HOCKEY: Key Match-Ups Give Way to APAC and ICSHL Playoff Seedings

Photos/Videos: Jeremy Goode, Ross Billig, Jack Verdeur and Dan Boyle

By: Jeremy Goode and Ross Billig

Philadelphia Sports Digest Power Play (Feb. 16)

Playoff hockey is about to begin.

In the APAC, La Salle College High School has emerged as the No. 1 seed after a physical battle with Holy Ghost Prep on Feb. 13 (See recap below). As a result, the Explorers will play No. 4 seeded Hun School to kick-off a semifinal double-header at Hatfield Ice Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 4 p.m. The following game will feature No. 2 seed Holy Ghost Prep against No. 3 seed St. Joseph’s Prep.

To say that the APAC title is “up for grabs” would be an understatement.

La Salle split their regular season series with Holy Ghost, with the Firebirds taking game one, 6-2, back on November 9. The Explorers also spilt with a dangerous St. Joseph’s Prep team. The first game between the Explorers and Hawks was a lopsided 5-1 defeat in favor of La Salle. Nine days later, the two teams graced the ice once again with St. Joseph’s Prep taking the 3-1 victory.

The ICSHL PCL brackets are yet to be announced with a few remaining games left to determine the seedings. Currently, the PCL semifinals are scheduled for Monday, Feb. 27 at two separate locations. The eventual No. 1 and No. 4 seeds are set to play at the University of Delaware at 7:40 p.m. and the No. 2 and 3 seed matchup will play at 7 p.m. at Skatium. The ICSHL PCL championship is scheduled for March 1 at 7 p.m., also at Skatium. Current ICSHL PCL Standings are in the following order: Father Judge, Salesianum, Cardinal O’Hara, Roman Catholic and Shanahan-Coatesville.

Last season, Cardinal O’Hara edged Father Judge 1-0 in double overtime to win the ICSHL PCL title and Malvern Prep defeated La Salle 4-1 to take home the APAC Founder’s Cup. Malvern also went on to win the 2022 Flyers Cup.

The Flyers Cup selection show is still scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. on the Flyers Cup YouTube channel.

Around the APAC…

Top APAC Teams Clash: La Salle Takes Hold of First Place

By: Jeremy Goode

Holy Ghost Prep’s five goal effort and its rally against La Salle College High school ultimately came one goal short, as the Firebirds fell to the Explorers 6-5 in a top-seeded conference matchup.

“We didn’t quit,” Holy Ghost Prep head coach Gump Whiteside said. “Nobody wants to chase the game, but I really liked our effort tonight the way we battled back even until the final buzzer.”

Holy Ghost Prep was tested early. La Salle controlled the puck from the beginning of the game. The Firebirds goalie, Colin "Spike" Mudrick, made several saves early on, while also being assisted by Johnny Seravalli. The Explorers were able to score first, three minutes in, as Evan Golato was able to get a shot past Mudrick.

The next several minutes featured both teams playing at a fast pace. Holy Ghost Prep would go on the power play after a tripping penalty on La Salle with just under 10 minutes left in the period.

La Salle successfully killed that penalty, but they found themselves shorthanded 14 seconds after they were back to full strength due to another minor penalty. After another two minutes of 5 on 4 play in favor of Holy Ghost Prep, La Salle again would successfully kill off its second power play.

The power plays could have fueled the Firebirds, because 11 seconds after both sides were at full strength, Colin Bara for Holy Ghost Prep scored in front of the net, tying the game at one.

Holy Ghost Prep goalie Colin Mudrick - PSD Photo by Kathy Leister

The rest of the period consisted of Holy Ghost Prep remaining on defense, as Mudrick stood tall and saved several shots on net. After deflecting a pair of shots toward the end of the first, Golato was able to poke another through, giving the Explorers a 2-1 lead going into the second period.

After a goalie change early into the second period for La Salle, Holy Ghost Prep ran their own set of plays in Explorers territory. It seemed as though they converted many of their passes except for the last one each possession that would set up a shot on net. A little over five minutes into the second period, La Salle scored their third goal off the stick of James Carpenter, giving themselves a two-goal advantage.

Scoring responses have been vital to this Holy Ghost team this season, and sure enough Brady Baehser scored eight seconds later off a Seravalli missed shot on net. Seravalli would later score his own goal just under four minutes left in the period to tie the game at three.

“Going down the ice, I had seen it, so I just took a shot and hope for the best,” Seravalli said. “And I got rewarded.”

La Salle would answer with a goal half a minute later from Matthew Giordano and went into the third period up 4-3.

“Offensively we continued to battle back, I’d like to give the guys a B+” Whiteside said. “Defensively we need to tighten some things up.”

The Firebirds had to substitute for Mudrick in the net at the start of the third period after he suffered an injury. Whiteside did not specify the injury. Backup goalie Jack Unger would go in for the injured Mudrick.

A quick penalty against Holy Ghost Prep in the third period which put La Salle on the power play would prove to be consequential, as the Explorers netted their fifth goal from Carpenter, giving themselves a 5-3 lead with just over 15 minutes left in the game.

Carpenter would score again for La Salle a few minutes later, giving the Explorers a 6-3 lead with just under 13 minutes to play.

“It’s tough, especially playing La Salle,” Seravalli said. “They play good defense so it’s hard to take the lead.”

Like they did to tie the game at three when La Salle went up 3-1, Holy Ghost Prep rallied for a second time. Ciaran Chambers scored for the Firebirds a minute later, cutting the deficit to 6-4. Holy Ghost Prep continued to get shots on net, but all were saved by La Salle.

John Seravalli talks about Holy Ghost's tough end of season game vs. La Salle - PSD Video by Jeremy Goode

#11 James Carpenter scored three of La Salle's 6 goals in win vs. Holy Ghost - PSD Photo by Dan Boyle

La Salle vs. St. Augustine - PSD Gallery by Dan Boyle

Holy Ghost Prep pulled Unger out of net with just over two minutes left in the game. They would be rewarded for their aggressiveness with a goal by Kieran Mulholland with 29.7 seconds left in the game, making the score 6-5 La Salle. After that La Salle held the puck and claimed the conference win.

“As a coach and as a coaching staff, we expect to win every game,” Whiteside said. “I wish we had gotten out of the gate a little quicker, but I liked our compete level and I am proud of the kids the way they battled back.”

When asked about what it says about this Holy Ghost Prep team that they rallied twice while down two or more goals, Whiteside responded, “they don’t quit. I love those guys. I am looking forward to the playoffs and we will see what happens.”

Holy Ghost Prep is aware that it can build off of this performance.

“We are getting a few guys back from injuries so we will see what happens,” Seravalli said.

The loss snaps a two-game win streak for the Firebirds. They are now 15-7 on the year, and 5-3 in conference play. Holy Ghost Prep will compete in the Founders Cup playoffs next week against St. Joseph’s Prep.

St. Joe’s Prep Seniors Go out With Bang

By: Ross Billig

On Friday, Nov. 3, St. Joseph's Prep came out victorious after defeating the Hun School 7-1 on an eventful senior night. As usual, captain Joseph Samango led the way with three goals and three assists.

The Hawks had a very solid start to the game with Samango scoring the opening goal in the first three minutes. But the Hun School had an answer after Brendan Marino put away a rebound goal. After that, Shane O’Neill capitalized on the power play putting the score at 2-1 at the end of the first period in favor of the Hawks.

“I think we had a game on Monday and our offense wasn't there, so we came out today and got pucks to the net and good things happened,” said Samango.

St. Joe’s Prep continued their scoring very early on in the second with Jeffrey Hammond burying a goal in the first 30 seconds. His goal was assisted by Tristan Winata and Samango. Then the Hun School began to fall apart as the goal sheet began to open up. Five minutes after that senior captain Joseph Samango put away a pretty unassisted goal to keep the momentum going.

The opening line for St. Joseph's Prep continued to take over this game. Winata buried a goal that was assisted by Hammond, to give the Prep a 5-1 lead. After that, St. Joe's completely took over the game, and Hammond went coast to coast putting away a beautiful goal. The Hawks took a 6-1 lead late in the second period.

Joseph Samango talks about the Prep's explosive offense vs. Hun School - PSD Video by Ross Billig

SJP senior goalie Rocco Bruno was very pleased with how his team played on offense & defense, as his primary focus shifts to the Flyers Cup - PSD Video by Ross Billig

The third period was just a mess of a period overall. The Hun School seemed a bit frustrated after struggling to get on the goal sheet all night. The Hun School had a total of four penalties in the third period and the Prep took full advantage of it. Finally, Samango, who was all over the ice all night, buried a hattrick to secure the 7-1 victory.

“We did all the little things right, the defensive zone was flawless, and The offensive zone was just putting the score up on the board. Last time we played them we didn't do so well, but we came out tonight and showed who we were,” said St. Joe’s Prep senior goaltender Rocco Bruno.

Bruno was also key to this game after saving 30 of 31 shots. He's been solid all year, but he seemed extremely dialed in this game. Specifically, his rebound control was exceptional all game and it made a difference on the scoreboard.

AROUND THE ICSHL...

ICSHL PCL Rivalry – Judge Tops O’Hara

By: Jeremy Goode

Little did the Father Judge Crusaders know that their game against Cardinal O’Hara was decided less than six minutes in. Matthew Moser’s goal five and a half minutes into the game would be all Father Judge needed. Their goalie, Dave “The Save” Marcellino, earned his second shutout of the season as Father Judge defeated Cardinal O’Hara 4-0 on Feb. 9, 2023.

“I think I only had one breakaway, so defense really helped me out,” Marcellino said. “It was a team effort and that’s why we won.”

This was the second win the Crusaders recorded against Cardinal O’Hara. The first, coming the week before, saw the Crusaders win in a barn-burner, 7-5. In the second game, O’Hara defended three goals better than they did during their first matchup with Father Judge. Judge improved their defense and goalie play by five goals since their last meetup.

Father Judge head coach Steve Meade knew the in-conference bout would be competitive, especially in light of their matchup from a week prior.

“Playing a good team like O’Hara… it is tough to shut teams like that down. On Friday, they put five in on us, so it is nice to come in here and shut it down while giving the team confidence.”

The Crusaders jumped on offensive opportunities early and often. Owen Sherwin, Mike Fontaine, Kevin Knecht, and Anthony Casper recorded shots on net within the first five minutes of the contest. In addition to shots on goal, Father Judge kept the puck in their possession early on, as well as in Cardinal O’Hara’s zone.

Matthew Moser talks about setting the tone early, securing the Crusader's first goal - PSD Video by Jeremy Goode

When asked about the offensive game plan, Moser kept it simple.

“To be honest, just to score goals,” Moser said. “It would have been better if we got more, but we’ll take the win.”

Just over five minutes later, Father Judge scored their second goal, this one by Colin Howell, giving the Crusaders a 2-0 lead with six minutes left in the first period.

For the rest of the period, Father Judge found themselves on the defensive end, as Marcellino saved several shots on net by O’Hara, while also killing a power play before the first intermission. After the first period, Father Judge held onto their 2-0 led.

“The game plan was to shut them down,” Meade said. “We did not want to give them any hope. We played them last week, next week, and we will play them in the playoffs again, so we really wanted to focus on shutting them down, keeping them outside, and keeping our defense engaged.”

The second period was a change of pace for Father Judge in comparison to the first. Marcellino was tested more often, making a glove and kick save within the first few minutes of the period. Early on, Cardinal O’Hara had possession and held the puck in the other zone.

With 10 minutes left in the period, Colin Myers grabbed a rebound in front of the net and sent it past O’Hara’s goalie, giving the Crusaders a 3-0 led. Two minutes later, Joseph Mullen added another for Father Judge, making it 4-0 with eight minutes left in the second. The period would end with that score.

“We have a good offense; I’d say we have the best offense in our division,” Marcellino said. “It’s really helped my game.”

For senior Marcellino, it was his second shutout of the season. Meade mentioned that it was around the 13th shutout in Marcellino’s high school career at Father Judge. Besides the stat sheets, Marcellino’s teammates have certainly noticed the strong play Marcellino has exhibited in front of the net.

“Even when I make a mistake like a turnover, I know he has my back,” Moser said.

Father Judge goalie Dave Marcellino credits his team's defense for the shutout - PSD Video by Jeremy Goode

Father Judge killed the rest of the second period shorthanded, as Cardinal O’Hara went on the power play and dominated possession and puck in the Crusader’s zone.

The third period would be similar to the last five minutes of the second for Father Judge. With a 4-0 led, O’Hara went on the power play three times. The Crusaders were ultimately able to kill all of them successfully with a few saves by Marcellino.

“We took a couple of minors there but luckily we had a good cushion of a lead,” Meade said. “You do not want to take penalties especially in the third period.”

The win improved the Crusaders win streak to four.

With the four-game winning streak in place for Father Judge, Meade acknowledged how important it has been to play strong hockey this time of the year and believes it will benefit the club going forward.

“You do not want to go into the playoffs on a losing streak, so being able to keep your foot on the gas pedal and not get too complacent is huge for us.”

Archbishop Ryan Showing Signs of Growth

By: Jeremy Goode

The Archbishop Ryan Raiders were unable to spoil Harriton High School’s senior night on February 6, 2023, losing to the Rams 6-2 in a chippy hockey matchup that featured several penalties.

“We always have trouble responding to physicality,” head coach of Archbishop Ryan Brian Smith said. “We start five freshmen, so we are still a little young.”

Archbishop Ryan was able to set the tone early less than one minute into the game by drawing a penalty to give themselves the advantage on a power play. Defensemen Anthony Masino of Archbishop Ryan was able to skate through Harriton’s defense and get a strong shot on net that went just wide left.

The shorthanded Rams were then able to boost their own play, scoring their first goal of the evening 56 seconds into Archbishop Ryan’s power play. Harriton would next find themselves on the power play three minutes later, and they were able to capitalize for their second goal sixteen seconds into the power play on a goal by Sean Tooke after winning the initial faceoff.

Down two goals less than five minutes into the game, the Raiders were able to form some offensive intensity. Connor Lappe recorded several hard shots on net that were deflected by Harriton’s goalie, Ben Zangerle, or sailed wide. However, a sloppy turnover on their side led to an easy Harriton goal with seven minutes left in the first period.

Aronne Arehart was happy with how the Raider's responded to Harriton's three goals - PSD Video by Jeremy Goode

Soon the chippiness began to grow, as several hits along the boards and fights broke out between both teams. One player on Archbishop Ryan and one player on Harriton would be disqualified for fighting and for an illegal hit in the middle of the ice.

Smith called a timeout with six minutes left in the first period to regroup. He thought the team took several poor penalties and were rattled and needed to show more poise.

Ultimately, Archbishop Ryan was shorthanded for six minutes in the first period. In the second period, Harriton was on the power play for eight of the 17 minutes.

“The first few minutes were chippy,” Archbishop Ryan forward Aronne Arehart said. “We definitely were not ready for the totality of what came at us.”

Harrition led Archbishop Ryan 3-0 after the first period.

“The penalties mostly killed us,” Lappe said. “They put in pucks to the back of the net but the penalties did the rest for them that game.”

While the Raiders faced a significant deficit going into the second period, they helped out more on defense and were able to get a few scores going into the third period. Lappe scored on an Archbishop Ryan power play with four minutes left in the period, cutting Harriton’s lead to 4-1.

After a fairly quick response by Harriton, Aronne Arehart scored the Raiders second goal with a minute left in the period, reducing Harriton’s lead to 5-2.

“I thought we started out a little slow but I think we picked it up,” Arehart said. “And their goalie did stand on their head for most of the game.”

Despite the numerous penalties, Connor Lappe was proud of Ryan's offensive response - PSD VIdeo by Jeremy Goode

Smith agreed, stating that Harriton deserved credit for its defense while the puck often just did not bounce the Raiders’ way.

“I think we had some quality chances where if we knocked a couple in we were right in the game,” Smith said. “In years past, we may have let down after going down 3-0. Now, our kids do not stop and that’s a tribute to our kids and leadership.”

Harriton was able to add another goal midway through the third period, as both teams traded shots and remained physical throughout play but not ultimately having success in getting the puck in the net.

While Archbishop Ryan came out on the short end, there were a lot of positives which Smith took away from the game.

“We did not get enough bounces tonight when we needed them but I thought we outshot them,” Smith said. “I am happy with our effort and that is a good thing always as a coach. You just want effort.”

Smith emphasized that it has been a long couple of seasons for his Raiders. In recent years, many of his units would give up with an early three goal deficit. While he was frustrated for his team after their strong response to the physical play of Harriton but were still behind, Smith is hoping this experience will build up next year’s program. He also acknowledges how far the team has come.

“We have had a long couple of seasons and this year we tallied more wins, so hopefully next year it leads to something more.”

While a few contributing seniors play their last few games in the coming weeks, Smith noted that many of Archbishop Ryan’s players are juniors, and he is excited about the jump they should take next season.

The Raiders next game is their senior night. After a hard fought game against Harriton, Lappe is emotionally and physically prepared for one last home game for the Raider’s senior class in which he believes the team can bounce back.

“You just got to stay at their physical level and I think we can get back at it and get a win.”