March 27, 2003 Class AAA. Members of the Malvern Prep ice hockey team sat in their locker room looking at each other last night before their Flyers Cup AAA championship game against La Salle at the First Union Spectrum. They knew what was at stake before they took the ice, and they didn’t want to say anything that would jinx their chances. The teams played a taut game before Malvern Prep’s Chris Campanale scored in the third period to give the Friars a 2-1 victory. When the teams met in the regular season, Malvern Prep posted a 1-0 win. The victory made Malvern Prep the first team to win three straight AAA titles. It also lifted the Friars into the state championship game, where they will face Meadville, the Penguins Cup champion. That game is scheduled for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at Ice Line in West Chester. “It’s nice to […]

March 26, 2003 Class AA. Ryan Gunderson and the rest of his Holy Ghost Prep teammates sensed the time was running out on their amazing season. Five minutes, four minutes, three minutes remaining …. when the Firebirds’ Josh Steacker intercepted a pass and split the West Chester Henderson defense to score a game-tying goal last night in the Flyers Cup Class AA championship game. Three minutes later, Steve Biasini scored the winning goal to complete the comeback, lifting the Firebirds to their first title with a 4-3 victory over West Chester Henderson in sudden-death overtime at the Grundy Recreational Center in Bristol. Holy Ghost will play in the state championship on Sunday at Ice Line in West Chester at 1:15 p.m. against the Penguins Cup champions Peters Township, which is shooting for a third straight state title. “Seven years ago, when we began this program we were 4-17-3, and believe […]

March 25, 2003 Class A. Radnor’s Chris Brennan owned the second period in the Flyers Cup Division A championship game last night and sparked the Red Raiders to a 6-0 thrashing of Cherokee at Iceline in West Chester. Austin Cohen gave Radnor a 1-0 lead in the first period before Brennan picked up two goals and an assist in the second to propel the Raiders to a 4-0 advantage. Brennan scored his last goal to complete a hat trick with 4 minutes, and 10 seconds left in the game. Radnor outshot the Chiefs by 28-17. Goalie Harry Ek got the shutout.

March 21, 2003 ICE HOCKEY NOTEBOOK The Cherokee ice hockey team has had a habit of rising to the occasion at this time of the season. The Chiefs made a strong run to win the South Jersey High School Ice Hockey League last year, and they reached the semifinals of the league playoffs this season before losing to Clearview. That stretch put the Chiefs in the Flyers Cup Class A playoffs. Cherokee is the only South Jersey team still alive in the Flyers Cup competition. Cherokee will face Neshaminy in the semifinals tonight at 7 at Grundy Arena in Bristol, Pa. Defending champion Radnor will play Souderton at 7 tonight at Ice Works in Aston, Pa., in the other semifinal. The Class A championship will be held on Monday at 8:45 p.m. at Ice Line in West Chester, Pa. The Chiefs reached the semi-finals by beating Harry S Truman, 5-1, […]

March 17, 2003 ICE HOCKEY NOTEBOOK Class AA. Archbishop Carroll will have a chance to win its fourth straight Flyers Cup Class AA championship thanks to a dramatic four-game winning streak in the Inter-County League Class AA playoffs. The Patriots were near post-season elimination for the second straight season before they responded with two straight victories over Council Rock in the double-elimination series. Carroll, the three-time defending Flyers Cup Class AA champion and Inter-County League champion, will open the 16-team Flyers Cup Class AA playoffs at 8 o’clock tonight against Lower Dauphin at the Hershey Twin Ponds East Arena. “Lower Dauphin will represent a challenge to us,” coach Bill Hammond said. “They’re basically a Class AAA team playing down a level this year. We’re primed, and I think, after the playoffs, we’re primed to play well.” Carroll (13-10-1) is 6-1 in its last seven games. The Patriots en- joyed a […]

March 7, 2003 ICE HOCKEY NOTEBOOK Holy Ghost Prep has never won a Flyers Cup title, but this could be the year the Firebirds finally break through. The Firebirds just completed their best season in program history, winning the Lower Bucks County Scholastic Hockey League regular-season title with a 19-1-4 record. Coach Brian Tibbels is hoping for bigger things in the LBCSHL playoffs, starting Mon- day in a best-of-three championship series against either Father Judge or Neshaminy. Tibbels has reason to be optimistic. The Firebirds’ 24-3-5 record establishes a new program record for victories in a season; their 159 goals is also a new school mark for goals scored in a year. What Tibbels is counting on now is the Firebirds going deep in the Flyers Cup Class AA playoffs, beginning March 17. “The kids have a great attitude and they’re focused on what they want,” Tibbels said. “We’ve been […]