HAVERFORD — On the brink of an early exit in the Flyers Cup AA tournament, Ryan McGlade and the Haverford High hockey team turned on the switch at just the right time Tuesday night at the Skatium.
And the Fords lit the lamp, time after time.
McGlade, the senior captain, recorded a hat trick and No. 5 Haverford erupted for six third-period goals en route to a 6-2 first-round victory over 12th-seeded North Penn.
“We tried to stay positive even though we didn’t have the greatest first two periods,” McGlade said. “But we worked hard, you know? We did things the right way, we won battles and we were able to quickly find some goals.”
He can say that again.
The Fords scored their first three goals in a span of less than three minutes. It started with McGlade, who fired a shot at North Penn goalie Maks-Joseph Harkins and Gus Scuderi was there for the cleanup, jamming home the puck to tie the score at 1-1. Nineteen seconds later Shawn Yoder unleashed a shot over the glove-side shoulder of Harkins and into the net. Moments later McGlade found himself all alone on the breakaway, and Harkins didn’t have a chance. And just like that, it was 3-1 Haverford.
The Fords were on a roll and the Knights were deflated. North Penn was able to briefly get off the mat when Nolan Shingle scored shorthanded, cutting the Fords’ lead to 3-2 with 13:01 to play. But Haverford never let up, scoring the game’s final three goals. McGlade had a pair of tallies, including an empty netter for his hat trick, and Caleb Dean also found the back of the net.
North Penn spent the majority of the first period pressuring sophomore goalie Dylan Vieira with a barrage of pucks. Vieira denied all 12 shots he faced and finished with 26 saves.
As the Fords’ skaters struggled to maintain a consistent zone attack, they knew they could trust Vieira, who has proven to be one of the best netminders in the area. Among goalies with a full season of games played, Vieira entered the night with the second-lowest goals against average in the ICSHL at 1.85.
“It’s such a privilege to have a great goalie because not many team have one,” McGlade said. “He’s been incredible for us all year.”
Vieira embraces the challenges of an early onslaught. It allows him to lock in and his reputation as a brick wall take control.
“I definitely prefer these games over the slower ones,” he said. “It’s very fast paced and it keeps me moving. I like it more that way, even though it’s not the best thing for the team. It’s great for my experience, too. But no matter what, we won and that’s what is important.”
North Penn ended the scoring drought with 2:57 left in the second period. Shingle skated behind the net and sent a pass in front of the net to Cole Pluck, who shot a puck past Vieira to give the Knights a 1-0 advantage.
“We knew we had to push as hard as we possibly could, so it was good to keep the boys upbeat and ready to fire,” McGlade said. “I’m really proud of how the guys came out, especially in that third period.”
Vieira had the utmost confidence in his teammates before the start of the third period. There was no chance he would be saddled with a 1-0 loss. The Fords’ have too much talent to go quietly into the night.
“I had full trust in them,” Vieira said.
Haverford coach John Povey didn’t issue an open challenge to his senior leaders when the team convened in the locker room during the second-period intermission. He didn’t call out anybody by name, but he gave each of his seniors, beginning with McGlade, a knowing glance. The seniors on this year’s squad were freshmen when the Fords won the Flyers Cup in 2021, so they knew better than anyone else what was at stake.
“I’m not singling them out in the locker room, but I’m giving Scuderi a look. I’m giving (Owen) Rabadam a look. I’m giving McGlade a look, and I’m giving (Brendan) McCormick a look – the guys who have been there and been through it,” Povey said. “When I’m saying I need my leaders to step up, that’s who I’m looking at. Gus gets the first goal to get us going and we kind of went from there. You need your leaders to be your top guys if you want to be successful in the Flyers Cup.”
Haverford will play No. 4 Downingtown West in the quarterfinal round Thursday evening at Ice Line in West Chester.
“Every game could be my last,” McGlade said. “Last year I was injured for that Flyers Cup game (a first-round loss). I didn’t even get to play. So, it definitely means that much more this year.”
