Tag: Van Stefanou

St. Joseph’s Prep 3 Holy Ghost Prep 2 OT

BRISTOL—A hockey fan couldn’t have wished for more. Tristan Winata’s goal 60 seconds into three-on-three overtime gave St. Joseph’s Prep a dramatic 3-2 win over Holy Ghost Prep Wednesday afternoon in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference game at Grundy Arena.

Winata’s game-winner, his second goal of the afternoon, came when he collected a feed from goaltender Rocco Bruno and put a backhander past Firebird netminder Colin Mudrick just moments after the Firebirds had a chance of their own.

The result squared the Hawks’ record at 1-1 in the APAC and 4-1 overall and came five days after a loss to Malvern Prep in their conference opener.

“It’s amazing to be part of that experience,” Bruno said. “The game was real tight, real close, the adrenaline was pumping, and it’s a great overall feeling to come out with a win.”

Bruno had as much to do with his team’s success as anyone in the building. The Firebirds (1-1 overall and in the the APAC) outshot the Hawks 46-25; Bruno finished his day’s work with 44 saves. He spoke to the importance of staying focused.

“Not letting yourself being distracted,” he said. “I’ve got to make sure I’m paying attention to my D-men and talking to them. I have to keep control of a lot of things at once, but I can’t get distracted by anybody other than who’s on the ice.”

St. Joseph’s Prep assistant coach Van Stefanou said Bruno’s play gave his teammates an energy boost but stressed the senior netminder had plenty of help.

“I think it gives our team a lot of momentum going forward,” he said. “Rocco played out of his mind, but our whole defensive corps, and even the forwards coming back and helping defensively out really turned it around especially from the last game. Our focus this game was to protect the house and our guys did just that.”

The Hawks took a 1-0 lead when Shane O’Neill scored from the high slot just inside the Holy Ghost Prep blue line 11:32 into the first period. Winata made it a 2-0 game during  a power play at the 12:12 mark of the second frame.

But the Firebirds didn’t buckle. Kieran Mulholland and Brady Baehser scored goals five minutes apart and with 10:48 left in regulation it was a 2-2 game.

And as time marched on the level of play at both ends of the ice picked up, something even Gump Whiteside, the losing coach, could appreciate.

“That’s a great game,” he said. “Win, lose, or tie, two good teams playing.”

Whiteside was pleased with the way his troops recovered from the two-goal deficit.”

“I really liked the way our guts responded in the third period,” he said. “We did everything we wanted to do. I told the guys after the game, when you get to overtime, anything can happen. We had that opportunity early and it didn’t go our way.”

St. Joseph’s Prep 1 1 0 0 1—3

Holy Ghost Prep 0 0 2 0—2

Frost-period goal: Shane O’Neill (SJP) from Jeffrey Hammond and Tristan Winata, 11:32

Second-period goal: Winata (SJP) from Jake Schulz and Patrick Sweeney, 12:12 (pp)

Third-period goals: KIeran Mulholland (HGP) unassisted, 1:10; Brady Baehser (HGP) unassisted, 6:12

Overtime goal: Winata (SJP) from Rocco Bruno, 1:00

Shots: St. Joseph’s Prep 25, Holy Ghost Prep 46; Saves: Rocco Bruno (SJP) 44; Colin Mudrick (HGP) 22

Tristin Winata scores the winning goal

For more information about St. Joseph’s Prep CLICK HERE

For more information about Holy Ghost Prep CLICK HERE

Elsewhere: Hun School 4 Father Judge 0—Four different players scored goals as the Raiders won their season opener from the host Crusaders on Wednesday. Ryan Levesque, Justin Laplante, Charles-Etienne Jette, and Ethan Estulin were the goal scorers.

Stephen Chen (21 saves) and Julian Arsenault (10) combined on the shutout.

Hun School 1 2 1—4

Father Judge 0 0 0—0

First-period goal: Ryan Levesque from Tyler James, Mark Gall, 16:38

Second-period goals: Justin Laplante, 9:33 (SH)

Third-period goal: Elian Estulin from Laplante, Marino

Van Stefanou Back Home at St. Joseph’s Prep

A decade and more ago, Van Stefanou skated for St. Joseph’s Prep. For five seasons now, he’s been one of the Hawks’ assistant coaches. In a sense, he has returned home.

Even as a young boy, Stefanou, a Tabernacle, N.J. native, was virtually certain he would attend St. Joseph’s Prep. It was a family tradition.

“All the men on my mom’s side of the family went to the Prep” he said, “and my great uncle was president of the Prep for 21 years. So, pending the passing of my entrance exam, I was going to the Prep. Other than that, the thought of being part of such a prestigious school with a great history was so appealing to me that going to the Prep was my only option.”

When he arrived on the school’s campus in the fall of 2006, Stefanou found himself being challenged academically and athletically. 

“The classes at the Prep were definitely challenging,” he said, “and students were held to a high standard but that was expected at the Prep. I remember a lot of long nights. I would come home from Prep and club hockey practices around 9 or 10 o’clock most nights and have to start homework then. 

“I also had some really amazing teachers while at the Prep. To name a few, Mr. Hart, Mrs. (Kathleen) Sullivan, and Mr. (Andrew) Whelan were the teachers that left a longing impression after the Prep and instilled some of the qualities in me that I hold today.”

Today, Stefanou is appreciative of the support he received from the faculty during his high-school years, and the support he and his fellow students provided each other.

“While the Prep and extracurriculars were a challenge every day, my classmates and teammates were always there for each other,” he said. “I don’t keep in touch with them as much as I’d like to but we usually see each other at our alumni game every November and it’s great to catch up with them and hang out.”

During Stefanou’s years at the school, the St. Joseph’s Prep hockey program was still evolving into what it later became.

“It still felt like the program was in its early stages with a lot of potential for the future,” he said. “There were several coaches that put a lot into the program. You don’t really appreciate all that they do until you’re one of them.

 “The program has definitely grown since I played. Winning a state championship like we did (in 2018) was almost unthinkable for us and now it feels like it’s attainable every year. 

“That just goes to show how much the program has progressed in the last eleven years. I was proud to be part of the Prep hockey team then and am very lucky to coach now. I was part of a great group throughout the four years and I couldn’t have asked for a better class.”

After high school Stefanou played two years of junior hockey, a year in British Columbia and Washington in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League and then a year in North Carolina in the EJHL South.

From there, he played four years at UMass Dartmouth; as a freshman he played for a team that won a conference championship and qualified for the NCAA Division III tournament.

Today, Stefanou is proud to be coaching at the school that shaped his life.

“My four years at the Prep built the foundation of my character today,” he said. I took many values from my time at the Prep including humility, integrity and perseverance. It’s what brought me back to coach five years ago. When I was given the opportunity to give back to the Prep, there was no question in my mind that I would do it.” 

For more about St. Joseph’s Prep Click Here