April 6, 2003
The skilled senior center is The Inquirer’s player of the year in Southeastern Pa.
The high school ice hockey season didn’t end exactly the way Malvern Prep’s Mike Curran hoped. But the senior center still accomplished a number of things. The 5-foot-9, 165-pounder led the Friars to an unprecedented third straight Flyers Cup Class AAA title. He also led the team in scoring for the second straight year. In the big games, in crucial situations, it seemed as if Curran was always there for the Friars. He is The Inquirer’s player of the year in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Curran was selected over a strong cast of players: Holy Ghost Prep’s Ryan Gunder- son and Paul Worthington, La Salle’s Matt Loftus, and Radnor’s Chris Brennan and Joni Ek. “Mike gave us a lot of leadership,” said the Rev. Ed Casey, Malvern Prep’s assistant coach. “He’s not the biggest player on the ice, but he went into the tough areas of the ice without any fear. “He’s one of the all-time great Malvern players. The biggest testament to Mike was his assist total. He was a balanced player, who scored big numbers in both goals and assists.” Curran finished the season with a team-leading 43 goals and 50 assists for 93 points in 35 games. He scored five goals in four postseason games, including one in the Friars’ 2-1 victory over La Salle in the Flyers Cup championship game. He added a goal and an assist in Malvern Prep’s 5-4 loss to Western champion Meadville in the Class AAA state championship last Sunday. “Losing in the state championship made the season a little bit of a failure, but we have something to show for this season,” said Curran, 18, a resident of Devon, Chester County. “I’ll definitely remember this season in a positive way. There was pressure being the captain. I was one of the players everyone looked to score the big goals in the big games. The easiest part was just going out there and having fun.” Curran will attend the University of Rhode Island, where he plans to play hockey. “The thing I will remember most is probably the La Salle game in the Flyers Cup championship,” Curran said. “You really remember the times a group comes together as a team when it really counts.”
Team of the year. Radnor finished the season with a school-record 25 victories; the Red Raiders lost just once. They also won the first Class A state title in program history. The Red Raiders devoured most of their regular-season opponents and became the first team to win back-to-back Class A Flyers Cup titles. Radnor accomplished all that despite losing John Brennan, who was The Inquirer’s player of the year last year in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Brennan scored 145 points last year. But Radnor returned a strong nucleus, led by Brennan’s younger brother, Chris, and fellow juniors Ed Devine, Nick Ryder, and Austin Cohen, as well as senior Lee Sinkow. Junior foreign exchange student Joni Ek, a standout goaltender, proved to be a key addition. The Red Raiders beat Westmont, 2-1, for the state title after controlling most of the play. Radnor outshot Westmont by 41-15 overall and by 23-6 in the third period. “I had a feeling that this would be a special team,” Radnor coach Ed Ritti said. “Getting to the state championship last year, we had the talent to get back. We knew we had a good eight players to work with, but the nucleus led the way. “If we get the right bounces, we could wind up getting back to the states again. This was a season these kids and I will remember for a long time. This is a very special group.”
Coach of the Year. With 28 wins, Holy Ghost Prep also established a single-season school record this season. The Firebirds (28-2-3) won a Class AA Flyers Cup title and their first Lower Bucks League championship. Holy Ghost Prep coach Brian Tibbels had a lot to do with that, directing a talented. team to some key comeback victories. In the Flyers Cup title game against West Chester Henderson, the Firebirds scored in the last three minutes of regulation to tie the game, 3-3. They won in the first minute of overtime, 4-3. “My team really accomplished a lot, and winning the Flyers Cup was the ultimate goal,” Tibbels said. “I knew that we’d play well during the season, and we’re a team that I didn’t know what we’d do in the playoffs. This team took every challenge that came to them.”
By Joe Santoliquito
The Philadelphia Inquirer
