APAC Previews

The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference beginning its fourth season with The Hun School joining Holy Ghost Prep, La Salle, and St. Joseph’s Prep. Each team will play eight conference games this season.

Holy Ghost Prep

Coach: Gump Whiteside (13^th season)

Last year: 7-7, 3-3-0-3 in APAC

Key players: Sr. Brian Butler (D); Sr. Colin Moore (D); Sr. Luke Panepresso (D); Sr. Sean Marshall (F); Jr. Brady Baesher (F); Jr. Landon Stout (F); Jr. Shaun Moore (F); Jr. Kieran Mulholland (F)

There is veteran experience on the blue line with veterans Butler, Moore, and Panepresso. Baesher, a first-team all-conference selection a year ago, is being counted on up front along with Stout, Marshall, Moore, and Mulholland, who will provide experience and quickness.

Whiteside is also expecting to get contributions from a talented group of underclassmen.

The Hun School

Coach: Ian McNally (11^th season)

Last year: 0-3

Key players: Sr. Jack Borek (G); PG Nick Dimatos (D); Sr. Christian Clover (D); Sr. Riley Frost (F)

Outlook: The Raiders are the newest members of the APAC. They won’t begin on-ice practices until November 8 and won’t play a game until Thanksgiving Weekend.
Damatos, a post grad, is an offensive-minded defenseman. Clover is more of the stay-at-home mold. Frost is being counted on up front after not playing much hockey the last two years because of Covid and injuries while Borek is experienced in goal.

“It will be interesting to see what we actually have here,” McNally said. “We were only able to play a few games over the course of one week last year so were never able to see what are new players were actually capable of. Anyone who was a part of our team two seasons ago will return much older and presumably bigger, faster and stronger. I think there is the potential to have a pretty strong season this year, but we will learn a lot about our identity over these first weeks.

La Salle

Coach: Wally Muehlbronner (24^th season)

Last year: 10-5, 6-3 APAC; conference co-champions

Key players: Jr. Aries Carangi (G), So. Willum Braun (G), Sr. Gavin O’Connell (D), Jr. Chase Hannon (D), Sr. Daniel Whittock (F), Sr. Keenan Schneider (F), Sr. Max Maddalo (F), Sr. Chris Wnek (F)

Outlook: La Salle returns 13 players from a team that shared the APAC and reached the Class AAA Flyers Cup final.The lineup features experience and balance. Carangi saw quality time in goal a year ago and O’ Connell and Hannon are solid on the blue line. Whittock, Schneider, Maddalo, and Wnek all have demonstrated ability to put the puck in the net.
The Explorers will be trying to keep a streak alive; they shared the first two APAC titles before sharing the crown last year.

“We’re excited to hit the ice,” Muehlbronner said.

Malvern Prep

Coach: Bill Keenan (third season)

Last year: 15-1, 5-1-3 in APAC; conference co-champions, Class AAA Flyers Cup and Pennsylvania State Champions

Key players: Sr. Anthony Perti (G); Jr. Brandon Novabilski (G); Sr. Quinn Dougherty (D); Sr. Travis Buckley (D); Jr. Steven Getsie (D); So. Brady Doyle (D); So. Jack Sharer (D); Sr. Matt Harris (F); Sr. Pierre Larocque (F); Jr. Jimmy Jacobs (F); So. Jeremy Jacobs (F);

Outlook: Much of last season’s Flyers Cup and state championship team returns and lineup is deep and talented, led by Perti and Harris, who were first-team all-conference selections last season. They’ll be joined by the likes of Dougherty and Buckley on defense along with Larocque up front.

The Friars will be trying to become the first Class AAA team in 13 years to successfully defend both the Flyers Cup and state titles.

“We are excited to get back to playing hockey,” Keenan said. “We have a good group of leaders returning as well as some younger guys filling in some gaps in the lineup. We are ready to get out there and compete and to have fun.”

St. Joseph’s Prep

Coach: David Giacomin (ninth season)

Last year: 4-10, 1-8 in APAC

Key players: Jr. Rocco Bruno (G); So. Ajay White (G); Sr. Nick Sorti (D); Sr. Declan Pierce, Sr. Michael Ahearn (D); Sr. Christian Short (D); Jr. Dante Passio (D); Jr. Jeffrey Hammond (F); Jr. Joey Samango (F); Sr. Quinn Egan (F); Sr. Charlie Maratea (F); Sr. Liam Mooney (F)

Outlook: The Hawks’ biggest strength will be in goal, where veteran Bruno and White will share responsibilities, and on defense. There is a veteran presence on the blue line in Pierce, Ahearn, and Short, and up front with Hammond and Mooney.

The Hawks often found themselves shorthanded last year in terms of numbers, which led them running out of gas late in games. Giacomin anticipates having more depth on hand this season and is looking for the added manpower to allow his team to play at a quicker pace in all three zones.

This Space is Available to promote your product or service. Contact us at rwoelfel2013@gmail.com for for information

The APAC is Expanding

The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference will be a five-team alliance for 2021-22. The Hun School from Princeton, N.J. will join Malvern Prep, Holy Ghost Prep, St. Joseph’s Prep, and two-time defending champion La Salle for the upcoming season.

Ian McNally is the Raiders’ hockey coach. “We’re excited to join the league,” he said. “We have competed with each of the APAC school programs for several years now and it will only improve the level of competition in our games when implications on standings, stats, playoff seeds and everything else that comes with league play are introduced. I think we share a common understanding of scholastic athletics with the APAC member schools and so we have strong existing relationships with the other coaches and athletics offices.”

Tracey Arndt is the Co-Director of Athletics at The Hun School. “The Hun School of Princeton is grateful for the opportunity for our Ice Hockey team to join the APAC this season,” she said. “This is a top-notch ice hockey league with likeminded schools that will allow us to compete at a high level throughout the year. We look forward to the competition with such respected programs.”

The Hun School is no stranger to the other conference members, having regularly competed against them in non-league games.

“The APAC was founded with the belief that exceptional schools and scholastic hockey could thrive side by side in a competitive league that values sportsmanship, academic distinction and a quality Spirit,” said Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside. “The Hun School is a welcomed addition to strengthening our rivalries, traditions and desire for excellence.”

La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner is enthusiastic about the Raiders coming on board. “La Salle is very excited to have Hun School join the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference,” he said. “Hun has had a long history of great competition versus the founding APAC schools. Their commitment to competing at a high level further strengthens the conference.”

St. Joseph’s Prep coach David Giacomin is looking forward to competing against the Raiders. “St Joseph’s Prep is extremely excited to welcome The Hun School into the APAC,” he said. They are a great school and we can’t wait to compete for years to come.”

Bill Keenan is the head coach at Malvern Prep, the reigning Class AAA Flyers Cup and state champions. “We are excited to have The Hun School join the APAC this upcoming season. It is great to have another quality, competitive team join our league. We are looking forward to competing against them this season.”

APAC institutions have been successful at the highest levels of scholastic hockey, competing at national tournaments and capturing every Class AAA Flyers Cup and Class AAA Pennsylvania State Championship since 2017.
Last year’s postseason was not completed. La Salle and Malvern Prep were scheduled to meet in the Founders Cup final but that game was eventually cancelled because of Covid issues. Malvern Prep went on to win the Flyers Cup and the state championship.

APAC Names All-Conference Squad

The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference has named its all-conference team for 2021.

The players were selected by the four conference coaches.

First Team

F Michael Casey, La Salle Sr.

F Matt Harris, Malvern Prep Jr.

F Brady Baehser, Holy Ghost Prep So.

D Chris Blango, Malvern Prep, Sr.

D Andrew Budzynski, La Salle Sr.

G Anthony Perti, Malvern Prep Jr.

Second Team
F Dom Fantozzi, St. Joseph’s Prep Sr.

F Jack Constabile, Malvern Prep Sr.

F Evan Mudrick, Holy Ghost Prep Sr.

D E.J. Pohl, Holy Ghost Prep Sr.

D Nick Storti, St. Joseph’s Prep Jr.

G Liam Gross. La Salle Sr.

Honorable Mention

F Connor Burman, St. Joseph’s Prep

F David Kimmell,La Salle

F Ryan Sambuco, Malvern Prep

F Sean Marshall, Holy Ghost Prep

F Jeffrey Hammond, St. Joseph’ Prep

D Declan Pierce, St. Joseph’s Prep

D Chase Hannon La Salle

D Brian Butler, Holy Ghost Prep

D Quinn Dougherty, Malvern Prep

G Rocco Bruno, St. Joseph’s Prep

G Bobby Baehser, Holy Ghost Prep

The conference has decided that the Founders Cup final, the APAC championship game will not be played. APAC Commissioner Jim Britt issued a statement Monday night:

The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference representatives have elected to not play the Founders’ Cup Final Championship game, originally scheduled for Wednesday, March 31st between LaSalle College HS and Malvern Prep. The original championship game had been postponed due to Covid protocols. Both teams will be recognized as 2020-2021 finalists. The decision was made in consultation with school administrators and athletic directors, with special consideration given to schedule conflicts and impacts on spring activities and other sports.

La Salle 5 Holy Ghost Prep 3

HATFIELD— A late surge got La Salle over the finish line. The Explorers scored three times in the third period Thursday night to score a 5-3 decision over Holy Ghost Prep in a Class AAA Flyers Cup semifinal at Hatfield Ice. The Explorers (10-4), the second seed in the tournament, will face top-seeded Malvern Prep Monday at Ice Line (8:15 start) in the title game.

Michael Casey scored two goals in the third period, including the game winner, and assisted on the the third. He noted that Thursday’s effort was quite a turnaround from the Explorers’ subpar, albeit winning performance against Father Judge in Tuesday’s quarterfinal.

“We did not play good our first game,” Casey said. “We got the win but it wasn’t good enough. We knew Ghost was going to give us a way harder game.”

The first half of the opening period was a feeling out process, akin to two fighters sizing each other up in the early rounds of a championship bout. Holy Ghost Prep struck first when Brian Butler made a run down left wing to set up Sean Marshall for the game’s first goal at the 10:23 mark. ‘

La Salle got a chance to respond when the Firebirds’ E.J. Pohl was whistled for slashing at 13:35. It took the Explorers just seven seconds to take advantage. Max Maddalo scored the goal with help from Keenan Schneider.

The Explorers took their first lead when Dan Whittock scored with just 53 seconds remaining in the period.

Holy Ghost Prep answered with a power-play goal 6:07 into the second frame, when Anthony Sparo scored from long range. It turned out to be the only goal of the period. After a break for the ice to be resurfaced, the teams returned, one period away from the final, or one period from elimination.

“We basically said it had to be one of our best periods of the season,” Casey said. “We had to go out there and go hard. We had to put more shots in the net; we weren’t generating enough shots,”
Casey scored what proved to be the winning goal 7:09 into the third frame when he rocketed a shot from the slot that beat Firebird netminder Bobby Baehser. He set up David Kimmel for an insurance goal at 9:11.

Holy Ghost Prep (7-7) had a last -ditch opportunity when the Maddalo drew a holding penalty with 4:45 left in regulation but 34 seconds later Whittock and the Firebirds’ Evan Mudrick squared off.

Each received a minor penalty for head contact plus an automatic 10-minute misconduct. After the two players reached the penalty box, Mudrick received a game misconduct as well.

Casey scored into an empty net with 1:20 remaining before Jake Marek scored for Holy Ghost Prep with 41 seconds left.

Firebird coach Gump Whiteside praised his team’s effort. “I thought that was one of the best games of the year for us,” he said. “I really liked our mentality coming into the game. “I’m just so proud of these kids.”

The Firebirds had a 40 shots to La Salle’s 24 but Liam Gross in the Explorer net stopped 37 of them. Ironically, Gross nearly had to leave the game with 7:16 left in the third period because of a problem with one of his skates but La Salle head coach Wally Muehlbronner used his timeout and the situation was resolved.

“It was a great team win,” Muehlbronner said. “Ghost really took it to us for a good portion of that game. We had tremendous goaltending from Gross and a pretty darn good performance out of MIke Casey.”

Notes: Both teams in Monday’s final will be seeking their 12th Flyers Cup title. Monday’s game will not be considered the Atlantic Prep athletic Conference championship game. APAC Commissioner Jim Britt that game, which will also match La Salle and Malvern Prep, will hopefully be scheduled at a later date following the state championship game.

Holy Ghost Prep 1 1 1—3
LaSalle 2 0 3—5
First-period goals: Sean Marshall (HGP) from Brian Butler, 10:28; Max Maddalo L) from Keenan Schneider, 13:42 (pp) Dan Whittock (L) from David Kimmel, 16:07
Second-period goals: Anthony Sparo (HGP) from Landon Stout, 6:07 (pp)
Third-period goal: Michel Casey (L) from Keenan Schneider, 7:09; Jake Kimmel (L) from Casey, 9:11; Casey (L) unassisted, 15:40 (en); Jake Marek (HGP) from Eric Pohl, 16:19
Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 40, La Salle 24; Saves: Bobby Baehser (HGP) 19; Liam Gross (L) 37

Amanda Coopersmith Celebrates the Holy Ghost Prep Community

Two words that could be used to describe Amanda Coopersmith are passionate and dedicated. Passionate about her teaching career and dedicated to enhancing the lives of her students at Holy Ghost Prep.

Coopersmith teaches chemistry but her students also absorb an abundance of life lessons over the course of the school year. She arrived at Holy Ghost Prep in the fall of 2014.

“I had taken a year off for a family illness,” Coopersmith recalled, “and when I was ready to go back to work there was a job at Holy Ghost and I thought ‘Well, I taught girls for seven years (at Villa Joseph Marie), let’s try boys.’”

Coopersmith notes the biggest adjustments for incoming students, regardless of where they come from, revolve around time management. “Adjustment to high school, whether you’ve been to Catholic school, private school, or public school is all the same” she said. “It’s an adjustment. “A lot of these kids came from schools where they were in the top 10 percent. They did whatever they had to do, which was not a whole lot, to be honest. They got through, got their As.

“They showed up at our school, and like any high school, it’s a challenge. So, their biggest adjustment is adjusting to the workload and the dedication it takes to get into a rhythm of managing time.”

Coopersmith, who is a fixture at school sporting events, says that student-athletes do a better job managing their time when their sport is in season. “I find that students are actually better at time management when they’re in season, whatever sport season they play, then when they’re out of season,” she said.

“Once they go out of season, a lot of them struggle because they realize they have more time than they used to and they waste it. And they have to get used to being better at their time management out of season. So, freshman year can be hard on them that way because they don’t learn to be consistent all year.”

Coopersmith says one of the school’s selling points is its intimate environment which allows the faculty and staff to get to know students on an individual basis.

“I have about 16 kids in a class,” she said. “I know every kid’s name, I know what sports they play, I know what they’re interests are. So, for instance, in my class, when they struggle, I can talk to them based on their sport; I do analogies based on their sport.

“If I were in a larger school with 30 or 35 kids to a class, I would never be able to do that. I also have an advantage, because we’re a smaller school, that I can get to know them a little more on a one-to-one level so if they struggle, they feel comfortable coming for help. So, if we have a student with an injury or a student who is out sick, they aren’t panicking that they’re going to be left behind. They know that we’re going to be there to help them when they get back, and they make the arrangements ahead of time. We teach them to self-advocate which is invaluable in life.”

Coopersmith says the size of the school allows for an intimacy that leads to a caring, mutually supportive environment.

“It really is a community,” she said. “I went to one of those monstrous high schools. I had teachers that I swear did not know my name, even though I had them more than one year and yet, I know students (at Holy Ghost Prep) who have never been in my class; they’ll still come in for help And, if I can’t help them, I can point them in the right direction.”

Coopersmith says the student-athletes at the school assume the responsibility of looking out for each other. “Our teams take care of each other.” she said. “So, the hockey boys will make sure the other hockey students stay on track. Same with basketball, soccer, the swim team. It’s wonderful.”

Coopersmith says the student body at Holy Ghost Prep embrace the idea of looking out for and supporting one another.

“It’s really nice that we have great leadership from the top down,” she said. “The seniors model the behavior that they expect the freshmen to have. The juniors fall in line; the sophomores understand how important it is.

“We have freshman come in who are unsure of what to do. They’re 14 years old and its harder for them to act older and more mature and more responsibly.

“When they see that behavior constantly modeled and constantly drilled in, they realize this is the right thing to do, not because someone is yelling at them but because it’s the right way to act.”

For more about Holy Ghost Prep Click Here

Holy Ghost Prep 8, Pennsbury 2

Holy Ghost Prep scored four goals in the first period and went on to defeat Pennsbury 8-2 on Monday evening at Grundy Arena. Braedon Baehser and Sean Marshall scored twice for the Firebirds. Shaun Marshall, Zach Pers, Dominic Lombardo and Anthony Sparo also scored goals for Holy Ghost Prep (6-6).

Eric Eisler and Shane Siegmund scored for the Galcons (9-2-0-1).
Both teams used the non-league affair to tune up for their respective league playoffs which are scheduled for next week. The game will not impact seedings for the Flyers Cup tournament.

Holy Ghost Prep 4 3 1—8

Pennsbury 1 0 1—2

First-period goals: Shaun Moore (HGP) unassisted, 4:51; Braedon Baehser (HGP) from Sean Marshall and Brian Butler, 9:02; Zach Pers (HGP) unassisted, 12:39; Marshall (HGP) from Baehser, 13:50; Eric Eisler (P) unassisted, 15:21

Second-period goals: Baehser (HGP) from Butler and Marshall, 1:11; Marshall (HGP) from Baehser, 4:42 (sh); Dominic Lombardo (HGP) from Branson Barger, 14:04

Third-period goals: Anthony Sparo (HGP) from Colin Moore, 8:21; Shane Siegmiund (P) from Eisler and Andrew Falkenstein, 12:54

Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 35, Pennsbury 31; Saves: Colin Mudrick (HGP 13 and Jason Soule (HGP) 16, Dous (P) 27

La Salle 5, Holy Ghost Prep 1

BRISTOL—La Salle has been playing some very good hockey lately. And the timing couldn’t be better.

The Explorers were dominant from the start Friday night in the course of a 5-1 win over Holy Ghost Prep in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference game at Grundy Arena.

Michael Casey’s hat trick helped La Salle (6-4, 5-3 in conference) to its fourth straight win and fifth in its last six outings. David Kimmel provided three assists.

Senior defenseman Nick Astolfi says all the pieces are fitting together for the Explorers after a slow start to this abbreviated season.

“We all came together,” he said. “It started with our coach (Wally Muhlbronner). He got us all together. We’re finally playing as a team, there are no individuals out there, we’re all playing together.”

Jake Hannon got the party started for the Explorers with a power-play goal 8:10 into the first period. With the Firebirds’ Michael Connolly in the box serving a slashing minor, La Salle’s Max Maddalo got position to the net and flopped a blind, backhanded pass in the direction of the crease. Hannon poked the puck in the net during the ensuing scramble.

Casey made it a 2-0 game at the 9:42 mark.

La Salle senior forward Jake Armstrong said the two first-period goals against a traditional rival gave the Explorers a big lift. “I think those two goals kind of took the nerves off,” he said. “Because we have a lot of young guys on the team so getting those two goals early really helped us get the momentum for the rest of the game.”

Casey added his second goal of the night 8:16 into the second period and completed his hat trick at 10:21.

Jack Lindmar extended La Salle’s lead with 56 seconds left in the period.

Armstrong said the circumstances surrounding the 2021 season it tougher for he and his teammates to jell as a unit at first. “I feel like it’s taken a little bit longer this year because of Covid and everything,” he said. “We haven’t had chances like last year to come together and have that team bonding but we’ve kind of found what works for us and were just keeping it rolling game by game.”

Holy Ghost Prep (5-6 overall, 3-3-0-3 in conference) finally got on the scoreboard when Brady Baehser scored a power-play goal with 5:45 left in the game.

“I like how we responded in the third,” said Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside. “We kind of challenged them between periods and I thought we played well in the third period, but it was just a bad start all around.”

La Salle 2 3 0—5

Holy Ghost Prep 0 0 1—1

First-period goals: Jake Hannon (L) from Keenan Schneider and Max Maddalo, 8:10 (pp); Michael Casey (L) from David Kimmel and Chase Hannon, 9:42

Second-period goals: Casey (L) from Dan Whitock and Kimmel, 8:16; Casey (L) from Kimmel and Dan Whitock, 10:21; Jack Lindmar (L) from Ryan Desmond and Tim Whitock, 15:04

Third-period goal: Brady Baehser (HGP) from Evan Mudrick and Shaun Moore, 10:15 (pp)

Shots; La Salle 31, Holy Ghost Prep 30; Saves: Liam Gross (L) 29; Bobby Baehser (HGP) 26

The scholastic hockey season will conclude in April with the Flyers Cup tournament. We’d love to help you promote your product, service, or event during the tournament with your own personalized podcast or advertorial content, tournament. Contact us at rwoelfel2013@gmail.com for more information.

Holy Ghost Prep 7, Father Judge 2

Braedon Baehser scored two goals as Holy Ghost Prep defeated Father Judge 7-2 Monday night at Grundy Arena. Sean Marshall, Carlos Rodriguez, Landon Stout, Col Stevens, and Eric Pohl all added goals for the Firebirds, who snapped a four-game losing streak.

Father Judge 1 1 0—2

Holy Ghost Prep 2 4 1—7

Correction… And APAC Update

We reported that Malvern Prep’s 4-3 over Holy Ghost Prep on Thursday clinched the APAC regular-season title for the Friars. This was incorrect. La Salle still has the opportunity to claim that distinction.

Our sincere thanks to the individual that pointed out our error and our apology to those that follow our site for posting erroneous information.

The updated APAC standings are listed below

Won Lost OTW OTL Pts

Malvern Prep (9-1) 3 1 3 0 15

Holy Ghost Prep (4-5) 3 3 0 2 11

La Salle (4-4) 3 3 0 0 9

St. Joseph’s Prep (3-4) 1 4 0 0 3

Remaining Conference Games

Monday 3-15: St. Joseph’s Prep vs. Malvern Prep, 3:30 at Ice Line

Wednesday 3-17: St. Joseph’s Prep vs. La Salle 4:00 at Hatfield

Friday 3-19: Malvern Prep vs. St. Joseph’s Prep, 7:00 at Skatium

La Salle vs. Holy Ghost Prep, 7:30 at Grundy

Friday, March 26: La Salle vs. St. Joseph’s Prep, 7:00 at Skatium

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!

Malvern Prep 4, Holy Ghost Prep 3 OT

This post has been modified and incorrect information removed.

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.