April 7, 1999
FIRST TEAM
Forward: Jeff Corey, Cardinal O’Hara. Corey, a 5-foot-11, 155-pound junior winger, is The Inquirer’s player of the year in the Main Line/Delaware County area. He was selected as the most valuable player of the Eastern League Class AAA, leading the Lions with 41 points (25 goals, 16 assists). He has not decided whether to stay at O’Hara or spend his senior year at a prep school.
Forward: Joe Hooker, Malvern Prep. The 5-10, 175-pound senior center scored 19 goals and had 23 assists in 15 games. The Friars captain was a strong force in the middle all season and led Malvern in the Inter-County playoffs with seven goals. Delaware, Arizona, and Skidmore College have expressed interest.
Forward: Chris Lawrence, Malvern Prep. The Inquirer’s player of the year in Chester County, the 5-11, 165-pound winger led the Friars in points with 25 goals and 25 assists. A junior, he scored two goals in the Flyers Cup championship game against Conwell-Egan, a 6-5 loss in sudden death.
Defense: Phil Cottone, Conestoga. The 5-9, 190-pound senior scored 15 goals and had nine assists this season. He is known for his tough play close to the net and smart play with the puck in his own zone. Cottone will spend a postgraduate year at Gunnery Prep School in Connecticut.
Defense: Joe Sheridan, Malvern Prep. A junior, this 6-0, 175-pounder scored four goals and had six assists this season and stabilized the defense of the Friars, who were plagued by injuries most of the season. He handles the puck well and is a strong presence in front of the net.
Goaltender: Andrew McManus, Cardinal O’Hara. The 5-8, 155-pound junior was an unknown entering the season, but he turned out to be the best goalie in the area. He had one shutout in the Eastern League Class AAA championship tournament, a 2.75 goals-against average, and a save percentage of .889. He stopped 32 shots in an 8-5 loss to Malvern Prep in the Flyers Cup semifinals.
SECOND TEAM
Forward: Ryan Mattison, Unionville, junior
Forward: Gerard Oakes, Archbishop Carroll, junior
Forward: Chase Watson, Malvern Prep, sophomore
Defenseman: Blake Mitchell, West Chester Henderson, junior
Defenseman: Joe Testa, Malvern Prep, sophomore
Goaltender: Bryan Aronchick, Episcopal Academy, senior
THIRD TEAM
Forward: Eric Abel, Interboro, junior
Forward: Mike Ferrara, Bishop Shanahan, senior
Forward: Bill Scaggs, Monsignor Bonner, senior
Defenseman: Pete Pierangeli, Cardinal O’Hara, senior
Defenseman: Jeff Roland, Haverford High, sophomore
Goaltender: Taylor Hallowell, Haverford School, junior
Malvern’s Chris Lawrence erases a subpar year
April 7, 1999
The junior came through with 25 goals and 25 assists and also learned how to relax.
The Inquirer’s player of the year in Chester County
Chris Lawrence botched a break-away at a crucial part of the most important game of the year, and he smiled. The Malvern Prep junior winger might not have realized it at the time, but he had fulfilled the pact he had made with himself before the season. He was having fun. That easy, relaxed approach led to One of Lawrence’s best seasons ever. He led Malvern Prep to a 17-2-2 season and a berth in the Flyers Cup Class AAA final, an overtime loss to Conwell-Egan in which Lawrence messed up the breakaway. The 5-foot-11, 165-pounder led the Friars in points with 50 (25 goals, 25 assists). He scored two goals in the Flyers Cup final, a 6-5 loss in sudden death. Throughout this season, there might not have been a better pressure player in the area than Lawrence. That’s why he is The Inquirer’s ice hockey player of the year in Chester County. “As a team leader, Lawrence definitely stepped up and was the kind of player in the big game that stepped up to make the big play,” West Chester Henderson coach Jason Smith said. “He was always there when they needed a boost — more so than any other player on his team, more so than any other player on any other team in the area. This year, Chris seemed to be on more of a mission.” Lawrence’s mission was simple: to erase a subpar sophomore year. After a super freshman season, Lawrence felt he had to do everything on the ice as a sophomore. Consequently, he put too much pressure on himself and did not play the kind of game he wanted. After that, no one had to tell Lawrence to take it easy. He knew. “I have confidence in myself, and I knew I was going to be counted on this year,” Lawrence said. “Not as much as I felt I was counted on last year. We weren’t as deep and talented as we were this year. I think I put too much pressure on myself to score all of the time. I admit there. were times when I might have been selfish with the puck. But I learned.” He found he had other outlets, namely his teammates. With Lawrence teamed on a line with sophomore Chase Watson and senior Joe Hooker, the Friars had probably the most explosive line in hockey in the area. Lawrence also found he could pace himself. He did not have to chase down every opposing player and track every loose puck in the corners. He was less uptight on the ice this season, and that showed in Malvern’s big games. In the Friars’ 6-4 victory over rival La Salle in the Flyers Cup quarterfinals, Lawrence scored a goal and had an assist. In an 8-5 semifinal victory over Cardinal O’Hara, he scored a pair of goals, then followed that up with two goals against Con- well-Egan in the sudden-death loss on March 28.
“Chris consistently puts points up on the board, and you try to do everything you can to stop him,” O’Hara coach Bill Swahl said. “Chris has a sort of cockiness to him, but he backs it up. You can’t blame a kid for that, especially if you’re as talented as he is. “The only thing we were able to do was hit him to slow him down. When he gets on a roll, he’s hard to stop.” Lawrence is having an interesting spring. He will leave for Chicago next week to play in a tournament that pits the top players from the Philadelphia area against players from other parts of the country. Lawrence will have a chance to showcase his skills in front of college and junior-team scouts. He is debating whether to return to Malvern next year, but he says he is about 85 to 90 percent sure he will. “I think I would miss it too much if I left for a prep school,” Lawrence said. “It’s so much fun playing for Malvern. You get the fans out for the games; everyone is cheering. It’s not as competitive as the club games, but for those, you only have parents at the games. “I really wouldn’t change much about this year. It was great. If I had to change one thing, it’s that we win the Flyers Cup and the states.” Lawrence might have next season to accomplish that.
Tetley gave Eagles reason to celebrate
April 9, 1999
Conwell-Egan won its first Class AAA state title when he scored in the third overtime period.
The Inquirer’s 1998-99 area ice hockey player of the year.
Conwell-Egan’s Brian Tetley hoisted the state championship trophy above his head, took a brief skate around the Grundy Recreation Center rink, and then, to the delight of his teammates and the still-standing spectators, carried the mammoth trophy down the tunnel to the Eagles’ jubilant locker room. Tetley, a junior center and the catalyst of Conwell-Egan’s overachieving ice hockey team savored the celebration that followed Saturday’s 3-2 win over Western Pennsylvania powerhouse Meadville. He notched the game-winning goal in the eighth minute of the third overtime period to give the Eagles their first Class AAA state title. “It was an incredible feeling, something that will stay with me forever,” Tetley said. “I think it’s only now sinking in. It took a while for me to fully realize what we had accomplished.” The 5-foot-10, 150-pound Tetley sparked the state champions for most of the season, using his speed, blistering slapshot, and hockey smarts to help the Eagles record a team-record 30 victories. For his contributions, which increased as the playoffs wore on, he is The Inquirer’s 1998-99 area ice hockey player of the year. Two of Tetley’s senior teammates, goalie Matt Cusanno and winger Mike Delfin received serious consideration for the award. Cusanno was unbelievable in the playoffs, turning away 45 shots in the Eagles’ Flyers Cup championship win over Malvern Prep and 50 against a dangerous Meadville club. Delfin, a burly winger, helped Conwell-Egan with his leadership and several timely goals. Tetley, however, got the nod for his consistent play in a long and grueling season. It was commonplace for the junior to score two or three goals, and add a couple of assists, in a Lower Bucks County Scholastic Hockey League (LBCSHL) matchup. Few teams had the ability once Tetley gained speed in the neutral zone, to deny him a point-blank shot on goal. “Brian Tetley is a great player,” Conwell-Egan coach Rich Slack said. “He’s the guy that drives this team, sets the table. You can’t say enough about the things he can do with the puck.” In the drama-packed game against Meadville, Tetley’s frustration mounted in overtime as Bulldogs goalie Tomas Mikus thwarted several of his in-close shots. Resiliency was the key for the lanky center, and he proved it when he took a face-off in the third overtime, neatly sidestepped a defender, and slipped a stick-side shot past Mikus. Meadville, which was vying for its sixth Class AAA state championship, was stunned. The Bulldogs expected Tetley to draw the puck back to the point, where a teammate could rip a slapshot at Mikus. “The whole team was beat, physically and mentally,” Tetley said. “At that point, you’re just trying to capitalize on any scoring opportunity you get. You want to do whatever it takes to win the game.” Tetley, a resident of Bensalem, grew up around the game of hockey. His father, Brian, was a standout defenseman for Pennsbury in the 1970s and later for the Bristol Blazers. “I coached the semipro team Brian played for,” Paul Saylor, now the head varsity hockey coach at Norristown, said. “He was a solid skater, could fly down the ice, and he was one of the league’s tougher players.” Said the younger Tetley: “People tell me my dad was a very good player, that he could skate really well.” In leading the Eagles to a 22-1-1 record and their third LBCSHL championship in the last four years, the crafty Tetley totaled 39 goals and 27 assists. His 66 points placed him second only to Bensalem senior Neil Michael Chiaradio (42 goals, 35 assists). Conwell-Egan would not have reached the state final if it hadn’t been for Tetley’s hat trick in the Flyers Cup championship game against Malvern at the First Union Spectrum. His third tally, with only 27 seconds to go in regulation, forced sudden-death overtime. The Eagles capitalized on Tetley’s last-minute heroics, beating the Friars, 6-5, when Delfin, parking his 6-foot, 190-pound frame in front of the Malvern goalie, pounced on a rebound and tapped it into the net. Last season, Tetley caught the league by surprise when he recorded 27 goals and a league-high 49 assists. Only former teammate Dan Fox (47 goals, 30 assists) managed more points during the 1997-98 season.
By Rick O’Brien
The Philadelphia Inquirer
