high-school games this season  while representing the U.S. as a member of the U-18 national team but has amassed 23 goals and eight assists for 31 points. She’s a two-time Flyers Cup MVP.

The Whippets bested West Chester Henderson 6-5 in the semifinals. Thomas scored two goal and added three assists. Kyla Mellinger provided four assists.

This marks the 15th time the Flyers Cup tournament has crowned a girls’ champion. The girls’ tournament was first contested in 2009. The tournament was not completed in 2020 because of the pandemic.

Unionville has won the most titles with nine.

Flyers Cup Schedule Thursday 3-14

Thursday, March 14

Class AAA Semifinals

La Salle 5 Holy Ghost Prep 2

 Malvern Prep 3 St. Joseph’s Prep 1—Teague Murray and James Young scored first-period goals and the second-seeded Friars went on to beat the third-seeded Hawks Thursday night in a Class AAA Flyers Cup semifinal at Ice Line.

Henry Tesoriero also scored for Malvern Prep (11-8) which will meet La Salle in the final.

Tristan Winata scored for St. Joseph’ Prep (16-7)

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 0 1—1

Malvern Prep 2 0 1—3

First-period goals: Teague Murray (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs and Jonathan Holt, 12:11 (pp); James Young (MP) from Logan Love, 13:47

Third-period goals: Henry Tesoriero (MP) unassisted, 15:25 (en); Tristan Winata (SJP) unassisted. 16:09

Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 36, Malvern Prep 35; Saves: Jacob Aranda (SJP) 32; Matt Crawford (MP) 35

Class AA Semifinals

Penneidge 10, Downingtown West 1—

The top-seeded Rams scored six goals in the first period and rolled to the win over the fourth-seeded Whippets in a Class AA semifinal Thursday night at Hatfield Ice.

Shane Dachowswki scored four goals for Pennridge (21-2-2) and added an assist. Nolan Shaw provided two goals. Kevin Pico, Josh Kelly, Tyler Manto, and Andrew Savona all scored goals.

Joseph Butter scored for Downingtown West (18-5)

Downingtown West 0 1 0

Pennridge 6 2 2

Council Rock South 3 Boyertown 1

Championship games will be played Tuesday, and Wednesday, March 19, and 20.

Flyers Cup Update 4-20-21

Class AA Final

Haverford 4, Downingtown West 1

Jacob Orazi scored twice as third-seeded Haverford bested top-seeded Downingtown West 4-1 Tuesday night in the Class AA Flyers Cup final at Ice Line.

Jagur McClelland and Daniel Quartapella also scored for the Fords, who captured the fifth Cup in school history.

Tyler DeTreux scored for Dowingtown West to give the top-seeded Whippets a 1-0 lead 3:33 into the first period.

McClelland and Orazi scored second-period goals for the Fords. Orazi’s shorthanded effort with 1:12 left in the period proved to be the game winner.

Daniel Quartapella and Orazi scored empty-net goals late in the third period.

Haverford 0 2 2—4

Downingtown West 1 0 0—1

First-period goals: Tyler DeTreux (DW) from Thomas Fetterman and Zakari Spero, 3:33

Second-period goals: Jagur McClelland (H) unassisted, 5:43; Jacob Orazi (H) from Mike Mc Geoch and Aidenn Johnson, 15:48 (sh)

Third-period goals: Daniel Quartapella (H) unassisted, 16:01 (en); Orazi (H) unassisted, 16:44 (en)

Shots Haverford 49, Downingtown West 30;: Saves: Jai Jani (H) 29, Aidan McHutchinson, 49

Flyers Cup Class A Final

West Chester East 3, West Chester Henderson 2

Chase Bencel’s goal with 2:04 left in the second period proved to be the game winner Tuesday night as the top-seeded Vikings bested the Warriors in the Class A Flyers Cup at ice Line. Greg Diamond and Henry Thornton also scored for West Chester East, who captured the third Flyers Cup title in school history. Dylan Trench and Alex Holloway scored for the sixth-seeded Warriors.

West Chester East had a 60-26 shot advantage; Henderson goaltender Dylan Kirk made 57 saves.

WC Henderson 2 0 0—2

WC East 1 2 0—3

First-period goals: Dylan Trench (WCH) from Brian Bowan and Alex Holloway, 5:07; Greg Diamond (WCE) from Chase Becnel and Tristan D’Elia, 11:02 (pp); Holloway (WCH) from Dylan DeAngelo and Chris Laurence, 15:12

Second-period goals: Henry Thornton (WCE) from D’Elia, 6:12; Bencel (WCE) from Diamond, 14:56

Shots: WC Henderson 26, WC East 60; Saves: Dylan Krick (WCH) 57, Jake Godshall (WCE) 24

Flyers Cup Finals Preview

All Games at Ice Line

Class AAA

Malvern Prep vs. La Salle Monday, 8:15

The top-seeded Friars and second-seeded Explorers are each seeking their 12thFlyers Cup championship.

Malvern Prep (13-1), which won the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference regular–season title, features the conference’s two top scorers. Matt Harris scored 13 goals and added 12 assists for 25 points during the regular season and has added three goals and an assist in the Flyers Cup tournament. Jack Constabile contributed 15 goals and eight assists during the regular season plus a goal and an assist in Flyers Cup play

Goaltender Anthony Perti has allowed just two goals in two Flyers Cup games after compiling a 1.84 goals against average and a .934 save percentage in the regular season.

The Friars are looking for their first Flyers Cup since 2005.

La Salle (10-4) is the defending Class AAA Flyers Cup and state champion. The Explorers are paced by Michael Casey, who collected 13 goals and six assists during the regular season for 19 points. He’s added five goals and two assists in two Flyers Cup games. David Kimmel scored six regular-season goals and added nine assists plus a goal and an assist in Flyers Cup play.

Liam Gross compiled a 1.90 goals-against average in the regular season plus a .916 save percentage. He’s allowed three goals in the Flyers Cup.

Flyers Cup Committee President Eric Tye is anticipating a closely contested affair “This is the one (the seeding committee) got right,” he said. “The one and two seeds made it to the finals. I don’t know if you can pick a winner.

“I watched (both semifinals). La dale and Holy Ghost was tight until the end and Malvern had to go to the end with St. Joe’s. I imagine this will be a one-goal game, a two-goal game at the most.”

Malvern Prep won two of three regular-season meetings between the two team this season.

The Friars and the Explorers are tentatively scheduled to meet for the APAC championship on a date to be announced following the state championship game.

Class AA

Downingtown West vs. Haverford Tuesday, 8:15

 Top-seeded Whippets (12-3-1) is seeking the first Flyers Cup in the school’s history. The Whippets are paced by Zakari Spero who scored nine goals and added 13 assists during the regular season/league playoffs for 22 points. He’s added three goals and five assists over the course of three Flyers Cup games. Thomas Fetterman scored eight goals and added 10 assists during the regular season and has added four goals and four assists in Flyers Cup play.

Goaltender Aidan McHutchinson compiled a 2.71 goals against average in regular-season play with a save percentage of .925. He’s been even better in the Flyers Cup with a 2.29 GAA.

Downingtown West handed Haverford its only loss this season; the two teams split a pair of regular-season meeting.
The Fords (15-1) come into the final with a 13-game winning streak. They are seeking the fifth Flyers Cup in their history and their first since 2007.

Jagur McClelland leads the team in scoring with 18 regular-season goals for 22 assists for 40 points plus five goals and five assists in three Flyers Cup games. Jacob Orazi pocketed 14 regular-season goals and 20 assists and added five goals and six assists in the Flyers Cup tournament.

Jal Jani has been outstanding in goal. He compiled a 1.36 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage during the regular season. Over the course of three Flyers Cup games, he’s put together a 1.47 GAA.

Tye says both teams will be primed for the title game after being challenged in the semifinals. Downingtown West prevailed over 12th-seeded Avon Grove while Haverford bested number-10 Pennridge.

“They both got tested really hard in the semifinals,” Tye said. “Avon Grove gave Downingtown West everything they could handle and Pennridge gave Haverford everything they could handle.”

Class A

West Chester East vs. West Chester Henderson Tuesday, 6:00

The top-seeded Vikings (16-0) have been dominant all season, defeating all 16 of their opponents and outscoring them 105-16. They’re seeking the third Flyers Cup title in their history, the first since 2013.

Greg Diamond leads the team in scoring, considering all 16 of his team’s games. He scored 18 goals and added 14 assists for 32 points during the regular season and has added six goals and eight assists during the Flyers Cup tournament.

Tristan D’Elia scored 12 regular-season goals and added 22 assists for 34 points during the regular season. In his loan Flyers Cup appearance, he added two goals and an assist.

Goaltender Jake Godshall put together a 1.92 goals-against average during the regular season with a .941 save percentage. He’s been scored against just once in two Flyers Cup starts.

The sixth-seeded Warriors (6-7-2) are paced in scoring by Alex Holloway, who scored seven goals and added four assists during the regular season. He’s added three goals and two assists during the Flyers Cup tournament. Trey Jefferis collected 11 goals during the regular season. He’s added three goals and an assist during the tournament.

Goaltender Dylan Krick put together a 3.22 GAA during the regular season with a .917 save percentage. He’s allowed two goals in two Flyers Cup games.

The Warriors one previous Flyers Cup championship came in 2007

The Vikings won two regular-season meetings between the two teams by a combined 15-1. They are the likely favorites in the final but Tye offers a caveat.

“They’re probably playing against the hottest goalie in the tournament right now,” he said. “That’s got to be a little bit scary. Strath Haven put 65 shots on that kid in the semifinals and he didn’t allow one until (15) seconds left in the game.”

Girls

Downingtown West vs. West Chester Henderson Wednesday, 8:15

Whoever emerges victorious from this matchup will be a first-time Flyers Cup champion.

The top-seeded Whippets (8-6) are paced in scoring by Ava Thomas who collected 19 goals and four assists for 23 points during the regular season. She added three more goals and three additional assists in the Flyers Cup semifinals. Goaltender Molly Rosenzweig compiled a 4.73 GAA in the regular season before allowing three more goals in the Flyers Cup semifinals.

The third-seeded Warriors (12-3) got 18 goals and 11 assists (29 points) from Kayla Czukoski during the regular season. She’s added two Flyers Cup goals.  Cassidy Yaun contributed 20 goals and seven assists during the regular season plus two goals and an assist in Flyers Cup play.

Goaltender Samantha Scebeio carried a 3.34 GA into the postseason. She pitched a two-period shutout in her lone Flyers Cup appearance.

This will be the only Flyers Cup final in which the participants did not meet during the regular season.

Flyers Cup Schedule Revised in Response to Coronavirus

The Flyers Cup Committee has revised and consolidated the remainder of the tournament schedule. The revisions were made because of ongoing concerns re; the coronavirus. The game times  and sites listed below are as of 11:30 AM on March 12.

Thursday, Match 12

Class AAA Semifinals at Hatfield Ice

6:30 Holy Ghost Prep vs. Father Judge

8:45 La Salle vs. St. Joseph’s Prep

Friday, March 13

7:00 Class AAA Final at Hatfield Ice

Saturday, March 14

NJ/DE Semi – Finals at Vorhees
   4:45pm – Moorsetown vs Wash Twp
    7:00pm – Salesianum vs Shawnee
Girls Semifinals at Iceline
2:00pm – Unionville vs Buxmont
4:00pm- WC East vs WC Henderson
Sunday, March 15
Sun 3/15 – AA Final Perkiomen Valley vs Downingtown West, 4 pm at Iceline
Sun 3/15 – Girls Final – 6pm at Iceline
Sun 3/15 – A Final Hershey vs Palmyra, 7pm at Klick Lewis Arena
Our thanks to the Flyers Cup Committee

Flyers Cup Update for 3-11-20

Class AA

Wednesday, March 11 at  Skatium

Semifinals

Perkiomen Valley 5, Haverford 4

Downingtown West 4, Boyertown 2

Tonights’s games are available on the Flyers Cup You Tube channel

 

 

Tuesday, March 17 at Ice Line

8:15  Championship Game

Three of the four teams in the semifinals, Perkiomen Valley, Downingtown West, and Boyertown, have never won a Flyers Cup title.

Haverford has a long and storied history in the tournaments however. The Fords won a Class A title in 1992, the second year of the current three-class format and claimed Class three consecutive Class AA titles from 2005-7.