O'Hara Captures First Ever Flyers Cup
Haverford High, Penncrest Repeat as Champions
By Rob Baer, philadelphiaflyers.com
The 27th Annual Flyers Cup wrapped up on March 25, and three schools skated away as champions of the 52-team tournament. Penncrest (A Champions) and Haverford High (AA Champions) will be making their second consecutive trips to the Pennsylvania State Championship game, and Cardinal O'Hara's AAA crown was the first major hockey championship in the 39-year history of its program.
O'Hara entered the Flyers Cup as the #1 seed in the AAA division, and was able to overcome a slow start against Holy Ghost Prep in the semifinal to advance to the AAA Final against Germantown Academy. Against Holy Ghost, the Lions trailed 2-0 in the second period but were able to fight back for a 5-3 win.
In the AAA Final, it was GA who had to overcome a slow start, as O'Hara came out flying and quickly built a 4-0 first period lead. Frank Cross's two goals paced the attack and O'Hara cruised to a 6-3 win. Goalie Ryan Klingensmith finished the tournament with a .908 save percentage and a 2.33 GAA, earning him the Bobby Clarke Award as AAA MVP.
Haverford High entered the 2006 Flyers Cup as the number one seed and the defending AA champion. Needless to say, the Fords were the team that everyone else was gunning for. Unfortunately for the opposing teams, they were unable to stop Ian Finnerty (3g, 7a) and Chris Campli (5g, 3a), as the duo finished 1-2 in the AA scoring race. Haverford bounced Abington, Henderson, and Neshaminy on its way to the final, where it met #3 Central Bucks South. The Hatfield Ice arena was filled to capacity before the players even came onto the ice for warm-ups, and T.J. Haberle's first period goal proved to be all the offense the Fords would need, as goalie Jason Hazelton kept the Titans off the board in the 4-0 victory.
Penncrest was the only team from Eastern Pennsylvania to win a state championship last year (Malvern Prep and Haverford High both lost in their state title games). Many of the players from 2005 returned this season, and that big-game experience was a major factor in the Lions' run to the 2006 Flyers Cup A championship. Third-seeded Penncrest defeated Kennett and Plymouth-Whitemarsh in early-round games before upsetting second seeded Hershey, 4-2, in the semifinals.
While Hershey proved to be a formidable opponent, an even bigger obstacle awaited Penncrest in the A Final, in the form of top-seeded Springfield (Delco). Springfield had the Lions' number all season, as Penncrest went winless (0-2-1) against its Central League rival during the regular season. Penncrest used the underdog mentality to its advantage, and shut down the offensive tandem of Von Mondevergine and Phil Eastman throughout the final game. Chris Tull's second period goal was the game's lone tally, and goalie Ryan McElhenney stopped 25 shots to earn the shutout. For his efforts, McElhenney was awarded the Flyers Cup A MVP Award. He led the Flyers Cup in nearly every goaltending category, including save percentage (.936), saves (73) and goals-against average (1.19).
Cardinal O'Hara, Haverford, and Penncrest now begin preparations for the Pennsylvania State Championships, which take place Saturday, April 8 at the RMU Island Sports Center in Pittsburgh. They will meet the winners of Western Pennsylvania's Penguins Cup. The Flyers would like to congratulate all three teams on their success, and wish them the best of luck as they try to bring a state Cup home to the Philadelphia region.
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