Great Outdoors II
Well it happened. But it happened out west. And the Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils won it. The Blue Devils won the "Ice Bowl" 2-0. Although the match received good press in the mainstream media via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review the best article about the event comes from the Pennsylvania hockey resource www.pahockey.net offering not only facts about the outdoor game but a real picture of what hockey should be all about. The www.pahockey.net entry Mt Lebanon scores first and wins over Bethel in a 'Great Night for Hockey'! can be found here.
Holy Ghost Prep Sets Goals
In a recent article celebrating Holy Ghost Prep's fifth league championship in six years the Firebirds Head Coach Steve Ivcic stated clearly what has set their team apart and enabled them to dominate in the LBCSHL. Setting goals. The setting of goals gives his team benchmarks but also incentives, it gives them another reason to work hard. It seems simple but when your expectations are to win it all, or as Head Coach Ivcic put it, "Our goal every year is to win the Commissioner’s Cup...then the Flyers Cup and then the states,” it puts an added pressure on to perform. It gives focus, intensity, and a sense of urgency. Moreover, when a program reaches a level when you can say your goal is to win championships and truly mean it year after year, you know that program is on the right track.
Flyers Cup Tournament Pool
Did you know you can do a Flyers Cup tournament pool? It has been going on for years and is available online here.
The Great Outdoors
Well it happened. But it happened out west. The Bethel Park Blackhawks and Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils will face off tonight Thursday, Feb. 28, at the South Park Ice Rink in what is being billed as an "Ice Bowl." Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League Commissioner Ed Sam was quoted on wpxi.com as saying "The PIHL is excited about the opportunity and support we've received from everyone at the County...This will be great for the high school players, and it allows the PIHL and its associations to highlight our community involvement as we donate the profits from the game to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation." Admission to the Charity Outdoor Classic is free for children under twelve, $5 for spectators thirteen and above. Proceeds will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
To Recap
Holy Ghost Prep drowned Roman Catholic 13 goals to 5 over two games to take their third LBCSHL championship in three years. The HGP dynasty proved itself again but with playmaker Nicholas Seravalli a senior will it continue? One has to think that a winning tradition will continue with their program with careful planning, good coaching, and a commitment from the school. For more information click here. Malvern Prep losses a shocker to Kennett High School 3-2 in the first round of the ICSHL playoffs before squeaking by Springfield High School 5-4. For more information click here. The big end of the year match-up between Malvern Prep and La Salle College High School was canceled due to snow and the Explorers finished their undefeated AAA season against Germantown Academy. And to bring it full circle Germantown Academy will start their 2008 Flyers Cup against defending champion Holy Ghost Prep.
LBCSHL Finals
Roman Catholic is set to play Holy Ghost Prep in the LBCSHL finals. HGP have been a LBCSHL dynasty winning four of the last five titles. RC bested HGP to start the season but both teams changed directions from there with HGP winning 11 of their next 13 games to finish 15-7-0 while Roman finished the season with back to back losses against Father Judge and Pennridge High School to finish 12-7-3. Moreover, the teams are a study in opposites as HGP sports five of the top fifteen LBCSHL scorers and league leader Nicholas Seravalli, whereas Roman has only two scorers located at the tail end of that list. Roman plays a more defensive style allowing less goals than HGP and was simply described as the Bucks County Currier Times as being "stingy." The difference between their playing styles seems to balance these teams out as HGP scored .73 more goals a game but Roman's defense has allowed .54 less goals a game.
CBA Out In NJ
Christian Brothers Academy lost to St. Augustine Prep in the Gordon Cup semi-finals by a score of 5-2. The Prep's game plan was, according to Head Coach Tim Fingerhut quoted on nj.com, "...to get the puck to the net...we knew we had to try and crash the net and get some rebounds...The bottom line is to capitalize on your chances and we did." CBA simply became frustrated and took too many penalties and St. Augustine hustled to the win.
Malvern Prep and La Salle At The Finish Line
Both Malvern Prep and La Salle College High School wrap up their regular season with a non-league match-up scheduled for today, weather permitting, and this game, whenever it is played, will say a great deal. Malvern Prep has won more AAA Flyers Cups than any other team. With eight championships, and five of those in row from 2001-2005, MP has dominated the tournament. In fact, if you google the term "Malvern Prep hockey" the Flyers Cup comes up second only after their own website. On the other hand there is La Salle College High School, the perennial contender, often voted number one in polls, a favorite to win, they have built such a strong program over the years that any team that wants to win it all has had to go through them first. It is highly likely that these teams are going to meet again and add to a rivalry that has been building for about fifteen years. The Explorers have marched through their season like a juggernaut with a current 25-1-2 record including a 7-3 victory over MP earlier in the season. The result of this game will be a preview of this years Flyers Cup, and it will say a great deal.
Playoff Nutrition
With hockey leagues going into the playoffs nutrition is going to play a key role in winning championships according to a study at the Chicago Center for Clinical Research. The study, called Working with professional athletes in the rink: the evolution of a nutrition program for an NHL team, concluded that teams which have at least a basic nutritional plan simply have healthier athletes. While that is obvious, it is something that players and coaches do not think a great deal about, and as a result few high school teams actually pay any attention to this part of their training. Nutritional programs not only effect weight and conditioning but mental acuity and prevents and heals injuries faster. The study concludes that there is a quantifiable positive result from having and enforcing a nutritional program, and that teams with such a program will have an edge over the course of a season and in the playoffs.
Neshaminy Praise
The Bucks County Courier Times recently heaped praise on Neshaminy High School goaltender Joey Mangiarcina as he blocked 49 of 52 shots against Father Judge in the opening rounds of the LBCSHL playoffs. Although Neshaminy lost to FJ 3-2, the game was 1-1 going into the third period and Mangiarcina certainly kept it close despite overwhelming odds.
Bergan Catholic Video
In one of the last big match-ups of the regular season Bergen Catholic High School defeated Don Bosco Prep in a 6-1 landslide. The victory was a much needed one pulling them above .500 in league play on way to a 6-5-5 league record. Highlight video of the contest can be found here. BC will be facing the Delbarton School in the semi-finals Wednesday, 5:45 at Aspen Ice.
Gordon Cup Is A Tradition
New Jersey's elite Gordon Cup is entering its 50th anniversary this year and according to the Star-Ledger the NJSIAA's ice hockey committee has invited members of the Livingston team that won the inaugural Gordon Cup in 1959. New Jersey's playoffs are well underway. More information can be found here.
Holy Ghost Prep Presses Onward
Although Father Judge had bested HGP early in the season the Firebirds recaptured their season, have bested Father Judge 3-0 in the playoffs, and are now set to play Roman Catholic in the LBCSHL championships. If victorious this would be their third Commissioner's Cup in a row and fourth in five ears. One can not help the feeling however that what is really on the teams agenda is a return to the Flyers Cup and a hope to repeat as AAA champions.
Pennsbury Out Of Playoffs But Into Flyers Cup
After dropping a 2-0 loss to Roman Catholic in the LBCSHL playoffs the Pennsbury Falcons are turning towards the Flyers Cup. According to The Bucks County Currier Times the Falcons were missing their top three players including team captain Ryan Gannon to injuries. The fact that Pennsbury kept the match so close, within two goals, shows just how strong their program really is. Pennsbury goalie and LBCSHL All-Star MVP Colin Fafara stopped 25 of 27 shots. While RC is a AAA level team Pennsbury will be playing in the AA Flyers Cup and should be a favorite to perform well, especially if they can recover their injured players.
ICSHL Player Featured In The Philadelphia Inquirer
Shane Lewis, goalie for the Twin Valley High School Raiders, received a full length feature in this past weeks Philadelphia Inquirer. The article covered his thoughts on how dangerous the sport of ice hockey can be, his love of race cars, and mentions his national championship run with the Quakers' 16-and-under team.
AAA Standings
La Salle College High School will finish AAA league play against Germantown Academy tomorrow February 20th. With second place rival Malvern Prep already finished with an 8-2 record the Explorers have the number one spot locked up. However, if La Salle defeats the Patriots tomorrow they will have finished league play 10-0 and finish undefeated in AAA league play for the second season in a row.
Chicago Showcase
As part of the never ending professionalization of youth sports tryouts for the Chicago Showcase are being held next month. The Sun-Sentinal recently referred to the event as "arguably hockey's single most important recruiting vehicle for high school players." The reasoning behind this includes the large number of scouts congregated in one place and the all-star like atmosphere of the teams sent. According to the SHSHL the tournament "typically attracts between 200 and 300 scouts from Junior, Division I, Division III, and Professional Hockey." Simply by making a regional squad a player has distinguished themselves through talent and commitment. Playing in a tournament such as this is not a sure fire way to make it to college hockey, but it is definitely something for a player to consider if they want to play in college.
Old Time Hockey, Quakertown Versus Hatboro-Horsham
In a contest described as "highly-physical," and "anger-fueled," by the Intelligencer, Quakertown defeated Hatboro-Horsham in a contest of "scrums," and "penalites." The game may have been rough but the winning goal was pretty. Quakertown's Ryan Henderson faked a slapshot, toe-dragged the puck, and deked to win.
We Are Not Alone
If you have ever had a gripe about how "things" are done with seedings, playoffs, schedules, et cetera you can take heart that hockey is not alone. A recent article in the Bucks County Currier Times ripped local basketball in a very pithy way. Although the sport may be different the complaints sound similar if not the same.
ICSHL Video Highlights
Father Judge Ends On High Note
Winning five of their last six league games Father Judge ended the regular season with a 7-3-0 record and has tied for third in AAA standings. According to the ICSHL website through nine games FJ had 44 goals for, the fourth highest, and 29 goals against, the fourth lowest. Although forward standout Ryan Patch accounted for about a quarter of those goals Father Judge likes to spread the puck around and offense can come from any player at any time. Moreover, with victories against Malvern Prep and Holy Ghost Prep the Crusaders have proven that they can win against other Flyers Cup teams and are a definite contender to go far into this years tournament.
Ryan Gunderson ECHL All-Star
The former Holy Ghost Prep player and current ECHL Trenton Devils rookie denfensemen was named to the 2008 All-Star game held in Stockton California. Gunderson leads Devils defensemen and all ECHL rookie defensemen in points with four goals and 31 assists. Two side notes; the Trenton Devils practice at Grundy which was Gunderson's high school stomping grounds; the 2009 ECHL All-Star game will be held close to home at the Sovereign Center in Reading, PA. The Sovereign Center is the home rink of the ECHL Reading Royals.
La Salle College High School Moves To First
La Salle College High School has advanced in team standings and, through Adam Berkle, in individual standings. With four goals and three assists against Archbishop Ryan Berkle surpassed HGP forward Nicholas Seravalli to take the AAA scoring lead with 29 points. HGP has concluded league play and with no other players within striking distance it looks like Berkle will hold the lead. More importantly for La Salle their 9-2 victory against the Raiders has put them over Malvern Prep with a 9-0 record and mathematically locked first place in AAA. La Salle still has one league game left to play in the regular season against long standing rival Germantown Academy.
Marple-Newtown Bulletin
A full feature is being offered as a valentine to the Marple-Newtown High School ice hockey club in The Bulletin. The A level program is covered in detail including their tough schedule, their reliance on head blueliner Matt Taxin, and the teams emergence as perennial contender since Head Coach Buzz Wienckowski took the helm. Coach Wienckowski compared the teams schedule to Big East basketball stating a tough schedule strengthens a team and noted that they expect to make a mark in the Flyers Cup this year.
Hockey Week Across Philadelphia
In case you missed it this entire week was declared "Hockey Week Across Philadelphia" by newly installed Mayor Michael A Nutter. According to the Philadelphia Flyers website "USA Hockey is leading the hockey community in a nationwide celebration of the sport in the first-ever Hockey Weekend Across America, which will run from February 15-17, 2008. In conjunction with USA Hockey, the Philadelphia Flyers and Phantoms are supporting this effort with a week of scheduled events across the region to raise public awareness of the sport and provide opportunities for those who have not played hockey to try it." There are events scheduled for the entire week and a photo contest. More information is available on the Flyers website.
AAA Point Leaders
Nicholas Seravalli is currently in the lead with 25 points. The Holy Ghost Prep forward has 14 goals and 11 assists in 10 games. However, La Salle College High School forward Adam Berkle is a close second with 8 goals and 14 assists through 8 games. It is just possible he may take that lead before the Explorers season is over.
Dan Wrensen Injury
Middletown North High School junior Dan Wrensen is back playing hockey after suffering a broken neck and undergoing surgery to repair the damage. Since crashing on a dirt bike last summer Wrensen wore a neck brace and eventually made the decision to have surgery telling his doctors to "cut me open." He has played 19 games this season with 19 shots 4 goals and 5 assists.
Defensemen Receive Praise In The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger on nj.com has heaped praise on the role defensemen play in high school hockey noting that they "shoulder much of a team's hopes in the state playoffs and cup tournaments," while receiving great blame when things go wrong and little credit when things go right. It was explained that having one or two particularly strong defensemen can control a game much in the way having a star goalie would. St. Peter's Prep Head Coach Joe Maione went one step farther saying, "I think it's the hardest position to play..."
Realignment and Jurisdiction
A constant conversation piece in the hockey community is the alignment of high school teams, leagues, conferences, divisions et al. Internet chatter has proposed a myriad of solutions most of which are simple examples of tinkering by geography and student population. The problem with these ideas are that many teams would rather not play the schedules required by these proposals. Non-league games against non-Philadelphia area programs are key for many teams, Pennsbury High School, La Salle College High School, Malvern Prep, and Germantown Academy are a few examples. In addition it is likely that this will have an impact on teams that play, and like to play, crossover games. The concept of local rivalry based on geography is dead. It could be suggested that rivalry now exists based on playing level and strength of programs, not by what school is in the next town over. Geography is simply not the best predictor of good competition. However, as always an argument could be made that allowing the PIAA to finally take jurisdiction, as they will soon do over high school lacrosse, would bring the sense of balance being searched for and allow the sport to grow.
Radnor High School Girls Hockey Interview
Tom Petrondi, head coach of the girls Radnor High School ice hockey team, was recently featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer Student Spotlight section. The piece was in the form of a question and answer session and covered the growth of girls hockey in the Philadelphia area, some of the differences between boys and girls hockey, and Head Coach Petrondi's coaching and playing experience.
Bayard Rustin High School Puts It On Net
Bayard Rustin High School tied Kennet High School as the two teams sea-sawed through three periods of play. Kennet built an early two goal lead by simply firing the puck at the net. Proving again the idea that good things happen when you put it on net. Both teams seemed happy with the tie, as BR Head Coach Nick Russo told dailylocal.com, “we’ve had a lot of games in a short amount of time...we’ll take a point any time we can get one.”
Delbarton High School Takes Gordon Conference Lead
With victories like their 8-1 trouncing of St. Peter's Prep The Delbarton School has passed Christian Brothers Academy to take the lead in New Jersey's elite Gordon Conference.
Brick Township Battles Towards Playoffs
Brick Township High School player James Murphy did what every coach has told their team to do at one time or another. Throw the puck at the net. Murphy did it and it went in. As a result he wrested a loss and created a tie with just fourteen seconds left to play. "I just threw it there to throw it there,'' Murphy said. With that goal Brick Township High School moved closer to the playoffs, at the helm is New Jersey's all time coaching win leader Bob Auriemma, and his team obviously listens to what he says.
Pennridge On Winning Streak
Entering the playoffs Pennridge High School is on an eight game winning streak. While credit usually shoots to what has been referred to as the two headed monster of Harrison Welch and A.J. Moyer, The Intelligencer recently anointed the teams defensive play as key. Indeed, with the rest of the team having few penalties, adding a smattering of goals, and smothering the opposing teams Pennridge has climbed the standings. They unabashedly play the trap and as scorer A.J. Moyer put it opposing teams, "... just didn't know what to do against the trap..."
Hun School Has Tough Times
The Times on nj.com recently covered a Holy Ghost Prep versus the Hun School contest which featured a mostly junior varsity HGP squad, a Hun team in need of a new crop of freshman, and a 1-0 nothing score. The article noted that Hun lost eight players form last year and that all of them were upperclassmen.
LBCSHL Playoffs HGP and Pennsbury Favorites
The Bucks County Currier Times continued its regular coverage of local high school hockey with a recent article on the LBCSHL playoffs. Although the title of the piece declared the lower bucks second season to be a wide open affair the favorites for the championship are clearly Holy Ghost Prep and Pennsbury High School. HGP has won four out of the last five championships and has built a real LBCSHL dynasty. What is more impressive than the championships they have won however is the program they have built. Any team can win a game on any given night, but it takes an actual program to be perennially strong and a favorite to win every night. After a slow start HGP finished with a 15-7 league record and in second place behind Pennsbury High School. The Falcons finished in first with an 18-3-1 record and tough to beat 4.18 goals for and 1.68 goals against. They do however enter the playoffs with injuries in their top line. Pennsbury relies on that line heavily and as the Falcons Head Coach John Bria put it, “The kids stepped up to fill the void...Nobody's going to replace Barnes and Gannon, but they have stepped up." Both Holy Ghost Prep and Pennsbury High School had first round byes.
Neckguards In High School Hockey / Richard Zednik
Few high school players wear neck guards. And many leagues do not even require one. As a full contact sport ice hockey should be treated with the respect and caution it deserves. There are many types of neck guards available today and surely there is one out there that would suit every player. Even the old trick of wearing the top of a turtle neck sweater would be better than nothing. The recent accident with NHL Florida Panther Richard Zednik has brought the importance of sport safety to the forefront again. It is very easy to loss amongst the fun and hard work of athletics that there is a certain amount of danger. It is possible to send Mr. Zednik your support on the Florida Panthers website. More information on the incident and the sport safety talk involved can be found here and here.
LBCSHL Mercy Rule
The LBCSHL Coaches Code of Conduct and Responsibilities enforces a mercy rule, or as it is called by the league an eight goal non-embarrassment rule, stating that "when a team goes up by eight or more goals, the team that is in the lead is expected to go into a numbered passing drill type of offense or other drill." The point of a mercy rule is to end an unfair or potentially humiliating contest. While it does not look like any team this year has had to do this in the LBCSHL, and it would be difficult to prove that a team did or did not abide by this rule, one has to wonder if playing keep away betrays the sense of compassion mentioned in the LBCSHL's codicils. Is it not better to simply end the game at some point?
Philadelphia Invitational Tournament
It would be very interesting if a tournament was held in Philadelphia. A big tournament. The kind of thing that would equal the likes of the Meadville Tournament, the McMichigan Cup Tournament, the Empire Cup, the Mount St. Charles Tournament, or the Nike Bauer National Invitational Tournament. Something that had all the flavor and excitement of the Minnesota State Tournament, tradition that continues year after year, and something the mainstream Philadelphia press would have to cover. Why not invite the previous years state champions from Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland? Call it the Atlantic Cup and throw in one or two local teams as hosts. That would be exciting.
Conestoga Bulletin
The Pioneers were recently praised by The Bulletin as an excellently balanced machine. As part of a game listing, Conestoga High School vs. Downingtown East Friday, 6 p.m. at Ice Line, The Bulletin noted that Conestoga has the third-highest goals at 78 coupled with the second-fewest goals allowed at 32. The match-up is part of a tense race in the ICSHL Varsity standings between Perkiomen Valley, Strath Haven, Conestoga, Methacton, and WC Henderson.
Holy Ghost Prep Did Something Different In The Second Half
Holy Ghost Prep finished exactly .500 in the AAA standings. Five wins, five losses, forty-three goals for, forty-three goals against, and exactly ten points. However, in the first half of the season they went 2-3 with an average of 4.4 goals for and five goals against a game. The second half featured a 3-2 record with an average of 4.2 goals a game but a much lower 3.6 goals against. With 43 goals scored it looks like HGP never had a problem putting it in the net, in fact most of the games in the first half were close high scoring affairs, but in the second half of the season goals and even the number of shots taken on HGP dropped. Simply put when they clamped down defensively they created more chances to win.
PA VS NJ 2
On the other hand, it might be that there is no hockey gap between Pennsylvania and New Jersey. As stated before top team versus top team competition is circa .500 between the two states and without a broader range of teams to look at, A and AA, it would be truly difficult to make an informed opinion. Maybe the feeling that New Jersey has an edge comes from the recent realization that such good talent now exists, or has always existed, just on the other side of the river.
High School Hockey On The Radio
Holy Ghost Prep is facing off against the Princeton Day School this Friday in non-league play. Not only is this an interesting rematch for PDS, they lost to HGP early in the year, but the game will broadcast at 3:45 on 1490-WBCB. This Friday will be a hockey smörgåsbord as the HGP vs. PDS game will be turned into a radio double header with Council Rock North vs. Abington following at 8:30. This second game is part of the standings race in the SHSHL with Council Rock North trying to close in on division rival Pennsbury.
PA VS NJ
One can not but help get the feeling that Pennsylvania is seriously behind the curve against New Jersey. Looking at the current number one in the AAA Philadelphia standings, Malvern Prep, their record against New Jersey teams is 0-1-1 this season. Current number two La Salle College High School is 1-1-2. Although these are examples of top teams playing top teams, and one would expect a circa .500 winning percentage in that case, you can not help but feel that New Jersey has an edge. The population of New Jersey is smaller than Pennsylvania and the amount of youth under 18 is very similar so it is not a matter of numbers. The median income level for New Jersey is slightly higher than Pennsylvania which could be a factor, however, according to an undocumented team count from wikipedia.com Pennsylvania has about 60 more high school teams than New Jersey. One commentator recently suggested that there is an inability to attract and keep good coaches in Pennsylvania. It was suggested that PIAA accreditation could help remedy the problem, and that it was not a difference in playing ability that was creating this gap but rather a difference in team play.
Haverford High School And EHSHL Standings
It is very possible that Haverford High School will be the only AA EHSHL team with a winning record. Out of the five AA teams they are currently the only team with a winning record although Ridley High School could make the jump with two games left (Ridley is also the only EHSHL AA team to beat Haverford). The EHSHL AA teams have some very interesting scores since they play a large number of crossover games with A and AAA level teams. For example Haverford lost to both AAA Cardinal O'Hara and A Marple-Newtown but defeated The Haverford School and 76% of their other match-ups.
Skating Characteristics of NHL Forwards
A study of NHL forwards found that they "spend most of their time on the ice gliding on two feet interspersed with cruise strides, medium intensity skating and struggling for the puck or position. They spent equal amounts of time skating at a high intensity and skating backward. They turned left more than right. High point scorers glided on two feet with the puck more than low point scorers, conversely low point scorers had more occurrences of backward to forward skating," ironically what this means for high school players is that perhaps they have to do the exact opposite. They have to do what every good high school coach tells their players to do... move their feet. If high school players coast or glide on the ice they do not have the leg strength to cover an area as quickly as professionals do. How many times has a coach had to battle with bad habits formed by emulating a style of play that simply does not work at this age level? At the high school level what this study confirms is that players need to work on their conditioning, leg strength, and skating style if they want to be able to someday cover the ice as well the pros do.
Stanley Cup At The Delbarton School
George Parros of the NHL Anaheim Ducks, formerly of the Delbarton School Green Wave, and now a Stanley Cup winner recently took the cup on a victory lap to his high school. Born in Washington, PA Parros played his high school hockey at the Delbarton School before moving on to Princeton University, the AHL, and eventually the NHL. A photo gallery of Parros bringing the Stanley Cup to his high school can be found here.
Gordon Conference
New Jersey juggernauts the Delbarton School and Christian Brothers Academy are on a race for first. Delbarton is in second with a 11-1-1 league record chasing a 12-1-2 CBA leader. Both teams are on a winning streak (Delbarton 13, CBA 5) and both teams have bested some great talent this year, as a matter of course in Gordon Conference play, and in non-league play, although Delbarton has played more teams from out of the tri-state area. With a handful of league games left it is possible Delbarton could close the three point gap in the standings. The race for first only intensifies the meeting between the Delbarton School and Christian Brothers Academy as they play this Saturday February 9th, 4:30pm at Aspen Ice, Randolph NJ.
| Del | Ran - Aspen Ice, Randolph | ||||||||||
LSCHS Head Coach Wally Muehlbronner
According to LSCHS Head Coach Wally Muehlbronner this contest was canceled due to a number of La Salle players committed to an NAHL Showcase in Ann Arbor. He expressed disappointment at not being able to reschedule the event and noted that the Lawrenceville School tried very hard to reschedule and should be credited for their efforts. He also noted that the two teams have had a long standing relationship and that it will continue in the future. It would have been a great game for tri-state hockey had it been possible to reschedule.
Games Missing From LSCHS Schedule
The Lawrenceville School La Salle College High School match-up has been dropped from the Explorers schedule so it looks like the game is definitely off. Interestingly the Empire Cup tournament has also been dropped from their schedule. La Salle had this prestigious event listed on their schedule until very recently. It is worth noting however that the Explorers did defeat two out of the eight teams participating.
Absences Blamed For O'Hara Loss
In a recent delcotimes.com article Cardinal O'Hara Head Coach Bill Swahl blamed absent Lions from the lineup as the reason behind the loss stating, "We had some big players out of the lineup and that hurts when you play a good team like Malvern." O'Hara is a good team too, who up until the final games of this season was competing with MP in the standings. They will get their chance against Malvern again in the Flyers Cup.
Monsignor Donovan Takes Hold of Division
Monsignor Donovan High School, who in recent years has been feeding players directly to the University of Scranton ice hockey program, declared their dominance of the Shore A South Division in New Jersey's Shore Conference with a 7-3 win over Middletown North. MD seems poised for a playoff run in NJ.
Christian Brothers Academy, Again
The Star-Ledger named Matt Jensen their high school hockey player of the week. The Christian Brothers Academy senior forward is part of the growing trend of great hockey in the state of New Jersey. Simply put the Philadelphia area can not ignore what is going on across the river any longer.
Holy Ghost Prep Blasphemy In The Times
The Courier Times recently wrote that part of the Roman Catholic faith was being served on a bun. What they meant to do was say once again how well Nick Seravalli and the entire Holy Ghost Prep hockey team is doing. HGP recently defeated up-and-coming Pennsbury High School 6-0 in what was perhaps the biggest game of the year in the LBCSHL. According to the score sheet the game never got out of hand for HGP as they tallied 2 goals a period. Although Pennsbury did outshoot them and once goalie Corey Chapin took the ice in the third period the scoring fest died out. Pennsbury is leading the LBCSHL but Holy Ghost Prep is a true AAA team, and as such it is no wonder that they could out muscle the Falcons who play more of a finesse game and rely heavily on their top line. Holy Ghost Prep is a team that obviously is going in the right direction as a program and one hopes they can sustain it over time, but frankly, despite the loss, so is Pennsbury.
West Chester Native Joins NCAA
Two things make Jamie Nudy's commitment to Bentley College and their NCAA division 1 program interesting. One, for some reason the Philadelphia Inquirer thought this was the most important non-professional hockey story of the new year. The Inquirer has to believe this because it is the only non-professional hockey story they have published so far in 2008. If you stop to think about it there are many many many stories the mainstream Philly media could be following this season. La Salle's undefeated streak and its subsequent demise, perhaps coverage of the always improving NCAA division 3 team right in there own backyard, or even just doing a good job of posting the high school standings. The other item is that Nudy left the area to play hockey at Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut. Choate is a great school, but you do not need to attend or play at Choate to get into Bentley College. There are plenty of high schools and prep schools who could have gotten the job done, both in academics and athletics, right here in the tri-state area. With programs such as Malvern Prep, Holy Ghost Prep, La Salle College High School, Wyoming Seminary, the Lawrenceville School, The Hill School, Christian Brothers Academy, the Delbarton School, Don Bosco Prep, Shady Side Academy, and et cetera you can play locally and get the kind of exposure you used to need to move north for.
Cardinal O'Hara Goalies
Cardinal O'Hara is moving into the post season with their backup goalie. At least dailylocal.com named Zamonski the backup goalie but after starting the Lions past three league games one would think he is now the de facto starter. Moreover, the numbers between O'Hara keepers Zamonski and Murray are fairly similar, except for the fact that Zamonski has faced more shots despite playing one less game than Murray. There is also the little matter of Zamonski's large goals against but when 63% of your matchups are against Malvern Prep and La Salle College High School you have to assume the puck is going to find the net.
La Salle Vs. Lawrenceville Postponed?
The Lawrenceville School ice hockey team has listed their February 16th match-up against La Salle College High School as "POSTPONED," on their schedule.
Jake Kornblatt To Break 100 Points
New Jersey native Jake Kornblatt is going to break 100 points for his career and he is going to do it very soon. He plays for Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School and currently has 53 goals and 45 assists. He has pulled his team to a 10-5-1 record. He is looking to climb the Shore Conference standings. And with four games left in the Bulldogs regular season he is going to break 100 points, and he is going to do it very soon.
Malvern Prep Malvern Prep Malvern Prep
Malvern Prep bested Cardinal O'Hara to temporarily regain the top spot in AAA standings. The high scoring contest featured the rare penalty shot by MP forward Christopher Putsch which he netted against backup O'Hara goalie Ted Zamonski. With 2 of the Lions goals coming in the final minutes of play the 6-4 loss for O'Hara was really a 6-2 win as far as MP is concerned. Their spot in the standings however is tenuous. With a 7-2 record and a game against resurgent Holy Ghost Prep tonight MP will end either 8-2 or 7-3. The problem is O'Hara, La Salle, and Father Judge have games in hand to reach Malvern in the standings. A big part of this race is tonights contest between MP and HGP which amazingly will be played on 1490 WBCB tonight at 9pm.
Hatboro-Horsham Hands Plymouth Whitemarsh A Losing Record
The loss by PW puts them one notch below .500 in league play and solidifies Hatboro-Horsham's second place spot in the SHSHL Varsity American Division standings. The Intelligencer reports that Seth Hibbs was the playmaker of the day with two assists while the box score shows team points leader Mark Walker added another goal to his tally. Of particular, but unmentioned note, was the play of Hatboro-Horsham netminder Dan Sullivan with 27 saves and one goal against for the night.
Grimes Not In The Times
Archbishop Wood goalie Frank Grimes has been getting all sorts of press lately, to the point where journalists are trying to make claims that they found him first (See this Intelligencer article). The point being made is that Grimes is a freshman, that Grimes is playing ungodly amounts of minutes, and that Grimes is the future of the AW.
Study Shows Off-Ice Fitness Tests Directly Correlate to On-Ice Numbers
A study at Canadian Acadia University has shown that off-ice fitness tests directly correlate to on-ice performance. The experiments were conducted using volunteer AA and AAA players ages 15-22 and compared scores and times for a 35-m skating sprint and turning and cornering tests against an off-ice compilation of 30-m sprints, vertical jumps, broad jumps, 3 hop jumps, Edgren side shuffles, Hexagon agility tests, side support tests, push-ups, and a 15-second modified Wingate. The experimenters concluded: "These data indicate that coaches should include horizontal power tests of off-ice sprint and 3 hop jump to adequately assess skating ability. To improve on-ice skating performance and cornering ability, coaches should also focus on the development of horizontal power through specific off-ice training, although future research will determine whether off-ice improvements in horizontal power directly transfer to improvements in on-ice skating." Everyone knows that off-ice conditioning is paramount to creating a dominant program but it seems unlikely that enough coaches are using off-ice conditioning to create skill assessments of their players.
CBA Defeats LSCHS
Christian Brothers Academy handed La Salle College High School their first defeat of the season with a score of 5-2. The New Jersey High School Hockey forum had posted the score by 11:25pm that night. CBA scored two unanswered goals in the first period and added one more to make it 3-0 midway through the second before La Salle got on the board. La Salle made it 3-2 at the start of the third but CBA added a fourth goal six minutes later. Head Coach Wally Muehlbronner pulled the Explorers goalie in the closing minutes to generate offense but the classic gamble ended in an empty net goal. In the end 5-2 is just as good as 1-0 as La Salle is no longer undefeated. On the one hand CBA is a great team, and since it seems unlikely that you can go through an entire hockey season undefeated, it makes sense that La Salle could lose to CBA. This is also indicative of just how good New Jersey hockey now is. CBA is leading the elite Gordon Conference and is currently ranked third in New Jersey according to ushsho.com, La Salle is currently ranked number one in Eastern Pennsylvania and leads the ICSHL AAA league. This game screams for scheduling an ad-hoc re-match before the season ends.
High School Hockey Realignment Proposal Chatter
Internet chatter has supposed that there could be a realignment in the way leagues and divisions are formed. The supposition is that teams could be arranged into geographic divisions more like professional hockey. This could work at the AA and A level since these teams are lumped into one category now as it is and few teams at that level play an extensive non-league schedule. AAA teams, however, may balk at what has been suggested. Namely because divisional play would require more games. A suggested 18 game schedule will not work because teams like La Salle and Malvern play a more extensive non-league schedule and would not want more than the 10 league games they currently play. They want those dates to travel and play a tougher non-league schedule.
The Hockey Landscape Changes All The Time
La Salle College High School is playing New Jersey league leading Christian Brothers Academy this afternoon, at the same time Holy Ghost Prep will be looking to add a victory against Germantown Academy. Later tonight Malvern Prep will be playing AAA rival Cardinal O'Hara as part of the growing battle over post-season seeding. Tomorrow the hockey landscape could look a lot different.
Hockey, Soccer, And Coaching at HGP
Holy Ghost Prep has found a new soccer coach. What does this have to do with hockey? Nothing. But the new soccer coach is a former HGP soccer player. Granted Chris Fehrle was a star athlete at HGP and went on to play professionally. To emulate that kind of personal success is rare, however, the point in question here is this, to get good coaches you need to retain your local talent. Philadelphia hockey needs to transition more young players to eventually coaching. Too often there are parents or sub-par coaches at the helm because organizations have not retained this talent. Getting former local players to return after college and coach would be a real boon of experience and knowledge for our hockey community.
LBCSHL Playoffs
The LBCSHL has announced their playoff schedule. Most likely Pennsbury High School will take first place in the seeding with second being a toss-up between Holy Ghost Prep and Roman Catholic. HGP has balanced their play since an early season shellacking by Roman 7-1 and have regained some of their Flyers Cup championship form. Roman on the other hand has cooled from their fast start and recently were shocked by Germantown Academy 2-2. A PDF of the LBCSHL playoff seeding is available here.
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