The La Salle Explorers are getting a break from school this week, but will be as busy as ever on the ice. The Explorers will make their traditional trip to Woonsocket Rhode Island for the Mount St. Charles Academy Tournament. La Salle will play its first-round game on Tuesday against Fairfield Prep.
The Explorers customarily compete in the tournament on an annual basis, but the event has been cancelled the last two seasons because of the pandemic. Coach Wally Muehlbronner says the tournament provides his players with the opportunity to get closer as a group.
“I think the bonding is going to be the biggest thing,” he said. “The past two years, this event got cancelled so we’re really looking forward to getting back. We’ve only got a couple kids that have ever made the trip so I think it’s going to really help us. Hopefully, we play well.”
A lot of the guys know each other pretty well (but) we have never spent three or four days together and traveled on a bus. You learn a lot about your teammates in that amount of time together.”
Hockey Happenings joins with the rest of the APAC community in extending our sympathies to Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside whose father, William A. Whiteside Jr. passed away on December 4 at age 93.
La Salle built a 4-1 lead and held on for a 4-3 win over Malvern Prep Wednesday night in an APAC game at Ice Line.
Charlie Kennedy scored two goals for the Explorers, who picked up their first win after two season-opening losses. James Carpenter and Declan Kelly also scored for La Salle.
Jack Sharer scored twice for Malvern Prep, which lost for the first time in five starts. Both teams are 1-1 in the APAC.
Kennedy’s opening goal came with 9:01 left in the first period while his teammate Grant LaGreca was serving a roughing minor. The Friars lost the puck at the La Salle blue line and Kennedy took it the distance before beating Malvern Prep netminder Brandon Novabilsky with a backhander.
The goal proved a jump start to the Explorers in the game and perhaps for their season.
“It 100 percent did,” Kennedy said. “Definitely, I would have to say that. It definitely got us going, 100 percent, got us hyped.”
James Carpenter made it a 2-0 game just over two minutes later. Sharer scored for Malvern Prep with 3:24 remaining before Kelly answered for La Salle.
When Kennedy scored his second goal with 7:42 left in the second frame, it gave his team a three-goal advantage.
But the defending APAC and Class AAA Flyers Cup champions didn’t go away and outshot La Salle 15-6 in the third period.
Sharer scored his second goal of the night on a blast from the left point with 8:22 remaining and Caiden Canale followed with 4:12 remaining.
La Salle netminder Aries Carangi had to make some big saves down the stretch but the Explorers hung on.
Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenan “We knew La Salle was coming off a loss against (Holy Ghost Prep),” he said, “And we knew they were going to come out firing. “They outskated us, they outworked us. They were the better team tonight.”
Kennedy said he and his teammate were confident they would get things turned around after starting the season with two losses. “We’ve had some good practices thanks to (Coach Wally Muehlbronner,” he said. “He definitely worked us hard and got us to do what we needed to do in order for us to get that work ethic that we needed, and it showed up.”
La Salle 3 1 0—4
Malvern Prep 1 0 2—3
First-period goals: Cgarlie Kennedy (L) unassisted, 7:59; (sh); James Carpenter (L) from Tim Whittck, 10:12; Jack Sharer (MP) from Jimmy Jacobs and Matt Barbacane, 13:36; Declan Kelly (L) unassisted, 15:12
Second-period goal: Kennedy (L) from Liam Donahue and Thomas Doucet, 9:18
Third-period goals: Sharer (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs, 8:38; Caiden Canale (MP) from Jacobs, 13:48
HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—Crisp and efficient. That phrase would best describe Holy Ghost Prep’s performance against La Salle Wednesday afternoon.
Landon Stout scored two goals and assisted on another and Kieran Mulholland found the back of the net twice as the Firebirds dominated in the course of a 6-2 win over La Salle at Hatfield Ice in the season and APAC opener for both schools.
The Firebirds had their foot on the gas from the opening faceoff. Stout and Mulholland scored goals 59 seconds apart to give their team a 2-0 advantage with 5:48 left in the first period. Stout’s goal came on a power play.
“It helped us out a lot,” Stout said of his team’s start. “That’s what we try to do, try to come out and get a quick start.”
Evan Golato got La Salle on the scoreboard 4:19 into the second frame but there weren’t many bright spots for the Explorers after that.
Stout scored his second goal of the game with 2:49 left in the period before assisting on a goal from Zach Pers 38 seconds into the third. Anthony Valeriote and Mulholland added additional goals before Charlie Kennedy scored for La Salle with 2.9 seconds remaining.
Colin Mudrick got the win in goal, making 25 saves
Stout spoke to the Firebirds’ depth and their senior leadership; there are 10 seniors on the roster.
”We had all four line rolling,” he said. “I think, when the older guys set an example, it kind of gets the younger guys going. I think we did a good job of that.”
Stout notes the importance of senior showing the way for their teammates. “It’s a huge responsibility,” he said, “and I think our seniors did a good job of it.”
Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside celebrated his team’s performance.
“We were really happy with the game today,” he said. They’ve been working hard in practice.
“We knew we had some good kids, we just didn’t know what type of team we were going to have and I though we responded really well, all four lines. We had good leadership out on the ice and I thought we did some really good things. But it’s only Game One. It’s a long season.”
For La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner, Wednesday’s opener was an exercise in frustration
“We got outworked for a full game,” he said. “Guys didn’t step up. We got outworked the full game.
Muehlbronner pledged that his team would discover a work ethic. “We’re going to find it,” he said.
HATFIELD TOWNSHIP—Crisp and efficient. That phrase would best describe Holy Ghost Prep’s performance against La Salle Wednesday afternoon.
Landon Stout scored two goals and assisted on another and Kieran Mulholland found the back of the net twice as the Firebirds dominated in the course of a 6-2 win over La Salle at Hatfield Ice in the season and APAC opener for both schools.
The Firebirds had their foot on the gas from the opening faceoff. Stout and Mulholland scored goals 59 seconds apart to give their team a 2-0 advantage with 5:48 left in the first period. Stout’s goal came on a power play.
“It helped us out a lot,” Stout said of his team’s start. “That’s what we try to do, try to come out and get a quick start.”
Evan Golato got La Salle on the scoreboard 4:19 into the second frame but there weren’t many bright spots for the Explorers after that.
Stout scored his second goal of the game with 2:49 left in the period before assisting on a goal from Zach Pers 38 seconds into the third. Anthony Valeriote and Mulholland added additional goals before Charlie Kennedy scored for La Salle with 2.9 seconds remaining.
Colin Mudrick got the win in goal, making 25 saves
Stout spoke to the Firebirds’ depth and their senior leadership; there are 10 seniors on the roster.
”We had all four line rolling,” he said. “I think, when the older guys set an example, it kind of gets the younger guys going. I think we did a good job of that.”
Stout notes the importance of senior showing the way for their teammates. “It’s a huge responsibility,” he said, “and I think our seniors did a good job of it.”
Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside celebrated his team’s performance.
“We were really happy with the game today,” he said. They’ve been working hard in practice.
“We knew we had some good kids, we just didn’t know what type of team we were going to have and I though we responded really well, all four lines. We had good leadership out on the ice and I thought we did some really good things. But it’s only Game One. It’s a long season.”
For La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner, Wednesday’s opener was an exercise in frustration
“We got outworked for a full game,” he said. “Guys didn’t step up. We got outworked the full game.
Muehlbronner pledged that his team would discover a work ethic. “We’re going to find it,” he said.
Landon Stout speaks with Rick Woelfel about Wednesday’s game
Holy Ghost Prep 2 1 3—6
La Salle 0 1 1—2
First-period goals: Landon Stout (HGP) from Brady Baehser and John Seravalli, 10:19 (pp); Kieran Mulholland (HGP) from Shaun Moore and Mike Holt, 11:18
Second-period goals: Evan Golato (L) from Ryan Warner, 4:19; Stout (HGP) From Baehser, 14:11
Third-period goals: Zach Pers (HGP) from Stout and Patrick Slook, :38; Anthony Valeriote (HGP) from Slook, 4:01; Mulholland (HGP) from Baehser and Pers, 12:38 (pp); Charlie Kennedy (L) from Dean Carvalho.
Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 36, La Salle 27; Saves Colin Mudrick (HGP) 25, Aries Carangi (L) 30
As the start of a new scholastic hockey season approaches, the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference is continuing to evolve.
The APAC, which will be starting its fifth season this fall, will once again include five teams. Defending conference and Class AAA Flyers Cup champion Malvern Prep will be joined by Holy Ghost Prep, The Hun School, St. Joseph’s Prep, and La Salle.
In addition, the conference has created partnerships with two other private schools, The Haverford School and Devon Prep which will compete against APAC member schools this season.
“The APAC schools are coordinating as scheduling partners with The Haverford School and Devon Prep, two institutions with developing varsity ice hockey programs,” said APAC Commissioner Jim Britt. Those games will not count as part of the APAC regular-season standings, but the competitions will help develop future opportunities.”
While the complete APAC schedule has yet to be announced, the conference has scheduled two doubleheader events for this season. The first will be sometime in mid-November on a date and at a site to be announced. The second will be an outdoor event on January 11, 2023 at the Spring Mountain outdoor rink in Spring Mount.
HATFIELD TOWNSHIP— The evening’s festivities didn’t feature an abundance of artistry. The matchup between St. Joseph’s Prep and La Salle was a gritty, grind-it-out hockey game between two foes intimately familiar with each other.
It was Hawks who emerged from the scrum victorious by a count of 2-0 in a Class AAA semifinal Wednesday night at Hatfield Ice.
Jeffrey Hammond scored both goals to propel the third-seed Hawks (10-8-1) into next week’s final against top-seeded Malvern Prep. The junior spoke to the level of familiarity between the Hawks and the Explorers, who are traditional rivals in every sport.
“All the videos of our games are on You Tube,” he said. “All the players and coaches watched a lot of our games, over and over again and we picked out what we needed to do to come out with a win today.”
Hammond said all the preparation paid off. “We definitely came prepared,” he said. “We knew it was going to be a tough game. Everyone expected it. Everyone played like they had to to get the job done.”
Hammond gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead 4:27 into the first period when he scored off a scramble in front of the La Salle net, beating Explorer netminder Will Braun. The early goal set the tone.
“We knew going into it that they’ve got the speed,” said St. Joseph’s Prep coach David Giacomin said of the Explorers. “They are strong, they like to bang the body.
“I told them as long as we keep them on the outside, don’t give up the little gritty goals, take away the behind the net, we would have a chance.
“We were lucky enough to get two good goals early, and they had to play catchup, which is hard to do.”
Hammond scored a statement goal for the Hawks 8:31 into the second session. With his teammate Nick Storti serving a two-minute sentence for a slashing infraction, Hammond found space on right wing and beat Braun with a wrister.
That was it as far as scoring was concerned, although the game’s emotional temperature remained at a fever pitch.
But try as they might the second-seeded Explorers (8-9-1) couldn’t find a way to sustain momentum in their offensive zone or solve Hawks’ goaltender Rocco Bruno who finished with 26 saves.
“We just couldn’t seem to get any bounces or any momentum going,” said La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner. “I think the shorthanded goal we gave up really hurt us.
“I think St. Joseph’s Prep played a great game. They were opportunistic. They played a really good game.”
Emotions boiled over in the late going. With 1:38 left in the third period La Salle’s Chase Hannon was called for elbowing before being accessed three additional penalties, resulting in his banishment.
A series of penalties with 36 seconds left resulted in the teams finishing the game with three skaters each on the ice although La Salle had already pulled Braun to add an extra skater.
St. Joseph’s 1 1 0—2
La Salle 0 0 0—0
First-period goals: Jeffrey Hammond (SJP) fro Joey Samango and Christian Short, 4:27
Keenan Schneider is looking forward to the Flyers Cup tournament.
The La Salle senior forward will be counted on to play a significant role when the Explorers face off against St. Joseph’s Prep Wednesday night in a Class AAA semifinal (6:00 at Hatfield Ice).
The Flyers Cup tournament is the highlight of the scholastic hockey season and teams, players, and coaches alike embrace it. But the tournament might mean more to Schneider than most. Just two days before Thanksgiving he suffered a shoulder injury in a game against Christian Brothers Academy. In its aftermath, Schneider thought his season and La Salle career might be at an end.
“In the heat of the moment, in the back of my head, I was thinking at it was the end of my high-school career,” he said, “and all could think about was just watching my team play on the sidelines while was out for the season. But thankfully, I got a lot of tests done, I’ve been through rehab the past four or five months. Every day I still have to work on it, my shoulder, and I’m just staying positive and keeping my strength up in my shoulder so I can prevent a further injury from happening.
It was during this period that Schneider’s teammates and in fact the entire La Salle community rallied around him. That support mean a lot to him.
“It’s one of the most important things,” he said. “The most important things about a team is sticking together. And making sure everyone is on the same page. When I got hurt, my teammates, my coaches and even some teachers were just praying for me and hoping for the best. And they were just saying “Keep your head high, it will all work itself out.”
Keenan Schneider (provided by Erin Schneider)
Schneider was able to return to the lineup and finished the APAC season with five goals and two assists. The Explorers wound up losing the Founders Cup final to Malvern Prep.
The Flyers Cup tournament offers a fresh start. The Explorers will have had a two week break before taking the ice for their semifinal, which has given Head Coach Wally Muehlbronner and his players time to do some fine tuning in practice.
“This is the most practices we’ve had in a while,” Schneider said, “because of our game schedule, and dealing with (club) and stuff.
“Basically right now, we’re just going over our system, we’re just focusing on what our game is and what we need to do to be successful.”
Schneider, who has played approximately 85 games this season between his high school and club teams, is using the break to recharge mentally and physically.”
“I just try to stay calm and collected,” he said. ”I try to balance out (his hockey commitments) fairly evenly and just take care of my body as I get some days of rest. I just love the game so nothing can really bring me down that much where I can’t play.
“I’m always wanting to play and always wanting to compete. And basically, just mentally staying focused on what the goal is, and that’s winning the Flyers Cup.”
Schneider’s four years of high school coincide with the APAC’s first four seasons. “The APC is probably one of the most competitive leagues I have ever played in,” Schneider said. If you don’t come out with your A game, any team can beat anyone.
“That’s the best part about it, just how each team is competitive. Every team is good enough to beat the others. It’s always the team that shows up is the one that wins.”
Schneider cites the respect that the conference’s players and coaches display on the ice.
“Our coach and I believe every other coach, they all stress the fact to respect the game,” he said. “Every school wants to respect not only themselves but each other and who they play, to keep the game just a game and not let emotions fall though.
“I think every school is pretty respectful of each other and every school has the same goal. It can get very competitive and that’s why our league is so much more disciplined because we have that level of respect for each other.”
WEST GOSHEN TOWNSHIP—Their opportunity was delayed 12 long months. Which made their accomplishment all the more satisfying.
Malvern Prep scored twice in the first period and went on to a 4-1 win over La Salle Wednesday night to claim the Founders Cup, symbolic of the championship of the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference, at Ice Line.
An enthusiastic audience was on hand to see the Friars (14-3) claim the championship they did not have the opportunity to play for last season because of Covid issues; the scheduled conference final between the Friars and the Explorers was never contested.
Even after Malvern Prep went on to win the Class AAA Flyers Cup and state titles, there was something missing from a glittering resume. Wednesday’s result perhaps helped fill that void.
“It’s super satisfying,” said Friars captain Matt Harris. “We don’t have to share that trophy any more and we can bring it back to Warren Avenue and not have to split it between two teams.
“It’s good to have a full season and get what we deserve. We put in the work on Mondays in practice and brought it back to Warren Ave.
The Friars jumped in front 2:47 into the first period. Brady Doyle launched a knuckleball from just inside the blue line that caught the top right corner of the net. According to LaSalle coach Wally Muehlbronner, goaltender Aries Carangi was screened on the play and never saw the puck.
Teague Murray hit the same corner of the net on Carangi’s glove side to make it a 2-0 game at the 13:47.From that moment on, La Salle (8-8-1) was trying to climb a very steep hill.
“They had a lot of jump,” Muehlbronner said of the Friars. “They scored some really nice goals on some really good shots. We did not have a whole lot of jump tonight. We did not give them the game that I was hoping we were going to.”
Muehlbronner said his team needed to respond of Larocque’s early goal, but didn’t. “We needed a spark after we went down 1-zip,” said,. We didn’t get it.We had a couple opportunities around the net, but nothing that was really a strong opportunity.”
At period’s end, Muehlbronner made a goaltender change, with Will Braun replacing Carangi.
Harris, the APAC’s scoring champion, extended the Friars’ lead 12:10 into the second period on what was most certainly one of the most picturesque goals of the season. The senior made a move down the right wing, cut to his left and split two defenders before beating Braun.
La Salle got on the scoreboard on a goal from Patrick Brace 9:12 into the final period before Harris scored into an imply net with 1:47 remaining.
Brace’s goal was the only blemish on Anthony Perti’s record, the Malvern Prep netminder stopped 37 shots.
“We wanted to come in and win (the Founders Cup) for ourselves,” he said. “Keep it for ourselves and ourselves only.”
Perti said Wednesday’s game was reminiscent of last year’s Flyers Cup final, which saw the Friars top the Explorers. “Same type of game, same type of atmosphere,” he said. “Honestly I was pretty calm, didn’t think too much of it. Just another game.”
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!
If your home, apartment, or office needs a good cleaning, may we suggest Mother Sparkles Cleaning Service. Serving the Greater Philadelphia area from their King of Prussia location. Call 610-233-8069
Hockey Happenings 