March 7, 2003
ICE HOCKEY NOTEBOOK
Holy Ghost Prep has never won a Flyers Cup title, but this could be the year the Firebirds finally break through. The Firebirds just completed their best season in program history, winning the Lower Bucks County Scholastic Hockey League regular-season title with a 19-1-4 record. Coach Brian Tibbels is hoping for bigger things in the LBCSHL playoffs, starting Mon- day in a best-of-three championship series against either Father Judge or Neshaminy. Tibbels has reason to be optimistic. The Firebirds’ 24-3-5 record establishes a new program record for victories in a season; their 159 goals is also a new school mark for goals scored in a year. What Tibbels is counting on now is the Firebirds going deep in the Flyers Cup Class AA playoffs, beginning March 17. “The kids have a great attitude and they’re focused on what they want,” Tibbels said. “We’ve been blowing out teams at times, and these guys are really in that playoff mode right now. We have seven seniors on this team, and these guys have a lot of desire and a lot of focus on where they want to go this year.” The Firebirds could have one of the best one-two scoring combinations in the area in senior Ryan Gunderson and junior Paul Worthington. Gunderson finished the regular season with 26 goals and 68 assists. Worthington scored 51 goals and 37 assists. That’s over 24 games. “They’re amazing the stuff they do together, really incredible,” Tibbels said. “People come after those two, teams have tried to shadow them, and they still produce.” Seniors Mike Ivcic and Chris Scanlon, and junior Buddy LaWall, give the Firebirds dangerous perimeter shooting from the points. “These guys are aware of the playoff history of the program, and it’s not that long, but they know where we’ve failed and they want to get by that,” Tibbels said.
Hot at the right time. Germantown Academy seems as if it’s coming together at the right time. The Patriots won their fourth straight game with a 1-0 victory over La Salle on Wednesday night. Patriots senior goaltender Luis Perez turned away 34 shots to preserve his fourth shutout this season.
Germantown Academy is 8-5-3 in the Elite Class AAA League, clinching third place behind Malvern Prep (14-1) and La Salle (13-2-1). The Patriots drew a first-round bye in the Flyers Cup Class AAA playoffs, which begin March 17. The Patriots are playing with just two lines and three defensemen. GA was outshot, 34-7, against La Salle. Freshman Andrew Sloane scored the lone goal in the third period. “The La Salle win was very important because it set us up for the bye in the Flyers Cup,” said Perez, who will attend Niagara University. “We’re playing a passive defensive game, and we’re taking the opportunities when they’re presented to us. We just don’t have the legs to take any chances.” again,” Perez has a goals-against average of 2.30 and a save percentage of .894. “Luis dominated coach Gump Whiteside said. “He gives you a chance to win every game, and our kids played a very sound defensive game. “We’re keeping the game simple and we’re having fun. We realize there is good senior leadership on this team, and they don’t want this season to end.”
Growing up. Bishop Shanahan has been competitive this season with a team made up of sophomores and juniors. The Eagles have beaten every quality team in the Inter-County Class AA Division, except for Council Rock. The Eagles were 10-9 overall entering last night’s playoff game against defending Flyers Cup Class AA champion Archbishop Carroll. “The kids have been playing well, considering how young we are,” said Shanahan coach Joe Morinelli, who coached Downingtown last year. “We have a chance to finish .500 for the season, we’ve made the playoffs. There’s absolutely larger hopes for the future. When other teams are going to be losing their top players, we’ll be getting stronger.” Freshman Joel Irwin has been the starting goaltender in the last four weeks. He has done a solid job replacing regular goaltender Jason Walker, a junior, who is out with an injury. The Eagles have turned to senior Drew Burghardt and junior Matt Baffa for offense. Defensively, senior Andy Kirby and junior Phil Keating have been keys. Sophomores Shea Barr, Devon Marino, and Jeff Haley have added depth to the Eagles’ second and third lines. They’ve also supplied speed to the Shanahan lineup. “Next year, we want to be the first or second seed in the Flyers Cup tournament, and that’s a realistic goal,” Morinelli said. “We’ll work hard all summer to achieve that.”
By Joe Santoliquito
The Philadelphia Inquirer
