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Brady Baehser, Kieran Mulholland, and Zach Pers all scored two goals as Holy Ghost Prep defeated North Allegheny 6-3 Thursday night outdoors and under the lights at Schenley Park in Pittsburgh.
Baehser’s second goal of the game with 3:25 left in the second period broke a 3-3 tie, Mulholland made it a 5-3 game with his second goal with 4:25 left in the third period. Pers finished the scoring with an empty net goal in the final seconds.
By Rick Woelfel
BRISTOL— On the surface, there wasn’t a lot at stake when LaSalle and Holy Ghost Prep took the ice at Grundy Arena Monday afternoon. The Explorers had already clinched the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference’s regular-season title.
But no meeting on the ice between the two longtime rivals can ever be classified as routine. The intensity level was as high as ever over the course of LaSalle’s 6-3 win.
“It’s a great rivalry game,” said LaSalle coach Wally Meuhlbronner. “It has been for years.”
Special teams played a significant role in this occasion, particularly in the early going. Referee Laura White tolerated no nonsense and called six penalties in the first period. Three of them led to power-play goals.
Colin Costello got things started when he scored for the Firebirds (7-12, 1-8 in the APAC with three losses in overtime or a shootout) off a left-wing faceoff. Michael Casey tied the game for LaSalle (18-6, 9-0 with one win in overtime) at 10:05 but Richard Spore put Holy Ghost Prep back in front at 11:46 when he beat Explorer netminder Aidan McCabe off a nifty feed from Alex D’Angelo.
Fabrizzio Mazzarelli tied the game for a second time when he scored for LaSalle on yet another power-play situation 3:01 into the second period.
Some three minutes later McCabe denied the Firebirds’ Byron Hartley on a two-on-none breakaway and momentum began to shift in LaSalle’s direction, David Brunner scored on a breakaway of his own off a turnover at 11:54 to give his team the lead.
The Firebirds battled through a stretch that found then playing two men short for 89 seconds and it was still a one-goal game after 32 minutes.
But Casey (on a power play) and Bryan Evans scored to make it a 5-2 game 3:57 into the third period to put the Explorers firmly in command. The Firebirds’ Evan Mudrick and LaSalle’s Daniel Sambuco traded goals to complete the scoring.
The temperature of the game cooled off a bit after the frenzied start; there were six penalties called over the last two periods.
“We were a little frustrated in the beginning,” said LaSalle captain Zach Baker, a senior defenseman. “Coach had to calm us down. Everyone was contained in the locker room in between (after the second period). In the first we were a little rattled, off our game, but ever since the end of the first we kind of stuck to our normal game plan and got things going.”
If you’re counting, five of the nine goals in the game came on power plays, including three of LaSalle’s six.
“I thought we did some good things early on,” said Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside, “but you’ve just got to be disciplined and stay out of the box. We told them what was going to happen but unfortunately, we just couldn’t get it done today.”
LaSalle (18-8, 9-0, 1 in OT)
HGP 7-12, 1-8, 3 losses in OT)
LaSalle 1 2 3—6
Holy Ghost Prep 2 0 1—3
First-period goals: Colin Costello (HGP) from Alex D’Angelo and Andrew Serafin, 7:38 (pp); Michael Casey (L) from Daniel Sambuco and Sam Lipkin, 10:05 (pp); Richard Spohr (HGP) from D’Angelo, 11:46 (pp).
Second-period goals: Fabrizzio Mazzarelli (L) from Lipkin and Jan Olenginski, 11:54; David Brunner (L) unassisted, 11:54.
Third-period goals: Casey (L) from Lipkin, 2:10 (pp); Bryan Evans (L) from Sean Keaveny, 3:57; Evan Mudrick (HGP) unassisted, 6:47; Daniel Sambuco (L) from Lipkin, 11:49.
Shots: LaSalle 28, Holy Ghost Prep 27; Saves: Aidan McCabe (L) 24, Sean Joyce (HGP) 22
WEST GOSHEN— It wasn’t exactly a rerun. But LaSalle faced down a challenge from Malvern Prep and went on to a 6-3 win over the Friars Monday night in an Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference matchup at Ice Line.
Sam Lipkin scored three goals and assisted on two more as the Explorers ran their conference record to 5-0 (6-2 overall). It was LaSalle’s second win over Malvern Prep (5-2, 2-2) in 11 days; the Explorers shut out the Friars 4-0 on November 30.
LaSalle coach Wally Meuhlbronner fielded a team that was at less than full strength; due to some absences he utilized three lines rather than four. But it didn’t seem to matter.
“We were a little bit short,” he said. “But the guys really worked hard. They managed their shifts well, kept their shifts short, so I was very happy with the way they played.”
Malvern Prep netminder Dan Dougherty kept his team in the game for most of two periods. The senior made 14 saves in a scoreless first period and when on to make 37 in the game.
“Every year that he’s been in net that we’ve played against them he’s been strong,” Meuhlbronner said.
LaSalle took control of the game early in the second period by scoring two goals in just 20 seconds. Lipkin opened the scoring by tipping in a rebound of Dan Sambuco’s original shot at the 47-second mark before Sambuco himself made it a 2-0 game at 1:07.
But the Friars got back in the game when Jack Constabile scored a shorthanded goal at the 5:34 mark after the Explorers coughed up the puck in their own zone.
That was as close as the hosts would come. Lipkin scored a shorthanded goal of his own and Brandon Leer made it a 4-1 game with 2:31 left in the period.
Jan Olenginski extended the LaSalle lead 5:47 into the third period.
LaSalle defenseman and captain Zach Baker cited the balance in the lineup as a key to the team’s success. “Everyone has energy, everyone is always ready to play,” he said. “We always support each other, which keeps us going. We have a lot of guys with a lot of energy who are always ready to go.”
Harrison Campbell brought the Friars closer by scoring two third-period goals, the first on a slapshot at 11:26 and the second on a power play at 15:24.
Lipkin completed his hat trick by scoring into an empty net with 27 seconds left in the game.
Malvern coach Dave Dorman noted that his young team had trouble dealing with LaSale’s speed. “It’s real simple,” he said, “we have to get better.
“We’re asking a lot from some of our younger guys. And they’ll be fine, we’ll get back to work. We’ll be fine, but we’ve got to learn to play that pace from the very first puck drop.”
LaSalle 0 4 2—6
Malvern Prep 0 1 2—3
Second-period goals: Sam Lipkin (L) from Dan Sambuco and Michael Casey, :47; Sambuco (L) from Casey, 1:07; Jack Constabile (MP) from Kenny Connors, 5:34 (sh); LIpkin (L) from Casey, 8:26 (sh); Brandon Leer (L) from Lipkin, 13:29.
Third-period goals: Jan Olenginski (L) from Lipkin, 5:49; Harrison Campbell (M) from Matt Harris and Nick Martino, 5:49; Campbell (MP) from Quinn Dougherty and Martino, 11:26 (pp); Lipkin (L) unassisted, 15:33 (empty net).
Shots: LaSalle 43, Malvern Prep 25; Saves: Aidan McCabe (L) 22, Dan Dougherty (MP) 37
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