HOCKEY: APAC and ICSHL PCL Playoff Preview

By: JJ Michalski

APAC/ICSHL PCL Playoff Preview:

The playoffs are upon us in 2021. When the season began in January, it seemed that the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference (APAC) and Inter-County Scholastic Hockey League (ICSHL) playoffs were far in the distance, but hockey season is coming to close in the blink of an eye.

It has been a competitive season in both leagues but with games now becoming one and done, everything is on the line. For some players, they might skate in the final hockey games of their high school careers, for younger players this could be the start of a legacy for years to come.

APAC

APAC Playoff Bracket - JJ Michalski

The APAC announced late Friday night that the schedule would be adjusted to accommodate the absence of Holy Ghost Prep from this year’s Founders Cup Championship. The school announced it would move to virtual classes, meaning the cancellation of in person extracurricular activities, with a planned return to normal activities on April 6. The Firebirds finish play in the APAC with a 3-3-3 record but could see themselves rebound in the Flyers Cup.

With the removal of Holy Ghost Prep from this year’s playoffs, Malvern Prep will receive a pass directly to Wednesday’s championship game. The Friars will play host in that game, playing on their home rink at Ice Line. The adjusted schedule will see La Salle College High School take on St. Joseph’s Prep on Monday night at Grundy with a trip to the finals on the line. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 PM. All APAC playoff games will be streamed courtesy of TUICE Media on YouTube.

Coming into tonight’s game, La Salle is favored to win as the number two seed.

The Explorers went on a tear over the last month of APAC play, winning their last six league games. Three of those wins came against the Hawks, where La Salle outscored St. Joe’s 12-5 in the three wins since Feb 12. The Explorers are led offensively by Michael Casey who scored twelve goals and dished out four assists this season. Three of Casey’s goals came against the Hawks in 2021. In between the pipes, Liam Gross posted a 6-3 record allowing just 19 overall goals for a .902 save percentage in over 430 minutes of play. He posted a shutout against Holy Ghost Prep on March 8.

La Salle vs. St. Joseph's Prep Highlights by JJ Michalski

The Explorers are the only team to ever win the Founders Cup trophy since the league’s inception in 2018. Senior captain Andrew Budzynski is excited to defend that title and will look to finish his career with a victory.

St. Joseph’s Prep has had struggles this season to put a full lineup together with individual player conflicts all season long. They enter the APAC playoffs as a four seed and were initially scheduled to play Malvern Prep in the semi-finals. The Hawks had a rough month of March, losing five of their six contests but are pleased to have a fresh slate for the playoffs. Rocco Bruno has stood on his head this season and his losing record is no indication of his miraculous play. In his first season on varsity, Bruno has been up to the test in every game. The sophomore has faced 239 shots allowing just 21 goals in regular season play. The Hawks like to spread the scoring out, but Joseph Samango leads the team with four assists. He is a player to watch in the APAC playoffs and is eager to see his team aggressively forecheck on Monday night.

Playoff Preview interviews with La Salle head coach Wally Muehlbronner & Andrew Budzynski:

Playoff Preview interviews with St. Joseph's Prep head coach David Giacomin and Joseph Samango:

Malvern Prep is ready to get started with post season play after a remarkable regular season.

The Friars were tested on multiple occasions but prevailed posting a record at 8-1 with three overtime wins on their ledger.

Holy Ghost Prep managed to send Malvern to a shootout twice this season, and the final contest between the teams ended in a 4-3 OT victory in favor of the Friars. Malvern Prep’s lone loss in 2021 came against La Salle on March 3. Junior goalkeeper Anthony Perti let in a season high five goals to the Explorers in a 5-2 loss. Perti posted shutouts against La Salle in the season opener, and against St. Joe’s on March 15.

Playoff Preview interviews with Malvern Prep teach coach Bill Keenan and Ryan Sambuco:

Jack Costabile leads the Friars with nine goals and has added five assists.

ICSHL

ICSHL PCL Playoff Bracket - JJ Michalski

The ICSHL will also begin play on Monday night with a play-in game between DMA-Tatnall and Salesianum. The two teams joined the PCL for this season, in order to remain eligible for the Flyers Cup. The semi-finals will be played on Tuesday night at Flyers Skate Zone with Roman Catholic hosting the winner of the play-in game and Father Judge welcoming Cardinal O’Hara. The championship will be held Wednesday at Flyers Skate Zone.

Leading into the ICSHL playoffs, the final week of play was important for seedings. If you have been following along on Twitter (@JJMichalski) you likely saw the scenario heading into the week. The ICSHL rules for 2021 stated, “If all games have not been played, winning percentage will determine seeding.” The winning percentage looked like this:

Win % = Points Earned / (2*Games Played)

Roman Catholic earned the number one seed with eight total points, but Salesianum and Roman Catholic played one fewer game than Cardinal O’Hara and Father Judge. This cancellation was the reason for the use of win percentage to determine seeding, rather than divisional record. Father Judge won the tie breaker over Cardinal O’Hara with a better head-to-head record in 2021.

The Cahillites enter the ICSHL playoffs as the number one seed but have not played since March 12. As mentioned above, Roman Catholic will play the winner of the DMA-Tatnall vs Salesianum play-in game.

Brennan Whittaker leads his team with twelves goals and five assists. Andrew Hodolitz leads the team with six assists. In net, Millard Worszylo posted a 5-2 record along with a .888 save percentage during his junior campaign. Roman Catholic started its season off 0-3 but rebounded well to close out the regular season. The Cahillites defeated DMA-Tatnall 10-4 on Feb. 26 but fell to Salesianum in overtime 4-3 on March 8. The second meeting between Roman Catholic and Salesianum on March 19 was cancelled due to COVID protocol. Head coach Greg Watkins is focused on his team taking it one game at a time.

Playoff Preview Interview with Roman Catholic Head coach Greg Watkins:

Father Judge comes into ICSHL playoffs winning its final two regular season contests. Both games came against Salesianum resulting in 2-0 and 3-2 victories in favor of the Crusaders.

Freshman Anthony Casper scored the game winning goal to secure the number two seed. The Crusaders are a defense first team, led by captain Sean Ford and assistant captain Franklin Black. Ford’s absence showed in the 3-3 tie earlier this season against Cardinal O’Hara. The Lions scored all three goals while Ford was serving a ten-minute penalty.

Head coach Jim Morrison believes that with five one-goal games on the season, “every single player on the team is contributing and making a difference.” Since the ICSHL’s inception of the PCL division in 2015, Cardinal O’Hara and Father Judge have met every year in the playoffs, including the last three championship games. Cardinal O’Hara leads the series four games to two.

Playoff Preview interviews with Father Judge head coach Jim Morrison and Franklin Black:

The Lions entered 2021 with a Philadelphia Catholic League title in mind after falling just short in 2020. The focus for Cardinal O’Hara has been one game at a time and it has worked late in the season as the Lions come into playoffs riding a three-game winning streak.

Ronan Marley, who O’Hara head coach Ed Banes has in the past quoted as, “the best goalie in the PCL,” logged over 430 minutes in his senior campaign.

Marley gave up fourteen goals overall, good for a .929 save percentage. The Lions were lifted to two shutout victories in 2021 behind the quick glove of Marley. Steve Graney leads Cardinal O’Hara in scoring with nine goals this season, but he hasn’t been alone, picking up help from Luke Melito and Julian Gavin along the way. In two meetings this season with Father Judge, Cardinal O’Hara kept the games close losing 4-2 on Feb. 22 and coming back to tie 3-3 in the final regular season matchup.

Father Judge vs. Cardinal O'Hara game highlights by JJ Michalski:

The ICSHL does not play a shootout in regular season play but postseason games will be played with continuous OT until a winner is decided.