1996 La Salle rips GA to sweep series, win Flyers Cup

HAVERTOWN The La Salle ice hockey team had qualified for the Class AAA Flyers Cup tournament in each of the last four seasons, only to lose in the opening round each time. This season, the Explorers did more than just put an end to their first-round frustration. Brothers Mike and Bob Farrell combined to score eight goals as La Salle trounced two-time defending champion Germantown Academy, 12-2, last night at the Skatium to sweep the best-of-three final series. The Explorers, who won Monday night’s opening game by 4-3, took home their first Flyers Cup title. They will face the Penguins Cup winner, Meadville or Upper St. Clair, for the state championship at 11 a.m. Saturday at War Memorial Arena in Johnstown. Mike Farrell, a senior winger, scored three of his five goals in the second period as La Salle built a 5-1 lead. The tournament’s most valuable player scored two shorthanded goals, both on breakaways and within a 29-second span, and clinched a hat trick with six minutes left in the period. “It’s funny,” he said, “because I was teased a lot this year for not scoring any breakaway goals. And then to get two in the same period, especially against as good a goalie as Sam Weiner…. Bob Farrell, a sophomore center who plays on the same line as his brother, scored in the first period and netted two of his team’s seven third-period goals. La Salle, which went undefeated en route to the Inter-County Scholastic

Hockey League Division AAA title, outshot the Patriots, 41-15. The Explorers fired 32 shots on goal in the final two periods. “It’s a great feeling,” La Salle coach Peter Nolan said. “It’s a feeling of immense satisfaction. The kids worked hard, believed in themselves, and never quit.” Sophomore winger Kyle Neary accounted for both Patriots goals. He scored in the first period and early in the third. The Patriots were seeking a third straight trip to the state championship game. They lost to Meadville in their last two appearances.
“They’re a really solid team,” GA coach John Ioia said of the Explorers. “They have five, six guys who keep coming at you. “And we dug too big a hole for ourselves. We gave them two breakaway goals in the second period when we were on the power play.” After Neary made it a 5-2 game early in the third period, La Salle scored seven straight goals.”It’s a shame we had to end the season on a note like this,” Ioia said. “We had a great season, though, and we’ll have most of our kids back next year.” Freshmen Kevin Brady and Tyler Kolarik, junior Devin Jones, and senior Greg Kevane each scored a goal for the Explorers. Junior Joe Vigorita made 13 saves in goal. “It’s truly amazing,” Mike Farrell said. “The players who came before us were all great players, but I guess it wasn’t their turn to win a championship.”