Seneca Valley 7 Holy Ghost Prep 2

The chasm proved too wide to navigate. Seneca Valley scored twice in the first period and went on to a 7-2 win over Holy Ghost Prep in the Pennsylvania Class AAA state championship game Saturday night at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Center in suburban Pittsburgh.

The state title was Seneca Valley’s first.

The Firebirds, who closed the season at 21-5-1, were seeking their second state championship, and their first came in 2017.

Ethan Riffle got the Raiders started 7:30 into the opening period when he had an open look and beat Jack Unger from the edge of the left faceoff circle. Braden Morin made it a 2-0 game with 3:29 left in the first frame. Marshall Hewitt etended the Seneca Valley lead 3:32 into the second session, leaving the Flyers Cup champion with a steep hill to climb.

They gave it their best shot. John Gavaghan scored off a setup from Brady Logue 7:07 into the period and when Ryan Lippy put in a rebound during a power play with 2:56 left in the period the Firebirds appeared to have the momentum.

But Jimmy Murphy responded for the Raiders just 84 seconds later and when Murphy scored his second goal of the game 1:04 into third period the outcome was no longer in doubt. Holt Ghost Prep coach John Ritchie lifted Unger at that point.

“I’m disappointed, obviously,” Ritchie said, “but I don’t think the score did the game justice.

Seneca Valley is s really good team and they finished their chances off our mistakes.”

Ritchie wants his players to look back with pride on their season once they over the pain of Saturday’s loss.

“I am very proud of our players,” he said. It’s an incredible group of kids and a season to remember at some point when they get away from the emption of losing tonight.

“They should be very proud of what they accomplished.”

Holy Ghost Prep 0 2 0—2

Seneca Valley 2 2 3—7

First-period goals: Ethan Riffe (SV) from Tyler Maxwell, 7:30; Braden Morin (SV) from Carter Hoehn and John Sroka, 13:31 (pp)

Second-period goals: Marshall Hewitt (SV) from Sroka , 3:32; John Gavaghan (HGP) from Brady Logue, 7:07; Ryan Lippy (HGP) unassisted, 14:04; Jimmy Murphy (HGP) from Owen Martin. 15:38

Third-period goals: Murphy (SV) from Martin, 1:04; Morin from Hewitt, 4:30; Morin (SV) from Hewitt, 7:02 (en)

Shots: Holy Ghost Prep 26, Seneca Valley 30; Saves: Jack Unger (HGP) 15 and John Botthof 7, Chris Brown (SV) 24

All-Star Game to Kick Off State Championship Weekend

A state championship tripleheader traditionally concludes the scholastic hockey season in Pennsylvania. This year’s state title games are set for the Alpha Ice Complex in Pittsburgh on Saturday, March 22.

This year’s festivities will kick off the night before with am All-Star game matching All-Star teams from each side of the state; Team Flyers Cup vs. Team Penguins Cup.

Thirty players have been named each team. The rosters are subject to revision; players whose teams have reached the state finals will not play in the All-Star Game.

The tentative roster for Team Flyers Cup (East)

1	Peter Pereborow	Council Rock South	D	12
2	Ryan Lippy	Holy Ghost Prep	D	12
3	Cam Ross	LaSalle	D	12
4	Ethan McKay	Marple Newtown	D	12
5	James Boyle	North Penn	D	10
6	Nash Grant	Penncrest	D	11
7	Chris Sarver	Pennsbury	D	12
8	Henri Gravel	Avon Grove	F	10
9	Noah Cutillo	Boyertown	F	11
10	Joey Slobodrian	Central Bucks South	F	11
11	Jeremy Rayer	Council Rock South	F	12
12	Jake Weiner	Council Rock South	F	11
13	Kieran Crossan	Devon Prep	F	12
14	Brody Matthews	Downingtown East	F	12
15	Nolan Stott	Garnet Valley	F	12
16	Kevin Walton	Garnet Valley	F	12
17	Blake Platz	Henderson	F	12
18	Blake Umberger	Hershey	F	12
19	Brady Logue	Holy Ghost Prep	F	11
20	Lucas Mott	Kennett	F	11
21	Grant Lagreca	LaSalle	F	12
22	Sam Norton	North Penn	F	10
23	Shane Dachowski	Pennridge	F	12
24	Dylan Cyr	Spring-Ford	F	11
25	Cole Gargon	St. Joes Prep	F	10
26	Dylan Vieira	Haverford High	G	11
27	Alexander Placeres	Hershey	G	10
28	Aiden Mott	Kennett	G	11
29	Jacob Rossi	LaSalle	G	12

30 James Winston Pennridge G 12

The tentative roster for Team Penguins Cup

1 Derek Schliebner Thomas Jefferson D 11

2 Noah Logan N. Allegheny D 11

3 Mathius Sprickman Cathedral Prep D 12

4 Cam Kiste Penn Trafford D 12

5 Tyler Held Chartiers Valley D 11

6 Roger Williams Pine Richland D 12

7 Eli Porter S. Fayette D 12\

8 Preston Miller Latrobe D 10

9 Brian Spencer Thomas Jefferson D 12

10 Max Modrovich Quaker Valley F 12

11 Tucker Cullen Fox Chapel F 10

12 Robert Chiappetta S. Fayette F 11

13 Darius Malecki Shaler F 12

14 Trevor Dallesandro S. Fayette F 12

15 Conner Ralston Avonworth F 12

16 Andrew Malecky Seneca Valley F 12

17 Liam Shinn Mt. Lebanon F 11

18 Eli Rankin Upper St. Clair F 12

19 Dominic Casile Fox Chapel F 12

20 Joey Crimboli Latrobe F 10

21 Josh Lanyard Pine Richland F 12

22 Brock Bienemann Penn Trafford F 10

23 Jake Graff Armstrong F 11

24 Xavier Bias Mt. Lebanon F 10

25 Lucas Blose Thomas Jefferson F 10

26 Aiden Moskovitz Montour F 12

27 Miles Carey Fox Chapel G 11

28 Christopher Nichols Seneca Valley G 11

29 Ben Balla Central Catholic G 12

30 Landon Butterbaugh Quaker Valley G 12

30 Cam Junker N. Allegheny G 12

State Championship Schedule

All games at Ice Line

Class A

West Chester East 10, Norwin 0

Class AA

Pennridge 4 Thomas Jefferson 3

5:00 Class AAA

Peters Township 5, Malvern Prep 4

State Championship Results 3-24-18

Class A

Bayard Rustin 4, Bishop McCourt 1—Nicholas Ferraro scored twice as West Chester Bayard Rustin defeated. Bishop McCourt 4-1 on Saturday to win the Pennsylvania Class A ice hockey championship at Ice Line. It was the fifth site title in a row for the Indians, tying an all-time record in any class.

Class 2A

Downiungtown East 3, Armstrong 2—Ryan Prestayko scored at 2:35 of the fifth overtime period to give Downingtown East a 3-2 win over Armstrong in the Pennsylvania Class 2A hockey championship game Saturday afternoon at ice Line in West Chester. The winning goal, which came on an assist from Eric Stankiewicz, gave the Cougars their second consecutive state title.

The Cougars took a 1-0 lead when Luca Pisani, the Most Valuable Player in the recent Class 2A Flyers Cup scored at 2:55 of the opening period.

Jacob Gross and Easton Hooks scored goals for Armstrong 4 minutes, 19 seconds apart to give the River Hawks a 2-1 lead after the first period.

Dan Stankiewicz tied the game for Downingtown East 8:24 into the second period and the teams battled on through 51 minutes of regulation and 42:35 of overtime until the game winner.

Downingtown East is the first Class 2A team to defend a state title since Latrobe won the last of three straight in 2010. The Cougars are the only Class 2A team to successfully defend.

Class 3A

St. Joseph’s Prep 4, Seneca Valley 0 —Mark Colavita scored three goals to propel St. Joseph’s Prep to a 4-0 win over Seneca Valley in the Class 3A state hockey championship game Saturday evening at Ice Line in West Chester. Tyler Boucher also scored for the Hawks, who won the first state championship in school history.

Colavita scored just 42 seconds after the opening face-off and Boucher added a goal nine minutes later to put the Hawks up 2-0 with 7:10 left in the opening period.

Colavita added two goals early in the third period 23 seconds apart, the second one shorthanded, to complete his hat trick.

St, Joseph’s Prep had a 34-19 edge in shots.

The state championship games matching Flyers Cup and Penguins Cup champions began in 1981. There were Class 3A and 2A games starting in 1984. A Class 1A game was added in 1989. It should be remembered that the Flyers Cup did not expand to three classes until 1991.

Our thanks to the administration and staff at Holy Ghost Prep for their support all season long.

Holy Ghost Prep is a private, Catholic, all-boys school located in Bensalem, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Located adjacent to the busy I-95 corridor in metropolitan Philadelphia, Holy Ghost Prep attracts students from more than 100 elementary feeder schools from throughout metropolitan Philadelphia counties and New Jersey

Today is a vibrant community of nearly 500 young men preparing for college and adult life through a challenging program which stresses the cultivation of students’ unique gifts and talents, academic excellence, and generous service to the poor. We continue to be mindful of our founding history as a seminary as we seek to form young men morally, intellectually, and spiritually in the Spiritan tradition.