One more state step for Haverford hockey in season of redemption

WEST GOSHEN — The word on the lips of the Haverford hockey team all season was “redemption.”

After falling short of a Central League title and the Flyers Cup crown in 2020, a senior-laden and talented group wanted to leave no doubt in 2021.

Having avenged their only loss in the Flyers Cup Class AA final, the Fords have only one item left on the to-do list: Go win a state championship.

Haverford will try to check that off the list Saturday at 2 p.m. when it ventures west to take on Penguins Cup winner Baldwin at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Twp. The game will be streamed on TribLive’s High School Sports Network.

“This was our goal from the beginning of the season,” Fords forward Jagur McClelland said Tuesday, after scoring the first goal in a 4-1 win over Downingtown West for Haverford’s first Flyers Cup since 2007. “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.”

The Fords (16-1) have been outstanding this season, running the table in the Central League. They’ve outscored opponents by a 128-13 margin, posting eight shutouts. Their only loss was a 3-1 setback to D-West in January, for which they returned the favor on Tuesday.

McClelland won the Bobby Clarke Award as the MVP of Class AA with Jacob Orazi (seven goals, 13 points) as the high scorer. Forward Dan Quartapella, defenseman Cally Moran and goalie Jai Jani also made the all-tournament team.

Haverford is seeking to become the first Delaware County squad to win the Pennsylvania Cup since Cardinal O’Hara in Class AAA in 2010. The last Class AA title was supplied by Archbishop Carroll in 2004. Haverford’s lone Pennsylvania Cup win came in 1992 in Class A, one of eight titles won by Delco schools. Baldwin won in Class AAA in 1988 and 1975.

The Fighting Highlanders (20-1) are a formidable opponent. Able to play since November, they have an edge in experience on the Fords, with the Intra-County High School League only starting in January. Baldwin’s only loss was a 3-1 setback to Thomas Jefferson on March 9, which they avenged in a 5-2 win in the Penguins Cup semifinals. A 2-0 win over Franklin Regional sent Baldwin to the state final.

“When we set out this year, we knew we had a really strong team coming back with a little bit of disappointment from the year before,” Haverford coach John Povey said. “Winning the Flyers Cup was a major goal, but the end goal is to win a state championship. We’re one game away from that, and we know what’s on the line coming up on Saturday.”