developed the talent and versatility that earned him the title
2016-17 Daily Times Hockey Player of the Year.
March 31, 2017
All-Delco Ice Hockey: Ridley’s Giampapa showed next-level talent
When the local hockey scene first caught a glimpse of Michael Giampapa, the scrawny 14-year-old freshman answered yes or no questions as succintly as possible and piled up points in an unassuming manner.
Ridley coach Stephane Charbonneau trusted him beyond his years, though, and gave his young protege the toughest checking assignments, none bigger than eventual two-time Daily Times Player of the Year Tyler Riddle of Springfield.
In the 2015 Central League Playoffs, Giampapa followed Riddle all over the ice, frustrating the Cougars’ star and helping the Green Raiders to an upset victory in the semifinals.
As a sophomore, Giampapa reversed course. He became the aggressor as well as the league’s best setup man, combining with All-Delco winger Nick Catona to form a lethal one-two punch. Giampapa finished with 53 assists, Catona 39 goals.
This season, Giampapa emerged once again with new skills, shot up a few inches and added physicality to his game. For a Ridley team that didn’t shy away from finishing its checks, it was often Giampapa who set the tone. He also became a bonafide goal scorer, using his ever-growing arsenal and superior hockey mind to best opposing goalies and defensemen alike, all while retaining the defensive responsibilities he learned as an underclassmen.
“Here’s what’s most important for Michael: There’s no night off for him,” said Charbonneau. “He doesn’t cheat. He’s the whole package.”
Giampapa delivered 29 goals to go with 35 assists this season – his second straight campaign with 60-plus points.
Three years, three distinct roles, one terrific player.
“It all comes from playing hockey for so long that I can adapt and do what Coach Steph tells me I have to do to help the team,” said Giampapa. “Freshman year, we had a lot of other goal-scorers. And then sophomore year, I think me and Nick just really connected. This year, I still had two great linemates. I just knew I had to score more goals.”
In the deepest season talent-wise in memory, the Ridley junior separated himself from a crowd of worthy candidates. Giampapa is the 2017 Daily Times Player of the Year.
Joining Giampapa on the first team are forwards Shane Moran of Haverford High and Liam McCanney of Cardinal O’Hara; defensemen Nate Dunning of Ridley and Haverford’s Marcus DiPrimio. Calin Losacco, who backstopped Springfield to the Central League title, is the goaltender, while Radnor’s Clayton Proctor completes the team as both a defenseman and center. Giampapa, Moran and Dunning return to the First Team.
The All-Delco teams are selected by the Daily Times staff with consultation from county coaches.
Giampapa’s wonderful season came to end prematurely. He got tangled up during a flurry at the side of the Springfield goal during the Central League semifinals – which the Cougars won, 3-2 in overtime – and went crashing into the boards. The official diagnosis was a trapezium sprain, a rather significant shoulder injury. Giampapa didn’t leave the rink, though. Instead he stayed, endured the pain, and watched his team suffer a heartbreaking defeat.
“I didn’t want to talk to the trainer,” Giampapa said. “I wanted to win the championship. There were tears coming from my eyes, not because I was hurt, but because I couldn’t go out there and fight with the boys.”
Springfield’s Kevin Brown and co-captain James Spence, among others, paused their celebrations to shake Giampapa’s hand outside the locker room. The gesture showed the kind of respect his opponents – and considering his candidacy for player of the year, opposing coaches – have for Giampapa.
That’s important to note when assessing how Ridley closed 2017: With a now infamous brawl in the Flyers Cup against Central Bucks West. The game, 7-1 midway through the third period, was suspended. Four Ridley players received fighting majors, fans attempted to reach the ice, local police showed up and one Central Bucks West player went to the hospital. To make matters worse, the whole incident was captured on camera and quickly went viral.
“As a spectator, I could kind of see something starting,” recalled Giampapa. “There were some cheap hits on both ends that just led up to it.”
No official punishments have been handed out as of this writing, but Ridley has already suffered in the court of public opinion. Giampapa is mindful of his program’s reputation, and he’s doing his best to offset it.
“I always make sure I’m respectful,” he said. “When I’m respectful, (people) think back to the bad rep of Ridley and maybe change their mind about that.”
Charbonneau has relied heavily on Giampapa for the last three years and may need him more in the coming months.
“He’s a good leader,” Charbonneau said. “He’s a quiet leader. When Mike goes, the team goes.”
That was evident throughout 2017. Giampapa, a captain, had a habit of showing up in the Raiders’ tightest moments. Two goals in particular stand out. Against Penncrest in early February with the score tied, Giampapa took a pass through the neutral zone, drove wide to his forehand and, with a flick of his wrist, fired a shot that beat All-Delco Second Teamer Mark Dumont to his near post. Ridley won the game 5-4. Giampapa had two goals and an assist.
“I love shooting short side high,” said Giampapa. “Goalies never expect that. They’re always covering the bottom of the post, and I always practice that (shot) and try to perfect that.”
The second trademark goal came in that semifinal against Springfield. Down one with less than two minutes to play in the first, Giampapa slipped the puck through the Cougars’ center’s legs on an offensive zone faceoff. He found the back of the net before Losacco could react.
“I try it every time I’m in the zone on that side,” said Giampapa. “A lot of times it doesn’t work. But if they don’t have a defense lined up outside of the crease on the faceoff circle, then I can pull it off.”
Both plays illustrate Giampapa’s next level thinking. He plays off trends and expectation. He knows opponents’ tendencies. He’s a student of the game.
“He’s complete. If I ask him to go left, he goes left. If I ask him to go right, he goes right. He listens,” said Charbonneau. “That’s what coaches want at any level. He’s got a good chance to move on in hockey.”
Giampapa is planning on doing just that. Under the tutelage of both Charbonneau and club coach Jimmy Watson – both former NHL players – he will try out for a selection of junior teams this spring. If all goes well, it will likely close Giampapa’s Ridley career, which was helped greatly by his family. His older brother Steven and sister Amanda both played for the Green Raiders, while his father, also Steven, serves as a Ridley assistant.
If this is indeed the end for Giampapa in green and white, what a legacy he leaves.
All-Delco Team
In addition to Player of the Year Michael Giampapa, the rest of the All-Delco team includes:
Shane Moran, Haverford High: Few players could match Moran stride for stride or goal for goal. The Fords’ senior forward and two-time All-Delco found the back of the net 24 times and finished second in the Central League, behind only Giampapa, with 45 points. Using his blazing speed down the right side to surprise opposing defensemen and goaltenders, Moran was the key driving force behind Haverford’s 9-0-3 start to league play. With 64 points as a junior and 56 as a senior, Moran closed his career on a spectacular 110-point, two-year run. He received strong consideration for Player of the Year.
Catholic League final. The gritty, fast junior forward provided scoring
— with 26 goals in 11 league games — and leadership as
O’Hara went undefeated in claiming the Blue Division title.
(Digital First Media/Pete Bannan)
Liam McCanney, Cardinal O’Hara: As feisty as he is talented, McCanney tormented the Philadelphia Catholic League-Blue Division to the tune of 26 goals in just 11 games. The junior forward added seven more in nonleague play to eclipse the 30-goal mark. McCanney did it all for the Lions, who finished 12-0 to claim the league title. Five of his goals came shorthanded, three with a man advantage. He provided speed, grit, scoring touch, and, more importantly down the stretch, leadership for an O’Hara team that promises to return stronger in 2017. McCanney scored a goal and added two assists in the PCL-Blue final against Archbishop Ryan.
Clayton Proctor, Radnor: Whether he lined up as a defenseman or at center, Proctor was often the best player on the ice. He played both positions on consecutive shifts and sometimes switched roles without leaving the ice. And Radnor rode him to the Flyers Cup A Semifinals. In the process, Proctor bagged 28 goals — 26 in the regular season — with a wicked wrist shot he unleashed from both the blue line and the slot. A formidable faceoff-man and a physical presence, Proctor used his versatility to become an All-Central performer. Opposing coaches, rightfully, thought him one of the three or four best players in the county.
Nate Dunning, Ridley: A two-year captain and a two-time All-Delco, Dunning provided the leadership and physical presence that has made Ridley one of the county’s best programs in recent years. He filled many roles on the blue line. With his speed, he had the ability to go end to end on a rush. At other times, he was tasked with shutting down an opponent’s best player. And with a booming shot, Dunning was a force on the Raiders power play. He finished with 24 points overall and 19 in the league, good for second most among Central defensemen.
Marcus DiPrimio, Haverford High: Finally healthy after a few seasons of bad luck, DiPrimio emerged as the player Haverford coach John Povey always knew he was. The smooth-skating blue liner helped the Fords finish first in the North Division of the Central League and earn a top seed in the playoffs despite playing in front of a freshman goaltender — who, to his credit, was very good. DiPrimio was the first step in Haverford’s high-flying attack. He broke the puck out and joined the rush at the back end, capping his career with 21 points in 18 games.
Calin Losacco, Springfield: If the Cougars knew they’d be in a bit of a rebuild year, they at least had Losacco in tow. The 6-foot-3 netminder used his frame to cover the entire lower portion of the goal when he went into his butterfly. He dared shooters to pick the upper corners, which wasn’t the easiest thing to do. Losacco finished the year with nine wins, one shutout, a 2.78 goals-against average and an .897 save percentage. He was never better than he was in the Central League playoffs. Losacco backstopped Springfield through two consecutive overtime games, making 31 saves in the final against Strath Haven, to give the Cougars their first league title since 2014.
All-Area Second Team
Ryan Lowe, Sr. F, Strath Haven
Ryan Dougherty, Jr. F, Penncrest
Matthew Strofe, Sr. F, Archbishop Carroll
Gannon Stuart, Sr. F, Garnet Valley
Mike Irey, So. F, Strath Haven
Dante Gattone, Jr. D, Haverford High
Mark Dumont, Sr. G, Penncrest
Honorable Mention
Archbishop Carroll: Jacob George, Harrison Lownes.
Cardinal O’Hara: Nick Donato, John Paul Ahearn.
Episcopal Academy: Tyler French, Blake Hoogstraten, Brendan Huf.
Garnet Valley: Matthew Wood.
Haverford High: Henry DeVoe, Tyler Cassidy.
Haverford School: Bryan Hyland, Bobby Gibson, Ryan Jacob.
Interboro: Stephen Schwartz, Jake Reifer.
Penncrest: Austin Mazzulo, Zack Kelly.
Radnor: D.J. Sucher, Jack Miles, Harris Brotman.
Ridley: Steven Rubillo, Evan Miller.
Springfield: Joseph Cavaliere, James Spence, Kevin Brown.
Strath Haven: Blayden Reid, Lukas Bernaus.
Sun Valley: Anthony Giacobetti.
By Dillon Friday
The Daily Times
