March 15, 2000
Questions will be answered for the area’s hockey hopefuls, such as Conwell-Egan, La Salle, GA, and Council Rock.
Questions abound as the 21st annual Flyers Cup tournament opens for area ice hockey teams: Can Conwell-Egan, the defending Class AAA champion, put aside the turmoil associated with a late-season coaching change and repeat last year’s title? Can La Salle, which claimed crowns in 1996 and ’98, find a way to defeat two of the top contenders in the AAA bracket? The Explorers will likely need wins over Cardinal O’Hara and Malvern Prep to reach the AAA final, scheduled for March 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the First Union Spectrum. Can Germantown Academy pro- vide retiring head coach John Ioia, the Patriots’ 17-year boss, with the perfect going-away present? Does Council Rock, the Suburban High School Hockey League’s other qualifier, have what it takes to bring home its first AAA title since 1991?
Here is a look at the Flyers Cup field:
Class AAA. Conwell-Egan, which went 16-6-2 in regular-season league action, remained a team steeped in controversy when first-year head coach Steve Urglavitch resigned a week ago, after the Eagles’ loss to Father Judge in the Lower Bucks County Scholastic Hockey League finals. Steve Easley, a 1991 graduate of Bishop Egan, was named Conwell- Egan’s interim coach. He will do his best to have the players prepared for tomorrow’s first-round game against Washington Township, the top-seeded squad from the South Jersey High School Hockey League, at 8 p.m. at the Hollydell Twin Rinks in Sewell, Gloucester County. The Eagles will need a stellar effort from seniors Brian Tetley, who notched 35 goals and 21 assists in the regular season, and Jon Bada (18 goals, 22 assists). The goaltending of sophomore Steve Axt also will play a key role in a championship bid. La Salle (13-2-1) will try to rebound from a second-place finish to Malvern (14-1-1) in the Inter-County Scholastic Hockey League AAA Division. The Explorers face Lower Dauphin, champion of the Central Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League, in first-round action at 7:30 tonight at Ice Line Triple Rinks in West Chester.
If La Salle gets past Lower Dauphin, a dangerous Cardinal O’Hara squad awaits coach Wally Muehlbronner and the Explorers. The La Salle-O’Hara victor would likely be pitted against Malvern and its corps of quick-skating forwards in the semifinals. Germantown Academy and Council Rock, the Suburban League’s two qualifiers, both went 18-4 in the regular season. For the Patriots or the Indians, a trip to the Spectrum probably will require a victory against an impressive Father Judge team. The Crusaders went 23-1 en route to the Lower Bucks regular season title, then swept Archbishop Ryan and Conwell-Egan in the playoffs. “Judge is really good,” Rock coach Paul Gilligan said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if they won our side of the bracket.” GA, which last won a AAA crown in 1995, is paced by junior forwards Steve Ciottoni and Nate Smith. The Patriots’ defense is anchored by senior captain Anthony Seravalli. Rock could be a contender if sophomore goalie Milos Holcner shines in the tournament, as he did in the league playoffs. The Indians also will need stepped-up efforts from their top forwards, seniors Matt “Woody” Martin and Chris Heverly, to challenge for the first-place trophy. The team’s defensive leader is senior Dave Ciarrocchi. Rock reached the AAA finals in 1997 when it lost in three games to Malvern Prep.
Class AA. Holy Ghost Prep (16-7-1) reached the championship game of the AA tournament last year before being blanked by La Salle II, 3-0. The Firebirds will meet the Suburban league’s representative, either William Tennent (8-13-1) or Cheltenham (11-7-3), in a first-round game at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday at the Face-Off Circle in Warminster. Holy Ghost is led by Ryan TociKi, the Lower Bucks league scoring champion. The senior center recorded 50 goals and 21 assists in regular-season play to spark his team to third place. Senior Jim Britt was one of the league’s best netminders. The AA championship game is slated for March 29 at 8 p.m. at Ice Line.
Class A. For the second consecutive season, Pennridge (8-12-1) will represent the Suburban League in the A tournament. The Rams earned a berth by sweeping Hatboro-Horsham, 3-1 and 4-2, last week. Pennridge will meet Shawnee in a quarterfinal matchup at 6:45 p.m. tomorrow at Face-Off. Rick Overbeck’s squad is led by senior goalie Nick Cordisco and the coach’s son, junior winger/defenseman Derek Overbeck. Senior captain Trevor Jones is the defensive headliner. Cordisco stopped 38 of 40 shots in Friday’s 4-2 win over the Hatters. He allowed only five goals in four league playoff games. If the Rams can defeat the Renegades, they will meet Pennsbury (10-10-3) in the semifinals at 7:15 p.m. Monday at the Grundy Recreation Center in Bristol
Borough. The Falcons, fifth-place finishers in the Lower Bucks league, are sparked by junior center Mike LaTorre (14 goals, 15 assists in the regular season), senior defenseman Adam Wellington, and junior goalie John Zdunkiewicz. Methacton, the area’s other A contender, goes up against Central Pennsylvania league champion Cedar Cliff in a quarterfinal at 9:15 tonight at Ice Line. The Warriors, who went 12-1-2 in the regular season and won the Inter-County A-North Division playoffs, are spearheaded by a pair of juniors, center Mike Prendergast and winger Kevin Unruh, and sophomore winger Brian Burgoon. If Methacton beats Cedar Cliff, it will face the Marple Newtown- Strath Haven winner in the semifinals at 7 p.m. on March 23 at the Skatium in Havertown. The A final will be played March 28 at 7 p.m. at Grundy.
East coach sits out for final two games
Mark Bobko thought he was doing a good job as the new head coach of West Chester East’s hockey team this season. The Vikings finished with a 10-6 record in the Inter-County League’s Class AAA Division and were 15-9 overall, a big improvement over their 8-7-1 and 10-11-1 finish last year. The Vikings made it to the semifinals of the Inter-County Class AAA playoffs, where they lost to West Chester Henderson. But throughout the season, Bobko heard rumblings that some players wanted a different coach. After conferring with the team board, Bobko was told by West Chester East’s club president, Jack Duncan, that he would not coach the final two games of the season. The reason: The seniors felt alienated by Bobko and had the impression he was writing this season off. As of now, Bobko is in limbo as to whether he will be back next season. “As far as I’m concerned, there is no status change,” Bobko said. “The group was not particularly happy with the way I coached them. They thought I was too serious. “But we did a lot of good things this year. We cut our penalty minutes considerably since last year. We were looking for better-balanced scoring, and we achieved that. We achieved all of our goals, but I don’t think all of the players were happy with the methods that were used.” Bobko admits some fault. He admits to having a demanding style, but his style has produced results. He has been coaching for 17 years and was the co-coach of Garnet Valley with Phil Petruccelli when the Jaguars won the Class A Flyers Cup championship in 1998. During the season, there were heated exchanges between Bobko and some of the players. The players and Bobko disagreed over how practices were run and practice times, which involved a mandatory session at 5:45 a.m. Tuesdays. BobKo said he had great attendance at these morning practices. One parent made a point that the seniors were used to coaching themselves under the previous coach, Wayne Sands, so they were not used to a hands-on coach like Bobko. “I thought Bobko was a good coach,” said senior center Mike Messina, the team’s leading scorer. “He was doing a good job. The only thing I thought he misjudged about us was that we never really had a demanding coach like him. “When he came in, he may have demanded a little too much from players who weren’t used to it. Once he came in and thought he would turn it around on a dime, he lost a lot of kids from there.” Some parents of seniors conceded that Bobko was a good coach, but said there was a deep conflict on how he handled his players. Some seniors complained that they were not told when team meetings were held, and that Bobko had trouble with some players who played club hockey “Frankly, I don’t blame the kids. about all of that,” Bobko said. “The seniors as a group conveyed to me they just weren’t that serious about trying to win it all. I think what my objective for the team was, and what the team’s objectives were, were two different things. “The kids wanted to have a good time and they may have only wanted to have a good year. I thought this team could win a championship…. As a coach, you try to get the most out of your team. Who knows what’s next?”
Moving forward. Strath Haven was 4-3 this season, then went on a nine-game tear through the Inter-County League’s Class A Southern Division before winning three additional games in the playoffs to qualify for the Flyers Cup. The Panthers were on a 12-game winning streak when they began their first-round game against Marple Newtown of the Eastern League’s Class A last night at Ice Works in Aston. The Panthers led the league in scoring with 103 goals and in goals-against, allowing only 22.
Strath Haven played well through the playoffs, defeating Radnor, 8-0, and beating Methacton, 4-2, late Sunday night. The Panthers tied Radnor for the regular-season title. Methacton had only one loss this season before Strath Haven eliminated it. “Early this season, we were short our football players and soccer players, which hurt us,” Panthers coach John Murry said. “We’re playing the best defense we’ve ever played. We’re forechecking well. Teams don’t usually earn scoring chances against us. We’ll work a puck down low and score a goal.” Junior winger Jimmy Scott, the Panthers’ leading scorer, may be out for the rest of the season with an injury. Sophomore centers Matt Schroeder and Ben Reynolds have stepped up well offensively to fill the void. On defense, juniors Ryan Williams and Bill Blystone have been strong, and sophomore goalie Dave McCormick has made huge saves through the playoffs. The Panthers made it to the semi-finals of the Flyers Cup last season, losing to Springfield, 5-4, in overtime. If Strath Haven beats Marple Newtown, the Panthers could face Methacton again in the second round of the Flyers Cup on March 23 at the Skatium in Havertown.
By Rick O’Brien
Philadelphia Inquirer Correspondent
