Photos/Videos: John Wilson, Zack Beavers & Colleen Claggett

By: JJ Michalski & John Wilson

The final week of APAC hockey is upon us, as play continues across the Philadelphia region. With the addition of The Hun School for 2021, the fourth edition of the Founder’s Cup will feature a third round of playoffs. La Salle College High School won the cup in 2019 and 2020. The 2021 championship game was never played as COVID postponements got in the way. Malvern Prep is the defending champions after winning the AAA Flyers Cup and Pennsylvania State Championship in 2021.

1. Total points

2. Head-to-head

3. Total wins

4. Goal Differential (Goals “For” minus Goals “Against”)

Things will be interesting for the newest APAC team as the Hun School trails St. Joe’s Prep by three points. A regulation win would result in a points tie with the teams splitting the season series. The Hun School’s 1-0 OT victory on Dec. 2 would give them four overall (OT+Regulation wins) over St. Joe’s Prep three total. In the case of a Holy Ghost Prep win on their senior night, a regulation win would clinch them the No. 4 seed setting up a rematch on Monday afternoon at the Jefferson Health NE Skate Zone. An overtime win would split the season series and revert to total wins. Both teams would have three and at that point goal differential would become a factor. As of Friday morning, The Hun School’s -five goal differential would top Holy Ghost Prep’s -13 goal differential.

In the final game of the season for both St. Joseph’s Prep and La Salle College High School, both had playoffs on their minds. Entering the contest, La Salle had already won the previous matchup against the Hawks, defeating them 2-1 back on January 21.

St. Joe’s got themselves on the board in the first period scoring on a shot from the stick of Tristan Winata midway through the first period. It would be the lone Hawks shot of the night that slipped past Explorers goaltender Aries Carangi, who saved 28 shots of the 29 that he faced in the game.

The Explorers closed the game scoring with a little less than two minutes left as Evan Golato scored. Schneider and Gavin O’Connell helped to work the puck up the ice to give La Salle a 3-1 lead in the game. The lead would hold until the end, giving the Explorers a 2-0 season sweep of St. Joe’s in league play. The win solidified the second seed for La Salle who won’t play until Wednesday. St. Joe’s awaits the results of Friday’s final APAC regular season game to know if it will have a play in game on Monday or advance to Wednesday’s semi-final as the No. 3 seed in the APAC.

In one of the featured ISCHL Games of the Week, Bux-Mont Catholic earned a 5-3 win over Lower Merion, at the Skatium in Havertown, PA.

Bux-Mont came out to a hot start with three goals in the first period, with Lower Merion also putting up a goal on the score sheet. After the first period, it looked like Bux-Mont could run away with an easy victory, but Lower Merion showed more effort the rest of the game.

Bux Mont Catholic moved the puck well and along with their five goals, they created plenty more chances. Bux-Mont Catholic’s Joe McGoldrick, who had a goal and two assists, spoke on how they approached the game plan for this game.

“We focused mostly on our breakouts,” McGoldrick said. “We’ve had trouble in the past getting out of our defensive zone and I think we really improved it in this game. We moved the puck well in the neutral zone and had good entries into the offensive zone which led to our goals. We also crashed the net pretty hard.”

Lower Merion showed fight in the second and third period and made it closer at the end, with improved puck movement in the offensive end in the final period and a goal with 1:30 left, but the effort was not enough.

In the PCL bracket of the ICHSL, Roman Catholic hosted Father Judge in an important playoff seeding matchup for the Crusaders. Father Judge entered the matchup determined to come away with a victory and a chance to qualify for both the ICSHL playoffs and the 2022 Flyers Cup.

In the second period Sherwin scored unassisted to make it a 2-0 game.

Father Judge continued the scoring in the third tallying twice. The first goal came from Michael McDevitt with his fifth goal of the year. He was helped by Matthew Devin and Anthony Casper, who both tallied their first assists of the season on the goal. Colin Howell closed the scoresheet with his fourth goal of the season, assisted by Michael Fontaine and Gavin Rauch.

2/4 – St. Joe’s Prep 3, The Hun School 1 (Skatium)

St. Joe’s Goals: Cathal Dowd (Dante Passio), Liam Mooney (Unassisted), Nick Storti (Jeffrey Hammond)

The Hun School Goals: Elian Estulin (Seth Kaplan)

Bux-Mont Goals: Joe McGoldrick (Pat Cawley, Brandon Mongan), Ben Schimony (Pat Cawley), Patrick Murray (Joe McGoldrick), Danny Menta (Joe McGoldrick, Kyle Martin), Ben Schimony (Unassisted)

Lower Merion Goals: Toby Myers (Andrew McCann), Kiernan Ryan (Solvej Berman), Toby Myers (Andrew McCann, Simon Hardwood)

2/11 The Hun School @ Holy Ghost Prep (Grundy 7:00 PM)

2/14 #5 @ #4 (TBA, TBD)

2/16 #4/5 @ Malvern (Ice Line TBD)

2/16 #3 @ La Salle College HS (Ice Line TBD)

See above for full playoff scenario.

2/10 Archbishop Carroll @ Lower Merion (8:00 PM Skatium)

2/11 Kennett @ Bux-Mont Catholic (8:45 Hatfield)

2/14 Oxford @ Archbishop Ryan (8:10 Jefferson Health Skate Zone)

2/14 Bux-Mont @ Sun Valley (Ice Works 9:30)

*For stat corrections/team updates, please email jonathanmichalski06@gmail.com *