Flyers Cup Class AA: McClelland has special game, Haverford wins title

WEST GOSHEN >> The way Downingtown West goalie Aidan McHutchinson was playing Tuesday night, it was going to take something special to beat him.

Lucky for Haverford, that’s Jagur McClelland’s specialty.

McClelland broke through on the Fords’ 29th shot of the game to break the top-seeded Whippets’ resolve, and Jacob Orazi netted the game winner as the third-seeded Fords won the Flyers Cup Class AA final, 4-1, at IceLine.

“The shots were there, the goals weren’t,” McClelland said. “We kept going. The outcome was there. That’s all we could really worry about.”

Jagur McClelland ties it up! Goes top corner on a shorty. 1-all pic.twitter.com/Vj8pfj7Isy

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) April 21, 2021

The win is the Fords’ fifth Flyers Cup and first since 2007. They advance to Saturday’s state final to take on the Penguins Cup winner, Baldwin.

The Fords peppered McHutchinson early and were in danger of never beating the senior netminder until McClelland turned the momentum. The West goalie was spectacular in the first period, stopping 25 shots thrown his way, including a late shutting of the five-hole with Orazi bearing down.

“I think I was really in the zone until that (McClelland) shot,” said McHutchinson, who finished with 46 saves in an outstanding performance. “We definitely collapsed as a defense. It happens. I let in goals, I save shots, it’s what I do.”

The Fords’ 29th shot of the game was McClelland’s short-handed rush up the left wing, hit by an Orazi stretch pass. McClelland strode in and finally found a sliver of space above McHutchinson’s right shoulder on the short side.

“I saw his shoulder go down and that’s my role, so I’ve got to put those away,” McClelland said. “I shot where I saw the opening, and it went in.”

The Fords could’ve taken the lead 37 seconds later when Dan Quartapella was hauled down on a breakaway and the referee awarded a penalty shot. Quartapella glided in and deked to his forehand, but McHutchinson kept his post and kicked out his right leg to deny the Fords centerman.

McHutchinson said it was the first penalty shot he’s faced in high school. He and Quartapella don’t know each other, so he had no tendencies to go on, just read and react in what had the potential to be a big momentum-changer.

“I think if I let that in, that’s a 2-1 game, but I saved it,” McHutchinson said. “We got some motivation out of that.”

Goal Jacob Orazi! Great defensive play and feed from Mike McGeoch.
2-1 Fords. 72 left in 2nd period pic.twitter.com/KxkTrPospA

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) April 21, 2021

Ten minutes later, the Fords went ahead. Mike McGeoch applied pressure to defenseman Anthony Florkowski on a dump in. McGeoch got the puck, got a step and spotted Orazi in the slot, putting it on his tape to blast one home.

Despite the tilted ice early, the Whippets led after one period. Zak Spero picked off a loose pass and fed Thomas Fetterman, who danced around a defender to set up Tyler DeTreux in the slot. Jai Jani got a lot of his pad on it, but it still steamed into the net at 13:27 of the first.

The third period was a portrait of discipline. The Fords outshot West 50-25 for the game, including 11-6 in the final 16 minutes despite West chasing a goal. Every call from the bench in the final frame was to get the puck deep, and the Fords obliged.

On paper, you might be tempted to give the edge in close games to West: Whereas Haverford (16-1) entered having rampaged through the Central League with a 124-12 margin in goals this year, the Whippets survived the crucible of the Ches-Mont National division, which included both Class A finalists in West Chester East and Henderson. Their 12-3-1 record entered Tuesday came with a miniscule plus-19 goal differential and a ton of experience in big games.

“It’s been every single game, close games, especially Avon Grove” in the semifinals, a one-goal game, McHutchinson said. “It was exactly like this the last game, the same feel.”

High school penalty shot!!!!
McHutchinson stones Quartapella! Love it pic.twitter.com/rJ5EcrsxYz

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) April 21, 2021

Three of those goals that Haverford allowed came in one period against West in the regular season, a 3-1 setback. It was the only loss on the record of Jai Jani, who made 25 saves Tuesday night.

“We definitely thought about that,” Haverford defenseman Cally Moran said. “We just decided we needed to keep Spero in check, stay back, focus on defense more than offense.”

Even as the benches shrank in the third period, Haverford’s rotation of two lines and two D-pairings were nearly flawless. Whether from timely stick checks by the top pairing of Nate Rabadam and Moran or a pair of shot blocks on the same shift by forward Alex Gattone or stout limits on West’s zone time, they saw the game out astutely.

“Those are our big guys,” McClelland said. “They’re the people that have to put games away, put these huge games away for us. That’s what we did.”

The Fords mainly kept the final period under control until the final minute, when Quartapella jumped on a loose puck just as McHutchinson retreated to the bench for the extra attacker. With McHutchsinson diving from the top of the circle, Quartapella potted the empty-netter.

Orazi added one 43 seconds later, and the party was on.

“It was awesome,” McClelland said. “This was our goal from the beginning of the season. We wanted to get the Flyers Cup, and we wanted to go to Pittsburgh and get the state championship. Our school is proud, we’re making everyone happy, and that was our goal from the beginning of the season.”

“It’s amazing,” Moran said. “All our hard work of the years, we’ve been sacrificing so much, staying home, quarantining. And it just feels amazing.”