Trainer Joey Lopez Personifies His Profession

Joey Lopez doesn’t think of himself as a hero. Others might think differently.

Lopez is one of the corps of athletic trainers keep watch over student-athletes during APAC and ICSHL games as well as the Flyers Cup tournament.

During games, Lope and his colleagues are constantly on the alert.

“We’re watching the game just like the fans are,” he said.” A lot of people do this because not only because they love athletic, but some of them love the sport itself.”

Lopez is particularly alert when a player is down on the ice.

“If they’re down long enough, that alerts us,” he said. “We usually give them a little bit of time to be down because it might be something minor, but if it’s something for a little bit longer time than we allow, depending on how long the athletic trainer waits, which isn’t long, that’s when our primary concerns about (the player) being injured come in and then we head out to the ice.”

Lopez, who has worked as an athletic trainer since 2017, was on duty at Ice Line on the evening of December 22 when a Father Judge player was cut by a skate blade in the second period of a game against Cardinal O’Hara.

Lopez used a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. He told Hockey Happenings that his personal and professional instincts kicked in.

“I’d never had to use a tourniquet on somebody,” he said, “but it literally just one of those things where everything else in the world does not matter.

“It just turns into tunnel vision and knowing what I know what would I do for my kid if I had one, and treating them as your own, because essentially you can look at them as your kids because they’re under your care.”

Lopez notes that when he’s dealing with a potentially serious situation, it’s important to keep his own emotions in check.

“I have to make sure everybody else is calm,” he said. “If the kid isn’t calm, you can always make the situation worse.”

Lopez praised the coaching staffs of the two teams for their assistance on stabilizing the situation.

“The coaches called 911,” he said. “They helped out they were great. everybody was a team. It just made everything easier.”

The day after the Father Judge-Cardinal O’Hara game, the following tweet was posted on the Father Judge Twitter page.

Last night’s player of the game was @ICSHL_hockey Athletic Trainer Joey Lopez. Joey stepped into a very serious injury situation, took control, handled the situation like a pro, directed others, & stopped a bad situation from becoming worse. Thanks Joey! #professional #hero.

Malvern Prep 6 Father Judge 2

WEST GOSHEN—After an up-and-down regular season and a loss in the APAC play-in game, Malvern Prep had an opportunity to make a fresh start Monday night in the quarterfinal round of the Class AAA Flyers Cup. The Friars made the most of the opportunity.

Jimmy and Jeremy Jacobs two goals each as Malvern Prep, the defending Cup champion, turned in a dominant performance in a 6-2 win over Father Judge at Ice Line.

The fourth-seeded Friars (10-7). will face top-seeded La Salle in the semifinals on a date to be announced. The fifth-seeded Crusaders closed the campaign at 15-4-0-1. Three of their losses were to APAC teams.

It’s best to be wary of an unfamiliar opponent at Flyers Cup time, and the Friars and the Crusaders did not meet during the regular season.

Jimmy Jacobs said the Friars focused on what they had to do as versus what the Crusaders might do.

“I think they only thing we could do is just play out game,” he said, “and see how we do from there. You can’t really have a game plan if you’ve never played against them before.”

Jeremy Jacobs said that lack of familiarity helped keep him and his teammates focused.

“It’s the Flyers Cup, it’s one and done,” he said. “It could be over if you lose. You’ve definitely got to treat the game like it’s a championship game, and just go out there and play as hard as you can.”

The Friars did just that, especially in the first period. It took Jimmy Jacobs just 2 minutes, 16 sends to get a puck past Crusader goaltender David Marcellino to give Malvern Prep a 1-0 lead. Jeremy Jacobs extended the Friars’ lead with a shorthand goal at the 8:09 mark. Devon Mallon got father Judge on the scoreboard exactly 12 minutes unto the opening session, but Jack Sharer answered for the Friars with 2:15 remaining in the period.

Jeremy Jacobs spoke to the importance of his team’s fast start.

“Just to get the tempo of the game going,” he said, and show them who we really are, and put pucks in the back of the net quick.

“Quick starts are really the key to games. Momentum off the start is huge.”

Jimmy Jacobs and Gavin Wilson scored goals 1 minute, 47 seconds apart to extend the Friars’ lead to 5-1 2:27 into the second period. The Friar offense was in high gear; by evening’s end they had been credited with 45 shots on goal.

Robert Cattalo scored for Judge 9:48 into the period to cut into the Malvern Prep lead but Jeremy Jacobs scored his second goal of the game 8:38 into the final period to put the exclamation point on the Friars’ win.

Jimmy Jacobs said he and his teammates are focused on the task at hand.
“The good thing with the Flyers Cup, and the bad thing, is it’s one and done.” he said.”

Father Judge. 1 1 0—2

Malvern Prep 3 2 1—6

First-period goals: Jimmy Jacobs (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs and Gabe Bedwell, 2:36; Jeremy Jacobs (MP) from Jimmy Jacobs, 8:09 (sh); Devon Mallon (FJ) from Robert Cattalo, 12:00; Jack Sharer (MP) unassisted, 14:45

Second-period goals: Jimmy Jacobs (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs, :40; Gavin Wilson (MP) unassisted, 2:27 Carratlo (FJ) from Gavin Moore, 9:48

Third-period goal: Jeremy Jacobs (MP) unassisted, 8:22 (sh)

Shots: Father Judge 29, Malvern Prep 45; Saves: David Marcellino 39, Brandon Novabilski 27

St. Joseph’s Prep 7 Father Judge 4

Geoffrey Hammond scored three goals and assisted on another as St. Joseph’s Prep down Father Judge 7-4 Wednesday night in a non-league game at Flyers Skate Zone Northeast. Joey Samango added two goals and two assists as the Hawks improved to 7-2-1 on the season.
John Lynch and Matt Guiliani also scored goals.

Holy Ghost Prep 7 Father Judge 2

HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—Teams often look at a postseason tournament as an opportunity for a fresh start. Holy Ghost Prep embraced that mindset Thursday night. The Firebirds scored three times in a three-minute span in the first period and went on to a 7-2 win over Father Judge in Class AAA Flyers Cup first-round game at Hatfield Ice.

The fourth-seeded Firebirds (11-11) will face top-seeded and defending champion Malvern Prep in a semifinal game at 6:45 next Wednesday at Ice Line.

The Firebirds’ eruption began 6:38 into the first frame when Shaun Moore scored off a scramble in front of the Crusader net. Michael Holt made it a 2-0 game at the 9:13 mark and John Seravalli followed right behind him at 9:37, the Firebirds’ third goal in a span of 2:59.

Senior Dominick Lombardo assisted Seravalli’s goal. “Going in, we knew we were coming off a couple hard losses,” he said. “We had a good win (In the APAC playoffs) against Hun and then we ended up taking a hard loss against (Malvern Prep).

“Going into this game, we just came in all as a team. We knew we could beat Judge, we beat them before (9-2 during the regular season).”

Lombardo noted the importance of the Firebirds’ fast start.

“For me, I knew it (could be) my last game,” he said. “If we lost, I would have been done. “So, I’m playing for me, I’m playing for the seniors, I’m playing for the kids that are hurt. Everything we do is for all the seniors.”

The fifth-seeded Crusaders made it a one-goal game for time in the second period when Anthony Casper and Matthew Moser scored goals 15 seconds apart to make it a 3-2 game with 6:21 still to go in the period. But Logan Barnes, Brendan Schultz, and Kieran Mulholland scored in a span of 3:37 to send Holy Ghost Prep into the third period with a four-goal advantage.

Moore scored the only goal of the third period.

It was the sort of performance Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside had been waiting for a while.

“I knew we had it in us,” he said. “I really liked our start. Those three goals in the first period really helped us get our game in gear.

“I thought we let up a little bit. But I liked the way we responded.”

Father Judge 0 2 0—2

Holy Ghost Prep 3 3 1—7

First-period goals: Shaun Moore (HGP) from Landon Stout, 6:38; Michael Holt (HGP) from John Seavalli, 9:13; Seravalli (HGP) from Sean Marshall and Dominic Lombardo, 9:37

Second-period goals: Anthony Casper (FJ) from Michael Fontaine and Matthew Moser, 10:24; Moser (FJ) unassisted, 10:39; Logan Barnes (HGP) from Ryan Lippy, 11:25; Brendan Schutzenhofer (HGP) from Marshall, 13:02; Kieran Mulholland (HGP) from Zach Pers, 15:02

Third-period goal: Shaun Moore (HGP) from Mulholland and Pers, 14:37

Shots: Father Judge 21, Holy Ghost Prep 46; Saves: Coin McKee (FJ) 39, Jason Soule (HGP) 20

Malvern Prep 7 Father Judge 3

Defending Class AAA Flyers Cup state champion Malvern Prep defeated Father Judge 7-3 Wednesday night in a non-league game at Flyers Skate Zone.

Pierre Larocque, Jimmy Jacobs, and Matt Haris all scored goals for the Friars. Larocque added two assists, Harris and Jacobs on each.

Malvern Prep 2 3 2—7

Father Judge 0 1 2—3

La Salle 5, Father Judge 0

HATFIELD—In the end, it could be said La Salle did what was necessary. Michael Casey scored three goals and Chris Wnek added two more as La Salle shut out Father Judge 5-0 Tuesday night in a Class AAA Flyers Cup quarterfinal game at Hatfield Ice. The second-seeded Explorers, who have now won seven straight, will face Holy Ghost Prep in a Thursday semifinal (6:30 at Hatfield Ice).

In theory the Martin could have been much wider. The Explorers (9-4) outshot the seventh-seeded Crusaders (6-6-1) 47-14 over the course of the 48 minutes.

But Father Judge goaltender Colin McKee was the best player in the building by far. He made 40 saves before leaving the game with an injury with 90 seconds remaining in the third period.
La Salle dominated the first period, outshooting the Crusaders 11-4 but came away with just one goal, courtesy of Casey during a power play at the 11:01 mark off a setup from Dan Whitock. The goal came while Father Judge’s Sean Ford was sitting in the penalty box serving an interference minor.

Casey extended the Explorers’ lead 6:44 into the second period during another power play. The goal game just six seconds after the Crusaders’ Shawn Miller was flagged for high sticking.
But that was all the Explorers could do in the first two periods against McKee, who spent most of that time under heavy enemy fire; his team was outshot 34-8 over the first 32 minutes and the Explorers charged the Crusader net with impunity during much of that span.

“Their goalie played tremendous,” said La Salle head coach Wally Muehlbronner.

Both sides spent considerable time in special-teams situations. The game featured 17 minor penalties.

The third period, which included eight penalties, saw La Salle extend its lead. Chris Wnek beat McKee at the 4:30 mark before scoring his second goal of the night during a power play at 11:50.
With three minutes to go, McKee was pulled for an extra attacker and Casey completed his hat trick into an empty net with 2:08 left in regulation.

Muehlbronner left the rink happy to be advancing but otherwise dissatisfied. “How many two-on-ones did we give up by not playing a simple, smart game like we have been?” he said. “It’s a two-goal game going into the third period, Judge had some really good opportunities and their goaltender is playing phenomenal. That’s a tough game.”

Muehlbronner made it clear his players must step up their games if they hope to attain their goal of winning the 12th Flyers Cup in school history. “Hopefully they understand they were probably lucky to win tonight,” he said, “and we’re lucky to be moving on.”

Father Judge 0 0 0—0
La Salle 1 1 3—5
First-period goals: Michael Casey (L) from Dan Whitock and David Kimmel, 11:01 (pp);
Second-period goal: Casey (L) from Andrew Budzynski, 6:44 (pp);
Third-period goals: Chris Wnek(L) unassisted, 4:34; Wnek (L) from Tim Whitock, 11:50 (pp); Casey (L) unassisted, 13:52.
Shots: Saves: Colin McKee (FJ) 40 and David Marcelinho (FJ) 2, Liam Gross (L) 14

Flyers Cup Class AAA Semifinals on Tap

The Flyers Cup Class AAA semifinals will go on as scheduled Thursday night at Hatfield Ice. Top-seeded Holy Ghost Prep will face fifth-seeded Father Judge in the 6:30 opener. Second seed and defending champion La Salle will face St. Joseph’s Prep in the 8:45 nightcap.

The finals will be held Friday at Ice Line with a scheduled 7 p.m. start.

Holy Ghost Prep vs. Father Judge 6:30

Fifth-seeded Father Judge carries a 12-game winning streak into the semifinals. The Crusaders are 18-5 overall and are the champions of the Intercounty League’s PCL Division. Sean Melso leads the Crusaders in scoring with 14 goals and 29 assists for 43 points. Robert Werner has provided 27 goals and 15 assists for 42 points. The Crusaders have won two Cups, the Class AA crown in 1993 and the Class AAA title in 2000.

Top-seeded Holy Ghost Prep (14-4-2-1-0) has won eight of its last nine games. It’s only loss in that span came against La Salle in the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference championship game. Byron Hartley leads the team in scoring with 23 goals and 15 assists for 38 points. Evan Mudrick has added 12 goals and 10 assists for 22 points. The Firebirds won the Class AA championship in 2003 and Class AAA titles in 2007, ’15, and ’17.

La Salle vs. St. Joseph’s Prep 8:45

La Salle, the defending champion and second seed, is seeking to win its 12^thFlyers Cup title, an all-time record (11 have come in Class AAA, one in Class AA. The Explorers are 13-11-2-2 heading into the semifinals. They’ve won six straight games and seven of their last nine. Keennan Schneider leads the Explorers in scoring with nine goals and 18 assists for 27 points. David Kimmel has provoded 13 goals and 12 assists for 25 points.

St. Joseph’s Prep (11-9-1-4 in all competitions) captured its first Flyers Cup title two years ago. This year’s team relies on balance. Jimmy Craig is pacing the team in scoring with seven goals and 14 assists for 21 points.

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

Holy Ghost 9, Father Judge 5

By Rick Woelfel

BRISTOL— Holy Ghost Prep didn’t play its best hockey Wednesday night. But the Firebirds did enough to advance in the Flyers Cup tournament.

Byron Hartley delivered a hat trick and Evan Mudrick and Colin Costello scored twice as the Firebirds downed Father Judge 9-5 in a Class AAA quarterfinal game at Grundy Arena.

Fourth-seeded Holy Ghost Prep (9-13) will face top-seeded LaSalle in next Thursday’s semifinals. Fifth-seeded Father Judge closes its campaign at 16-9.

The Firebirds built a 3-1 first-period lead on goals from Mudrick, Costello, and Eric Pohl. But Thomas Scannell and Kevin Rue scored goals for 90 seconds apart to tie the game 3-3 and, with 4:14 gone in the second period, it seemed as if the two teams were starting over from scratch.

The Firebirds regained the lead on Hartley’s first goal of the game at the 4:36 mark. They stayed in front the rest of the way but what may have been the key point in the occurred just over a minute later when the Crusaders’ Keith Wiercinski made a move on goal and collided with Firebird netminder Sean Joyce, knocking him to the ice, and sparking a scrum near the Firebirds’ net.

Wiercinski was accessed a minor penalty for charging plus an automatic 10-minute misconduct. Judge’s Cade McKee and Holy Ghost Prep’s Sean Marshall drew coincidental roughing minors while the Crusaders’ Owen Newhose, who had assisted on a goal earlier in the period, was hit with a game misconduct.

The net result of all this on the ice was the Firebirds had a two-minute power player and the Crusaders were without one of their top offensive for the balance of the game.

Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside saw the incident as a turning point in the game. “That was huge,” he said. “That could have gone either way. Our kids kept their composure and kept things in perspective. We were able to kind of calm the waters a bit and get settled back into the game.”

Hartley spoke of the importance of he and his teammates keeping their emotions in check.

“Sean played a big part in it,” he said. “You never want to see your starting goalie hurt. He told us “…Put a puck in the net and that’s how we’ll get them back.”

Costello extended his team’s lead to two goals when he scored from just inside the blue line just before the sounded to end the second period.

The two teams combined for six goals in the third period. Matt Ryan’s power-play goal with 3:47 remaining in regulation got Judge to within two at 7-5 before Hartley completed his hat trick by scoring into an empty net with 1:40 remaining. Cole Stevens finished the scoring 18 seconds later.

Father Judge 1 2 2—5

Holy Ghost Prep 3 2 4—9

First-period goals: Evan Mudrick (HGP) from Alex D’Angelo, 8:07; Colin Costello (HGP) from Byron Hartley and Luke Panepresso, 9:52; Sean Melso (FJ) from Michael Levush, 14:42 (pp); Eric Pohl (HGP) from D’Angelo and Jake Marek, 14:53.

Second-period goals: Thomas Scannell (FJ) from Matt Ryan and Owen Newhose, 2:44 (pp); Kevin Rue (FJ) from Robert Werner, 4:14; Hartley (HGP) from Panepresso, 4:36; Costello (HGP) unassisted, 15:59.

Third-period goals: Hartley (HGP) from Costello, 1:31; Remy Garant (FJ) from Collin Furey and Melso, 4:14; Mudrock (HGP) from Pohl, 5:21; Ryan (FJ) from Melso, 12:123 (pp); Hartley (HGP) from D’Angelo, 14:20 (en); Cole Stevens (HGP) from Panepress and Carlos Rodriguez, 14:38.

Shots: Father Judge 32, Holy Ghost Prep 40; Saves: Colin McKee (FJ 31. Sean Joyce (HGP) 27

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 range of repairs as well as offer custom hockey jerseys. We recently celebrated our 5th year at the shop but 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!

AHA Showcase Concludes Friday

The fifth annual AHA Hockey Showcase concludes Friday evening at Revolution Ice Gardens.

Here is the game schedule.

5:45pm – Souderton vs AB Wood. for seventh and eighth place

7:25pm – Central Bucks East vs North Penn for third and fourth place

7:35pm – Father Judge vs Central Buck South – Championship Game

9:10pm – Hatboro Horsham vs William Tennent for fifth and sixth place