BRISTOL, PA – A top seeded team and a quickly developing nor’easter proved to be no match for St. Joseph’s Prep hockey team Tuesday evening, as the Hawks had an unwavering mission to take home their first ever Flyers Cup.
Final Seconds of the game & 2018 Flyers Cup trophy presentation
Holy Ghost Prep, the number one ranked team in the AAA Flyers Cup bracket, hosted the Hawks on their home rink of the Grundy Ice Arena for the 39th annual Flyers Cup Championship. The threat of snow welcomed the players and fans to the arrival of spring and forced the game to be moved up from Wednesday night in Hatfield to Tuesday evening in Bristol.
From the onset, St. Joe’s Prep faced an uphill battle. The Holy Ghost faithful packed the stands, as the game seemed tilted in the Firebird’s favor from the opening face-off. Two early St. Joe’s Prep penalties kept the team on their heels. It was not until a boarding call against Holy Ghost late in the first period that turned the momentum in favor of the Hawks.
St. Joe’s Prep connected on their power play in the dying seconds of the period with a goal from senior Ronan Egan off an assist from senior captain Tyler Black.
The Hawks kept on the attack throughout the second period. Holy Ghost’s defense and the exceptional goaltending of Tristan Devine helped the Firebirds battle through two consecutive St. Joe’s Prep power plays. The Firebirds, however, could not hold off a third Hawk’s power play.
St. Joe’s Prep capped a dominant second period with an unassisted goal from AAA leading scorer and Bobby Clarke award recipient, Conor Ryan. Ryan snagged a stolen puck down low and sailed it in the back of the net to give the Hawk’s a 2-0 lead at the end of the period.
Fueled by their home crowd, Holy Ghost roared out in the third period but gave up a breakaway after having an early run in their offensive zone. St. Joe’s Prep did not convert off the breakaway, but Egan swept up the rebound and dished a pass to fellow senior Marc Colavita who scored. After tallying the Hawk’s third goal, Colavita emphatically celebrated by pumping up the St. Joseph’s Prep supporters who braved the weather to attend the championship.
It was not long after the Hawk’s third goal that Holy Ghost finally got a grip on the game. Max Massari scored the Firebird’s first goal, with Luke Aquaro and Casey Buck both getting the helpers. Holy Ghost continued to battle back. With just under five minutes remaining in the game, Tim Wolfe cut through the Hawk’s defense and potted one behind St. Joe’s Prep goalie Troy Stefano.
Holy Ghost kept up the pressure and pulled their goalie in the final minute to attempt to tie the game. Instead, Colavita iced the game for St. Joe’s Prep with a long goal that sailed straight into the empty net to propel the Hawks to a 4-2 victory.
Thirty seconds later, the celebration commenced.
The St. Joseph’s Prep Hawks flooded the ice as fans and parents filled the bench to get a closer view of the trophy presentation.
“It was unreal,” said Black, reflecting on the game. “There are really no other words.”
SJP Head Coach Dave Giacomin talks about the Hawk's first-ever Flyers Cup championship title:
Seniors #26 Nicholas Urbani, #18 Tyler Black & #12 Conor Ryan are at a loss of words after making school history winning the 2018 Flyers Cup
The Hawks held up fallen teammate #14 Sal DiNuble’s jersey in his memory during post-game team photos. – PSD Photo by Matt Maratea
2018 Flyers Cup Photo Gallery by PSD's Matt Maratea
PSD Photos by Matt Maratea
“This is school history, it’s absolutely crazy,” said Egan.
St. Joe’s Prep head coach David Giacomin echoed his senior captains’ statements.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Giacomin. “Our program has grown by leaps and bounds, and we’re just so thrilled to finish it off with some of these seniors. It’s just so exciting.”
After the Hawk’s celebration dwindles, the team will return to practice to prepare for the state championship this Saturday, March 24. St. Joe’s Prep will take the ice against Seneca Valley, the winner of the 2018 AAA Penguins Cup. The game will take place at the Ice Line Quad Rinks in West Chester at 4:00 p.m.