GEOGHEGAN: West Chester East determined to make statement as school’s best ever
WEST GOSHEN >> West Chester East has produced some excellent ice hockey teams over the years. The Vikings won the Flyers Cup and went on to capture state titles in both 2008 and 2013.
And more recently, during Eric Wolf’s six-year head coaching reign, East advanced to the Flyers Cup final twice only to fall to powerhouse West Chester Rustin in heartbreaking fashion. In 2017, the Golden Knights survived in three overtimes and then went on to win the state and the national title.
On Tuesday at jam-packed Ice Line, the Vikings added a third Flyers Cup to the trophy case with a tense 3-2 win over upset-minded West Chester Henderson in the Class A Final. Now just one win away from a state crown, it’s not too early to pose the question: could this be the schools’ best to hit the ice?
“I’ve had some very strong teams, but this one is so deep and balanced,” Wolf said. “I don’t know if there are any teams around that can go as deep as we can.
“Now that we’ve won three (Flyers Cup titles) it puts us on a higher echelon. Are we close to Rustin’s six in a row? No. But it’s impressive what this team’s been able to accomplish.”
West Chester East’s roster is, as Wolf says, a snapshot in time. And this 2021 squad could be the best collection the Vikings have ever put forth. If they can win one more and capture the state crown, that is. East will take on the Penguins Cup winner (to be determined) on April 24 in Pittsburgh.
“I think we have a pretty good chance at the state title,” said big, powerful winger Greg Diamond.
“It’s just been a grind all season,” added speedy forward Tristan D’Elia. “Everybody on this team has brought it every game. Now we have to bring it one more time in Pittsburgh.”
There is a senior star in D’Elia, an upcoming sophomore superstar in Greg Diamond, a true leader in two-time captain Joey Vagnoni, a solid veteran goalie (Jake Godshall), and a whole bunch of others who could be standouts on other teams but fill in vital roles on this one.
It all adds up to a team that has the luxury of rolling out four solid lines.
“In high school hockey, if you have two good lines, you are really good. If you get a third line, there is a good chance you can go deep in the postseason. If you have four lines, you’ve got something pretty special,” Wolf pointed out.
“Our fourth line is not some JV players. Ours is, maybe, a second line on other teams.”
With a depth of talent few can hope to match, East steamrolled its way to the Ches-Mont National title, outscoring 10 opponents 57-10. Overall, the Vikings have just one blemish, a competitive setback to newly crowned 3A Flyers Cup champion Malvern Prep back in January. The non-league slate also included an overtime win against Haverford and a 5-3 decision to St. Joseph’s Prep.
“Those games helped us,” Wolf said. “Going into league play we thought we were good, but we knew we weren’t the second coming.”
Time and time again this season East’s superior depth has had a cumulative effect on the opposition.
“We can just roll four lines and nobody can keep up,” D’Elia said.
“We see lots of opponents that have two lines and eventually they start hanging their heads,” Diamond added.
On Tuesday, it played out like quite a few this season. The Warriors took a 2-1 first period lead, but eventually surrendered the game-tying and game-winning goal in the second. In all, the Vikings had a 60-26 edge in shots on goal.
“Sometimes it happens in the first period, sometimes it happens later, but it’s happened pretty consistently,” Wolf said. “We will score in bunches and it will leave no doubt the end result.
“It’s a pleasant way to go through a game, but you can’t rely on it. We know how to play tight games.”
It’s pretty clear at this point that Wolf’s program has overtaken Rustin to become the preeminent ice hockey team in the region. But it is going to take a lot more to come close to matching the gaudy accomplishments of the Knights, who won six Flyers Cups in a row (2014-19).
“It’s difficult to compare anything with what Rustin did,” Wolf acknowledged. “For them to be as good as they were for as long as they were, you just don’t see that. During their run, they were a bit better and deeper than we were. They had several groups of excellent players who just happened to graduate.
“They had a lot of depth, and that’s kind of where we are now.”
Along with the 6-foot-5 200-pound Diamond, who has 27 goals and 20 assists this season, the Vikings boast a bunch of quality underclassmen who could keep it going next season and beyond.
“This program is going to be really good for the next three years at least,” D’Elia said.
“We have a fairly young group and a bunch of good kids,” Diamond echoed. “I think we are going to be pretty good for an awfully long time.”
Junior winger Ethan Fredericks has 17 goals and 19 assists this season. And sophomore defenseman Henry Thornton’s anticipation and positioning is outstanding.
Other sophomores, like winger Joey Cardarelli and center Danny Tirendi have the speed and skills to take on bigger roles in the future, and ease the graduation loss of D’Elia, who leads the team with 46 points (17 goals, 31 assists). And for the playoffs East added a high-end defender in junior Michael Cardarelli, who missed the regular season with a knee injury.
“I don’t know if we needed a shot in the arm defensively, but that’s what it’s done,” Wolf said.
But on April 24th and projecting beyond to the 2021-22 season, there are no guarantees.
“It’s what we all face in high school sports,” Wolf explained. “We have a snapshot in time to do the best with what we have. We can’t re-sign them to a free agent deal – they move on to the next thing.
“I do think our program is strong. The guys succeeding now, I watched them succeed in middle school.
“We have a very strong feeder program. We want the elementary and middle school to want to grow up to wear the red helmet. Our stands are full of those little guys wearing East jerseys. If we can continue to create that aspiration in those kids, we can be one of those clubs that hangs around and has a nice run. I can only hope it’s as long as Rustin’s run.”
