Tag: Hun School

APAC Preview 2024-25

The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference is launching its seventh season. Here’s a look at what to expect from the five conference schools in the 2024-25 campaign.

La Salle

Coach: Wally Muehlbronner (27th season)

Last year: 23-4, 8-0 in APAC; defending Founders Cup and Class AAA Flyers Cup champions

Key players: Sr. Jake Rossi (G); Sr. Cam Ross (D); Sr. Will Gregorio (D); Sr. Declan Kelly (D); Sr. Julian Tarsi (F); Sr. Grant LaGreca (F); Sr. Michael Zarzycki (F); So. Alistair St. Hilaire (F)

Outlook: The Explorers lost 12 seniors from last year’s Founders Cup and Flyers Cup champions but a solid nucleus returns. The defense corps is solid while Tarsi, LaGreca, Zarzycki, and St. Hilaire provide scoring balance. Rossi is a quality goaltender.

Holy Ghost Prep

Coach: John Ritchie (second season)

Last year: 12-14, 3-5 in APAC (0-1 in OT)

Key players: Sr. Ryan Lippy (D); Sr. Joe Kaufmann (D); So. Nate Romer (D); Jr. Chris Marshall (D-F); Sr. Colin Bara (F); Sr. Joe Spadaccino (F); Sr. Brian Kinniry (F); Jr. Anthony Valeriote (F); Jr. Jack Gavaghan (F); Jr. Lucas Gonzalez (F); Jr. Brady Logue (F); So. Chase Logue (F)

Outlook: The Firebirds struggled the first part of last season but were much improved after New Year’s.

“We were better the second half of the season,” Ritchie said, “which should help moving forward. The roster has a good core group of older experienced players, coupled with some talented newcomers.” 

Spadaccino, Kinniry, and Bara will provide veteran experience up front while Lippy and Kauffmann will do the same in the back. The roster also includes three experienced goaltenders.

Hun School

Coach: Eric Szeker (second season)

Last year: 5-12, 1-7 in APAC (1-1 in OT)

Key players: Sr. Patrick Donoghue (G); Sr. Elliot Wong (G); Sr. Jr. Chase Preston (D; Jr. Andrew Darst (D); Sr. Luke Rassier (F); Jr. Jake Beck (F); Jr. Luca Jean (F); So. Justin Bibeau (F); Jr. Nate Trawinski (F); Jr. Jacob Kelly-Lepage (F); Jr. Anders Van Raalte (F); Sr Jake O’Connell (F)

Outlook: The Raiders will put a much deeper team on ice this season than they did a year ago. Ten seniors graduated but a talented junior class returns. Donoghue and O’Connell will be relied on for leadership in the locker room and on the ice. Szeker is looking scoring balance.

“Scoring will come from many players,” he said, “but Jake Beck, who had a strong sophomore season, will be counted on for production.”

Donoghue and Wong provide experience in goal.

Malvern Prep

Coach: Bill Keenan (sixth season)

Last year: 11-9, 4-4 in APAC (2-2 in OT); Class AAA Flyers Cup finalist

Key players: Sr. Matt Crawford (G); Sr. Matt Barbacane (D); Jr. Cole Scarbinsky (D); Sr. Gabe Bedwell (F); Sr. Teague Murray (F); Jr. Pax Hoishik (F); Jr. Henry Tesoriero (F); So. House Young (F)

Outlook: The Friars look to bounce back from a tough loss in the Flyers Cup finals. The team by a core group of seniors and upperclassmen with additions of talented underclassmen.

“This year is about resetting our mindset, getting back to the basics and finding our grit,” Keenan said. “This is one of the toughest schedules Malvern Prep will play in a few years so we are looking forward to a fun, competitive season.”

St. Joseph’s Prep

Coach:  David Giacomin (12th season)

Last year: 16-7 4-4 in APAC (1-0 in OT): Founders Cup finalist

Key players: So. Declan Geary (G); Jr. Michael Garr (G); Jr. Bruno Mainardi (G); Sr. Caden Kelly (D); Jr. Patrick Sweeney (D); Jr. Ben Kerson Jr. Adam Charaffi (D); Sr. Tristan Winata (F); Sr. Carter Short (F); Jr. Noah Stuhl (F); Jr. Tommy Ely (F); Jr. Michael Castelli (F);  So. Frankie Ely (F); and So. Cole Gargon (F)

Outlook: Team speed combined with veteran experience on the blue line will be recipe for success for the Hawks this season.
“We hope to be a speed driven team that will play hard in all three zones,” Giacomin said. “Depth will play a big role this year. With offensive returnees and the defense leading the way we hope to get off to a fast start and build from there.”

Holy Ghost Prep 5 Hun School 2

Holy Ghost Prep started fast on Tuesday and kept on going. A pair of first-period goals gave the Firebirds a 2-0 lead and propelled them to a 5-2 win over Hun School in the APAC play in game at Grundy Arena.

Fourth-seeded Holy Ghost Prep (11-12) earned a date with top seed and defending champion La Salle Wednesday at 4:00 at the Class of 1923 Arena at the University of Pennsylvania. Fifth-seeded Hun School closed its season at 4-11.

Having twice defeated the Raiders during the regular season, the hosts took the ice on Tuesday looking to set a tone. Pat Slook’s goal 3:12 into the opening period did just that.  Jack Gavaghan made it a 2-0 on a shot from the right point with 2:34 left in the period.

“We knew that if we just jumped on them, it we got one early, we could keep rolling through them,” Slook said. “The plan was to get pucks deep and go at them, work in the corners and just grind out. Getting that first goal was a big one early.”

Nathan Romer and Caine Bickel added power-play goals for the Firebirds in the second frame, just over five minutes apart.

Special teams were impactful for much of a game that featured 12 minor penalties, six to each side.

A.J. Prete made it a 5-0 game 2:20 into the third period and the Firebirds seemed to have things well in hand.

At that point the Raiders, who had just 14 skaters dressed, seemed to be running low on energy. Following Prete’s goal, P.J. Angotti replaced Julien Arseneault in the Hun School net

  But the visitors never stopped working and their effort paid off when Charles-Etienne Jette got the puck past Firebird netminder Jack Unger 5:35 into the final session. Joachim Neverdahl added a shorthanded goal just shy of four minutes later.

Hun School coach Eric Szeker celebrated his young team’s work ethic.

“My guys gave it everything they had,” he said. “Fatigue, whatever it might be, they made no excuses.

“We came out in the third when everything was against us and we still put a great effort out. That tells you about the [team] more than the score will.”

Holy Ghost Prep coach John Ritchie notes there is still work left to do as his team evolves.

“We gave up a couple breakaways late in the second period,” he said. “A young team starts to cheat a little bit when they have some success offensively and I thought we did that. It ended up hurting us.”

With the ‘second season’ now underway, Slook is encouraged by the progress he and his teammates have made over the course of the campaign.

“We grew as a team,” he said. “I think we hit a few speed bumps along the way but I think we just stayed together as a team and worked through it, and I think we’re in pretty good shape for the playoffs.”

Ice chips: Nine Hun School players concluded their high-school careers this season … The Holy Ghost Prep-La Salle game will be the first game of an APAC semifinal doubleheader matching Malvern Prep and St. Joseph’s Prep. is scheduled for a 6:15 start.

The results of the playoffs will not impact Flyers Cup tournament seedings.

Hun School 0 0 2—2

HGP      2 2 1—5

First-period goals: Patrick Slook (HGP) from Jake McCaw, 3:12; Jack Gavaghan (HGP) from Andrew Morgan and A.J. Prete, 14:26

Second-period goals: Nathan Romer (HGP) from Caine Bickel, 2:30 (pp); Bickel (HGP) from Colin Bara, 7:41 (pp);

Third-period goals; Prete (HGP) from Joseph Kaufmann, 2:20; Charles-Etienne Jette from Andrew Darst, 5:35; Joachim Neverdahl (HS) from Justin Laplante and P.J. Angotti, 9:25 (sh);

Shots: Hun School 21 Holy Ghost Prep 39; Saves: Julien Arseneault (HS) and P.J. Angotti (HS) 34, Jack Unger (HGP) 19

For more about Holy Ghost Prep CLICK HERE

For more about The Hun School CLICK HERE

Playoff Ponderings—APAC

Tuesday, February 20

APAC Play In

#5 Hun School at #4 Holy Ghost Prep

4:00 Grundy Arena

Hun School (4-10, 1-7 APAC)

A young Raider squad battled inexperience and injuries for much of the season. Justin Laplante scored four goals and added three assist in conference play. Julian Arsenault (.920 save percentage) and P.J. Angotti are both solid in goal.

Holy Ghost Prep (10-12, 3-5 APAC)

A young team matured as the season progressed.

Anthony Valeriote leads the team in scoring with four goals and 10 assists for 14 points in all competitions. Matt Cholaj has scored three goals and added 10 assists for 13 points.Jake McCaw finished regular season with nine goals and added four assists for 13 points; 3-3-6 in APAC play. Jack Unger is the probable starter in goal (.958 save percentage, 0.84 GAA in conference play; .893/2.36 in all competitions).

Wednesday, February 21

#1  La Salle vs Hun School/Holy Ghost Prep

4:00 at Class of 1923 Rink

La Salle (18-3, 8-0 APAC)

The defending conference, Flyers Cup, and state champion Explorers are seeking their fourth outright APAC title in the conference’s six-year history (they’ve also shared another).  Dean Carvalho led the APAC in scoring with six goals and six assists for 12 points. He tallied 15 goals and 21 assists for 36 points in all competitions. Patrick Brace has collected eight goals and 11 assists for 19 point in all competitions; 4-3-7 in the APAC. Goaltender Jake Rossi has a season-long save percentage of .936 and a GAA of 1.63; .954/1.13 in conference play.

#3 St. Joseph’s Prep vs #2 Malvern Prep

6:15 at Class of 1923 Rink

St. Joseph’s Prep (14-5, 4-4 APAC)

A corps of young players combined with veteran leadership to record some impressive results for the Hawks this season. Brayden Collins led the team in scoring with eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points; 3-3-6 in conference play. John Lynch scored four goals and added 11 assists overall. Jake Schultz was the Hawks’ top scoring in APAC competition with four goals and three assists for seven points; 7-5-12 overall. Jacob Aranda started every conference game in goal and finished league play with an .894 saver percentage and a 3.09 GAA; .893/2.85 overall.

Malvern Prep (9-7, 4-4 APAC)

The Friars had their ups and down early on, but rebounded to win six of their last nine games. Jeremy Jacobs led the team in scoring with 17 goals and 15 assists for 32 points; 5-6-11 in conference play.  Caiden Canale deposited six goals and added seven assists for 13 points in all competitions; 1-4-5 in the APAC. Brady Doyle added five goals and seven assists overall; 1-4-5 in conference play. Goaltender Matt Crawford turned in a .935 save percentage in APAC play with a 2.27 GAA; .911-2.62 in all competitions.

Hun School 4 Malvern Prep 3 OT

Andrew Darst scored with 1:35 remaining in overtime to give host Hun School a 4-3 win over Malvern Prep Wednesday afternoon in an APAC game at Ice Land.

The win was the first for the Raiders in seven conference starts and lifted them to 4-9 overall.

Brendan Marino tied the game for Hun School with 3:46 left in regulation; the Raiders scored all three of their regulation goals in the third period. Charles-Etienne Jette and Justin Laplante also scored goals for the hosts. Jette added assists on the game tying and game winning goals.

“It was a full team effort,” said Hun School coach  Eric Szeker. “Every single player who dressed played a role in the victory.

“It was great to see Julien get a win in net as he has been nothing but fantastic for us this season.

“Our seniors led the way, Jette, Marino and Laplante played incredible and it was great seeing Andrew Darst bury the game winner in front of the student section. A well-deserved win for this group, couldn’t be more proud as a coach!

Jonathan Holt scored twice for Malvern Prep, which dropped to 8-7 overall and completed conference play with a 4-4 mark. Teague Murray also scored for the Friars.

Malvern Prep 0 1 2 0—3

Hun School 0 0 3 1—4

Second-period goal: Jonathan Holt (MP) from Henry Tesoriero, 12:36

Third-period goals: Charles-Etienne Jette (HS) from  Brendan Marino and Jake O’ Connell, 5:50; Justin Laplante (HS) unassisted, 10:43; Teague Murry (MP) from Aidan Kelly, 11:00; Holt (MP) from Matt Barbacane, 12:13; Marino (HS) from Joachim Neverdal and Jette, 13:14;

Overtime goal: Andrew Darst (HS) from Jette, 3:25

Shots: Malvern Prep 27, Hun School 41; Saves: Matt Crawford (MP) 37, Julian Arsenault (HS) 24

La Salle 7 Hun School 1

 

Ryan Wiley and Ben Falicki each scored twice as La Salle downed the host Raiders 7-1 Wednesday afternoon in an APAC matchup at Ice Land.

The win lifted the Explorers to 16-2 overall and a perfect 7-0 in the APAC.

Wiley’s goal just 39 seconds into the first period gave La Salle the early lead; the Explorers broke the game open in the second period when Falicki (twice), Wiley, and Alistair St. Hilaire all scored goals.

Liam Donahue added a goal in the third period.

Justin Laplante scored a third-period goal for Hun School (3-9, 0-6)

La Salle 1 4 2—7

Hun School 0 0 1—1

First-period goals: Ryan Wiley (L) unassisted, 0:39

Second-period goals: Ben Falicki (L) from Dean Carvalho, 1:09; Wiley (L) from Charlie Kennedy and Patrick Brace, 1:54 (pp); Falicki (L) from Cameron Ross and Will Gregorio, 4:07 (sh); Alistair St. Hilaire (L) from Julian Tarsi and Gregorio, 16:08

Third-period goals: Liam Donahue (L) from Alex Fusaro and Falicki, :28; Justin Laplante (HS) from Anders Van Raalte, 2:33; Carvalho (L) unassisted, 5:17

Shots: La Salle 43, Hun School 19; Saves: Jake Rossi (L) 18, P.J. Angotti (HS) 36

APAC Update 12-26-23

                                               W     L    OTW  OTL Pts  GF     GA

La Salle (10-1)                       4     0       0        0    12    16     3  

Malvern Prep (6-4)              2      2      1       1      6     9       11

St. Joseph’s Prep (5-2)        2      2      1        0     5     14     11

Holy Ghost Prep (3-9)         1      2      0       0     3      5        7

Hun School (2-4)                  0     3      0        1     1      4       16

Scoring (All Games)                      GP        G     A     Pts.   PPG

Jeremy Jacobs (MP)                      10        13   12    25     2.50

Alistair St. Hilaire (L)                     5          6    2      8       1.60 

Dan Carvalho (L)                            11         7     6     13     1.18

Caiden Canale (MP)                      10         6     5     11     1.11

Tristan Winata (SJP)                    7         6     1         7       1.00

Julian Tarsi (L)                                11         2     8     10    0.90

Patrick Brace (L)                            11         4     5      9     0.82

William Carpenter (L)                  11         1     8      9    0.82

Aidan Kelly (L)                               10        3     5      8    0.80

Anthony Prete  (HGP)                  12        5    3      8    0.75

Will Gregorio (L)                          10         3    4      7  0.70

Declan Kelly (L)                            10        1      6     7  0.70

Scoring (Conference Games)       GP        G     A     Pts.   PPG

Dan Carvalho (L)                            4         3       3     6       1.50

Jeremy Jacobs (MP)                      4          2        4    6     1.50

Declan Kelly (L)                              4          1      4      5     1.25

Tristan Winata (SJP)                     4          5       0      5     1.25

Will Carpenter (L)                         4          1       3      4     1.00

Will Gregorio (L)                          4          1       3      4       1.00

Jake Schultz (SJP)                        3         2       1      3       1.00

Justin Laplante (HS)                   3         1       2      3      1.00

Ryan Levesque (HS)                   3        1       2      3       1.00

Patrick Brace (L)                          4         2       1      3      0.75

Julian Tarsi (L)                             4         2       1      3      0.75

Aidan Kelly (MP)                         4         2       1      3.  0.75

Levesque’s Role at Hun School Extends Beyond the Ice

 At the start of what was to be his senior year of high school, Ryan Levesque made a big decision. Instead of completing his secondary education at Hunterdon Central High, the Reddington, New Jersey resident chose to enroll at The Hun School instead and repeat his junior year.

That was prior to the 2022-23 school year.

“I heard about [Hun School] through friends that had played hockey there,” Levesque recalls. “They’re older now, they’re in college. Then I heard about it from a friend at [Princeton Day School] which is actually surprising because he didn’t go to Hun, but his mother and my mother talked about it and she hard great things. We found that it was a good match for me.

“It’s been a great experience.”

Levesque (#15) takes his leadership role seriously

Now a senior at Hun School, Levesque acknowledged he had some adjustments to make when he first arrived on campus.

“I would say the first week or so was pretty tough,” he said, “trying to gauge the different education level, how they treated their students, how their classes were commenced.

“It was definitely a tough change at first, but once I got really settled in everything really just became a routine and it started to just come to me naturally.

“I never had a problem with meeting new people, but I would say breaking the ice was definitely the biggest part. I kind of had to get over that little hump, I would say. Because I didn’t know anyone going into the school so it was a definitely a big adjustment in that aspect, but now I have a lot of friends there. I keep in touch with them not only in school but out of school and I would say that was the biggest adjustment.”

Lavesque says his passion for hockey accelerated the transition process.

“I feel like the ice is a different home for me,” he said. “I’ve always felt it feels so natural to me. All my problems go away as soon as I hit the ice. It really doesn’t matter where I touch down but I feel as if I really jelled with the guys on the team last year and this year.

“For me personally, it was definitely a big step from transferring from a public to a private setting but I definitely felt as soon as I touched the ice I’d fit in right away.”

As a senior on a young team, Lavesque takes his leadership responsibilities seriously. He stresses the importance of being a positive influence for his teammates on the ice and elsewhere.

I definitely hope to produce my best for this team, on and off the ice,” he said. “I look to be a guy the younger kids on the team playing varsity for the first time, cam look up to, not only as a teammate but as a person on and off the ice.

“I’m definitely excited to take a leadership role just to be a guy people can turn to on and off the ice; if they need anything.”

St. Joseph’s Prep 7 Hun School 2

A six-goal explosion over portions of the second and third period periods propelled St. Joseph’s Prep to a 7-2 win over Hun School Tuesday afternoon in an APAC game at Ice Land.

Tristan Winata provided three goals as the Hawks overcame a 2-1 second-period deficit to improve to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the APAC. Jake Schultz added two goals and an assist. John Lynch and Calum Hartnell also scored goals.

Ryan Levesque and Jake Beck scored for the Raiders (2-3, 0-2).

Winata’s goal with 2:28 left in the first period have St. Joseph’s Prep a 1-0 lead. Levesque and Beck scored goals five minutes apart to put the Raiders up 2-1 with 7:33 left in the middle session.

Lynch tied the game for the Hawks with 1:02 left in the second frame and Shultz put his team ahead for good just 32 seconds later.

The Hawks broke the game open by scoring four goals in the third period over a span of 9 minutes, 23 seconds. Winata scored two of those goals and completed his hat trick with 4:22 remaining. The junior has scored four goals in three conference games.

St. Joseph’s Prep 1 2 4—7

Hun School 0 2 0—2

First-period goal: Tristan Winata (SP) from Shane O’Neill, 14:32

Second-period goals: Ryan Levesque (HS) from Justin Laplante and Jake Beck, 4:30 (sh); Beck (HS) from Levesque and Laplante, 9:27 (pp); John Lynch (SJP) from Jake Schultz, 15:58; Schultz (SJP) from Parker Tumelty, 16:30

Third-period goals: Calum Hartnell (SJP) from O’Neill, 3:15 (pp); Winata (SP) from Frankie Ely and Patrick Sweeny, 6:58; Schultz (SP) from Ely, 8:03; Winata (SJP) unassisted, 12:38

APAC Oveview for 12-12-23

                                         W    L OTW  OTL    Pts    GF    GA

La Salle (8-1)                   4    0    0      0         12       16      3

St. Joseph’s Prep (4-1)   2   1    1      0         5        12       8

Malvern Prep (3-4)        1    2    0      1         4        6       9

Holy Ghost Prep (2-6)    0   2     0     0         0        2       5

Hun School (2-3)             0   2    0     0         0         2      13

teams receive three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime or shootout win, and one point for an overtime or shootout loss.

* Scoring                     GP    G   A    Pts    PPG

Dean Carvalho (Ls)     3      2    3     5     1.67

Will Gregorio (Ls)       3      1    3     4      1.33

Will Carpenter (Ls)     3      1    3     4      1.33

Jeremy Jacobs (MP)   3      1    3     4      1.33

Julian Tarsi (Ls)           3       2    1    3       1.00

Declan Kelly (Ls)         3       0    3    3       1.00

Robert McGinn (SJP)  2      1    1    2        1.00

Anthony Prete (HGP) 1      1    0     1       1.00

Mike Holt (HGP)         1       0   1      0      1.00

(scoring through 12-10)