March 29, 2000 Pennsbury took a 13-11-3 record into the Flyers Cup Class A final last night against a Strath Haven team that had won 13 consecutive games. The Falcons held off a furious Strath Haven charge in the closing seconds to pull out a 3-2 victory at the Grundy Recreation Center in Bristol Borough. It is the school’s first Flyers Cup Class A championship since 1993. Pennsbury relied on the brilliant goaltending of junior John Zdunkiewicz in advancing to the Class A state title game, in which it will face Penguins Cup champion Serra Catholic on Saturday at the Pittsburgh Mellon Arena. The game had one frightening moment, with 1 minute, and 16 seconds remaining. Strath Haven’s Ryan Kitts was checked against the boards and fell to the ice, where he lay for about 20 minutes. He was able to move his arms and legs but complained of neck […]

March 26, 2000 Two seasons ago, when he was cut from La Salle’s top-level varsity hockey team, Joe Mastronardo nearly gave up the game he loved. “It almost made me quit hockey,” Mastronardo said. “I really didn’t know if I wanted to play the game anymore. I was pretty bitter. I was depressed for quite a while.”Last year, as a junior, the goalie again fell victim to a numbers game. He finished third in a battle with returning senior starter Justin Levin and fellow junior Greg Molchen. Though disappointed, Mastronardo helped La Salle II, the Explorers’ other varsity squad, win the Class AA Flyers Cup. He stopped 16 shots in a 3-0 win over Holy Ghost Prep in the championship game. The 5-foot-7, 150-pound Mastronardo shared the goaltending duties most of this season with Molchen. However, La Salle coach Wally Muehlbronner tabbed Mastronardo as the squad’s No. 1 goalie for […]

March 22, 2000 Each year, Archbishop Carroll attracts new youngsters to the ice hockey program and each season the Patriots make strides toward winning championships. This year, Carroll reached a new high when the Patriots earned a spot in the Flyers Cup Class AA final with a 5-3 win over Warwick last night at Ice Line. Next Wednesday, Carroll will play the winner of the other semifinal game between William Tennent and Eastern Regional of South Jersey for the Flyers Cup title. The last Carroll team that went to the Flyers Cup was that of 1990, then a Class A program.Carroll has not won the Flyers Cup since 1978-79. As far as Pats coach Bill Hammond is aware, no Carroll team has ever posted a 19-5-2 overall record. Much of Carroll’s success this season has been due to the steady goaltending of juniors Sal Tecce and Sean Austermehle, who were […]

March 15, 2000 Questions will be answered for the area’s hockey hopefuls, such as Conwell-Egan, La Salle, GA, and Council Rock. Questions abound as the 21st annual Flyers Cup tournament opens for area ice hockey teams: Can Conwell-Egan, the defending Class AAA champion, put aside the turmoil associated with a late-season coaching change and repeat last year’s title? Can La Salle, which claimed crowns in 1996 and ’98, find a way to defeat two of the top contenders in the AAA bracket? The Explorers will likely need wins over Cardinal O’Hara and Malvern Prep to reach the AAA final, scheduled for March 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the First Union Spectrum. Can Germantown Academy pro- vide retiring head coach John Ioia, the Patriots’ 17-year boss, with the perfect going-away present? Does Council Rock, the Suburban High School Hockey League’s other qualifier, have what it takes to bring home its first […]

March 21, 2000 HAVERTOWN- Maybe La Salle should avoid the bye more often in the Flyers Cup hockey tournament. It seems to work better for the Explorers, who advanced to the Class AAA semifinals with a dominating 6-2 victory over Cardinal O’Hara in a quarterfinal game last night at the Skatium. La Salle, which improved to 25-14-3 overall, will play the winner of tonight’s game between Monsignor Bonner and Malvern Prep on Thursday at the Skatium for a berth in the title game. Pete Naticchione led the Explorers with a pair of goals last night. La Salle also received scores from Ryan Jones, Joe Carelli, Tom Riley, and Ryan Ciolli. O’Hara got goals from Rob Scales and Rob Brown. The Explorers, who were the runners-up in the Inter-County League Division AAA behind Malvern Prep, entered the semifinal game coming off a 10-1 first-round victory over Lower Dauphin. O’Hara, winner of […]

March 14, 2000 Steve Easley would have preferred to be named Conwell-Egan’s ice hockey coach under different circumstances, but he appreciates the opportunity nonetheless. “Who wouldn’t be excited to jump in and possibly win the Flyers Cup and state championships?” said. Easley, 26, was tabbed as the Eagles’ interim head coach when Steve Urglavitch resigned Wednesday, a day after the squad lost to Father Judge, 4-1, in the deciding game of the Lower Bucks County Scholastic Hockey League championship series. Urglavitch, 30, was booed as he walked onto the ice after the loss to accept the league’s second-place trophy. Citing continuing verbal abuse from some parents associated with the program and a lack of commitment from some varsity players, Urglavitch informed club president Art Stevenson of his decision to resign. Urglavitch, who had guided Conwell-Egan to a 16-6-2 record in the regular season and a sweep of Holy Ghost Prep […]