For a high-school hockey player, performing on the ice while also succeeding academically is a balancing act. Thomas Doucet appears to have struck that balance.
The La Salle senior is one of the Explorers’ top defensemen. He’s also carrying a 4.1 grade-point average on a weighted 4.0 scale with a schedule that includes four AP courses, while also playing club hockey for the Valley Forge Minutemen.
Doucet, a Wayne resident, is also active in the Frozen Lemonade Cup event which utilizes hockey as a vehicle to support childhood cancer research.
Somehow, he makes it all work.
“For me, it’s about doing what I can, when I can,” Doucet said. “Really, just finding time in my schedule.
Doucet’s schedule, in the classroom and on the ice, is daunting, to say the least. La Salle utilizes modified block scheduling so his AP classes meet on alternate days; biology and psychology on one day, English and statistics the next. The AP classes are an hour long save for biology (90 minutes) which includes a lab.
Once the school day ends, there is hockey. Doucet is typically on the ice with the Explorers two days a week; normally Monday and Wednesday, plus Tuesday and Thursday evenings with his club team.
Following hockey, there is a vigorous homework schedule.
“It’s about making time for the things that are important,” Doucet said, “and really prioritizing over the distractions is kind of what has helped me be able to manage all of it.
“Coming to La Salle kind of pushed me into learning time management. The homework schedule for me is pretty rigorous and I feel like that’s what kind of what pushed me to really be able to manage my time well.”
Doucet gets his homework done during free periods during the school day and at home before or after a session on the ice.
“I’ll get home and immediately do my homework,” he said.
Doucet weekends are devoted to club games with the Minutemen, which often involve travel. He takes work with him on the road but focuses on getting assignments competed ahead of a road trip, whether it’s a weekday excursion with the Explorers or a weekend tournament with his club team.
“That’s where you find time and you make time,” he said. “Usually, I’ll try the day before a road trip like that to get all my homework done the next day so that day when I get home I’m able to relax and not have to stress about homework right after playing a big game.”
Club games sometimes involve missing class time. Doucet estimates he’ll miss perhaps a half dozen days of school during the hockey season, normally on Fridays.
“That’s where communication really comes in,” he said. “Communication, building a good relationship with your teachers, really becomes key for me. And also, relying on your classmates to get any notes that you missed, really just communicating with everyone and building strong relationships really helps that become more manageable.”
Even in the midst of a hockey trip, Doucet attends to his academic chores.
“I do a little bit of studying before I go to bed,” he said. “If I have an assignment that’s due on Sunday night, I’ll being my laptop with me and get that finished up.
“But usually, I think I’m pretty good at getting my stuff done before I have hockey so I can focus on my athletic side.”
Doucet cites his ability to maintain his discipline and focus as a key to maintaining his demanding schedule.
I’d say ‘Definitely’ about the discipline,” he said. “Especially in today’s world, there’s a lot of distractions. So, being able to stay focused, stay locked in, keeping your mind on the task, has really been helpful for me.”
Ducette credits the culture at La Salle as being instrumental to his success.
“That’s probably the biggest part for me,” he said. “Again, building relationships with your teachers and your peers. They make the school experience overall easier, so when it comes to missing a class or having to retake a test, or something like that, it just makes it a million times easier for me to get back on track and stay on top of things.”
The close of the 2023-24 season will end a phase of Doucet’s hockey career. With college ahead, he has new priorities.
“I’m going to move on from hockey,” he said. “I’m going to play club hockey in college but I really want to focus on my academics.”
Docette is planning a major in pharmaceutical sciences. The schools he’s applied to include Purdue, the University of Georgia, and McGill University in Montreal.
“I really have this deep-rooted love for science,” he said. And I feel like using my love for science to help people really drew me in, really gave me a good sense of direction, a good sense of purpose.”
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Cole Gargon’s goal with 4:04 remaining in the third period gave St. Joseph’s Prep a 4-3 win over Calvert Hall Wednesday evening at the Class of 1923 Rink.
Ben Kersun and Calum Hartnell also scored for the Hawks.
Calvert Hall 1 0 1—2
St. Joseph’s Prep 2 0 1—3
La Salle 3, Central Bucks South 0
Alex Fusaro scored two goals as the host Explorers bested Central Bucks South Wednesday afternoon at Hatfield Ice. Michael Zarycki also scored for La Salle, which won its second straight.
HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—There wasn’t a lot of artistry on display when Hun School and La Salle took the ice Wednesday afternoon. Instead, the Raiders and the Explorers engaged, in a gritty, grind-it-out encounter before La Salle emerged with a 3-1 win at Hatfield Ice Arena.
The win extended the Explorers’ unbeaten streak to four games and lifted them to 4-3-1 overall (3-1 in the APAC).
The Raiders, who were missing several players due to illness, dropped to 4-4 overall and 1-2 in conference.
“It wasn’t a pretty game for either side,” said La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner. “We were just happy to get through it on top.”
Three of the game’s four goals came in the first period. Justin Laplante gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead at the 2:51 mark; Ryan Desmond answered for the Explorers at 10:19. Dean Carvalho put his team in front for good when he deposited a rebound of Cam Ross’s shot behind Raider goaltender Julian Arsenault just before the period-ending buzzer.
For most of the rest of the last two periods the teams battled failed to find the net. Muelbronner juggled his lineup in a bid to generate more offense.
“We were mixing things around quite a bit,” he said, “trying different guys in different spots. Nothing seemed to really click.”
Hun School coach Ian McNally had to do some juggling of his own, albeit for different reasons.
“Unfortunately we had four guys out,” he said. “That’s not an excuse for why we lost but it just created enough of a disturbance in lines and power plays and everything.
“We did have to come up with a different game plan. The goal was to be within five minutes with a chance to win because some of the guys who weren’t able to play were the guys who score goals for us. We knew we wouldn’t be scoring five goals, but we knew if there was five minutes left and we were within one or up one or tied, that was the goal.”
Hun School received a power-play chance with 5:45 left in regulation when La Salle’s Chase Hannon was booked for a hooking in fraction but Explorer goaltender Aries Caranagi stood tall, he went on to finish the game with 20 saves. His best effort with just under eight minutes left in regulation when he turn aside a blast from the Raiders’ Scott Richmond.
“When we make mistakes, we know he has our backs,: Desmond said. “To build us back up. And save us when we need him.”
It was wasn’t a stylish performance, but the Explorers got the result they wanted.
“We pulled it together toward the end and came out with the victory,” Desmond said. “That’s all that matters.”
Ice Chips—Julian Arsenault made 34 saves in the Hun School net. The Raiders will face Holy Ghost Prep on Friday before pausing for the holidays while La Salle will travel to the Mount St. Charles tournament in Rhode Island after Christmas. It marks the first time the tournament will be held in three years because of Covid.
Hun School 1 0 0—1
La Salle 2 0 1—3
First period goals: Justin Laplante (HS) unassisted, 2:51; Ryan Desmomd (L) from Chase Hannon, 10:19; Dean Carvalho (L) from Cam Ross and James Carpenter 17:00
Third-period goal: Hannon (L) from Desmond and Evan Golato, 15:29
Shots: Hun School 21, La Salle 37; Saves: Julian Arsenault (HS) 34, Aries Carangi (L) 20
HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—A hockey game encompasses three periods. But Monday’s APAC game between host La Salle and Malvern Prep was settled seemingly in the blink of an eye.
The Explorers built a three-goal lead in just over five minutes and rolled on to a 7-2 win over the Friars at Hatfield Ice. The win squared La Salle’s overall record at 3-3-1 and (2-1 in the APAC)).
It didn’t take long for the offensive surge to get started. Ryan Warner found the back of the net just 49 seconds after the opening faceoff and the Explorers were off and running.
Chase Hannon and Dean Carvalho followed with goals in quick succession and just 5:03 into the game La Salle had a 3-0 lead.
Warner spoke to the significance of his team’s fast start. “That was really important for us,” the senior said. “We kind of built our momentum off that. The team was really buzzing. We were getting pucks in deep, working hard, and we really built off that.”
Following Carvalho’s goal, Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan made a goaltender switch, lifting starter Brandon Novabilsky for Matt Crawford.
Caiden Canale got the Friars on the scoreboard with seven minutes left in the opening session but Hannon answered back for La Salle with 3:31 left and for most of the rest of the game the Friars (5-2, 1-2 in conference) seemingly were skating uphill.
“The last time we played La Salle (a 4-3 Explorer win on Thanksgiving Eve) they jumped on us early,” Friar coach Bill Kenan pointed out. “Today, they jumped on us early. It’s hard to battle back when you’re down 3-0 in the first five minutes.
“We had a good second period, we outshot them, but it’s really hard to get those guys’ mentality back once you go down.”
Malvern Prep’s Jeremy Jacobs and La Salle’s Charlie Kennedy traded goals in the second frame before Carvalho and James Carpenter added goals for La Salle in the third.
Jake Rossi got the win in goal. The sophomore made 34 saves despite leaving the game for a four-minute stretch in the second period because of an equipment issue.
The Explorers are playing their best hockey of the season of late; over the course of their last three starts they’ve compiled a 2-0-1 record while scoring 15 goals.
“We’ve been playing hard,” Warner said. “The team’s been finding our way, and how to work together. I think we’ve really been doing good.”
La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner spoke to his team’s depth and balance. “If we keep the shifts short, we’re a tough team to play against,” he said. “There’s four lines that can move.
“We did I think a really good job of that in the first period.”
For Keenan, Monday’s game was another step his team’s maturation. “The past two years we’ve graduated a lot of seniors,” he said. “We have six freshmen on this team. They’re still finding their way with high-school hockey in a tough division like the APAC. So, for the guys that are experienced, they’ve got to step up, they’ve got to fill in the gaps that graduated and for the younger guys, they’ve just got to find their footing.
“I have faith in this team, I think they’ll bounce back.
Malvern Prep 1 1 0—2
La Salle 4 1 2—7
First-period goals: Ryan Warner (L) from Dean Carvalho. :49; Chase Hannon (L) from Will Gregorio, 3:38; Carvalho (L) from James Carpenter, 5:03; Caiden Canale (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs, 10:00; Hannon (L) unassisted, 13:29 (pp)
Second-period goals: Jacobs (MP) from Teague Murray, 9:57; Charlie Kennedy (L) from Liam Donahue, 11:36
Third-period goals: Carvalho (L) from Carpenter and Gregorio, 12:59; Carpenter (L) from Carvalho and Patrick Brace, 16:11
Shots: Malvern Prep 40, La Salle 36; Saves: Brandon Novabilsky (MP) 4 and Matt Crawford (MP) 25; Jake Rossi (L) 34 and Aries Carangi (L) 4
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The La Salle College High School Explorers skated away with a six to one victory over Morristown Beard Wednesday afternoon at Hatfield Ice. La Salle entered the afternoon coming off a tie the night before against Del Barton and was looking to get back on track. Starting the season with a disappointing 1-3-1 record going into Wednesday’s matchup, the Explorers knew they had to make a statement.
From start to finish, La Salle was dominant. La Salle had a season high 48 shots on net compared to Beard’s 23. The commanding shot differential led to an end of gave score of 6-1 in the Explorers’ favor.
“It’s a sign that we are starting to play the right way” Explorers head coach Wally Muehlbronner said. They controlled every facet of the ice. Whether it was faceoffs, or keeping the puck in the offensive zone, Beard could not keep up.”
All players for the Explorers played well, but it was the seniors that shined brighter than the rest. Four of their six goals came off the sticks of seniors including two from Chase Hannon while also tallying an assist. The senior line of Evan Golato, Ryan Desmond and Chase Hannon rarely spent time in their own zone and constantly creating golden opportunities for the Explorers.
Even though they lost the game, Morristown Beard had plenty of scoring opportunities including nine minutes and 23 seconds with a man advantage. With all this time on the power play, Beard could not get the puck by senior goaltender Aries Carnagi who stood on his head the whole game. Carnagi recorded 22 saves on 23 shots. Another reason that Morristown struggled on the power play was La Salle’s demanding pressure and perseverance in their defensive zone. This pressure led to a shorthanded goal by senior forward Ryan Desmond with 4:52 left in the first period.
“We had a tough game yesterday against Del Barton as we tied, but we were in our d-zone a lot and we are playing much better in our defensive zone,” Muehlbronner said.
La Salle’s next tilt is against rival school Malvern Prep on Monday, December 12th at 5:15 P.M. at Hatfield Ice. Last time these teams played it was La Salle coming out on top with 4-3.
This past Friday, the La Salle Explorers opened their hockey season against Malvern Prep some 24 hours after the funeral for Blake Barklage, a senior at La Salle who passed away on the evening of October 30 following a sudden cardiac episode. Barklage was a student manager for the La Salle soccer team and was also a tennis player.
Danny Whittock is one of the captains of La Salle’s hockey. He is also part of the Class of 2022 and was a close friend of Blake Barklage.
Whittock was gracious to share with us about how the La Salle community came together in the wake of the tragedy. We spoke with him following Friday’s game.
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 (13th 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 (11th 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 (24th 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.
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