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Flyers Cup 2005 Stories


Friars look for fifth straight championship

ROB ENNAMORATO , Daily Local
Staff Writer
03/07/2005

The 2005 AAA Flyers Cup ice hockey tournament begins tonight and there are many question to be answered. Can Malvern Prep capture its fifth consecutive Flyers Cup title? Can red-hot Germantown Academy, which lost only one league game this season, continue its winning ways in the postseason? Does one team have an advantage entering the tournament? Even though Malvern Prep finished third in the regular season (behind Germantown Academy and La Salle), the Friars are still the team that everyone is gunning for. The Friars defeated La Salle 5-1 in the Flyers Cup final last year, en route to the team’s first state title in 14 years. Due to graduation and transfers, the Friars (7-2-1 league, 19-6-3 overall) enter this postseason with less firepower and experience.

The third-seeded Friars’ path to the title faces a tough test in their Wednesday quarterfinal matchup against the winner of favored No. 6 Archbishop Carroll (3-5-2 league) and No. 11 Archbishop Ryan.

There is no better -- or more bitter -- rivalry in local hockey than Malvern and Carroll. While Malvern holds the head-to-head advantage (2-0-1) this season, a highly frenzied crowd should help make this game a closely contestedmust-see.The Patriots, who made the jump from AA to AAA this season, get a big boost with the return of starting goalie Mike Silver, who has missed substantial time this season.

The keys for Malvern will be leading scorer George Stevens (30 goals in 26 overall games), who has the ability to take over the game, and junior goalie Josh Firely, despite lacking big-game experience, has been a capable backstop this year.

The winner of the Malvern-Carroll game will most likely face No. 2 seed La Salle (8-1-1 league) in the semifinals. La Salle is one of best defensive teams in the league and features premier senior goalie Ken Wochele, who has an impressive .950 save percentage and allowed only 12 goals against in nine league games.

No. 9 seed Bishop Shanahan is in the other half of the bracket, and faces No. 8 seed Father Judge in the first round. Shanahan has struggled to find the net this season and goals are always more difficult to find in the playoffs. If the Eagles (3-7 league) manage to beat Father Judge, they will face No. 1 seed Germantown Academy in the quarterfinals. Despite Germantown’s impressive 9-1 run in the regular season, some hockey insiders believe that they may have overachieved.

Prediction: While Germantown Academy has an easier path to March 17th’s Flyers Cup final, expect the winner of a La Salle-Malvern Prep semifinal to defeat GA in the finals and move on to the state championship game.




5 Area Teams Set For Flyers Cup Play


Bucks County Courier Times

The 26th annual Flyers Cup Scholastic Ice Hockey Championships begin Monday, and five local teams among the 44 competing are vying for a shot at the title in two of the three class tiers.

Archbishop Wood and Holy Ghost Prep, which lost to Father Judge 5-1 in the finals of the Lower Bucks County Scholastic Hockey League Commissioner's Cup on Friday, will be competing in the Class AAA tier.

Wood, the fifth seed, will face St. Joseph's Prep, the 12th seed, Monday at 7:30 p.m. at the Face Off Circle in Warminster. If the Vikings win, they will advance to play Cardinal O'Hara, the fourth seed, Wednesday at 9:15 p.m. at the Skatium in Havertown.

Holy Ghost will take on Monsignor Bonner on Monday at 9 p.m. at the Grundy Recreation Center in Bristol. The Firebirds are the seventh seed, while Bonner is the 10th seed. Holy Ghost, should it defeat Bonner, would square off against second-seeded La Salle on Wednesday at 6:50 p.m. at the Face Off Circle.

In Class AA competition, Neshaminy, Pennsbury, and Council Rock-South don't see action until a week from Monday. Neshaminy, the fourth seed, will face Downingtown West at 7:15 p.m. at Grundy. Downingtown West is seeded 13th.

Sixth-seeded Pennsbury will be opposed by Conestoga, the 11th seed, at 9 p.m. at Grundy.

Central Bucks-South will need to skate past Washington Township to advance. The Golden Hawks will play at 8:45 p.m. at the Sovereign Bank Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, N.J. Council Rock-South is the 15th seed, while Washington Township is the second-seeded squad.

The Class AAA title game is set for March 17 at the Wachovia Spectrum (7 pm).

The AA final is set for March 22 at the Skatium (7 pm).

Winners in each of the respective tiers will advance to the state championships, facing the winners of the Pittsburgh area's Penguins Cup competition. The state finals are scheduled for March 26 at the Hersheypark Arena in Hershey.




Whirling Dervish

By ADAM WODON
The Intelligencer

At the end of a long shift - always skating, always in motion, hyperactive - Anthony Fittipaldi will return to the Archbishop Wood bench, seemingly spent. "You think he's ready to sit a shift," says Wood coach Tom Coyne. "And then he just gives you that smile." That signature smile means "I'm ready to go," and off goes Fittipaldi, legs flying, ready for another minute of battle. "He just puts fun in the game," says Coyne. That deception translates to his game, too. Deceptively strong, deceptively wily. "He's one of the more underrated forwards in our league," says Coyne. "I had him last year on the 'AA' team at Glaciers, and I really saw him learning more about the game and he started to emerge with not just ability, but understanding systems and incorporating his ability into the systems and he seemed to really flourish." He may not be big (5 feet, 8 inches), but he can carry a lot on his shoulders. He's proven that already, flourishing this season with these linemates. Just a junior, Fittipaldi anchors a line with freshman Mike Koelzer - "He's a man-child," says Coyne - and sophomore John Bonner. He's scored 15 goals and 27 assists for 42 points, all team highs. "He's gonna be great. He's good already, but I'm sure he's going to be a great player," says Fittipaldi of Koelzer. "I'm the oldest one, so I guess I'm the responsibility guy. But everyone works together well." Fittipaldi will continue to shoulder a large burden if Wood is to go far in the Flyers Cup. The fifth-seeded Vikings begin their quest today against No. 12 St. Joseph's Prep in the Class AAA first round at Face Off Circle (6:50 p.m.). "He's tough around the puck for a smaller guy, but he's got the heart," says Coyne. "He's got the guts to play any position and go in the corners and really not look over his shoulder. I'm sure Brian had something to do with that, knocking him around." Brian, a former Wood defenseman, is Anthony's brother, two years older. The pair played together for the Vikings the last two seasons. "That was really good actually," says Anthony Fittipaldi. "We always got along really good on the ice, no matter what was going on at home." Ask him to name his best asset, and Fittipaldi mentions his speed. And there's nothing deceptive about that. It's out there, plain as day. "He possesses that fifth gear that some players never get," says Coyne. "You think he's going the fastest he can, then he accelerates through the play or through the puck and he's two steps ahead. That's unique. That's something a college coach would notice." The respect Coyne has for his player is mutually returned. "He's a great guy and a great coach," says Fittipaldi of Coyne. "He's always been good to me, always helped me out. ... He always wants the best for everyone. He's tough, but it's good." Down the line for Fittipaldi is a potential spot in juniors - he'll try out for the Little Flyers elite team during the summer - and he maintains hopes to play in college. But, even though he's able to hold his own, for Fittipaldi to go very far from her , he knows he'll have to get a lot stronger. As soon as this season is over, he'll spend the summer working out with a trainer at Face Off Circle's weight room. "It's tough, but I'm sure if I do it, I won't regret it." He'll be smiling, too. Adam Wodon can be reached at (215) 345-3127 or awodon@phillyburbs.com.









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