2004 Carroll tops wood to win Class AA Flyers Cup

Archbishop Carroll ice hockey coach Bill Hammond had the jitters before the Patriots met Archbishop Wood in the Flyers Cup Class AA championship game last night at the Face-Off Circle in Warminster. Next season there will be a new alignment in area high school ice hockey, with all private-school teams playing in a Class AAA Division. So it marked the last time Carroll, the most successful Class AA team in Flyers Cup history, was competing for a title in a division it has dominated. Next year, the Patriots will square off against powerhouse programs such as Malvern Prep, La Salle, and Germantown Academy. After a brief scare, the Pats relieved any tension their coach might have had with a 6-3 victory over Wood. Carroll, which raised its record to 19-8-1, advanced to the state championship game against the winner of the Penguins Cup, either Peters Township or Indiana, on April 10 at Island Sports Center in Pittsburgh. Wood, which reached the championship game for the first time in the program’s history, concluded its season with a 26-3-1 record. A four-goal second period – three of them from sophomore Greg Manz helped the Patriots capture their fourth title in the last five seasons. Carroll was the first team to win three straight Flyers Cup Class AA titles, from 2000-2002. Last night, Carroll became the first program to win four AA crowns. “There was a special chemistry about this team that nothing would stop them,” Hammond said. “This is amazing, winning the fourth title, especially since we didn’t win last year and this is the last AA title we were playing for.” Following a scoreless first period, Wood took a 1-0 lead in the second period. The Vikings took advantage of a Carroll miscue early in the period and created a two-on-one scoring opportunity. Tim D’Orazio’s shot beat Carroll goaltender Mike Silver high on his glove side with 13 minutes, 59 seconds left in the second period. But Carroll came right back six minutes later to tie the game at 1-1. Josh Friedland connected on a shot that beat Wood goalt- ender T.J. Coyne high on the glove side. That’s when Manz took control. The speedy left winger scored twice in a span of 33 seconds, giving Carroll a 3-1 lead. Wood pulled within 3-2 on a goal by Dave Mulhern, but could not gain the equalizer. Manz struck again with just nine seconds left in the second

period, giving the Patriots a two-goal cushion heading into the third period. “I was just running off adrenaline in that second period,” said Manz, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player after scoring seven goals and seven assists in four games. “Wood was a physical team, but we worked through it.”

Archbishop Wood……………..0-2-1–3
Archbishop Carroll……………0-2-4–6
Goals: AW-Tim D’Orazio, Dave Mulhern, Mark Silwica. AC-Greg Manz 3, Josh Friedland, Shane Aldinger, John Piotrowicz.
Saves: AW-T.J. Coyne 30. AC-Mike Silver 21.