St. Joseph’s Prep 3 La Salle 2

St. Joseph’s Prep used two third-period goals to post a 3-2 win over La Salle Wednesday evening in an APAC game at the University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 1923 Rink.

The win lifted the hosts to 14-5 on the season and 4-3 in conference.

Two of the Hawks’ three goals came while they were shorthanded.

Cole Gargon scored what proved to be the winning goal with 6:16 remaining in the third period. It came in the aftermath of a skirmish that sent five players to the penalty box and left St. Joseph’s Prep shorthanded.

Matthew Jones opened the scoring when he gave the Explorers (5-12, 2-6) a 1-0 lead 8:22 into the second period. Adam Charaffi tied the game for the Hawks with 6:38 remaining in the period while his teammate Michael Castelli was in the box serving a hooking penalty.

James Fratantuono put the Hawks in front for the first time 9:25 into the third period. Gargon extended his team’s lead when he beat La Salle goaltender Dylan Brown 1 minute 19 seconds later.

William Paulka scored for La Salle with 4:19 left in regulation to complete the scoring.

Declan Geary made 23 saves in goal in his winning effort.

“We relied heavily on Declan to make some big saves for us,” said St. Joseph’s Prep coach Charlie Van Kula. “”Hats off to La Salle, who battled hard all game.

“We have not been doing ourselves many favors lately with how we have shown up for games and its apparent. That’s on me. The road only gets harder from here with ther playoffs around the corner.”

St. Joseph’s Prep will conclude its conference schedule next Wednesday at Holy Ghost Prep in a game that was originally scheduled for this past Monday. La Salle, which has two non-conference games remaining on its schedule, will play in the APAC play-in game as either the fourth or fifth seed on a date to be determined.

La Salle 0 1 1

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 1 2

Second-period goal: Matthew Jones (L) from Roman Tkach and Matthew Martin, 8:22; Adam Charrafi (SJP) from Frank Ely and Jake Ely, 10:22 (sh)

Third-period goals: James Fratantuono (SJP) from Noah Stuhl, 9:25; Cole Gargon (SJP) from Bradan Fisher, 10:44 (sh); William Podulka (L) from Owen Reinhart and Jones, 12:41;

Shots: La Salle 25, St. Joeph’s Prep 37; Saves: Dylan Brown (L) 34, Declan Geary (SJP) 23

St. Joseph’s Prep 1 Malvern Prep 0 (shootout)

St. Joseph’s Prep 1 Malvern Prep 0 (Shootout)

Bradan Fisher scored the only goal of a shootout and that was the difference between St. Joseph’s Prep and Malvern Prep Thursday night in an APAC game at Ice Line

The Hawks’ Declan Geary and the Friars’ Ryan Caterino were perfect in regulation, stopping 52 shots between them.

St. Joseph’s Prep improved to 13-5 overall and 3-3 in the APAC.

“It was a big win for us coming don the stretch of APAC play,” said St. Joseph’s Prep coach Charlie Van Kula. I thought we played better than we did against Malvern a couple weeks ago but we still haven’t quite found our groove.”

Malvern Prep stands at 4-9-2 overall and 2-5 in conference.

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 0 0 0 (1)—1

Malvern Prep 0 0 0 0 (0)—0

Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 28, Malvern Prep 24

Saves: Declan Geary (SJP) 24, Ryan Caterino (MP) 28

Hun School 4 St. Joseph’s Prep 3

Brandon Harrison’s first varsity goal came at a most opportune moment. The sophomore found the back of the net with 5:51 remaining in the third period and that tally turned out to be the game winner as The Hun School bested St. Joseph’s Prep 4-3 Tuesday afternoon at Ice Land.

The result was a big step toward making the pieces of the APAC puzzle fit together. The host Raiders improved to 3-2 on conference play and 11-5 overall. They sit in second place in the conference standings, seven points behind first-place Holy Ghost Prep, who they will face in a rematch Thursday afternoon. Hun School also has a game in hand.

St. Joseph’s Prep (12-5 overall) dropped to 2-3 in the APAC.

It was the third meeting of the season between the two schools and that familiarity sparked intensity that was evident from the opening faceoff.

“That game was really fun to play in,” Harrison said. “It got a little chippy at the end (there was an altercation following the final buzzer) but scoring that goal to seal it was pretty good.”

The two teams entered the third period locked in a 2-2 stalemate. Aiden Honan gave the Raiders the lead on a solo effort with 7:01 left in regulation. Working from behind the St. Joseph’s Prep net, Honan tucked the puck inside the right post. Harrison followed with what at the time was an insurance goal but the hosts needed to file a claim on that insurance policy when Justin Bibeau was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct immediately following Harrison’s goal.

The Raiders successfully killed off the penalty and wound up with power play of their own when the Hawks’ Noah Stuhl sent to the box for elbowing with 2:07 remaining but the Hawks didn’t back off. Jake Ely scored with 40 seconds remaining to make it a one-goal affair and the visitors finished the game on a power play after Luca Jean was flagged for elbowing immediately afterward.

But Hun School goaltender Elliot Trottier was equal to the challenge.

“It’s a good game every time we play them,” said Hun School coach N.G. Welsh. “We were better {In the first period}, they were better in the second, we were better in the third.

“I’m sure we’ll see them again.”

Welsh say this season’s three meetings (The Raiders have won two of the three) have given the Hawks and the Raiders in-depth knowledge of each other.

“We each know who are top couple of guys are,” he said. “We each know we have good quality goaltending so comes down to who has more discipline and who executed better.”

St. Joseph’s Prep coach Charlie Van Kula said his team came out second best in the area of execution.

“We have up big plays,” he said. “They capitalized on their chances, we didn’t.

“I respect their discipline. “They’re a tough team to play against. They’re physical, they’re pesky. I thought our guys represented themselves well and fought through a lot of it. I was happy about that. We’ve got to kind of flush it and look ahead to next week.”

• This was Hun School’s first APAC start of the season that was decided in regulation. The previous four went to overtime.

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 2 1—3

Hun School 1 1 2—4

First-period goal: Luca Jean (HS) from Zachary Vallee and Aidan Honan, 14:43

Second-period goals: Bradan Fisher (SJP) from Thomas Ely, 1:05 (pp); Jacob Kelly-LePage (HS) from Devin Espana, 2:10; Cole Gargon (SJP) from Michael Waslick and Noah Stuhl, 8:08

St. Joseph’s Prep 3 Malvern Prep 2

Adam Charraffi’s goal 4:31 into the third period gave St. Joseph’s Prep a 3-2 win over Malvern Prep Friday at the University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 1923 Rink.

It was the seventh straight win for the Hawks, who improved to 12-4 overall and 2-2 in the APAC.

Michael Waslick and Joseph McGonigal gave St. Joseph’s Prep a 2-0 first-period lead before Jake Weingartner scored for the Friars (4-6-2, 2-3).

Pax Hoishik tied the game for Malvern Prep with a power-play goal 7:01 into the second period, which set the stage for Charrafi’s game winner.

Malvern Prep 12 1 0—2

St. Joseph’s Prep 2 0 1—3

First-period goals: Michael Washlick (SJP) from Jake Ely and Adam Charrafi, 1:18; Joseph McGonigal (SJP) from Joseph Darragh and Connor Martin, 3:47; Jake Weingartner (MP) from Paxton Hoishik, 5:16

Second-period goal: Hoishik (MP) from Weingartner and Cole Scabrinsky, 7:01 (pp)

Third-period goal: Charaffi (SJP) from Frank Ely and Bradan Fisher

Shots: Malvern Prep 31, St. Joseph’s Prep 27; Saves: Ryan Caterino (M, 4:31P) 24, Declan Geary (SJP) 29

Hawks Win Purple Puck Title

For the third time in four years, St. Joseph’s Prep has claimed a title at the Purple Puck Tournament.

Jack Ely and Bradan Fisher scored goals three-and-a-half minutes apart as the Hawks edged fellow APAC member The Hun School 3-2 for the Prep Division championship Monday afternoon at the St. James Sports Complex in Springfield, Virginia just outside Washington, D.C.

St. Joseph’s Prep (11-4 overall) overcame a 2-1 deficit to post its sixth consecutive win and avenge a 2-1 loss overtime loss to the Raiders in an APAC game on December 10.

John Wagner opened the scoring for St. Joseph’s Prep just 1:31 into the 25-minute first half. Jacob Kelly-LePage tied the game for the Raiders (8-4) at the 6:06 mark before Luca Jean gave Hun School a 2-1 lead 8:54 into the half.

The Raiders were undermined however by two major penalties late in the first half. Jean received a five-minute penalty for slashing with 3:47 left in the half and Anders Van Raalte was flagged for head butting with 18 seconds left, putting Hun School two men down to start the third period.

The Hawks took advantage. Ely tied the game exactly one minute into the half and Fisher delivered the game winner at the 4:33 mark with Hun School still one man short.

“We got lucky to survive through first half only one down,” said St. Joseph’s Prep coach Charlie Van Kula. “I think the two games in one day without leaving the rink threw off our routine and rhythm and it showed with how we came out.

“But we showed a lot of grit to reset and play out game in the second half.

“I’m really proud of our guys, both jayvee and varsity, on how they represented our program, on and off the ice.”

Hun School head coach Nathaniel Welsh missed the tournament because of a family obligation so assistant coach Kevin Morello was in charge behind the Raider bench.

“I’d have to say the more disciplined team came out on top,” he said. I’m still proud of our group. We’ll continue to improve and will see them {St. Joseph’s Prep} again in the APAC.”

Ice chips—Fisher finished the tournament with five goals and four assists. Cole Gargon added five goals and three assists. They were the top two scorers in the six-team Prep Division.

St. Joseph’s Prep 1 2—3

The Hun School 2 0—2

First-half goals: John Warner (SJP) from Michael Castelli, 1:31; Jacob Kelly-LePage (HS) from Conor Mulligan and Devin Espana, 5:06; Luca Jean (HS) from Andrew Darst, 8:54

Second-half goals: Jake Ely (HGP) from Cole Gargon and Noah Stuhl, 1:00 (pp); Bradan Fisher (SJP) from Castelli, 4:33 (pp);

Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 35, Hun School 23; Saves: Declan Geary (SJP) 21, Blake Echternacht (HS) 32

Hun School, St. Joseph’s Prep Reach Purple Puck Finals

The Prep Division of the Purple Puck Tournament will feature an All-APAC final. The Hun School rallied from a 3-2 deficit following the first 25-minute period to score a 6-3 win over Paul VI in a Thursday morning semifinal.

The Raiders scored four goals in the second half in a span of 16:38 to pull away to the win.

Zachary Vallee scored twice for Hun School. Devin Espada, Conor Mulligan, Anders Van Raalte and Andrew Darst also scored goals.

The Raiders will face St. Joseph’s Prep in Monday afternoon’s final. Cole Gargon, Bradan Fisher, and Noah Stuhl all scored goals in the second half as the Hawks shut out Jesuit Dallas 3-0. Declan Geary recorded the shutout in goal.

The championship game will be a rematch of an APAC game 19 days ago that saw Hun School (8-3) defeat St. Joseph’s Prep (10-4) 2-1 in overtime.

Hun School 6 Paul VI 3

Paul VI 3 0—3

Hun School 2 4—6

First-half goals: Caden DeVellii (PVI) unassisted, 2:42; Zachary Vallee (HS) from Conor Mulligan and Ezra Broomer, 14:31; Braiden Galaida (PVI) from Nathan Cogbill, 15:45; Devin Espada (HS) from Lyca Jean and Jacob Kelly-LePage, 22:32 (pp); Tommy Ernst (PVI) from Morgan Shaw, 24:17

Second-half goals: Anders Van Raalte (HS) from Nathaniel Trawinski and Justin Bibeau, 6:15; Mullugan (HS) from LePage and Andrew Darst, 16:10; Darst (HS) from Bibeau, 18:50; Vallee (HS) from Broomer, 22:53 (pp)

Shots: Paul VI 28, Hun School 32; Saves: Matthew Cogbill (PVI) 26, Elliott Trottier (HS) 25

St. Joseph’s Prep 3 Jesuit Dallas 0

Jesuit Dallas 0 0—0

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 3—3

Second-half goals: Cole Gargon (SJP) frim Ben Kurson and Jake Ely, 3:10 Bradan Fisher (SJP) from Adan Charrafi, 7:01; Noah Stuhl (SJP) from James Fratantuono and Michael Castelli, 12:29;

Shots: JD 10, SJP 29 Saves: Bennett Ortegon (JD) 25, Declan Geary (SJP) 10

St. Joseph’s Prep Set for Purple Puck Tournament

The National Capital Hockey Tournament, more familiarly known as the Purple Puck Tournament, is a longstanding holiday tradition.

Now in its 31^st year the tournament is hosted by Gonzaga Prep and brings some of the scholastic and prep school teams to the Washington, D.C. area each year. This year’s event begins on Saturday, December 27 and runs through Monday, December 29.

For St. Joseph’s Prep, the Purple Puck event is a regular fixture on the schedule. The Hawks have had considerable success there; they’ve won championships in two of the last three seasons. Senior Ben Kurson is the Hawks’ captain.

“The Purple Puck Tournament is very competitive. Teams come from all over the country and test our team every year. It is always a challenge, but I am very confident in our group this year. “

Kurson has fond memories from the Purple Puck Tournament; he played on championship-winning teams as a freshman and sophomore

“I remember really looking up to the upperclassmen,” he said, “seeing how they played for each other, and how they treated the younger players. I hope as a senior, in my last Purple Puck Tournament, I can similarly do this for our team.”
Kurson says the experience of being on the road as a group for a long weekend builds team cohesiveness.

“This tournament greatly helps to develop team chemistry. Eating meals together, traveling to the games together, and briefly living together all contribute to working well on the ice. Also, our team has a tradition of doing Secret Santa at this tournament. This has always been my favorite off ice activity, and is always very funny to see what people get for each other.

St. Joseph’s Prep coach Charlie Van Kula says the weekend offers his team a lot of benefits, including testing it in a tournament setting.

“The round robin is only three game, but you do have to perform well to make it to the championship rounds,” he said. “Regardless of what’s on the line, it’s a unique situation, learning how to play {in a tournament setting}.

“That’s one aspect, but I think equally as important is the time together as a group.”

In addition to the Hawks’ varsity, one of their junior varsity teams will also be part of the tournament and several sub-varsity players will be on the trip even though they may not dress for games.

“I think it’s important for all of us to be together as a group,” Van Kula said. “Especially with the nature of our sport, it’s so rare to have even one individual team all together at once but certainly to draw the whole program together is a valuable eperience.

Kurson says the Hawks find out a lot about themselves over the course of the weekend. ”I think as a team we learn a lot. When we play so many games in such a short period of time, it gives us the ability to tweak something and directly implement it in the same day. In comparison, we usually play one game a week, so we have to wait a whole week to change what we learned. “

• The Hawks will not be the only APAC team in this year’s field. The Hun School will also be part of the event. The other three conference teams will also be involved in tournaments this weekend. La Salle will travel to Providence for a four-team event involving Christian Brothers-affiliated institutions while host Malvern Prep and Holy Ghost Prep will take part in the Friars Faceoff

Holy Ghost Prep 2 St. Joseph’s Prep 1

Anthony Valeriote and Mason Thomas scored goals as the Firebirds bested the Hawks Wednesday evening at the Class of 1923 Rink at the University of Pennsylvania.

The win lifted Holy Ghost Prep to 7-2 overall and a perfect 5-0 in the APAC.

Valeriote opened the scoring for the Firebirds with 1:33 remaining in the opening period. Thomas extended his team’s lead 2:49 into the second frame.

Jake Ely scored for the Hawks (5-4, 1-2 in the APAC) with 2:49 left in regulation.

“I don’t think today was either team’s best game,” said Holy Ghost Prep coach John Ritchie. “I would expect the next game to be much higher energy with probably gigher stakes.

“We’ll take the win but I though overall our game was pretty flat today.”

The Hawks have lost four straight after a 5-0 start.

“Another tough one for us today,” said St. Joseph’s Prep coach Charlie Van Kula. “I’m sounding like a broken record but putting together a full 51 minutes continues to plague us.

“However, I hope the third period showed our guys we can compete with anyone.”

Holy Ghost Prep 1 1—2

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 01—1

First-period goal: Anthony Valeriote (HGP) from Chase Logue, 15:27

Second-period goal: Mason Thomas (HGP) from Chris Marshall, 2:49

Third-period goal: Jake Ely (HGP) from Michael Washlick and Bradan Fisher, 14:53

Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 20, St. Joseph’s Prep 20

Saves: Matt Salita (HGP) 19, Bruno Mainardi and Declan Geary (SJP) 18

Hun School 2 St. Joseph’s Prep 1 OT

Zachary Vallee’s goal 1:59 into overtime gave The Hun School a 2-1 win over St. Joseph’s Prep Wednesday afternoon at the University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 1923 Rink.

The game’s two regulation goals came late in the third period. Luca Jean gave Hun School (2-1, 1-0 in conference) a 1-0 lead with 3:32 left in regulation.Jake Ely tied the game for St. Joseph’s Prep (5-3, 1-1 in the APAC) with 1:41 remaining.

Blake Echternacht reorded 25 saves in the Hun School net.

Hun School 0 0 1 1—2

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 0 1 0—1

Third-period goals: Luca Jean (HS) from Jacob Kelly-LePage, 13:28 Jake Ely (SJP) from Thomas Ely,15:19;

Overtime goal: Zachary Vallee (HS) unassisted, 1:59;

Shots: Hun School 15, St. Joseph’s Prep 26; Saves: Blake Echternacht (HS) 25. Declan Geary (SJP) 13

Gonzaga 2 St. Joseph’s Prep 1

St. Joseph’s Prep suffered its first loss of the season Friday afternoon, falling 2-1 to Gonzaga in the two teams’ traditional Black Friday matchup at the Class of 1923 Rink.

All the scoring came late in the third period. Spencer Schmid put Gonzaga in front with 3:47 left in regulation. Tim Thomas made it 2-0 when he added an empty-net goal with exactly one minute remaining.

Michael Washlick scored for St. Joseph’s Prep (5-1 overall) with 18 seconds remaining.

Gonzaga 0 0 2—2

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 0 1—1

Third-period goals: Spencer Schmid (G) from Brendan Jacobs, 13:13; Tim Thomas (G) unassisted, 16:00; Michael Washlick (SJP) from James Fratantuono and Bradan Fisher, 16:42

Shots: Gonzaga 31, SP 22