WEST GOSHEN—In its relatively brief lifespan, the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference has produced an abundance of memorable moments. The conclusion of Monday’s encounter between Malvern Prep and La Salle ranks with any of them.

Matt Harris scored with 1:08 remaining in overtime to give the Friars a 5-4 win over the Explorers at Ice Line.

La Salle forced the overtime by scoring two goals in the final 1:27 off regulation, one of them shorthanded, but in the end Malvern Prep (10-2, 5-0-1-0 in the APAC) emerged triumphant despite being outshot 60-40.

“I think we just got a little lazy in the (defensive zone),” Harris said of his team’s late-game difficulties. “We saw the time on the clock and thought we had the game secured and in the D-zone just got lackadaisical, not making plays.

“They came out after a timeout and put two in and we were just stunned.”

A neutral observer might well have concluded that the Friars’ struggles down the stretch were for reasons other than complacency.

Jimmy Jacobs scored two goals in a span of 1:29 to give his team a 4-2 lead with 10:23 left in regulation. He assisted on his team’s other three goals.

“One thing we’re having trouble with right now is closing out games,” he said. “We’ve got to clean that up. A special (salute) to our goalie (Anthony Perti) for keeping us in it because it could have been a lot worse.”

Dean Carvalho scored the only goal of the first period to give La Salle (5-5, 2-2-0-1) a 1-0 lead.

Harris answered for Malvern Prep early in the second frame before the Explorers’ Jackson Lindmar and the Friars’ Quinn Dougherty traded goals to set up the events of the third period and overtime.

Jacobs scored his first goal on a shot from the top of the left circle 5:08 into the final period, then extended his team’s at 6:37 while La Salle’s Keenan Schneider was in the box for slashing.

Schneider atoned for his error by bringing his team to within a goal with 1:27 left in regulation  but with 44 seconds left he was flagged for interference and given a 10-minute misconduct to boot.

The Explorers kept battling however and as the clock ticked down inside 20 seconds Chris Wnek, positioned just to the right of the Malvern Prep net, flipped the puck in on goal, allowing Chase Hannon to tip it past Perti and send the game to overtime.

Paul Quinn was in charge of the Explorers on Monday. Wally Muehlbronner was serving a one-game suspension in the wake of the goings on during his team’s 2-1 win over St. Joseph’s Prep last Friday. Muehlbronner was in the building but not permitted behind the bench.

“I thought we had a really good first period,” Quinn said. I thought we got off the gas a little bit after the first.”

Quinn noted how his teams stepped up in the waning moments of regulation.

“They came out and played the way we should,” he said. “They were flying and buzzing. Had we played that way the whole game, I think it would have been a different story.”

Jacobs says Monday’s win is indicative of how the Friars have matured s a team over the course of the season.

“Everyone has found a role now,” he said. “We were shorthanded today, my brother (Jeremy) was missing. People had to step up. They had more shots, but we were able to capitalize. Our goalie played out of his mind.”

La Salle `1 1 2 0—4

Malvern Prep 0 2 2 1—5

First-period goal: Dean Carvalho (L) from Max Monzo and  Gavin O’Connell, 9:00

Second-period goals: Matt Harris (MP) from Jimmy Jacobs, 2:10; Jackson Lindmar (L) from Patrick Brace, 5:55; Quinn Dougherty (MP) from Jacobs and Harris, 11:41

Third-period goals: Jacobs (MP) from Harris and Pierre Larocque, 5:08; Jacobs (MP) from Larocque and Dougherty, 6:37 (pp); Keenan Schneider (L) from Chris Wnek and Ryan Desmond, 15:33; Chase Hannon (L) from Wnek and Max Maddalo, 16:44 (sh)

Overtime goal: Harris (MP) from Dougherty and Jacobs, 3:52

Shots: La Salle 60, Malvern Prep 40; Saves: Will Braun (L) 35, Anthony Perti (MP) 56

For more about La Salle College High School CLICK HERE

For more about Malvern Prep CLICK HERE