Chase Vallese's goal with less than two minutes remaining in the game sent the boisterous crowd into a frenzy and gave the Gonzaga Eagles a 2-1 victory over Calvert hall in the MAPHL "AA" Division championship game on Friday night  at Laurel. It was the Eagles' fourth MAPHL title in the last eight years and the first since 2014.

Calvert Hall's Brennan O''Brien scored at 8:35 of the third period to tie a close-checking game at 1-1 and set up the late game heroics from Vallese.

After a scoreless first period, Connor Tait struck first with a goal at 8:06 of the second period. Vallese's pass sent Tait into the offensive zone, where he skated into the slot and wristed a shot over Calvert Hall goalie Matt Schaab's right shoulder.

Vallese's winning goal turned out to be a family affair as his brother, Cole, got the secondary assist on the play. Tait got the primary assist.

Earlier in the evening, Gonzaga's Varsity II team defeated DeMatha's Varsity II to win the MAPHL "A" Division championship. It was the Eagles' second consecutive "A" Division championship.

It's the first time that the same school won both the MAPHL "A" and "AA" Division titles in the same year. 

Good Counsel’s Brian Greenblatt Took On a Much Bigger Leadership Role When the Team’s Coach Stepped Down and the Season Was In Doubt

Senior Brian Greenblatt was excited about Good Counsel’s prospects as he prepared for the 2016-17 hockey season. He was a returning captain and was looking forward to leading a team that included four other seniors.

So, too, were the seven freshmen who were about to face the rough and tumble of MAPHL “AA” Division, arguably the best high school conference in the Washington metropolitan area.

Little did Greenblatt know that his first true test of leadership would come before the season would even begin.

As the Falcons were holding tryouts, the head coach had to suddenly step down, throwing  the season—and the entire program—into uncertainty.

“It was a dark situation,” said Nate Cook, who had just started helping out with the junior varsity players when he was asked to take over as head coach. “I thought I bit off more than I could chew, but I didn’t want to give up on the kids.”

Nor was Greenblatt going to give up on his teammates. He had multiple meetings with the athletic department to keep the program on track while Cook got his sea legs and he became the person that Cook would turn to for help with everything from line combinations to scheduling games.

“He’s been a godsend,” said Cook. “Brian was my lifeline. He is a player everyone likes and looks up to. He gets people fired up.”

It’s Greenblatt’s passion for hockey that drives him. He not only captained his high school, he has worn the “C” for his Tri-City Eagles travel team, and works at the pro shops at both the Rockville and Laurel rinks.

“He doesn’t just love hockey, he lives and breathes it 24-7,” says Cook.

The situation Greenblatt was now facing certainly tested that passion. However, it turned out that the challenges that were ahead only made him love his sport and his teammates even more.

“We knew it would be a tough year, but we were going to keep our heads up and try to stay focused,” Greenblatt recalled.

With a depleted roster, which included defections and injuries, the losses mounted quickly. Some games were played with as little as eight players.

Greenblatt suffered a concussion during a tournament with his travel team and had to miss a couple of games.

“It crushed us,” says Cook. “It was an empty feeling not having him in the locker room for those games.

“He competed hard in every game and I was putting him out there every 30-45 seconds,” Cook added. “By the middle of the second period he was cramping up, but when it was time for his shift, he went right back out.”

The final MAPHL regular season standings show that Good Counsel finished 0-13 and scored a total of nine goals. But what the numbers don’t illuminate are the lessons Greenblatt has learned and the outstanding leadership he demonstrated.

“I really believe you can’t measure success by wins and losses,” Greenblatt says. “What I am proud of most is that our younger players really developed. And I know this may not make sense when you look at our record, but hard work really pays off. As a team, we kept it together and never backed down.

“I put all of my blood, sweat and tears into this team, but I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and the way we came together as a group. I knew that if we just had fun, it would work out in the end.”

Greenblatt admitted, however, that it wasn’t one big joy ride. “There were times when I got frustrated and times when we had our heads down,” he says.

During a 10-0 loss to Landon, Greenblatt called a time out with only a few minutes left in the third period.  He pushed his team to skate hard and try to score. A goal would not have put the Falcons back in the game, but it spoke volumes about his uncommon perseverance in the face of adversity.

“He’s a special kid,” Cook says. “I see how he interacts with people. He’s a phenomenal player, too. As a defenseman, he skates very well and plays at a very high level. When he is on the ice and near the puck, he is captivating to watch.”

His talent was recognized when he was voted First-Team All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference for the 2016-17 season. This is the first year the storied league included ice hockey.

He appreciates the individual recognition, but is quick to credit his teammates for making him the player—and the person—he is today.

At Good Counsel’s last practice of the year, “players were hugging and crying and saying that they would never forget this season,” Cook recalled. “I think one of the main reasons for that feeling was Brian. He really stepped up.”

And what was Greenblatt’s assessment of what could have been a most forgettable season: “It was the best year of my life.”

The Falcons may still get the benefit of Greenblatt’s knowledge and experience, as he plans to attend the University of Maryland in College Park. Coach Cook would welcome his continued association with the program.

“Character means more than anything,” Cook says. “He could have easily left the team when there was so much uncertainty, and most of the team would have left with him. But he believed in them and they believed in him.”

#1 Gonzaga vs. #6 Georgetown Prep (Laurel), 4 p.m.

#2 DeMatha vs. #5 Calvert Hall (Laurel), 4 p.m.

READ THE WASHINGTON POST ICE HOCKEY NOTEBOOK, WHICH REMEMBERS DON GENSLER AS "THE GLUE" THAT HELD THE MSHL TOGETHER, HERE

The MAPHL mourns the passing of Jay Don Gensler on Friday, January 13. Gensler was the founder of the Maryland Student Hockey League (MSHL) and its commissioner for 14 years.

In a letter to MSHL schools, the league said, “Don was the vision that was behind high school hockey in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. His belief that high school hockey could succeed is borne out by the many teams that we have in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.”

His son, Donald, posted the following message on his Facebook page:

Friends of Jay Don Gensler,

This is his son, Donald Gensler. I saw Dad had a FB page, and I wanted to update you all on some very sad news.

It is with a heavy heart that I tell you of my father's passing this past Friday 1/13/17 at 8pm in Columbia, MD. To those who knew Dad had gone in the hospital, thank you for all your prayers and well wishes during those two weeks.

My Dad was such a terrific man, father, soldier, and citizen. I can't fully express my profound sadness for his passing. None of us were aware, including my Dad, of the lung cancer looming within him. He died after just two weeks in the hospital.

He was someone always ready to help others and provide his insights, especially with home repair projects and community discussions. He was proud of his heritage from West Texas, and although traveling was difficult in recent years, he tried to make it back to Monahans to visit the old homestead as often as possible. He loved to walk in the sand dunes for hours searching for arrow heads and artifacts. He had a huge (really huge) stamp collection. He was the MSHL Commissioner for 14 years for high school ice hockey in Maryland and kept up as a volunteer with USA Hockey for years after that. He was a retired US Army Colonel. He was a loving father and husband.

He is so dearly missed.

In a battle of the #1 and #2 teams in the latest Washington Post Top 10 , the top-ranked DeMatha Stags held off a late rally from Gonzaga to defeat the Eagles, 5-4, at Laurel on Wednesday afternoon.

DeMatha’s Alvon Barard opened the scoring with the first of his two power play goals at 10:36 of the first period. Wyatt Hinkson picked up the only assist on the play. Gonzaga roared back with two goals from Connor Tait. Cole Vallese assisted on the first tally at 7:58 and exactly three minutes late, Connor O’Leary assisted on the second.

Lincoln Norton’s goal at 3:47 of the second period leveled the score at 2-2, but Gonzaga again went up a goal when John Cardellicchio scored at 10:39, with an assist from Will Jervey. The Eagles’ Will Rosen was in the penalty box for slashing when Teddy Whitehead assisted on Barard’s second power play goal to bring the score to 3-3 at the end of two periods.

DeMatha took charge in the third with two goals a little over two minutes apart. Jakob Kaplan scored unassisted at 7:47 and assisted on Lee Yang’s goal at 10:31. Gonzaga’s Connor Tait completed his hat trick with a goal at 11:50, but after pulling their goaltender with a little over a minute to play, and Tait missing a breakaway chance in the final minutes, the Eagles could not put the equalizer past Stags’ netminder Andrew Takacs.

Gonzaga outshot DeMatha, 41-33, with Takacs making 37 saves and Eagles’ netminder, Dominic Basse recording 28 saves.

Purple Reign: The host Gonzaga Eagles were elimated in the top-flight Prep Division semifinal round of the 24th annual National Capital Hockey Tournament, known as the Purple Puck, by Loyola of Montreal (Quebec, Canada). St. Joseph's Prep of Philadelphia, defeated defending champion Hun School (Princeton, NJ) in the other semifinal. St. Joe's Prep went on to defeat Loyola, 6-3, in the title game to capture its first Purple Puck championship on Friday night at Ft. Dupont Ice Arena in Washington, D.C. Gonzaga, however, did not go home emptyhanded, as the Eagles won the Varsity Division title on Wednesday. Other MAPHL teams participating in the Purple Puck Prep Division were Calvert Hall and Georgetown Prep. Bullis and Spalding participated in the Varsity Division.

Following the holiday break, the MAPHL schedule resumes on Tuesday, January 2, when Good Council takes on St. Albans at Rockville Ice Arena.  Game time is 3:40 p.m.

Three players had a goal and an assist and six different players scored for the preseason #1-ranked Gonzaga Eagles as they flattened Archbishop Spalding, 6-1, in an early season MAPHL matchup at Ft. Dupont Ice Arena on Thanksgiving eve. Captain John Cardellicchio was one of the three with a goal and an assist, opening the scoring 2:59 into the game. Cole Vallese assisted on the goal.

Connor Tait, with a helper from Will Rosen, and Ben Plant, assisted by Will Schuler and Tommy Krisztinicz, put the Eagles up, 3-0, after one period.  Schuler scored with an assist from Plant at 6:31 of the second period to give the home team a 4-0 lead before Matthew Rand, with an assist from Evan Donnelly, got the Cavaliers on the board with a goal at 9:37. That was the closest the Cavaliers would come to catching the Eagles.

Gonzaga got goals from Henry Middlebrook and Jack Massey in the third period to close out the scoring for the Eagles. Jalen Greene made 16 saves on 17 shots for Gonzaga, while Cavaliers goalie Jake Paprcka faced 33 shots and stopped 27.

With the victory, Gonzaga is now 2-0 in MAPHL play, while Spalding falls to 0-2 in the league.

DeMatha's Jake Kaplan and Erick Reiniger each scored two goals, including a shorthanded goal apiece, and Kaplan added an assist in the Stag's 6-2 victory against Mt. St. Joseph at Laurel on Monday night. With the victory, DeMatha is now 3-0 in MAPHL play this season.

The Stags took a 4-2 lead going into the third period and added a goal by Ty Brandt early before committing six penalties in the final stanza.  With the Gaels spending significant time on the power play, including a prolonged two-man advantage, DeMatha's penalty killing unit held up nicely and goalie Andrew Tacaks stood tall in net.

DeMatha's Skyler Trippett opened the scoring 1:31 into the game. But Alec Pupshis tied the score for Mt. St. Joseph a minute and 13 seconds later. Nate Dailey scored the Gaels' second goal.