Keenan’s Impact at Malvern Prep Goes Beyond the Ice

The impact Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan has on his players goes beyond the rink. The respect the Friars have for their coach was on display last Wednesday night when Malvern Prep staged its fourth annual RTS Awareness Night; the proceeds of the game between the Friars and Holy Ghost Prep were earmarked for research into Rubinstein Taybi Syndrome is a genetic disorder that cause intellectual and developmental disabilities. Connor Keenan, Bill Keenan’s soon-to-be-6-year old son, is afflicted with RTS.

Pax Hoishik, a senior on the Malvern Prep roster, says the occasion means a lot to the players.

“I’ve participated in the event for three years,” he said. “And every single year it gets more close knit with the guys and even closer with Coach Keenan. Having that bond with Coach Keenan and his family as a whole and being able to celebrate the night for him and his kid is pretty unbelievable.”

Hoishik has been a full-time varsity player for three seasons now; he was a swing player as a freshman. He notes the evening is not just another hockey game.

“We’re playing for {Keenan},” Hoishik said. We’re playing for {Connor}. We’re playing for his family and we get to do that as a team. That’s why it’s so special.”

Hoishik and his teammates respect how Keenan is able to balance a full-time job with seeing to his family’s needs while still devoting the necessary time to coaching the Friars.

“It’s extremely impressive to me,” Hoishik said. “Some of the other captains and I were talking about it how incredible it is he is able to make time for something like that with everything going on in his life. We just thought it’s pretty incredible that he is able to make that time for us.”

Bill and Sarah Keenan have been married for 13 years. Connor is the youngest of their three children.

Sarah Keenan lauds her husband for how he deals with his assortment of responsibilities including periodically traveling to Baltimore to see a specialist who works with RTS patients.

“He is a really strong guy to deal with everything that comes at him and the stuff we have to deal with with Conner,” she said. “I obviously take on a lot while he’s coaching but he’s taking on as much as he possible can whenever he’s home.

“I’m really proud of him. He has taken everything on his back really well. He deals with all that comes through and doesn’t show it at home. So, whatever the hockey world id he leaves it with the hockey team but also includes us as his family with the whole thing.”

SHSHL Update 12-8-25

National Division W L T OTW OTL SOW SOL Pts

North Penn (7-0) 6 0 0 – – – – 24

Council Rock South (8-1) 5 1 0 – – – – 20

Central Bucks South (5-3) 4 2 0 – – – – 16

Souderton (3-2) 3 2 0 1 1 – – 12

Central Bucks East (3-3) 3 2 0 – – – – 12

Pennridge (2-4) 2 4 0 – – 1 – – 9

Pennsbury (4-3) 2 2 0 – – – – 8

Neshaminy (2-5) 2 4 0 1 – – – 7

Central Bucks West (0-7) 0 7 0 – – – – 0

American Division W L T OTW OTL SHW SOL PTS

Hatboro-Horsham (7-1) 7 1 0 – – – – 28

Plym. Whitemarsh (5-1) 5 1 0 – – – – 20

Springfield (2-5) 2 4 0 – – – 8

Wissahickon (2-4) 2 4 0 1 – – – 7

Abington (0-5) 0 4 0 – 1 – – 1

Scoring

National Division GP G A Pts

Jake Weiner CRS 8 23 11 34

Shane Gleisner Pb 7 14 8 22

Max Ryon Sou. 5 11 8 19

Chris Silvotti NP 7 9 7 16

Jordan Sarne CRS 7 6 10 16

Landon Bishop Pr 5 9 6 15

James Rush Pr 7 11 3 14

Samuel Norton NP 6 7 7 14

Julia Kaminsky Soud 6 9 4 13

Jackson Kelly Soud 5 6 7 13

Nolan Shingle NP 7 6 7 13

Ryan Burke Pr 5 4 7 11

Shane Hicks Pb 5 4 7 11

Cameron Fairweather Sou. 5 3 8 11

James Boyle NP 6 2 9 11

Shawn Mooney Nesh 4 3 4 7

American Division GP G A Pts

Vincent Graziani HH 8 13 13 26

Nate Nemchinov HH 8 11 13 24

Daniel Guller PW 6 5 16 21

Bill Moffa HH 8 8 8 16

Grayson Quinn Spr. 7 13 2 15

Cooper Kanze PW 5 10 5 15

Goaltenders-Min. 153 minutes

National Division GP MP Shots GA Save % GAA

Aidan Quigley NP 3 153 70 4 .943 1.33

Andrew Norton NP 4 204 63 5 .921 1.25

Trey Prozzillo CRS 7 357 189 15 .921 2.14

Cameron Yoing CBE 3 153 132 12 .909 4.00

Brendan Milliken Pb 7 .356 255 26 .898 3.72

American Division GP MP Shots GA Save % GAA

Max Yoder PW 3 153 99 8 .919 2.67

Nathan Napolitano HH 8 408 267 35 .869 4.38

Eric Miller HH 5 255 112 15 .866 3.00

Emmett Kline Sp 7 357 222 33 .851 4.71

Fletcher Lynch Wiss 4 208 153 23 .850 5.64

Pennridge 3 Neshaminy 0

BRISTOL—For a hockey team finding its way, it was a step forward. Pennridge took things one shift at a time Thursday night and left Grundy Arena with a 3-0 win over Neshaminy in a SHSHL National matchup.

What the Rams (2-5-1, 2-5 in the division) wasn’t flashy or spectacular to watch. But when you have only 13 skaters in uniform, efficiency trumps style. And that efficiency included rotating just three defensemen over the course of the 51 minutes.

“Tonight was probably the best defensive game we’ve played,” said winning coach Jeff Montagna. “We’re running three {defensemen} every game and they’re starting to figure out how to play with three Ds, and get through an entire game. They’re rally coming along.”

Having a quality goaltender helps as well Junior Andrew Slutsky stopped all 23 shots he saw in support of his teammates.

“Playing for a team with nine {veterans} is like motivation,” he said. You keep it up for them.”

Neshaminy goaltender Thomas Fox was perhaps even more impressive at the other end of the ice. Looking like Anything but the freshman he is, Fox registered 36 saves.

“The future is bright for him,” said Neshaminy coach Bill Mooney. He played real well. He’s very aggressive, he attacks the pick.

“He makes the first save and that’s all you can ever ask of a goalie.”

The second period was more than half gone before Ryan Burke delivered the evening’s first goal on a shot from the high slot James Rush made it a 2-0 game with 4:13 left the middle period.

Neshaminy (2-5 overall and in the division) had an opening when Landon Bishop and Dean Venner drew penalties in the final half minute of the second frame. As a result, Neshaminy had a two-man advantage for 93 seconds. But the ‘Skins couldn’t capitalize.

“We were hoping to a little momentum turn there,” Mooney said. “We had opportunities {but} their goalie made the saves.

“They have some seasoned guys out there that have been around for a bit so they know how to play.”

Rush sealed the verdict with an empty-net goal with 1:17 remaining.

Montagna stresses the importance of hi team knowing its limitations, specifically the size of its roster.

“They know there’s a certain way they have to play” he said, “and you have to stick to that. You can’t try and be someone you’re not out there with the roster we’re running.

“That has been the biggest thing for us so far. These guys understand it. You saw tonight in a 2-0 game {until the finish} it was defense first, second, and third.”

Pennridge 0 2 1—3

Neshaminy 0 0 0—0

Second-period goals: Ryan Burke (P) from Kaden Gunning, 8:57 James Rush (P) from Georgios Siokos and Landon Bishop, 12:47

Third-period goal: Rush (P) unassisted, 15:43 (en)

Shots: Pennridge 39, Neshaminy 23; Saves: Andrew Slutsky (P) 23, Thomas Fox (N) 36

SHSHL Update 12-2-25

National Division W L T OTW OTL SOW SOL Pts

North Penn (6-0) 5 0 0 – – – – 20

Council Rock South (6-1) 3 1 0 – – – – 12

Central Bucks East (3-1) 3 1 0 – – – – 12

Souderton (3-2) 3 2 0 1 1 – – 12

Central Bucks South (4-3) 3 2 0 – – – 12

Pennsbury (4-2) 2 2 0 – – – – 8

Neshaminy (2-4) 1 3 0 1 – – – 7

Pennridge (1-4) 1 4 0 – 1 – – 5

Central Bucks West (0-6) 0 6 0 – – – – 0

American Division W L T OTW OTL SHW SOL PTS

Hatboro-Horsham (6-0) 6 0 0 – – – – 24

Plym. Whitemarsh (4-0) 4 0 0 – – – – 16

Springfield (2-4) 2 4 0 – – – 4

Wissahickon (1-3) 1 4 0 1 – – – 3

Abington (0-2) 0 4 0 – 1 – – 1

Scoring

National Division GP G A Pts

Jake Weiner CRS 7 19 9 28

Shane Gleisner Pb 6 13 8 21

Max Ryon Sou. 4 9 7 16

Jordan Sarne CRS 7 6 10 16

Chris Silvotti NP 6 8 5 13

Jackson Kelly Soud 4 6 7 13

Jukia Kaminsky Soud 5 9 3 12

Landon Bishop Pr 3 9 2 11

Ryan Burke Pr 5 4 7 11

Shane Hicks Pb 5 4 7 11

Cameron Fairweather Sou. 5 3 8 11

James Boyle NP 6 2 9 11

American Division GP G A Pts

Nate Nemchinov HH 7 10 12 22

Vincent Graziani HH 6 9 12 21

Daniel Guller PW 4 4 18 18

Bill Moffa HH 6 8 6 14

Grayson Quinn Spr. 6 11 2 13

Reid Rochestie HH 6 3 10 13

Love Showing the Way at Malvern Prep

Logan Love’s hockey career at Malvern Prep has evolved one step, and one season at a time. The Friars’ senior captain recalls that journey.

“My freshman year, I was more of a role player a fourth-liner,” he said, “but had to capitalize on my opportunities when I was younger. I did not get much time but I still wanted to make as much impact as I could when I was out there.

“My sophomore year, I got a little more ice time as a defenseman. I was able to make a little more of an impact but I was still more of a role player and then last year, as a junior I was able to have more of a voice in the locker room and try to help lead the team as a more experienced player. And now, as the captain and a forward, I’ve been able to help lead the team as best as I can and put is in a better spot to win.”

Through five games this season, Love has scored two goals and contributed six assists. He stresses the importance of he and the other veterans in the lineup showing the way for their younger teammates.

“Our team is still pretty young,” he said, “and talented. {But} mostly also very inexperienced too.

“So being able to set a tone in a game, and in the locker room and in practice, is really huge, because they all are looking to the older guys, seeing what they’re going to do, and modeling their games after us a little bit.”

Love was chosen as the Friars’ captain by a vote of his teammates. It’s a responsibility he takes very seriously.

“It’s been really impactful for me to be given an opportunity to lead our team,” he said.

“I’ve always had a voice in the locker room and honestly, I wanted to be a leader here as a senior. I always wanted to be the captain, but now that I am captain I take pride in my role.

“I’m still adjusting and trying to work my way through it. I’ve had to make some hard decisions and choices. I’m still working through it. The best I can for myself and the team is to keep going.”

Love notes the fact he was chosen by his teammates makes the captaincy more meaningful.

“It does really mean a lot,” he said, because I care about my team and I care about this program and just wat to get the best results my last year.”

The Friars have started the season with a 2-2-1 record (1-1 in the APAC) with one of their losses coming in overtime. In four of their five games, they surrendered the first goal.

“We’re learning from every game we play,” Love said. “Honestly, we’ve come out a little flatfooted in most of our games. I think if we get a head start, come out harder, and get up a goal or two that will help us.

“But, we’ve been able to come back. We’ve had {deficits} at the start of games but we’ve been able to come back from adversity.”

Thanksgiving Eve Hockey Schedule

The night before Thanksgiving is customarily a busy night for high-school hockey and this year is no exception.

There are nine games on the card.

North Penn 8 Central Bucks South 1 —See story

St. Joseph’s Prep 5, Devon Prep 1—Five different players score goals as the Hawks won their fifth straight without defeat Wednesday at Ice Line. Michael Castelli, Braydon Russo, Adam Charrafi, Thomas Ely, and Joseph McGonigal all scored for the Prep which is now 5-0 on the season.

Central Bucks East vs. Central Bucks West 6:00 at RIG

Souderton 4 Pennrige 3 OT—Even Siegler’s goal with 1:53 left in overtime gave the Big Red the win Wednesday night at Hatfield Ice. Kaden Gunning had tied the game for Pennridge with 1:15 left in regulation.

Malvern Prep 2 La Salle 0—See story on this blog

Pennsbury 9 Neshaminy 2—Shane Gleisner scored three goals for the Falconds and added three assists

Holy Ghost Prep 6 Father Judge 2—Lucas Gonzalez delivered a hat trick and Chris Marshall scored twice as the Firebirds bested the Crusaders at Grundy Arena.

Council Rock South 10 Council Rock North 0

Hatboro-Horsham 5 Springfield 4—Five different Hatters scored in the win at Hatfield Ice. Bill Moffa had two assists to go with his goal.

Marshall Embracing Captain’s Role at Holy Ghost Prep

The captain’s role in hockey is unique in team sports. He’s expected to provide leadership on and off the ice, mentor his younger teammates, and perhaps serve as a liaison between the players and the coaching staff.

For Holy Ghost Prep senior Chris Marshall, the role is all encompassing.

”Basically, it’s doing anything to get the job done and win,” he said. “I feel like I have the opportunity to contribute to the team, that’s most important and we’re looking to having a really successful year again.”

Marshall spoke to the importance of the veterans in the Firebird showing the way for their younger teammates.

“That’s everything,” he said. “The seniors and juniors, the upperclassmen have to be there for the {underclassmen} and if they have a bad shift or a bad play, tell them to shake it off, go get the next one. It’s everything for us to be there for them and have one team all be united.”

This mutually supportive atmosphere does not always come to fruition around a hockey team or teams in other sports for that matter. But Marshall sees it as the norm on the Holy Ghost Prep teams he has played on.

“I think it’s the culture,” he said. “Everyone loves each other here. There’s no bickering, there’s no fighting and I think everyone knows what the job is that has to get done and I think everyone wants to work towards that.”

A Lower Bucks County native, Marshall started playing hockey at 6 and eventually followed his brother, a past Firebird captain to Holy Ghost Prep.

“I only really had eyes on Ghost,” he said. “There was no other school I wanted to go to.

“My family played hockey my whole life so I kind of grew up around the game It’s just been a part of my life.”

Holy Ghost Prep coach John Ritchie listed the attributes that Marshall brings to the captaincy.

“He understands what it means to be a Holy Ghost student-athlete,” Ritchie said. “He’s well like by everyone, he, has a positive demeanor and knows the right time when to speak up to try to motivate the team. He’s been on varsity for three years and witnessed the team struggle and succeed, as well as, his own personal accomplishments and obstacles.”

Ritchie says Marshall is well-equipped to handle the responsibilities that come with wearing the captain’s C.

“It’s important to me that the person wearing the C knows how to handle adversity individually because when they’re tasked with being in charge of the team, they can’t fold or disappear,” he said. “Chris is someone that meets these things head on and sets a good tone for our locker room. He is a role model for the younger players.”

Blust Takes Over at Central Bucks West

Central Bucks West has a deep connection to the Suburban High School Hockey League. West first joined the league in 1975-76, the SHSHL’s third season. Along with William Tennent, West was one of the first two Bucks County public school teams to skate under the SHSHL umbrella.

According to SHSHL records, that team lasted just one season but in the 1977-78 season a team was formed that blended athletes from Central Bucks East and West for a number of years before the Bucks regained their autonomy.
Under longtime coach Dave Baun, the program had periods of success, notably in 2017 when it reached the semifinals of the Class AA Flyers Cup tournament.

The team has struggled in recent seasons however and Frank Blust has taken on the challenge of restoring the program’s luster.

An experienced club hockey coach, Blust was expected to take over the program at Pennridge this season after Jeff Montagna announced his retirement. But Montagna decided to stay on and when Baun decided to retire after 20 seasons, West needed a coach and Blust stepped up.

{Baun} gave a lot to the program,” he said. “I know a lot of kids that played under him and respect him so much.”

The seniors West roster gave won just eight games over the course of their careers. Blust has told his troops to take things one shift at a time.

“As a team, we have to take it shift by shift,” he said. “We’ve got to win the next shift.

“We’ve had strong periods, then we fall apart for a period. So, if maybe we can put a couple more shifts together in a row, we’ll see what happens.

Blust is enthusiastic about the talent he has in the pipeline.

“We have a nice middle-school program coming up,” he said, “with a lot of strong players. We just have to work on the guys we have with us now and build that culture so the young guys coming up will feel the same way.

Blust is committed to giving his players a positive experience, regardless of their experience level or the team’s record.

“We’re in the mindset of we’re a very young team,” he said. “We’ve got a bunch of freshmen. We’ve got a couple of pretty strong juniors and sophomores.

“The senior are great, but they’ll be gone next year. So, I think we need to make sure they build a strong culture with our young players.”

Van Kula Ready for APAC Debut

Wednesday will mark the start of a new chapter in APAC history Charlie Van Kula will takes his place behind the St. Joseph’s Prep bench as the Hawks open their conference schedule at La Salle (4:00 at Hatfield Ice).

Van Kula took over the Prep this season, replacing David Giacomin who directed the Hawks for 13 seasons. His team comes into its APAC opener off three non-league wins.

“I’ve got big shoes to fill,” Van Kula acknowledged.

Van Kula was a goaltender for the Hawks (Giacomin was his coach his senior season) and lettered four times before having a brief stint as a walk-on at Boston College where he served as a student manager.

For the past three seasons he has coached the Hawks’ JV Gray team. He’s also an on-ice official for USA Hockey.

Van Kula says he had visions of being the Hawks’ head coach one day, Just not right now.

“It’s a real honor, obviously. It’s something I always kind of had in the back of my mind, the possibility 20 years from now.

I told our alumni and parents it’s not something I take lightly, an and the program and where it’s come from.

“The program has grown from two teams to three and I take a lot of pride in being involved.”

Van Kula stresses the importance of the hockey program at his alma mater be the right fit with the educational and spiritual mission of the school.

“It’s critical,” he said, “as it is with all the sports at the Prep. We really emphasize that all of us. We’re not here to just coach our specific sports. Our sports are vehicles to fulfill the mission and the goals of the school as a whole.

“So, all of us are making sure our players are living up to that. Making sure that our players are living up to their academic expectations. Making sure we’re pushing the same goals an values the school is.”

CLICK HERE for more about St. Joseph’s Prep

SHSHL Recap 11-18-25

National Division W L T OTW OTL SOW SOL Pts

Council Rock South (5-0) 3 0 0 – – – – 12

North Penn (4-0) 3 0 0 – – – – 12

Central Bucks South (3-1) 3 1 0 – – – 12

Central Bucks East (2-1) 2 1 0 – – – 8

Souderton (0-2) 1 1 0 – 1 – – 5

Pennridge (1-1) 1 2 0 – – – – 4

Neshaminy (1-3) 1 1 0 1 – – – 3

Pennsbury (2-2) 0 2 0 – – – – 0

Central Bucks West (0-4) 0 4 0 – – – – 0

American Division W L T OTW OTL SHW SOL PTS

Hatboro-Horsham (4-0) 4 0 0 – – – – 16

Plym. Whitemarsh (3-0) 3 0 0 – – – – 12

Springfield (1-3) 1 3 0 – – – – 4

Wissahickon (1-3) 1 3 0 1 – – – 3

Abington (0-2) 0 1 0 – 1 – – 1

Scoring

National Division GP G A Pts

Jake Weiner CRS 5 15 9 24

Jordan Sarne CRS 5 6 8 14

Landon Bishop Pr 3 9 2 11

Max Ryon Sou. 3 8 3 11

Julia Kaminsky Sou. 3 7 2 9

Shane Gleisner Pb 4 6 3 9

Jackson Kelly Sou. 2 3 6 9

Chris Silvotti NP 4 5 4 9

Nolan Shingle NP 4 5 4 9

Ryan Burke Pr 3 1 7 8

Shawn Mooney Nesh 4 3 4 7

Cameron Fairweather Sou. 3 2 5 7

American Division GP G A Pts

Nate Nemchinov HH 4 8 7 15

Vincent Graziani HH 4 6 9 15

Daniel Guller PW 3 3 10 13

Cooper Kanze PW 3 6 3 9

Blake Ambler PW 3 3 6 9

Reid Rochestie PW 4 2 7 9