Tag: La Salle

Holy Ghost Prep 4 La Salle 0

Holy Ghost Prep kept up its winning ways Wednesday afternoon. Four different players scored goals as the Firebirds bested La Salle 4-0 in an APAC encounter at Hatfield Ice.

Holy Ghost Prep (6-1 overall) has now won six straight decisions and stands a perfect 4-0 in the APAC.

Senior Jake Smaron scored one goal and assisted on another.

“It’s been a big change this year,” he said. “A lot of guys graduated but I think we’ve come together as a group really well. Especially in these early months, which you usually don’t see a lot.

“We’ve been pretty efficient with the way we scored. A lot of gritty goals I would say.”

The scoreless first period saw the Firebirds and La Salle (1-6, 0-4) battle on even terms. But the Explorers’ goal-scoring drought continued.

“We’re definitely making progress,” said La Salle coach Wally. Muehlbronner. “We’ve just got to find a way to score some goals.

“We had some really good opportunities in the first period. The goalie (Matt Salina) made some nice saves. We just had to find a way to get one past him.”

Chase Logue gave Holy Ghost Prep the lead 4:17 on a solo effort 4:17 into the second frame.

Smaron made it 2-0 with 3:51 left in the period when a loose puck eluded La Salle netminder Anthony Foster in the goal mouth and Smaron tucked it in the net.

“I’m a bit of a grinder they say?” Smaron said. “But sometimes, to get the puck in the net, it’s not going to be the most flashy. You’ve just got to get it in sometimes. That’s what we did today.”

Smaron, a defenseman, is in his second season as a full-time varsity player; he was a swing player as a sophomore. He commented on how his role has evolved over the course of his career.

“I kind of played as a little more of a goal scorer on JV,” he said. “But I’ve really accepted my role on varsity as kind of a leader and helping the younger guys.

“I’m not much of a flashy player but getting the puck in the net is kind of my thing.”

Lucas’s Gonzalez and Billy Harmar scored goals 88 seconds apart early in the third period to allow the Firebirds to build on their lead. Foster was lifted for Danny Trainor midway through the period.

Holy Ghost Prep coach John Ritchie is pleased to see his team getting production from a variety of sources. “We’re getting production from our top three lines,” he said. “Any time you can get scoring from any line, it’s always a positive.”

Ritchie notes the advantages of having a deep roster.

“It’s harder to match against when you have depth,” he said. “Last year we had a really elite player that I think most teams tried to zero in on and he was still able to produce. But, this year, we’ve got those top guys but {scoring] could come from anyone up front.”

Holy Ghost Prep. 0 2 2—4

La Salle 0 0 0—0

Second-period goals:  Chase Logue (HGP) unassisted, 4:17; Jake Smaron (HGP) from Sean Devine, 13:09

Third-period goals: Lucas Helms (HGP) from Lucas Gonzalez and Anthony Valeriote, 1:44; Billy Harmae (HGP)) from Lucas Helms and Smaron, 3:12

Shotas: Holy Ghost Prep 25, La Salle 30Holy Ghost Prep kept up its winning ways Wednesday afternoon. Four different players scored goals as the Firebirds bested La Salle 4-0 in an APAC encounter at Hatfield Ice.

Holy Ghost Prep (6-1 overall) has now won six straight decisions and stands a perfect 4-0 in the APAC.

Senior Jake Smaron scored one goal and assisted on another.

“It’s been a big change this year,” he said. “A lot of guys graduated but I think we’ve come together as a group really well. Especially in these early months, which you usually don’t see a lot.

“We’ve been pretty efficient with the way we scored. A lot of gritty goals I would say.”

The scoreless first period saw the Firebirds and La Salle (1-6, 0-4) battle on even terms. But the Explorers’ goal-scoring drought continued.

“We’re definitely making progress,” said La Salle coach Wally. Muehlbronner. “We’ve just got to find a way to score some goals.

“We had some really good opportunities in the first period. The goalie (Matt Salina) made some nice saves. We just had to find a way to get one past him.”

Chase Logue gave Holy Ghost Prep the lead 4:17 on a solo effort 4:17 into the second frame.

Smaron made it 2-0 with 3:51 left in the period when a loose puck eluded La Salle netminder Anthony Foster in the goal mouth and Smaron tucked it in the net.

“I’m a bit of a grinder they say?” Smaron said. “But sometimes, to get the puck in the net, it’s not going to be the most flashy. You’ve just got to get it in sometimes. That’s what we did today.”

Smaron, a defenseman, is in his second season as a full-time varsity player; he was a swing player as a sophomore. He commented on how his role has evolved over the course of his career.

“I kind of played as a little more of a goal scorer on JV,” he said. “But I’ve really accepted my role on varsity as kind of a leader and helping the younger guys.

“I’m not much of a flashy player but getting the puck in the net is kind of my thing.”

Lucas’s Gonzalez and Billy Harmar scored goals 88 seconds apart early in the third period to allow the Firebirds to build on their lead. Foster was lifted for Danny Trainor midway through the period.

Holy Ghost Prep coach John Ritchie is pleased to see his team getting production from a variety of sources. “We’re getting production from our top three lines,” he said. “Any time you can get scoring from any line, it’s always a positive.”

Ritchie notes the advantages of having a deep roster.

“It’s harder to match against when you have depth,” he said. “Last year we had a really elite player that I think most teams tried to zero in on and he was still able to produce. But, this year, we’ve got those top guys but {scoring] could come from anyone up front.”

Holy Ghost Prep. 0 2 2—4

La Salle 0 0 0—0

Second-period goals:  Chase Logue (HGP) unassisted, 4:17; Jake Smaron (HGP) from Sean Devine, 13:09

Third-period goals: Lucas Helms (HGP) from Lucas Gonzalez and Anthony Valeriote, 1:44; Billy Harmae (HGP)) from Lucas Helms and Smaron, 3:12

Shotas: Holy Ghost Prep 25, La Salle 30

Malvern Prep 2 La Salle 0

 Pax Hoishik score one of his team’s goals and assisted on the other as Malvern Prep bested La Salle 2-0 Wednesday night in an APAC matchup at Ice Line.

The win lifted the Friars to 2-2-1 overall and 1-1 in the APAC. The Explorers fell to 1-4 overall and 0-3 in conference.

Hoishik opened the scoring 6:06 into the first period with assists from Jake Weingartner and William McCullough. The senior also provided the primary assist on Broderick Campbell’s power-play goal 10:34 into the middle period. The goal came while La Salle’s Roman Tkach was serving a roughing penalty.

Ryan Caterino got the shutout in goal, making 30 saves.

“Playing on Thanksgiving Eve is always a high emotion game with a lot of energy both from the crowd and the team,” said Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan. “We stressed to the team that we needed a fast start, that we had to come out strong and settle into the game but more importantly controlling our emotions. We were able to get a goal in the first period which helped us set the tempo for the rest of the game.

“To LaSalle’s credit they came out strong after the ice cut and played a strong third period. It was nice to get our first APAC win of the season under our belt and get a win against LaSalle who for most of the guys on the team has not happened during their time at Malvern.”

La Salle 0 0 0—0

Malvern Prep 1 1 0—2

First-period goal: Paxton Hoishik (MP) from Jake Weingartner and William McCullough, 6:06

Second-period goal: Broderick Campell (MP) from Hoishik and Logan Love, 10:34 (pp)

Shots: La Salle 30, Malvern Prep 37; Saves: Anthony Foster (L) 35, Ryan Caterino (MP) 30

St. Joseph’s Prep 3 La Salle 2

St. Joseph’s Prep took things one step at a time Wednesday afternoon, and went home a winner. The Hawks built a 3-0 lead and held on for a 3-2 win over La Salle in their APAC opener at Hatfield Ice.

The Hawks have started the season with four consecutive wins. The Explorers dropped to 1-3 overall and 0-2 in the APAC.

For first-year Prep head coach Charlie Van Kula, it was an ideal way to begin the conference schedule.

“Obviously, every time we play La Salle is a big one, he said. ”So, to get a win was big.

“I still think we have to put a full 51 minutes together and there are certainly things we could do better, but a win is a win so we’ll take it and keep working on what we need to work on.”

Offensive opportunities were rare by APAC standards, particularly early on and the referees maintained a tight hold on the proceedings; they whistled five penalties in a scoreless first period.

Michael Washlick gave the Prep the lead 6:06 into the second frame on a solo end-to end rush down the left wing which concluded when he beat La Salle goaltender Patrick Murphy.

It stayed 1-0 until 3:35 into the third period when the Explorers turned the puck over in their own zone and Cole Gargon turned the miscue into a goal. Just over three minutes later, Gargon

delivered the primary assist on Frank Ely’s shot from the high slot that put the Hawks up 3-0 with 12:09 left in regulation.

Gargon noted that the Hawks’ fast start this season gas given them a confidence boost.

“It really boosts everybody’s morale,” he said. “Just work together, follow the system, and play hard.”

Despite the score however the Explorers seemed to have more energy in the final period and their effort paid off when Roman Tkach beat Declan Geary in the Hawk net just 22 seconds after Ely’s goal and the hosts battled hard to the finish.

“I think we were sitting back,” said La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner. “And I think we did the same thing {in {a 4-1 loss to Holy Ghost Prep}. We definitely want to get them playing more aggressively.”

In the end, River Carangi’s goal with 30 seconds left had the Hawks hanging on. In fact, an icing call with six seconds left gave La Salle a final faceoff in the Hawks’ defensive zone but Geary and his mates held firm.

For Muehlbronner, it was another step in the maturation of a young team.

“We’ve just got to keep going,” he said, “and keep trying to get better. Our youth definitely has shown at times during these games.

“We’re not creating a whole lot of quality offensive opportunities so we just need to keep it simple and get some pucks to the net.”

Ice chips—Van Kula commneted on the system he is using thsi season and how his players are adusting.

“There are definitely some adjustments,” he said.”I’d say there is a little more structure than normal nd there gave ben some growing pains but from the top down with the seniors leading the way, they’ve bought in. We have some really, really smart hockey players in the room.”

 St. Joseph’s Prep 0 1 2—3

La Salle 0 0 2—2

Second-period goal:  Michael Washlick (SJP) unassisted, 6:06

Third-period goal: Cole Gargon (HGP) unassisted 1:35; Frank Ely (SJP) from Gargon and James Fratantuono, 4:51; Roman Tkach (L) from Braedon Yothers and Connor Boland, 5:13; River Carangi (L) from Patrick Lunsford and Darrian Brown, 16:30

Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 33, La Salle 34; Saves: Declan Geary (SJP) 32, Patrick Murphy (L) 30

Holy Ghost Prep 4 La Salle 1

BRISTOL—There wasn’t a lot of finesse on display at Grundy Arena Wednesday afternoon. Just a lot of blue-collar, grind-it-out hockey.

Holy Ghost Prep thrived in that environment. Lucas Gonzalez delivered two goals and an assist as the Firebirds bested La Salle 4-1 as the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference launched its eighth season.

For a team whose players are still working to find their roles, it was a step forward.

“There was obviously a big conversation between last week’s game (a season-opening loss to Devon Prep) and tonight,” said Holy Ghost Prep John Ritchie. “Last week, I thought we did a much better job possessing and creating but sometimes we just have to manufacture goals by working hard to get to the net.”

And that formula paid off for Holy Ghost Prep Wednesday afternoon. Gonzalez opened the scoring, beating Anthony Foster in the La Salle net 4:19 into the opening period off a feed from freshman Mason Thomas.  Chase Logue made it a 2-0 game via a Chris Marshall setup into the second frame but the Explorers (1-2 overall) answered with a goal from River Carangi with 51 seconds left in the period when her put the puck past Firebird netminder Matt Salita to make it a 2-1 game.

Following the post-second period ice cut however, it was Thomas the freshman who stepped up. His goal 2:28 into the third frame restored his side’s two-goal advantage.

Gonzalez added his second goal of the game with 4:03 remaining.

Ritchie celebrated Thomas’s effort; he was one of four underclassmen in the Firebirds’ lineup.

“He’s a really smart player away from the puck,” Ritchie said. “He can put the puck in the net. He kind of brings a lot of little intangibles to the game so we have full confidence in him.

“I don’t put a lot of freshmen in our lineup. But he has a good complete game and tonight we were obviously thrilled that he got his first goal.”

Marshall, a senior and the Firebirds’ captain, spoke to the importance of the veterans on the roster making younger teammates feel comfortable.

“It’s everything” he said. “The seniors and the juniors, the upperclassmen, need to be there for the underclassmen. If you have a bad shift or a bad play, shake it off, go get the next one.”

For a young Explorer squad that had just two seniors in the lineup, the APAC opener was trial by fire.

“I think it was definitely an eye-opener for a lot of the guys,” he said. “We had our moments where I thought we were making progress at getting better, but then we made some young mistakes, turning pucks over in our own zone and not having men in our coverages. And that directly led to opportunities and goals for them.”

Muehlbronner said his players got a crash course in what APAC hockey is about.”

“A lot of these guys were playing in their first APAC game,” he said. “We’re going to get better.”

•Muehlbronner is the last remaining head coach remaining from 2018-19, the APAC’s first season.

La Salle 0 1 0—1

Holy Ghost Prep 1 1 2—4

First-period goal: Lucas Gonzalez (HGP) from Mason Thomas, 4:19

Second-period goal: Chase Logue (HGP) from Chris Marshall, 2:21; River Carangi (L) from Darrian Brown and Patrick Lunsford, 16:09

Third-period goals: Thomas (HGP) from Gonzalez, 2:28; Gonzalez (HGP) from Anthony Valeriote and Lucas Helms, 12:57

Shots: La Salle 18, Holy Ghost Prep 24; Saves: Anthony Foster (L) 20, Matt Salita (HGP) 17

Wyoming Seminary 3 La Salle 1

HATFIELD—The theme for La Salle’s season opener against Wyoming Seminary Wednesday afternoon might have been ‘Starting Over Again.’ Which is what the Explorers were doing to a large extent.

Just five of the 21 players Wally Muehlbronner had in uniform were part of the Explorers’ Flyers Cup roster last season. Ten of the 21 were underclassmen who, in a number of cases were getting their first taste of varsity hockey.

The end was result was a 3-1 loss to a Blue Knight squad that had already won its first four starts, albeit against Class AA and AAA Midget competition.

Muehlbronner found out a lot about his team in the course of the afternoon.

“We learned a lot,” he said. “For a lot of the younger guys, it was a big eye opener for them and that’s exactly why we wanted to play them.”

The Blue Knights took just 37 seconds to jump in front. Dilan Lucas, a native of Chateauguay, Quebec, put the puck behind Matt Kohlhepp to give his team the lead. Louis-David Jolin made it a 2-0 game with 40 seconds remaining in the opening frame but the Explorers hung in with their bigger, older, and more worldly foes from that point forward (the Blue Knights had players from eight different nations in their lineup)

Kohlhepp, Patrick Murphy, and Anthony Foster each took a turn in the Explorer net.
Deep in the third period the Explorers were able to solve Wyoming Seminary goaltender Tristan Boyer. Quin Leonards, playing in his first varsity game, scored off a setup from Andrew Frantz with 5:33 left in regulation to make it a one-goal affair.

It took Hendrik McNulty’s empty netter with 1:02 left to settle the issue.

“I think we definitely had a good amount of jitters for the first five minutes of that game,” Muehlbronner said, “but we settled in an we got better as the game went along.

“I think if we had been able to get a little more pressure on them, we could have created some more opportunities.”

The afternoon exemplified the advantages of starting the season against a quality opponent.

“They’re a good team,” Muehlbronner said, “We learned a lot from the game so we got exactly what we wanted.”

Wyoming Seminary 2 0 1—3

La Salle 0 0 1—1

First-period goals: Dilan Lucas (WS) from Hendrik McNulty, :37; Louis-David Jolin (WS) from Ondrej Vina, 16:20

Third-period goals: Quin Leonards (L) from Andrew Frantz, 11:27 pp; McNulty (WS) unassisted, 15:58 en;

Shots: Wyoming Seminary 34, La Salle 15 Saves: Tristan Boyer (WS) 15, Matt Kohlhepp (L) 8, Patrick Murphy (L) 14, Anthony Foster (L) 9

Hockey Happenings is looking for writers to be part of our coverage of Philadelphia area high-school hockey this season. I am particularly in need of writers to cover games in Delaware and Chester Counties.

Candidates should have some sort of writing background, be knowledgeable about ice hockey and have availability on weeknights.

For more information, contact us through this web site or at rwoelfel2013@gmail.com. Please include: High School Hockey in the subject line.

Holy Ghost Prep Wins AAA Flyers Cup

The evening came down to capitalizing on opportunities while avoiding mistakes. Holy Ghost Prep found the right balance Wednesday night and left Hatfield Ice Arena as the Class AAA Flyers Cup champion.

Chase Logue scored two goals and Jack Unger was superb in goal as the Firebirds bested La Salle 3-1 in front of a full house to win its first Flyers Cup title since 2017 and the fifth in the school’s history.

“It’s amazing,” Logue, a sophomore, said. “To be with those guys in the locker room is a blessing. “

Offensive opportunities were scarce early on as two teams familiar with each other were reluctant to yield space to the opposition.

The second-seeded Explorers (17-8) outshot the top-seeded Firebirds (21-4-1) 7-1 in the early going but Unger stood tall between the pipes. His big save not quite seven minutes into the first period set the tone for the night.

Logue put his team on from 1:27 into the second period when he beat La Salle netminder Jake Rossi from close range.

“I was lucky,” he said. “I just came out and shot it. I put pucks on net and it went it.”

Some 200 feet away, Unger was doing his part to keep Holy Ghost Prep in front, denying Julian Tarsi on a breakaway with 2:25 left in the middle frame to send the Firebirds into the ice cut clinging to the 1-0 lead.

The Explorers however weren’t going away and a Holy Ghost Prep turnover two-and-a-half minutes into the third period gave them an opening. Michael Esmond converted the chance when the Firebirds lost the puck in front of their own net.

But Logue responded with his second goal of the game just 15 seconds later. With 14:15 left in regulation the Firebirds were back in front but the game was still up for grabs.

It was left to Unger to reach out and seized it by the throat, which he did when the Firebird found themselves killing two penalties in the last 7:14 of regulation. The shots seemingly never stopped coming but Unger turned them all away, en route to winning the Bob Clarke Award as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. He finished the evening with 29 saves.

Unger, a senior felt that Wednesday’s game was the best of his career.

“I would say for sure,” he said. “Between the atmosphere, the intensity of the game, and what was at stake.

“I was able to lock in and then being able to get the tam to rally around me and especially during that third period.’

The closest he came faltering the stretch came when a shot from La Salle’s La Salle’s Alistair St. Hilaire from the right wing actually got behind him but slid across the crease before going wide of the far post.

“I’m not going to lie, that one really scared me,” Unger said. “But sometimes you need a little bit of luck on your side.”

Joseph Kauffman scored an empty-net goal for Holy Ghost Prep just before the final buzzer.

For La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner, whose team was trying to win its 14th Flyers Cup the result was a disappointment but he appreciated the level of play on both sides.

“That was definitely a great high-school hockey game for sure,” he said.

Muehlbronner felt his team did a lot of good things right during its three power-play chances, except score.

“I thought we did well on the power play,” he said. “We moved the puck well. We didn’t bury many pucks, we didn’t get many bounces that we needed.

“But, I think we played a great game, I really do. We carried a large portion of it, but weren’t able to put any in.”

  • The Firebirds will face Penguins Cup champion Seneca Valley for the Class AAA state title Saturday in suburban Pittsburgh.
  • The All-Tournament Team included :

G Jack Unger Holy Ghost Prep

D Ryan Lippy Holy Ghost Prep

D Cam Ross  LaSalle

F Alistair St. Hilaire

F Chase Lougue HGP

F Brady Logue HGP

La Salle 0 0 1—1

Holy Ghost Prep 0 1 2—3

Second-period goals: Chase Logue (HGP) from Joe Spadaccino, 1:27

Third-period goals: Michael Esmond (L) from Luke Baumann and Alex Gibson, 2:30; Chase Logue (HGP) from Brady Logue and John Gavaghan, 2:45; Joseph Kaufman (HGP) unassisted,16:59 (sh)

Shots: La Salle 30, Holy Ghost Prep 24; Saves: Jake Rossi (L) 21, Jack Unger (HGP) 29

Flyers Cup Cup Class AAA and AA Finals Preview

Longtime rivals collide Wednesday night in a Flyers Cup finals doubleheader at Hatfield Ice. Here’s a look at the matchups.

Class AAA Final—6:00

1 Holy Ghost Prep (20-4-1)

Coach: John Ritchie

Players to watch: Brady Logue 25 goals, 18 assists, 43 points inc. 6 goals and 2 assists for 8 points in the tournament; Joe Spadaccino 10-17-27, 0-3-3 in the tournament; Brian Kinniry 18-6-24, 1-1-2 in the tournament; Jack Unger 1.74 GAA, .922 save percentage

How they got here: Defeated Owen J. Roberts 10-0 in the quarterfinals and Salesianum 5-2 in the semifinals.

2 LaSalle (17-7)

Coach: Wally Muehlbronner

Players to watch: Nole Donohue 14 goals, 19 assists, 33 points including 1 goal and 4 assists for 5 points in the tournament; Grant LaGreca 20-5-25, 3-0-3 in the tournament; Julian Tarsi 10-14-24, 0-4-4 in the tournament; Jake Rossi 1.90 GAA, .926 save percentage

How they got here: Defeated Devon Prep 7-0 in the quarterfinals and Father Judge 7-2 in the semifinals.

Ice chips: This game marks the fourth meeting of the season between the two teams. The Firebirds won the previous three, including the Founders Cup championship game for the APAC title 6-4 on February 26th.

The Explorers will be trying to win their third consecutive Class AAA Flyers Cup and their 13th overall (they’ve also won it once in Class AA).  Their 13 overall titles is a record in any classification. Holy Ghost Prep has won four Flyer Cup titles, three times in Class AAA, once in Class AA.

Class AA Final—8:45

1 Council Rock South (22-2)

Coach: Joe Houk

Players to watch: Jake Weiner 43 goals, 21 assists, 60 points, including 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points in the tournament; Jeremy Rayher 33-31-64, 4-2-6 in the tournament; Jordan Sarne 18-27-45, 1-3-4 in the tournament; Trey Prozzillo 2.56 GAA; .884 save percentage

How they got here: Defeated Owen J. Roberts 10-0 in the quarterfinals and Spring-Ford 7-2 in the semifinals

2 North Penn (19-3)

Coach: Kevin Vaitis

Players to watch: Cole Pluck 24 goals, 33 assists, 57 points; 3 goals in the tournament; Samuel Norton 28-28-53.0-3-3 in the tournament Nolan Shingle 23-18-41, 4-2 in the tournament; Aidan Quigley 1.91 GAA .923 save percentage; Andrew Norton 2.14 GAA .909 save percentage

Ice chips: The teams split two regular-season meetings. The Golden Hawks won the first 6-3 on November 20th, the Knights took the rematch 5-3 on February 5th.

South is seeking its fourth Flyers Cup title and its first since 2012. North Penn is seeking its first Cup.

La Salle 7 Father Judge 2

La Salle’s success this season has been based on the concept of getting contributions from a variety of sources.

Such was the case Thursday night. Grant LaGreca and Noel Donohue each scored two goals and three other players scored on goal each as the Explorers downed Father Judge 7-2 in a Class AAA Flyers Cup semifinal at Hatfield Ice Arena.

Second-seeded La Salle (17-7) will face Holy Ghost Prep next Wednesday at this same venue in a bid to win its third consecutive Flyers Cup, a feat the Explorers last accomplished in 2014 when they claimed the Cup for a fourth consecutive year. Sixth-seeded Father Judge closed the season at 16-6.

The game was closer than the final score seemingly indicted.  Judge trailed 2-1 after one period was close enough to be a threat, trailing 4-2 early in the third before the Explorers put the game away.

Michael Zarzycki got thing started for La Salle when he beat Crusader goaltender Christian McDonald 3:32 into the first period. But Chris Ferrero responded for Judge with a power-play goal at the 8:49 before Donohue’s effort with 1:14 remaining put La Salle in front for good.

The Explorers extended their lead in the second period on goal from Declan Kelly and Alex Gibson.

Jake Pound made thing more interesting when he scored for Judge just 14 seconds into the final period but LaGreca answered at the 2:21 mark.

Donohue and LaGreca once more added additional goals.

“We started slow,” LaGreca said, “but we stuck to our system, listened to what our coaches had for the game plan, but we played the right way in the end.”

LaGreca said the Explorers stayed patient when it counted.

“We know we can’t look past anyone.” he said. “We’ve got to stay patient and keep shooting pucks on net.”

• The Explorers had a 30-19 edge in shots.

Father Judge 1 0 1—2

La Salle 2 2 3­­—7

La Salle 7 Devon Prep 0

The atmosphere of the Flyers Cup tournament is unique. A period of adjustment is often necessary. Therefore, it was not surprising that it took La Salle some time to get started against Devon Prep Tuesday night.

But, the Explorers eventually got rolling and the two-time defending Class AAA Flyers Cup champions rolled on to a 7-0 win over the Tide at Hatfield Ice Arena. The top-seeded Explorers (16-7) will move on to next Thursday’s semifinals against St. Joseph’s Prep or Father Judge. Devon Prep, the seventh seed, finished its third varsity season at 14-7.

While La Salle dominated on the scoreboard, it took some time for the Explorers’ offense to settle in. Cam Ross scored the only goal of the first period with just 56.4 seconds remaining.

Danny Burke extended the La Salle lead two minutes into the second frame.

“It was the first Flyers Cup game for easily half our team,” said La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner in explaining his team’s start. “There were a lot of jitters I think they had to get out.

“We played a pretty good game. Their goaltender (Grant Gales) was strong early on.

Nole Donohue extended the Explorer lead to 3-0 when he scored with exactly one minute left in the second period before Alistair St. Hilaire, Will Gregorio, Donohue, and Grant LaGreca found the back of the net in the third.

Donohue said the Explorers; experience and cohesion is showing when it matters most. “We have a good bond,” he said. “We all work good together.

“We work hard as a team and pick each other up. That’s what gets us all going.”

One individual seemingly unfazed by the environment was La Salle goaltender Jake Rossi who pitched a shutout, making 14 saves along the way. He spoke to what the Flyers Cup experience is like for his less-experienced teammates.

“I think for them it’s realizing the intensity and importance of it,” he said. “It was a little bit of a slow start today but around the second period and into the third we really put our foot down.”

Devon Prep coach Matt Fabrizio was disappointed with the result but not with his team’s effort.

“The way my guys came out and battled, the fight was pretty even up through the last minute or so of the second period when it was 2-0,” he said. “We were happy with the opportunity to play La Salle. We regard La Salle and Holy Ghost, and all those teams as the cream of the crop, so any chance we get to play those guys is a huge opportunity.”

Devon Prep 0 0 0—0

La Salle 1 2 4—7

First-period goal: Cam Ross (L) from Alistair St. Hilaire, 16:04

Second-period goals: Danny Burke (L) from St. HiIaire and Liam Greenwalt, 2:00; Nole Donohue (L) from Tristan Mitchell 16:00

Third-period goals: St. Hilaire (L) from Donohue, 6:02; Will Gregorio (L) from St. Hilaire and Julian Tarsi, 8:03; Donohue (L) from Tarsi, 11:13; Grant LaGreca (L) from Declan Kelly and Michael Zarzycki, 15:11

Shots: Devon Prep 17, La Salle 57; Saves: Grant Gales (DP) 50; Jake Rossi (L) 17 

Holy Ghost Prep 6 La Salle 4

Holy Ghost Prep made history Wednesday evening.

Joe Kaufmann’s goal with 12:32 left in the third period snapped a 3-3 tie and Holy Ghost Prep went on to a 6-4 win over La Salle  in the APAC Founders Cup championship game at Grundy Arena.

It was the first triumph for top-seeded Holy Ghost Prep (18-4-1) in an APAC final in three tries.

The win marked the Firebirds’ third over second-seeded La Salle (15-7) this season but it did not come easily.  Brady Logue, Colin Bara, and Brian Kinniry scored goals in a span of 7 minutes, 21 seconds in the first period to give the hosts a 3-0 advantage.

“That was our game plan going in,” Kinniry said. “Get on them early.”

But, just before the midway point of the second period, the Explorers woke up. Michael Esmond made a run up the middle of the ice and finished the play himself 2:19 into the period. Nole Donohue made it a 3-2 game at the 8:53 mark and Cam Ross tied the game 2:09 into the third period when he put in a rebound.

Kauffman said he and his teammates knew they had a fight on their hands as La Salle made its surge.

“We weren’t sure what was really going to happen,” he said. “We just knew when we got back on the ice in the third that we had to give it our all. Either put something in the net, or stop them from scoring.”

And Kaufmann did just that with a shot from the right wing. Logue extended his team’s lead with 9:43 left in the regulation and Kinniry scored his second goal of the game with 1:36 left.

Kinniry said he and his teammates stayed focused on their mission.

“It really gave us motivation to get through the third period,” he said. “Our second period was pretty bad so we came back out and got the go-ahead goals.”

La  Salle coach Wally Muehlbonner said his team struggled from the start.

“I don’t think we played a good game at all,” he said. “We played the way we needed to in the second period, that was our best period obviously. But it’s tough to come back from down three.”

Holy Ghost Prep coach John Ritchie credited his players for a season’s worth of effort.

“This isn’t about the adults,” he said. “This is about the kids. They’re so deserving.

“It’s a long year, it’s tough to stay on top in a league like this. I can’t say enough positive things about the group that’s in there.

“Everybody bought in, everybody did their jobs and even when it got close and don’t think there was any doubt we would figure a way to beat them.”

The Firebirds and Explorers will open Class AAA Flyers Cup play on Tuesday. Top-seeded Holy Ghost Prep will face eighth-seeded Owen J. Roberts (6:15) while second-seeded La Salle will go against number-seven Devon Prep. Both games will be played at Hatfield Ice.

La Salle 0 2 2

Holy Ghost Prep 3 0 3

First-period goals; Brady Logue (HGP) from Jack Gavaghan and Ryan Lippy, 5:10; Colin Bara (HGP) from Lucas Gonzalez and Brian Kinniry, 9:15; Kinniry (HGP) from Chase Logue, 12:31 (sh)

Second-period goals: Michael Esmond (L) from John Greenawalt, 7:19; Nole Donohue (L) from Jake Warner, 8:53;

Third-period goal: Cam Ross (L) from Alistair St. Hilaire, 2:09; Joe Kaufmann (HGP) from. Anthony Valeriote, 4:28; Brady Logue (HGP) from Chase Logue, 7:17; Kinniry HGP unassisted, 15:24; Ross (L) from St. Hilaire and Declan Kelly, 16:36 (pp)   

Shots totals were unavailable