Photos: Zack Beavers
BY JEREMY GOODE
BRISTOL, PA--Better to be late to the party than to never be let in, just ask Holy Ghost Prep hockey.
La Salle has plenty of APAC Founders Cup Championships. Malvern Prep has a few. St. Joseph’s Prep was won the trophy. Holy Ghost Prep on the other hand… nothing.
Until now.
Holy Ghost Prep got the monkey off their backs, defeating La Salle in the APAC Founders Cup championship game 6-4, on Wed., Feb. 26 at Grundy Ice in Bristol, Pa.
“I knew what we had on paper, but I know we had a very skilled team last year that for one reason or another did not work out,” Holy Ghost Prep head coach John Ritchie (’06) said. “I knew going into the year we had a chance, but credit to the kids because they’re the ones who have pulled this together.”
Holy Ghost Prep vs. La Salle - 2025 APAC Championship Gallery by PSD's Zack Beavers
This is Ritchie’s second year as the leader for the Holy Ghost Prep Firebirds. Last year, he came in to replace the prominent coach Gump Whiteside. During Whiteside’s last year as head coach, Holy Ghost Prep had a strong team, but they always finished second to La Salle, who won APAC and the Flyers Cup. They just caught La Salle at a bad time with how deep their team was.
Last year, according to Ritchie, the team was still trying to figure themselves out deep in the season. They lost in the semifinals round of APAC to… La Salle, 3-1. They later participated in the Flyers Cup, only to fall to… La Salle, this time 5-2.
So, La Salle certainly has had Holy Ghost Prep’s number over recent years. That would change this year.
In the two regular season games Holy Ghost Prep played La Salle this year, they came out victorious. In early November they traveled to La Salle and beat them 3-1. A. month later, the same thing, this time, with Holy Ghost Prep securing a 6-4 victory.
Going into the APAC championship, Ritchie and his team had two examples of getting the better of La Salle. They just needed to do so one more time.
In every sport, they say beating a team three times in a year is a challenge, especially if the third time is a playoff or championship game. In fact, La Salle also has a decades-long track record for of dominating at the end of every year.
Holy Ghost Prep? Not so much. A good team as well over the years, sure, but nothing physical to show for it in league play.
“The only time that this school has touched that trophy is when it was picked up from the store,” Ritchie said. “We’re the only team outside of Hun who have not won. So, it was important for this group to get over that hump and get away from the past of some disappointments.”
You could not ask for a better start from Holy Ghost Prep.
Leading goal scorer Brady Logue kicked the scoring off with a goal in front of an open after La Salle was unable to recover from rapid puck movement five minutes in. Holy Ghost Prep continued to add pressure in front of La Salle’s goal.
And four minutes later, Colin Bara knocked in a goal in front of the net after a flare of activity in front of La Salle’s goal. With four minutes left in the first period, shorthanded, Holy Ghost Prep added another goal, as Brian Kinniry scored off a rebound in front of goal.
When asked if he envisioned a start like that, captain Ryan Lippy was quite candid.
“I did not, it surprised me,” Lippy said. “ A lot of our goals were crash into the net hard, nothing too fancy [from our forwards]. That’s exactly what they’re there for. Get in front of the net and finish those dirty goals.”
Just like in years past, La Salle would not fold. They scored two goals in the second period to trail 3-2 heading into the third. Michael Esmond skated in without any contest to score La Salle’s first goal with 9:41 remaining in the second. Nole Donahue added their second goal 94 seconds later, making it a game. Cam Ross tied the game just over two minutes into the third period at three.
Holy Ghost Prep responded two minutes later, as Joe Kaufmann skated in to score, reclaiming the lead for Holy Ghost Prep. Logue scored his second a few minutes later, and then Kinniry scored an open net goal with 1:36 left to officially put the game out of reach.
Ryan Lippy on Winning HOLY GHOST PREP'S first APAC Championship. (VIDEO/ JEREMY GOODE)
Joe Kaufmann on What Made this HOLY GHOST PREP Team Special. (VIDEO JEREMY GOODE)
“We did not play great second period, but we knew whoever won the third period was going to win the game, and those were the biggest 17 minutes of our season,” Kaufmann said.
The Firebirds overcame a lot, even the day of the game. Several players were sick; some were able to play through and others could not get out of bed. They also had been playing for a full season and had tired legs. Still, they overcame the obstacles.
It is a big hurdle that Holy Ghost Prep was able to jump over. The talent has been there for years, but one thing that echoed throughout the team and what made this year’s unit different was the culture.
Holy Ghost Prep Celebrates with the Trophy
“This year, we were part of a team, there were not any cliques,” Kaufmann said. “Two years ago, I feel like we weren’t really together.”
While this is only Ritchie’s second year at the helm, he also believes the strength of his team is the culture and togetherness.
“They’re all one group. I look through that locker room and there are no cliques, nobody feels ostracized. They’re all bought in for one another,” Ritchie said. “When you are playing for your friend versus just a hockey player next to you, you find that extra effort.”