Jake Vana Leads The Prep To a 6-3 Victory

By: Jason Stellakis

St. John’s Prep gets back in the win column by taking down Malden Catholic by a score of 6-3 on January 31st, 2022. 


This was the first game the Prep played after their tough loss to Xaverian five days before. The Prep came into this with high ambitions they would win and get another streak going. Especially since they were up against a Malden Catholic team that was .500 coming into this game.


The game got off to a shaky start for the Prep. Senior goalie Payton Pallidino let up a 5 on 3 power play goal, 10 minutes into the first period. The penalty box has definitely been a problem this season. Shortly after, the Prep tied it on a Jake Vana goal. The Prep added one more in the first period from Ben McGilvray to make it 2-1. The Prep mainly dominated this period, as they outshot MC, 15-9. 


The second period started off very strong for Malden Catholic, as they tied it only two minutes into the period. The Prep had some huge opportunities, but could not quite finish the job. MC got another goal to take the lead with about 10 minutes to go in the second period. As a team that is known for being relentless, the Prep answered a minute after and tied it from a goal by Aidan Holland. With a few minutes left, Jake Vana scored what would be the game-winning goal, assisted by teammates Zack Raposa and Cole Blaeser that made the game 4-3. The Prep outshot MC again, 17-11


The third period was summed up by dominance, as the Prep scored two more goals from Camden Umlah and Jimmy Ayers. Malden Catholic only managed three shots on goal that whole period. The Prep totalled 11 shots on goal in that period, outshooting MC 43-23 for the game. 


After the game I had the opportunity to interview sophomore forward, Jake Vana. He was proud of how his team performed after the tough loss just a few days before. I asked him about the relentlessness of his team whenever they are down. 


“We gotta get the next one,” Vana Stated. “We have 4 lines that are all willing to play against the other team’s 1 or the other team’s 4, so we have that mentality of next-shift-up and try to score your next shift.”


It seems like from his view, it does not matter who is on the ice at whatever time. The goal remains the same at all times, and they have that set mentality throughout the game. This is a great mentality to have this far into the season. If they are going to be competitive come the playoffs, this team can go really far if they can keep this strong trait.


I also asked Vana about the penalties the team is making and if it is something that they work on in practice. Like stated above, penalties cost goals, and some of them can cost the game. 


“It comes back to discipline in the end,” Vana said. “Sometimes when you get tired you stop moving your feet and that causes you to get hooking or tripping penalties.” 


This seems very fixable to say the least, and it is something that I will keep in mind for the rest of the season. Like Vana stated, it is lack of discipline that gets you into the penalty box. I believe this team has the ability to fix this, and they have enough time to do so. 


The Prep plays its next game on February 2nd at 6:40 versus St. John’s Shrewsbury at the Essex Sports Center. 

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