West Chester East checks off one goal after another to win Cup final
WEST CHESTER, Pa. — For years, it seemed as though the West Chester Bayard Rustin boys varsity ice hockey team was unbeatable, winning the Class A Flyers Cup six years in a row and then going on to win the state title for each of those years as well.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it put an end to that run by cancelling the remainder of the Flyers Cup and State Championship, and in a way, reset the ice for the following season, which then found a new team on top: West Chester East.
Sometimes in sports, the hardest thing isn鈥檛 winning a championship, but it鈥檚 repeating the feat. Following a title-winning season, all the other teams now have you as their target. However, even with such a large target on their back, East head coach Eric Wolf鈥檚 objectives for the team were simple, though it would take a lot of work to achieve them.
鈥淥ur goals were the Ches-Mont, the Flyers Cup and the State Championship, in that order, checking off one box at a time,鈥� he said.
Step one for the team, as he said, was claiming the Ches-Mont Division title, and leading the charge for the team would be captain Michael Cardarelli, a senior, and assistant captains Chase Becnel and Ethan Fredricks, both also seniors.
鈥淭hey are tireless workers and demand a high level of themselves and their teammates,鈥� Wolf said. 鈥淭hey take pride in their craft and have been at East during heartbreak, and lately, a lot of jubilation. They have an appreciation for the journey and the challenge it presents.鈥�
In the 14 games played during the regular season, East won them all, outscoring their opponents 114-22 along the way. It also happened to be the second undefeated season in a row for the Vikings.
In the playoffs, East took down Downingtown West 4-1 and blanked Rustin 10-0 to win the title.
鈥淗aving gone through another season in the Ches-Mont undefeated was a real accomplishment,鈥� Wolf said. 鈥淭here was the desire to show that last year was no fluke and that we might be better than last year. The winning streak was a huge factor in being able to maintain focus and have the 鈥榝oot-on-the-gas鈥� mentality when sometimes there could have been a letdown. The team just refused to let the 鈥楲鈥� word creep in.鈥�
Goal one? Check.
Step two was surviving the Class A Flyers Cup tournament as the No. 1 seed to claim not only that championship, but also the spot to play for the state title.
After an 11-1 win over Radnor in the Quarterfinals, East faced Hershey, which happened to be the last team to beat them in the 2020 Flyers Cup Semifinals, just a few days before the coronavirus shut down the remainder of the playoffs.
鈥淚t was the definition of a revenge game for us as they knocked us out of the tournament the last time we met,鈥� Wolf said.
East beat them 6-1 to advance to the Championship round against second-seeded Springfield.
鈥淲e were supposed to meet Springfield in January, but the game was canceled due to weather,鈥� Wolf said. 鈥淭hey were doing a lot of talking behind the scenes that they wanted us and that they were better than us, but they turned out to be very wrong.鈥�
With a big 6-2 win, East claimed the Flyers Cup Championship and five East players were named to the six-player Class A All-Tournament Team: Cardarelli, Becnel, junior Trey Jefferis, junior Henry Thornton and senior Jesse Davis.
Goal two? Check.
The bags were packed and the matchup was set. East would face Norwin, a school 20 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. They snuck through on two close one-goal games and were riding high after a big 5-0 win to send them to States.
But even that wouldn鈥檛 be enough when it came to facing dominating and undefeated East team.
鈥淭he State Championship turned out to be unexpectedly lopsided and we beat Norwin 10-0,鈥� Wolf said. 鈥淚 was able to see Norwin play in the Penguins Cup semis just 10 days earlier and thought any team that came from those two games would make a strong challenge for us, but our boys would not be denied and just dismantled what was a very good, but young team.鈥�
Goal three? Check with an exclamation point.
Just as they did the season before, East skated away undefeated. They have not lost a game since the semifinals in the 2020 Flyers Cup 鈥� a streak of 46 games and counting.
鈥淚 am just so proud of our entire team,鈥� Wolf said. 鈥淔or two years, we have stressed that we take care of one game at a time. These boys have set the bar for our program and as a coach, that is unmeasurable on the impact and what that means to growing our program and striving to continue in our seniors and our entire team鈥檚 footsteps. The looks on their faces when they hoist those cups are what keeps us as coaches pushing as hard as the players. Our hearts are full for these boys.鈥�
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.