The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference has set the dates for the Founders Cup playoffs.
The postseason will begin on Monday, February 14 with the fourth-place regular season finisher hosting the fifth-place team.
The winner will advance to the semifinals, which will be staged as a doubleheader at Ice Line on Wednesday, February 16. The championship game will be played on either Wednesday, February 23 or Thursday, December 24 and will be hosted by the highest seeded finalist.
Because of when they are scheduled, the results of the Founders Cup playoffs will factor into the seedings for the Flyers Cup tournament which will be announced on Sunday, February 27.
The complete Founders Cup playoff schedule is as follows: 1st Round – Feb 14th: 4 x 5 play in, Site TBD (Highest Seed)
Semifinals – Feb 16th @ Iceline: 6:45pm & 8:45pm
Championship: Feb 23rd/24th (TBD), hosted by higher seed
The Founders Cup playoffs will mark the conclusion of the APAC’s fourth season. La Salle claimed the first two league titles in 2019 and ’20. Last year’s playoffs were not concluded because of Covid issues.
Riley Frost is a long way from home; some 3,000 miles. The Carlsbad, Calif. native arrived at The Hun School two-and-a-half years ago. Now, he’s a senior and the Raiders’ captain. His passion for hockey runs deep.
“Hockey is kind of in my family,” he said. “Both my dad and my grandpa played hockey and my mom plays ringette (a sport for females that is played on ice and in some aspects, resembles ice hockey). So, it was kind of in my blood.”
One might not think of Southern California as a hockey hotbed but the Los Angeles Blades skated in the Western Hockey League immediately prior to the creation of the Los Angeles Kings when the National Hockey League expanded from six to 12 teams in 1967. San Diego’s hockey history dates back to the 1960s and the present-day San Diego Gulls skate in the American Hockey League.
Following his freshman year of high school however, Frost, who is 17, decided to take another step in his hockey career.
“I realized that I kind of wanted to go further with it,” he said, “and decided to come out to the East Coast. Hun was a great fit for me so I decided to come here.”
Frost says his coach, Ian McNally, significantly influenced his decision to enroll at the school.
“Kind of off that first meeting my family and I kind of really trusted him,” he recalls, “and we really fell in love with the school after that.”
As a boarding student, Frost’s days are full.
“Normally I wake up for classes around 8:00 and start the day off,” he said. And then throughout the day I’ll have a few free periods. That’s really when I get a lot of work done and get in as much schoolwork as I can.
“And then after that, hockey (the team practices daily), then usually after hockey come back, have a little down time, and then study hall starts.”
Boarding students at the school have a mandatory two-hour study hall five nights a week, Sunday through Thursday.
“It’s really great,” Frost said, “because you have a set time every night where everyone is doing work. If you have a buddy in a class, you can go work on a project or whatever together.
Sometimes there are teachers out and about. If you have any questions you can go talk to them. it’s been very nice to have that kind of study hall. When those two hours come down, everyone knows it’s time to dial it in, it’s time to work.”
Frost note that work ethic carries over into the ice. The Raiders navigate a demanding schedule against Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference and Mid-Atlantic Hockey League opposition.
“I kind of like our schedule this year,” Frost said. “It’s definitely gotten more competitive over the years.’
The Raiders stand at 5-5 overall and 1-2-1-0 in the APAC through January 19; they haven’t played a game since December 15 because of Covid issues that have impacted several scheduled opponents.
Frost has scored three goals in nine game and added six assists. McNally cites his contributions to the Hun School hockey program over the course of his career.
“Riley has been a great addition to our team and school since his arrival in 10th grade,” McNally said. “He was a natural selection to wear a “C” this year as he is a glue guy all over campus, in the room and on the bus, in the dorms and in the classroom, and of course with his play on the ice. He is getting the opportunity to put up points this year and is deserving of any accolades that come his way.”
Riley Frost
This is Hun School’s first season in the APAC. Frost has been impressed with the competitive balance among the five conference schools.
“Balance is a good word,” he said. We’re obviously all very competitive people and every game we’re going to come out and we’re going to play our hearts out and that’s really going to be what leads us to hopefully our end goal this season.”
Frost notes how much he, his teammates, and the student-athletes throughout the conference respect the game and respect each other on the ice.
“I think we all recognize that we’re all high-level athletes,” he said, “and obviously, we would like to go as far as we can in our careers and so that level of respect that all the teams have for each other is pretty crucial to our league.”
In the wake of the layoff, Frost says he and his teammates are gathering themselves for what in effect will be a sprint to the end of the season
“Definitely,” he said. “Trying to dial in all our systems and truly getting that team chemistry going again is going to be essential for us.”
In addition to playing hockey, Frost also plays lacrosse; he’s an attackman and midfielder. He stresses the importance creating a system to manage his time effectively.
“Once you find something that works for you, it really becomes quite simple,” he said. “You have your practice time, you have a little bit of down time and then it’s your schoolwork, getting everything done, making sure you have a good night’s sleep and you’re ready for the next day. I think once you find what works, that’s really important.”
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WEST GOSHEN—The rest of the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference is looking up at Malvern Prep. The Friars are a perfect 4-0 in conference play after a 7-2 win over The Hun School Wednesday evening at Ice Line and have defeated each of their conference opponents once.
Wednesday’s win wasn’t an easy one, at least not at first. The teams traded goals twice in an opening period that ended in a 2-2 deadlock. The hosts went on to score five goals over the last two periods.
Jimmy Jacobs and Matt Harris contributed two goals each Jacobs added three assists and Harris two.
Pierre Larocque, Quinn Dougherty, and Jeremy Jacobs also scored goals as Malvern Prep advanced to 7-2 overall.
“We came out a little slow,” Jimmy Jacobs said, “but once we got the first one, we started clicking. I think overall our speed was able to beat their physicality.
“I think we just used our speed to win some of the puck battles and also had to step up and be more physical.”
Pierre Larocque and Quinn Dougherty scored first-period goals for Malvern Prep while Josh Ovelette and Mark Gall countered for the Raiders,
Jimmy Jacobs put his team in front for good 2:17 into the middle period. Harris extended his team’s lead with 33 seconds left in the session.
The outcome was still in doubt entering the third frame but when Jacobs scored his second goal just 53 seconds in, the Raiders (5-5 overall, 1-2-1-0 in the APAC) seemingly had depleted their energy reserves.
It was Malvern Prep’s second game in 24 hours; the Friars dropped a Mid-Atlantic Prep League game to Lawrenceville 5-4 on Tuesday after holding a 4-1 lead.
Raider head coach Ian McNally said his team had an off day all around. “We just didn’t have it,” he said. “We never had it for a second. We had a pretty devastating loss yesterday and you could tell it took its toll.
“As soon as we got down one or two it was pretty hard to motivate to try to claw back a little bit.”
The Raiders are now off until after the holidays. McNally it was important for his players to prove themselves to each other over the first half of the season.
‘We’re in a good spot,” he said. “I wish we had won more than we have but I think the important part of the first half is kind of prove to each other and give yourself confidence like ‘Hey, if we can do this, we can actually win a bunch of games here.’”
Malvern Prep coach Bill Keenen is pleased to be at the top of the standings at the holiday break but knows his team his still evolving.
“You can’t expect anything better from our team,” he said, “going 4-0 in the APAC early. But hey, it’s a long season and we know that going into the second half it’s a completely different game. Teams get refocused and over the break and they get ready for playoffs and the Flyers Cup.
“So, our message is we’ve got to stay dialed in, we’ve still got the task at hand, and we’ve got to execute.”
Hun School 2 0 0—2
Malvern Prep 2 2 3—7
First-period goals: Pierre Larocque (MP) unassisted, 4:34; Josh Ovelette (HS) from Seth Kaplan, 8:15; Quinn Dougherty (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs and Jimmy Jacobs, 10:06 (pp); Mark Gall (HS) unassisted, 14:39
Second-period goals: Jimmy Jacobs (MP) from Jeremy Jacobs, 2:17; Matt Harris (MP) from Aidan Kelly, 16:27
Third-period goals: Jimmy Jacobs (MP) from Harris, :53; Harris (MP) from Jimmy Jacobs, 5:36 (pp); Jeremy Jacobs (MP) from Harris, 12:03 (sh)
Shots: Hun School 33, Malvern Prep 42; Saves: Stephen Cheng (MP) 26 and Jack Borek (MP) 9, Anthony Perti (MP) 21
The Hun School scored three times in the first period and went on to a 4-1 win over Hoosac (NY) on Sunday in the Shady Side Academy tournament. Seth Kaplan, Josh Sosner, Riley Frost, and Josh Ouellete all scored goals. Stephen Chen made 30 saves in goal.
The win was the Raiders’ third in four tournament games and assured them of a third-place finish. Hun School will open APAC play on Thursday against St. Joseph’s Prep.
The Hun School 3 1 0—4
Hoosac 0 1 0—1
First-period goals: Seth Kaplan (H) from Elian Estulin and Riley Frost 2:39; Josh Sosner (H) from V. Gregoire, 3:40; Riley Frost (H) from Kaplan, 10:40 (pp)
Second-period goals: Josh Ouellete (H) from Josh Sosner, 11:01
The Hun School defeated Blyth Academy 7-2 on Saturday in the second round of the Shady Side (Pa.) Academy tournament.
Elian Estulin led the way with two goals and two assists. Seth Kaplan contributed a goal and four assists while Riley Frost also had a multi-point game, a goal and two assists.
Estulin, Kaplan, and Frost skated on the same line.
Stephen Chen made 15 saves in goal.
Later on Saturday The Hun School defeated St. Francis 2-1 to record its second victory in three tournament games. Seth Kaplan scored in the first period and Elian Estulin in the second.Jack Borek made 41 saves in goal
St. Francis 1 0 0—1
Hun School 1 1 0—2
First-period goals: Gavan Schwenkbeck (SF) from Neil Downey, 3:01; Seth Kaplan (H) from Nick Dimatos and Riley Frost, 6:34 (pp)
Second-period goal: Elian Estulin (H) from Frost and Kaplan, 12:24
The tournament concludes on Sunday.
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Nick Dimatos scored both goals for the Raiders who opened their season Friday evening in the opening round of the Shady Side Academy tournament.
Five different players scored goals for Shady Side.
Jack Borek stopped 39 shots while taking the loss in goal.
Hun School 1 0 1—2
Shady Side Ac. 3 1 1—5
First-period goals: Douglas Cole (S) from Michael McCoy, 3:46; Logan Mansfield (S) from McCoy and Parker Hawn, 8:03; Lakin Glessner (H) unassisted, penalty shot, 9:14; Nick Dimatos (H) from Seth Kaplar and Elian Estulin, 9:44 (pp)
Second-period goals: Jonathan English (H) unassisted, 10:57
The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference beginning its fourth season with The Hun School joining Holy Ghost Prep, La Salle, and St. Joseph’s Prep. Each team will play eight conference games this season.
Holy Ghost Prep
Coach: Gump Whiteside (13th season)
Last year: 7-7, 3-3-0-3 in APAC
Key players: Sr. Brian Butler (D); Sr. Colin Moore (D); Sr. Luke Panepresso (D); Sr. Sean Marshall (F); Jr. Brady Baesher (F); Jr. Landon Stout (F); Jr. Shaun Moore (F); Jr. Kieran Mulholland (F)
There is veteran experience on the blue line with veterans Butler, Moore, and Panepresso. Baesher, a first-team all-conference selection a year ago, is being counted on up front along with Stout, Marshall, Moore, and Mulholland, who will provide experience and quickness.
Whiteside is also expecting to get contributions from a talented group of underclassmen.
The Hun School
Coach: Ian McNally (11th season)
Last year: 0-3
Key players: Sr. Jack Borek (G); PG Nick Dimatos (D); Sr. Christian Clover (D); Sr. Riley Frost (F)
Outlook: The Raiders are the newest members of the APAC. They won’t begin on-ice practices until November 8 and won’t play a game until Thanksgiving Weekend. Damatos, a post grad, is an offensive-minded defenseman. Clover is more of the stay-at-home mold. Frost is being counted on up front after not playing much hockey the last two years because of Covid and injuries while Borek is experienced in goal.
“It will be interesting to see what we actually have here,” McNally said. “We were only able to play a few games over the course of one week last year so were never able to see what are new players were actually capable of. Anyone who was a part of our team two seasons ago will return much older and presumably bigger, faster and stronger. I think there is the potential to have a pretty strong season this year, but we will learn a lot about our identity over these first weeks.
La Salle
Coach: Wally Muehlbronner (24th season)
Last year: 10-5, 6-3 APAC; conference co-champions
Key players: Jr. Aries Carangi (G), So. Willum Braun (G), Sr. Gavin O’Connell (D), Jr. Chase Hannon (D), Sr. Daniel Whittock (F), Sr. Keenan Schneider (F), Sr. Max Maddalo (F), Sr. Chris Wnek (F)
Outlook: La Salle returns 13 players from a team that shared the APAC and reached the Class AAA Flyers Cup final.The lineup features experience and balance. Carangi saw quality time in goal a year ago and O’ Connell and Hannon are solid on the blue line. Whittock, Schneider, Maddalo, and Wnek all have demonstrated ability to put the puck in the net. The Explorers will be trying to keep a streak alive; they shared the first two APAC titles before sharing the crown last year.
“We’re excited to hit the ice,” Muehlbronner said.
Malvern Prep
Coach: Bill Keenan (third season)
Last year: 15-1, 5-1-3 in APAC; conference co-champions, Class AAA Flyers Cup and Pennsylvania State Champions
Key players: Sr. Anthony Perti (G); Jr. Brandon Novabilski (G); Sr. Quinn Dougherty (D); Sr. Travis Buckley (D); Jr. Steven Getsie (D); So. Brady Doyle (D); So. Jack Sharer (D); Sr. Matt Harris (F); Sr. Pierre Larocque (F); Jr. Jimmy Jacobs (F); So. Jeremy Jacobs (F);
Outlook: Much of last season’s Flyers Cup and state championship team returns and lineup is deep and talented, led by Perti and Harris, who were first-team all-conference selections last season. They’ll be joined by the likes of Dougherty and Buckley on defense along with Larocque up front.
The Friars will be trying to become the first Class AAA team in 13 years to successfully defend both the Flyers Cup and state titles.
“We are excited to get back to playing hockey,” Keenan said. “We have a good group of leaders returning as well as some younger guys filling in some gaps in the lineup. We are ready to get out there and compete and to have fun.”
St. Joseph’s Prep
Coach: David Giacomin (ninth season)
Last year: 4-10, 1-8 in APAC
Key players: Jr. Rocco Bruno (G); So. Ajay White (G); Sr. Nick Sorti (D); Sr. Declan Pierce, Sr. Michael Ahearn (D); Sr. Christian Short (D); Jr. Dante Passio (D); Jr. Jeffrey Hammond (F); Jr. Joey Samango (F); Sr. Quinn Egan (F); Sr. Charlie Maratea (F); Sr. Liam Mooney (F)
Outlook: The Hawks’ biggest strength will be in goal, where veteran Bruno and White will share responsibilities, and on defense. There is a veteran presence on the blue line in Pierce, Ahearn, and Short, and up front with Hammond and Mooney.
The Hawks often found themselves shorthanded last year in terms of numbers, which led them running out of gas late in games. Giacomin anticipates having more depth on hand this season and is looking for the added manpower to allow his team to play at a quicker pace in all three zones.
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The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference will be a five-team alliance for 2021-22. The Hun School from Princeton, N.J. will join Malvern Prep, Holy Ghost Prep, St. Joseph’s Prep, and two-time defending champion La Salle for the upcoming season.
Ian McNally is the Raiders’ hockey coach. “We’re excited to join the league,” he said. “We have competed with each of the APAC school programs for several years now and it will only improve the level of competition in our games when implications on standings, stats, playoff seeds and everything else that comes with league play are introduced. I think we share a common understanding of scholastic athletics with the APAC member schools and so we have strong existing relationships with the other coaches and athletics offices.”
Tracey Arndt is the Co-Director of Athletics at The Hun School. “The Hun School of Princeton is grateful for the opportunity for our Ice Hockey team to join the APAC this season,” she said. “This is a top-notch ice hockey league with likeminded schools that will allow us to compete at a high level throughout the year. We look forward to the competition with such respected programs.”
The Hun School is no stranger to the other conference members, having regularly competed against them in non-league games.
“The APAC was founded with the belief that exceptional schools and scholastic hockey could thrive side by side in a competitive league that values sportsmanship, academic distinction and a quality Spirit,” said Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside. “The Hun School is a welcomed addition to strengthening our rivalries, traditions and desire for excellence.”
La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner is enthusiastic about the Raiders coming on board. “La Salle is very excited to have Hun School join the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference,” he said. “Hun has had a long history of great competition versus the founding APAC schools. Their commitment to competing at a high level further strengthens the conference.”
St. Joseph’s Prep coach David Giacomin is looking forward to competing against the Raiders. “St Joseph’s Prep is extremely excited to welcome The Hun School into the APAC,” he said. They are a great school and we can’t wait to compete for years to come.”
Bill Keenan is the head coach at Malvern Prep, the reigning Class AAA Flyers Cup and state champions. “We are excited to have The Hun School join the APAC this upcoming season. It is great to have another quality, competitive team join our league. We are looking forward to competing against them this season.”
APAC institutions have been successful at the highest levels of scholastic hockey, competing at national tournaments and capturing every Class AAA Flyers Cup and Class AAA Pennsylvania State Championship since 2017. Last year’s postseason was not completed. La Salle and Malvern Prep were scheduled to meet in the Founders Cup final but that game was eventually cancelled because of Covid issues. Malvern Prep went on to win the Flyers Cup and the state championship.
The Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference has formulated plans to begin its 2021 season the week of January 11.
According to APAC Commissioner Jim Britt, the schedule now under consideration would see the four conference schools, La Salle, Malvern Prep, St. Joseph’s Prep and Holy Ghost Prep play a 10-game regular season schedule that would see each team face each of the others three times while also playing one additional game against a Class AAA team from the Intercounty Scholastic Hockey League (Cardinal O’Hara, Father Judge, and Roman Catholic would be among the possibilities).
That 10thgame is important because as of now, teams are required to play 10 league games to be eligible to compete in the Flyers Cup tournament this coming spring.
The four APAC schools have been off the ice in the wake of Governor Tom Wolf’s executive order that closed indoor recreational facilities around the state, including ice rinks, effective December 12. They will remain closed until January 4.
Prior to the shutdown, Malvern Prep played and won two non-league games but the other three league schools have yet to play a game this season.
Britt is hoping that APAC teams will be able to get back on the ice for practice on or shortly after January 4. He acknowledged that that may not happen.
“At this time, there is no guarantee that the pause will be lifted at that time,” he said, “potentially causing delays to the planned restart of practices and the regular season. Player safety, with a reasonable amount of practices before starting the regular season, is an important consideration.”
Britt said the goal is to conclude the APAC regular season by mid-March with the league playoffs, prior to the start of the Flyers Cup tournament on April 5. The tournament is scheduled to conclude on April 20.
Hun School to Join APAC
Britt also announced that The Hun School will become the fifth member of the APAC beginning with the 2021-22 season. The school’s membership application was unanimously approved by the four current conference members but due to Covid restrictions in place in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the school has suspended its winter sports programs for the current school year. Hun School has competed against APAC schools in non-league games in the past.
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