APAC Playoff Semifinals Set

The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference playoffs will get underway on Monday with a pair of semifinal games.

Top-seeded Holy Ghost Prep will host fourth seed Malvern Prep in a 4:00 game at Grundy Arena. The other Monday semifinal will match St. Joseph’s Prep and La Salle. The site and time of that game will depend on the result of Friday’s regular season finale between the Hawks and the Explorers. The winner will be the second seed and the loser third.

If La Salle wins, the semifinal will be played at Hatfield Ice with a 4:10 scheduled start. If the Hawks prevail, the semifinal will be played at the University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 1923 Arena with a 4 p.m. start (LATE UPDATE)

The Founders Cup championship game will be played Wednesday, February 26 with the site and time to be determined.

The results of the Founders Cup playoffs will not impact the seedings for the Class AAA Flyers Cup tournament, which will be announced Sunday night.

APAC Update for 2-12-20

Standings through 2-12 W L OW OL Pts GF GA

Holy Ghost Prep (14-4-1) 5 3 1 0 17 32 24

St. Joseph’s Prep (11-11) 3 1 0 4 13 25 24

LaSalle (12-13) 2 3 2 1 11 29 29

Malvern Prep (7-8) 2 5 2 0 10 44 45

Teams receive:

3 points for a regulation win

2 points for an overtime or shootout win

1 point for an overtime or shootout loss

0 points for a regulation loss

Check out our Hockey Happenings podcast with hosts Rick Woelfel and Eric Tye HERE

Would a podcast benefit your business or help you promote your event?

We can help. Contact us HERE

Scoring Leaders Games G A Pts

Byron Hartley (HGP) 18 21 13 34

Matt Harris (MP) 15 19 11 30

Jack Constabile (MP) 15 6 20 26

Ryan Sambuco (MP) 15 9 15 24

Evan Mudrick (HGP) 16 11 9 20

Anthony Sparo (HGP) 17 8 11 19

Dave Kimmel (La) 20 10 7 17

Jimmy Craig (SJP) 16 6 11 17

Nolan Woudenberg (La) 19 10 5 15

Keenan Schneider (La) 20 4 11 15

Andrew Centrella (SJP) 16 2 13 15

Nathan Benner (La) 20 9 6 15

Jeffrey Hammond (SJP) 14 8 6 14

Braedon Barsher (HGP) 19 12 2 14

Check out our Flyers Cup podcast

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. Stop in an check us out or please visit our Facebook page

APAC Update 2-2-20

Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference Standings

Includes games played and reported through 1-31

W L OW OL Pts GF GA

Holy Ghost Prep (11-4-1) 4 3 1 0 14 27 22

St. Joseph’s Prep (11-10) 3 0 0 4 13 25 24

LaSalle (10-14) 1 3 2 1 8 29 29

Malvern Prep (6-8) 2 4 2 0 10 36 42

Teams receive:

3 points for a regulation win

2 points for an overtime or shootout win

1 point for an overtime or shootout loss

0 points for a regulation loss

Check out our Hockey Happenings podcast with hosts Rick Woelfel and Eric Tye HERE

Would a podcast benefit your business or help you promote your event?

We cab help. Contact us HERE

Scoring Leaders Games G A Pts

Byron Hartley (HGP) 15 17 11 28

Matt Harris (MP) 13 17 8 25

Jack Constabile (MP) 13 6 15 21

Evan Mudrick (HGP) 13 10 9 19

Ryan Sambuco (MP) 13 6 12 18

Anthony Sparo (HGP) 14 6 10 16

Jimmy Craig (SJP) 15 5 11 16

Jeffrey Hammond (SJP) 14 8 6 14

Andrew Centrella (SJP) 15 2 12 14

Nolan Woudenberg (La) 17 10 3 13

David Kimmel (La) 18 8 5 13

Nathan Benner (La) 18 8 5 13

Braedon Barsher (HGP) 16 11 1 12

Keenan Schneider (La) 18 2 10 12

Check out our Flyers Cup podcast

La Salle 5, St. Joseph’s Prep 4 SO

HATFIELD— For anyone with a healthy appetite for hockey, Friday night’s Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference matchup between St.Joseph’s Prep and La Salle was the ultimate buffet. It took a shootout to decide matters, with Nolan Woudenberg’s goal in the bottom of the third round giving the Explorers a 5-4 win.

Before that, the audience at Hatfield Ice had the chance to sample a bit of everything, close checking, first-rate goaltending, and some outstanding individual efforts.

“It was an awesome game to be a part of,” said St. Joseph’s Prep coach David Giacomin. “Like I’ve said many times, I think this division is very evenly matched and what you get that day is hopefully great hockey. I think both sides played hard and it was a great game.”

The result Haden impact on the APAC standings. The Explorers improved to 9-12 overall and 1-2-2-1 in conference play. The Hawks are now 10-10 overall and 3-0-0-4 in conference; they’ve taken at least one point from all seven league games.

The result could have have an impact on the Flyers Cup power rankings as well. The Hawks were ranked first, the Explorers second at the start of the week. A new set of rankings will be released on Monday.

All eight of Friday night’s regulation goals came in the last two periods after a scoreless first frame that featured an abundance of close checking as the players on both teams searched in vain for a patch of open ice to work in.

Nolan Woudenberg opened the scoring for La Salle at 11:23 of the middle period. Jake Hannon made a 2-0 game just 28 seconds later but the Hawks got tallies from Paulo Colavita and Dominic Fantozzi in a 29-second pan to draw even with 2:45 left in the period.

The third period was dominated by special teams. The first three of the four goals in the period came on power plays.

The Hawks’ Michael Urbani and the Explorers’ Woudenberg traded goals early on before Andrew Centrella scored on a shot from the right circle to give the Hawks a 4-3 lead with 11:34 left in the game. David Kimmel tied the game for La Salle with 6:44 left in regulation.

The Explorers got a break when the Hawks’ Nick Storti drew an elbowing penalty with 45 seconds left in regulation, one which allowed LaSalle to start the overtime period with a man advantage.

Both goaltenders came up big in the extra session. The Explorers’ Aidan McCabe denied the Hawks’ Matthew Moresco and St. Joseph Prep’s Andrew Custer got the better of Woudenberg. Either play could have ended matters. In the end, Woudenberg provided the winning effort in the shootout.

“It’s a step forward for us,” said La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner. It would have been nice to win in regulation but it was similar to our last game against them. Two pretty evenly matched teams.”

McCabe spoke to the nature of the rivalry between the Explorers and the Hawks. “It’s definitely an easy game to get up for,” he said, and to stay motivated through the whole game. And once you know it’s going into overtime, it’s even easier to focus on. We were able to get the win in the shootout, which is nice.”

Ice Chips—The Explorers won the first meting between the two teams, 4-3 in overtime, on November 20. The two teams will close the regular season against each other on the evening of February 21 at the University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 1923 Arena.

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 2 2 0 (1)—4
La Salle 0 2 2 0 (2)—5
Second-period goals: Nolan Woudenberg (L) from Chase Hannon and Jack Armstrong, 11:23 (pp); Jake Hannon (L) from Colin Keiser and David Kimmel, 11:51; Matthew Moresco (SJP) from Paulo Colavita, 13:44; Dominic Fantozzi (SJP) from Jimmy Craig, 14:15.
Third-period goals: Michael Urbani (SJP) from Jeffrey Hammond and Craig, 1:29 (pp); Woudenberg (L) from Hannon and Armstrong, 2:32 (pp); Andrew Centrella (SJP) from Hammond and Craig, 5:26 (pp); Kimmel (L) from Keenan Schneider, 10:16.
Shootout goals: SJP: Ben Briskin; L: Max Maddalo and Woudenberg
Shots: SJP 25, La Salle 26; Saves: Andrew Custer (SJP) 22, Aidan McCabe (L) 21

Elsewhere

Holy Ghost Prep 3, St. Augustine 0—The Firebirds bested the Hermits Friday in a non-league game. Landon Stoudt and Anthony Sparo scored in the first period to give the Firebirds a 2-0 lead. Luke Panepresso added an empty net goal in the third period. Sean Joyce made 25 saves in goal.

Check out the Hockey Happenings podcast

APAC Update

Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference Standings

Includes games played and reported through 1-28

W L OW OL Pts GF GA

St. Joseph’s Prep (11-10) 3 0 0 4 13 25 23

Holy Ghost Prep (10-4-1) 3 3 1 0 11 25 21

Malvern Prep (6-7) 2 4 2 0 10 33 36

LaSalle (9-13) 1 2 2 1 8 28 19

Teams receive:

3 points for a regulation win

2 points for an overtime or shootout win

1 point for an overtime or shootout loss

0 points for a regulation loss

Check out our Hockey Happenings podcast with hosts Rick Woelfel and Eric Tye HERE

Would a podcast benefit your business or help you promote your event?

We cab help. Contact us HERE

Scoring Leaders Games G A Pts

Byron Hartley (HGP) 14 17 11 28

Matt Harris (MP) 12 17 8 25

Jack Constabile (MP) 8 5 15 20

Evan Mudrick (HGP) 12 10 9 19

Ryan Sambuco (MP) 12 5 11 16

Anthony Sparo (HGP) 12 4 10 14

Nathan Benner (La) 15 8 5 13

Jimmy Craig (SJP) 13 4 8 12

Braedon Barsher (HGP) 11 10 1 11

Keenan Schneider (La) 15 2 9 11

Andrew Centrella (SJP) 12 1 10 11

La Salle 6, Holy Ghost Prep 1

HATFIELD— A half season’s worth of effort is seemingly starting to pay dividends for the La Salle Explorers. Keenan Schneider scored twice and three other players added one goal each as the Explorers bested Holy Ghost Prep 6-1 Friday night in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference game at Hatfield Ice.

It was the first regulation win in league play for La Salle, which improved to 1-2-1-1 in the APAC and 8-10 overall versus a schedule that would best be described as rugged.

“As fas as league games go, it’s the best three periods we’ve played this year,” said La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner. “We played consistent from start to finish. So, it’s something to build on for sure.”

The Firebirds (8-4, 2-3-0-1 the APAC) were making their first start since December 20. It was not an auspicious beginning to the new year.

“We just didn’t come to play,” said Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside. “We laid an egg. We didn’t play well collectively and the better team beat us tonight.”

The Explorers were outshot 10-5 in the opening period but found themselves up 1-0 at its conclusion, thanks to a goal from Nathan Benner at the 3:11 mark. Aidan McCabe provided support in goal, making 10 saves in the first frame, a number of them while his mates were dealing with two Firebird power plays.

The Explorers extended their lead in the second session. Jake Armstrong scored on a shot from the left circle exactly three minutes into the period and David Bruner made it a 3-0 game at 11:10 from a deep angle on the right wing that got inside the right post past Firebird netminder Bobby Baehser.

Holy Ghost Prep (8-4, overall, 2-3-1-0 in the APAC) got a goal from Brady Baehser with 2:33 left in the period but the Explorers pulled away in the third frame on a goal from David Kimmel and two more from Schneider.

“We’re coming together as a team,” Schneider said. “Right now, we’re playing as a team and we’re just rolling, honestly.”

Muehlbronner has focused on keeping his lines together to build cohesiveness. Schneider, a sophomore was teamed with Kimmel and Jake Hammond.

“We’ve kind of fought through a lot of the adversity by trying to get the lines staying together,” he said, “not making wholesale changes. We’ve done it, burn I think there’s definitely some chemistry starting to grow between the guys.”

Holy Ghost Prep 0 1 0—1
La Salle 1 2 3—6

First-period goal: Nathan Benner (L) unassisted, 3:11;
Second-period goals: Jake Armstrong (L) from Max Maddalo, 3:00; David Bruner (L) from Maddalo, 11:10; Brady Baehser (HGP) from Carlos Rodriguez and Aidan Mulholland, 13:27.
Third-period goals: David Kimmel (L) from Jake Hammond and Keenan Schneider, 6:56; Schneider (L) from Kimmel and Nolan Woudenberg, 9:40; Schneider (L) from Hammond, 15:51.
Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 17, La Salle 18; Saves: Bobby Baehser (HGP) 12, Aidan McCabe (L) 16.

Elsewhere

Malvern Prep 5, St. Joseph’s Prep 4 SO

Chris Blango scored in the third round of a shootout to Malvern Prep a 5-4 win over St. Joseph’s Prep Friday night in an APAC matchup at the Class of 1923 Arena at the University of Pennsylvania.

Blango scored two goals in regulation for the Friars (6-4 overall, 2-3-2-0 in the APAC), who moved within two points of St. Joseph’s Prep (6-8, 3-0-0-3 in conference) in the league standings.

Michael Urbani scored twice for the Hawks, who scored twice in the third period to force overtime.

Malvern Prep 2 2 0 0 (1)—5

St. Joseph’s Prep 2 0 2 (0)—4

First-period goals: Jimmy Craig (SJP) from Michael Urbani, 3:15 (pp); Urbani (SJP) from Craig and Ben Briskin, 5:42 (pp);Pierre Larocue (MP) unassisted, 11:54 (sh); Jimmy Kirk (MP) from Quinn Dougherty, 13:15.

Second-period goals: Chris Blango (MP) from Jack Constabile. 3:35 (pp); Blango (MP) from Constabile and Matt Harris, 13:24.

Third-period goals: Urbani (SJP) from Matt Moresco and Jeffrey Hammond, 1:01; Moresco (SJP) from Dominic Fantozzi, 10:49 (pp).

Check out out Hockey Happenings podcast as well count down to the 2020 Flyers Cup. I’m joined by Flyers Cup Committee President Eric Tye.

Catch it HERE. New episode each Friday.

APAC Update

Standings include games played through 1-16-20

W L OW OL Pts GF GA

St. Joseph’s Prep (6-8) 3 0 0 3 12 21 19

Holy Ghost Prep (9-4-1) 3 3 1 0 11 25 21

Malvern Prep (6-5) 2 4 2 0 10 33 36

LaSalle (8-11) 1 2 1 1 6 24 15

Games of Friday, January 10

La Salle 6, Holy Ghost Prep 1

Malvern Prep 5, St. Joseph’s Prep 4 OT

Scoring Leaders Games G A Pts

Byron Hartley (HGP) 11 16 10 26

Matt Harris (MP) 8 15 4 19

Jack Constabile (MP) 8 3 13 16

Evan Mudrick (HGP) 10 7 7 14

Anthony Sparo (HGP) 9 4 9 13

Ryan Sambuco (MP) 8 4 9 13

Nathan Benner (La) 11 6 5 11

Andrew Centrella (SJP) 12 1 10 11

Jimmy Craig (SJP) 12 3 7 10

Braedon Barsher (HGP) 11 8 1 9

Nolan Woudenberg (La) 10 7 2 9

Jeffrey Hammond (SJP) 11 7 2 9

Class AAA Flyers Cup Power Rankings

1 St. Joseph’s Prep

2. Holy Ghost Prep

3. Malvern Prep

4. La Salle

5. Father Judge

Flyers Cup rankings are calculated exclusively on results against the Flyers Cup-eligible teams.

Check out our Flyers Cup podcast with Flyers Cup committee president Eric Tye at:

www.buzzsprout.com/213400

New podcasts will be added each Friday from now until the end of the season.

Hun School 6, St. Joseph’s Prep 0

Hun School defeated St. Joseph’s Prep 6-0 Saturday afternoon in the opening round of the Purple Puck Tournament in Washington, D.C. The Hawks outshot their opponent 28-14 but couldn’t find the back of the net.

The Hawks started their Sunday with a 4-0 win over Archbishop Spalding in a game that saw them outshoot their foes 58-6.

They were also scheduled to face St. John’s from Washington, D.C. in a 2:15 start. The tournament semifinals and finals are scheduled for Monday.

Hawks Take to the Road

The St. Joseph’s Prep hockey team will be spending much of the remainder of their holiday break on the ice. The Hawks will be in Washington, D.C. this weekend to compete in the 21^st annual National Capital Hockey Tournament, popularly known as the Purple Puck Tournament.

The Hawks will compete in the Prep Division of the event, which features an outstanding collection of high school and prep school teams, many from the Baltimore-Washington area and the East Coast but from elsewhere as well.

The Hawks will open play on Saturday with a 12:30 game against the Hun School from Princeton, New Jersey before seeing action twice on Sunday against Archbishop Spalding from Suburban Baltimore (9 a.m.) and St. John’s from Washington, D.C. (2:15). The tournament semifinals and finals are scheduled for Monday.

The Hawks have been competing in the Purple Puck event for roughly a decade now. The tournament is hosted by Gonzaga Prep and the two schools have a close relationship.

St. Joseph’s Prep coach David Giacomin says the weekend-long trip allows his players to spend time together off the ice and to get to know one another as people as well as hockey players.

“We try to do something in D.C. every year that is historical,” he said. “And then after that, this year I think we’re going to go to one of those escape rooms, try to have some fun with them and everything. We go out and do team dinners and lunches.
So, it’s all about the kids being together full time for three days.

Giacomin and his coaching staff see to it that the veterans on the roster mix with the underclassmen. “It really helps the younger kids get to know the older guys a lot better,” he said.

“When we do our rooming assignments, we mix up the kids so it’s not just staying with your friends; we keep everybody separated so by the end of the year, I do believe it really helps us quite a bit. Because the kids feel more and more comfortable with their teammates. They feel like they can at least speak out, especially the younger kids.”

Senior forward Austin Amato is one of the Hawks’ assistant captains. He says the experience of the trip and playing in the Purple Puck event helps build team unity.

“It gets everyone closer,” he said, “gets everyone to play with each other more which builds the team chemistry up.”

Amato stresses the importance of the veterans interacting with their younger teammates. “You’ve got to include them in everything, on and off the ice,” he said. You’ve got to ask them to eat, talk to them, make sure they feel welcome.”

Giacomin believes those sorts of interactions offer long-term rewards.

“I think it’s really important,” he said, “because the leadership group we have, they’re class individuals. They love to engage everybody. The incoming freshmen the first few weeks it’s always a thing with them, do I stand up and say something or do I sit down and be quiet?’ With these guys here, they make sure that everybody is included.

“There is no senior group sitting together in the locker room. There is no sophomore group. Everybody is intermixed and they’re all sitting there talking and everything. So everybody has a right to speak up. Everybody has their own opinion and it’s because of those kids, that they make everybody feel included. I hope going forward those kids are going to step up into a bigger role as we move down the stretch run.”

By Rick Woelfel

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 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 you or a family member, or friend are looking for a dentist, we’re proud to recommend All Smiles Family Dentistry. They’re located at 1620 South Broad Street in Lansdale.Dr. Caroline Hsu, Dr. Azure Pelberg and their staff provide high-quality dental care in a caring, nurturing environment. They’ve been taking care of my teeth for 25 years and I would recommend them to anyone. Going to the dentist can be an unsettling experience but everyone at All Smiles Family Dentistry will work to put you at ease.

Call for an appointment at 215-616-0609 or e-mail them at allsmilesfamilydentistry@verizon.net. You can also find them on line at www.allsmileslansdale.com.

We’d love to have you promote your product or service on this site. Contact us here for rates and other information including how we can provide coverage of your hockey-related event or produce content designed specifically for you.

Do you need content for your own blog or web site? We can help, whether that content relates to hockey, some other sport, or some other topic. Contact us here

Holy Ghost Prep 2, St. Joseph’s Prep 1

Braedon Baehser scored on a breakaway 1:56 into overtime to give Holy Ghost Prep a 2-1 win over St. Joseph’s Prep Friday night at the University of Pennsylvania’s Class of 1923 Arena.

The win lifted the Firebirds to 2-2-1-0 in conference play and 7-3-1-0 overall.

The Hawks (4-3-0-2 overall, 3-0-0-2 in conference) opened the scoring when Brody Plourde found the back of the net 2:15 into the second period. Byron Hartley tied the game for Holy Ghost Prep at the 14:48 mark.

Bobby Baesher got the win in goal, making 12 saves. Rocco Bruno stopped 25 of 27 shots for the Hawks.

The game featured just one minor penalty.

Holy Ghost Prep 0 1 0 1—2

St. Joseph’s Prep 0 1 0 0—1

Second-period goals: Brody Plourde (SJP) from Rocco Bruno, 2:15; Byron Hartley (HGP) from Aidan Mulholland, 14:48.

Overtime goal: Braedon Baehser (HGP) unassisted, 1:56.
Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 27, St. Joseph’s Prep 13; Saves: Bobby Baehser (HGP) 12, Rocco Bruno (HGP) 25

If you or a family member, or friend are looking for a dentist, we’re proud to recommend All Smiles Family Dentistry. They’re located at 1620 South Broad Street in Lansdale.

Dr. Caroline Hsu, Dr. Azure Pelberg and their staff provide high-quality dental care in a caring, nurturing environment. They’ve been taking care of my teeth for 25 years and I would recommend them to anyone. Going to the dentist can be an unsettling experience but everyone at All Smiles Family Dentistry will work to put you at ease.

Call for an appointment at 215-616-0609 or e-mail them at allsmilesfamilydentistry@verizon.net. You can also find them on line at www.allsmileslansdale.com.

That’s All Smiles Family Dentistry of Lansdale