2021 All-Area Teams (Delco)

April 28, 2021

ALL DELCO HOCKEY: MCCLELLAND HELPS BRING FLYERS CUP BACK TO HAVERFORD

Player of the Year

HAVERFORD – Jagur McClelland is mid-sentence, explaining how long he and many of his teammates have played together, when the quiet of the Haverford High lobby is interrupted.

The hallway is the temporary place of honor for the Class AA Flyers Cup, won by McClelland’s Fords last week, displayed behind rope barriers on a fire-engine-red pedestal. As McClelland explains how the 2021 Fords got to hoist the hardware, two students and two staffers walk up to admire and pose for pictures with the three-foot-tall wood trophy topped by a silver cup.

It’s that embrace from the Haverford community that informs how McClelland and his teammates reached this point. With a rink in town and a vibrant feeder system, it’s long been a fertile ground for kids to learn the sport. Those structures informed McClelland’s journey, and he pays tribute with his on-ice performance, the fruits of which he hopes will supercharge the cycle for the next group of players.

“People are excited for us,” he said. “People want to see us succeed, and I think they know what we’re capable of. Now that we’re kind of on the map, people are excited for us, people are happy for us.”

The junior forward wasn’t just the leading scorer on a team that earned Haverford’s first Flyers Cup in 14 years. He led at the most crucial moments in a 16-2 season in which the Fords also won the Central League and played for a state title.

For his contributions, McClelland is the 2020-21 Daily Times Hockey Player of the Year. He’s joined on the All-Delco team by Haverford linemate Jacob Orazi and classmate Nate Rabadam; Strath Haven center Walter Clauss and winger Max Riess; Cardinal O’Hara goalie Ronan Marley and Springfield center Zach Crain.

Five of the seven honorees are seniors, except McClelland and Rabadam. All seven are first-time honorees, in part due to last year’s hiatus in the All-Delco hockey team. The All-Delco team is selected in consultation with local coaches.

McClelland comes from a hockey family. His dad, Glenn, who played varsity at West Chester University, was his first coach. McClelland has early memories on skates as young as three, going on family skates in Ardmore. (For the record, he says, his first name isn’t a misspelled homage to Mick Jagger; it’s just a name his mom found interesting and different.)

McClelland fell in love with hockey in part because of its uniqueness. While his peers started in soccer or baseball, he was on a different path. He tried lacrosse and baseball, but nothing ignited his “love and passion” quite like hockey.

Eventually, that fed him into Haverford’s developmental pipeline, which offers high-level youth hockey, he dove headlong into the community, and he’s played alongside some of his high school teammates for a decade or more, none longer than Rabadam.

“Off the ice, it’s gone a long way for us,” McClelland said. “We’ve known each other basically our whole lives. With the points and everything, it shows how much chemistry we have and how it’s led to our success this year. I think that was a big thing for us this year, the chemistry for guys that are close to each other, and that took our team a long way.”

In sixth grade, he started playing for John Povey, who also coaches varsity. McClelland’s potential was obvious, and it’s shown through at most stops up the age ladder. Povey sees a decisive jump in most players between the sophomore and junior years, but he was still startled by just how much McClelland elevated his game.

“You really saw him take it to the next level from the end of last year to this year,” Povey said. “A lot goes into that: He got bigger, he got stronger, he got more mature. He was one of our captains this year, so you saw him take on more of a leadership role. … You really saw him take on a whole new level this year of dominating games night in and night out.”

The spark was uniting McClelland on a line with Orazi. Both are centers, and Povey wanted each to anchor a line to offer some depth. But midseason, with the Fords not living up to their potential, Povey sought a spark (temporarily, he thought) with McClelland in the middle and Orazi on the wing.

Instead, the chemistry was so instant and fantastic that Povey couldn’t separate them, a move aided by Dan Quartapella’s return to center the second line. The linemates finished 1-2 in scoring in the county: McClelland with 24 goals, 28 assists and 52 points; Orazi with 21, 26 and 47, in 18 games apiece.

McClelland shone brightest in the big moments. He was the best player on the ice with two goals and two assists in the Central League semifinal against Conestoga, then recorded a hat trick in an 11-1 dismantling of Springfield in the final. McCelland scored three goals and an assist in the first round of the Flyers Cup and two and three in the quarters, winning the Class AA Bobby Clarke MVP Award.

But the big moment came in the final against Downingtown West. The Fords were stuck in neutral, unable to beat goalie Aidan McHutchinson with any of their first 28 shots. Then McClelland recovered a puck in the neutral zone, steamed down the left wing and beat McHutchinson short side with a rising shot that sent the water bottle flying off the roof of the net.

Orazi scored 10 minutes later, the eventual game-winner, and Haverford led 2-1 after two.

“They’re beating us 1-0 and who comes up with the big goal? It’s Jagur,” Povey said. “Your best player has to be the one who comes through there. In a championship game, that’s usually who’s going to come through. That’s the type of player he is to take the bull by the horns and get our team back in that game. That was the biggest goal of the year for us obviously.”

McClelland’s takeaway was what the goal did for his team. He saw the bench and crowd energized, and he hopes that had something to do with the Fords rallying. He tried to do the same in the Pennsylvania Cup final with the primary assist on Mike McGeoch’s goal, but the Fords fell to Baldwin, 4-1.

That loss sets next season’s objective, one McClelland hopes the Fords have the experience to attain.

“Everyone knows what it’s going to take,” McClelland said. “Guys that didn’t play that much this year, they’re going to be on the team and they’re going to know what it takes to win. Me, Nate, Jai (Jani, the goalie), we’re going to be the core of the team next year, so we’re going to have to step up and we’re going to have to help out the younger kids because we know what it’s going to take and what we’re going to have to give to get to that point that we were this year.”

In addition Player of the Year, Jagur McClelland, the rest of the 2021 All-Delco team includes:

First Team

Jacob Orazi, Haverford: The senior forward and Haverford captain led the way in a storybook season for the Fords, winning the Central League crown and Flyers Cup AA. Playing on a wing with McClelland, Orazi was a formidable running mate, with the defensive sensibilities of a center to be difficult to play against in all zones and the skill on the puck to create scoring chances out of nothing. Orazi finished with 21 goals (third in Delco), 26 assists (second) and 47 points (second). He was the leading scorer in the Flyers Cup AA with seven goals and six assists over four games, including a hat trick plus two assists in the quarterfinals and two goals, including the game-winner, in the victory over Downingtown West in the final. Orazi scored a goal and four assists in the first round of the tournament.

Zach Crain, Springfield: The junior center was the Cougars’ top skater, leading the Central League finalists with 15 goals, 20 assists and 35 points. Those tallies rank tied for sixth, fourth and fourth, respectively, in Delco this season. A fluid skater with long strides and good hands, Crain scored two goals to go with two assists in the playoff win over Ridley. He assisted on both Springfield goals in a 3-2 loss to Cardinal O’Hara. In the Flyers Cup A quarterfinal loss to Sun Valley, Crain scored a goal and an assist in willing the shorthanded Cougars to overcome a two-goal, third-period deficit and get to OT.

Walter Clauss, Strath Haven: Always a stellar defensive forward, the senior added more offensive pop to his game for the Panthers, who finished second in the Central League standings and made the Flyers Cup A semifinal. Clauss led Haven with 16 goals in just 13 games, his goal total the fifth-highest in Delco this season. He added 11 assists for 27 points, eighth-most in the county. That’s in addition to the rangy winger shouldering defensive responsibility on the penalty kill and matching up with other teams’ top lines. Clauss was also the only Panther able to solve West Chester Henderson’s defense in the Flyers Cup A semifinal, scoring the only goal of a 2-1 loss.

Nate Rabadam, Haverford: The junior blueliner anchored the Fords’ top pairing for a defense that allowed just eight goals in 13 regular-season games and 17 total goals in 18 outings. Rabadam often drew opponents’ top lines, pairing with Cally Moran, who made the Flyers Cup all-tournament team. He contributed at both ends of the ice, with his superlative skating ability and constant contributions to the offense as a power-play captain at the point. Rabadam’s 17 assists were sixth in Delco. The total includes three assists in the Flyers Cup quarterfinal against Central Bucks South, a 7-2 win, and two assists in the Central League final. Rabadam logged major ice time in piloting the Fords to 4-1 wins in the Flyers Cup semifinals (over Pennridge) and final (Downingtown West) to lift the program’s first Flyers Cup since 2007.

Max Riess, Strath Haven: The senior did it all for the Panthers, playing either on the blueline or at forward as the moment required. Wherever he was, he produced, to the tune of eight goals and a team-high 22 assists for 30 points. His assist total is third in Delco behind McClelland and Orazi, and he’s sixth in points. Riess had a point in each regular-season game, including two goals and two assists in the opening win against Owen J. Roberts and one and two in beating Rustin. Riess would also hop in to take shifts on the blueline whenever the Panthers had a defenseman in the penalty box or light on personnel for a game, using his hockey IQ and headiness to contribute all over the ice.

Ronan Marley, Cardinal O’Hara: The senior goalie was outstanding, O’Hara’s MVP in standing out against a crowd of talented goaltenders. Against the top competition of the PCL A division, Marley shone bright. In 10 regular-season games, he allowed 19 goals for a goals-against average of 1.89 and a save percentage of .917. After a rough go in the Flyers Cup AAA against Holy Ghost Prep, an 8-1 loss, Marley’s season numbers stand at 2.44 and .898. Marley went 7-4 on the season, pitching a pair of shutouts. He made 29 stops in a 1-0 blanking of Salesianum in February. He also turned aside 29 shots in beating Springfield in early March and 34 in a 5-4 loss to Salesianum on March 31.

Second Team

Dan Quartapella, Sr. F, Haverford
Josh Peabody, Jr. F, Strath Haven
Frank Jirak, Sr. F, Interboro
Nick McKay, Sr. D, Cardinal O’Hara
Ryan O’Connor, Jr. D, Springfield
Nick Dignazio, So. D, Strath Haven
Jai Jani, Jr. G, Haverford

Honorable Mention

Archbishop Carroll: Liam Bradley, David Ebersole, Wesley Sweitzer
Cardinal O’Hara: Steve Graney, Luke Melito, Ronan Plummer
Garnet Valley: Dylan Kouba, Patrick Vaughn
Haverford: Quinn Carson, Alex Gattone, Mike McGeoch, Cally Moran
Interboro: Hunter Chubb, Brian Rhoades, Chris Caldwell
Marple Newtown: Matthew Beatty, Zachery Dembzynski
Penncrest: Ty Conn, Shane Kokoska, Gannon Walker, Kain Walker
Radnor: Colin French, Tucker Graham, Robert Hobbs, Andrew Knight
Ridley: Eric Davis, Nick Giuliani, Dan Lawless, John Zebley
Springfield: Ryan Kertis, Colin Hannigan, Nolan Huntley, Tyler Philiposian, Dominic Romolini
Strath Haven: Jake Dougherty, Kadin Matotek, Evan Spanier, Thomas Sullivan, Christian Thack
Sun Valley: Hayden McGinnis, Nate McGinnis, James Wynes
Penn-Haven: Annie Atsaves, Kalia Booth, Annie Dignazio, Fiona Walker
Radnor: Caitlin Fram

By Matt DeGeorge
Asst. Sports Editor and the lead Union writer for The Daily Times