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We’re not even in April yet, and that might have been the game of the year.
Senior Notre Dame signee Dan Riely hammered home his fourth goal of the game in double overtime to give Malvern Prep (Pa.) an 11-10 win over visiting Chaminade (N.Y.) in a battle of two of the country’s top five teams Tuesday.
“It was a stressful overtime,” Riely said. “The defense did a heck of a job before. Little bit of a scramble play and (four-star junior) Danny (Lucovich) had a great find. I was calling for it because I knew we had a 2v1 on the backside. I was able to get that D-pole stuck, threw a little fake and was able to bury it. Happy I was able to do it for the team.”
Chaminade stretched an early lead out to as large as 7-2 on the strength of two goals apiece from five-star seniors John Balsamo (Long Island Express / Virginia) and James Gillis (Long Island Express / Duke). The Friars, though, battled back. Four-star senior defenseman Dylan Novak (Big 4 HHH / Notre Dame) had a huge caused turnover on a slide that led to a Lucovich transition goal. Two minutes later, Brown commit Jamie McCracken finished a Tommy Onderdonk feed on the back pipe to send the game to overtime.
Each team had good looks in overtime, with Gillis narrowly missing a righty rope that looked ticketed for the top corner and Malvern getting turned aside on a bevy of looks. When the Friars got the ball back, though, they made no mistake to push their record to 5-0.
“This was definitely the game we had marked,” Riely said. “They’re a great program historically and a great team coming from Long Island. We knew they were going to give us a game. Going into double overtime and finishing in that way is definitely a statement and we can’t wait to get the next one going.”
Malvern Prep vs. Chaminade Standouts
Ben Bekiers ’26, SSDM, Chaminade (N.Y.) / Team 91 Long Island – Boston University
Bekiers isn’t the biggest D-middie out there, but he certainly played like it against the Friars. He’s got all the intangibles that you want out of a SSDM and had an excellent day in 1v1 coverage. The future Terrier uses his lack of height to his advantage as he has no trouble staying low and driving his hands into a dodger’s chest. He had a number of terrific coverage reps – both on the wings and from X -, knew when to slide off-ball and was effective in the clearing game on a few occasions.
Jamie McCracken ’27, midfield, Malvern Prep (Pa.) – Brown
McCracken’s offensive role has significantly increased in the early going for Malvern, and the junior is showing a knack for scoring big goals. He also doesn’t have a single trace of fear in his game. While he’s not big, he plays huge, routinely putting his body on the line to get to the net. He capped a 4-0 Malvern run that helped offset a 7-2 Chaminade lead by dodging hard down the left wing, getting inside and crease diving one home. Earlier in the game, he showed great off-ball awareness by cutting to the middle of the defense and finish off a slick feed from standout sophomore Joey Murphy. It was McCracken that later tied the game at 10 with 2:18 to play in regulation with a nice off-ball cut to finish home a superb Tommy Onderdonk pass.
It was McCracken’s third hat trick of the season. Interestingly enough, he’s either going off for a hat trick or more – he had five in the season opener against Boys’ Latin – or nothing. If he can be a little more consistent, watch out.
“I think it’s the self-confidence that I’ve gained,” McCracken said of his increased offensive role. “This year, I’m feeling good, but it’s all about the system. All we do is move together and it’s not a one-man show. I think when we’re rolling, it’s impossible for us to be defended. We run a system and it’s all six guys working together. We’re deep. We’ve got the first guys, the second guys, everybody can do it, and we work as a team. I think that’s how it works.”
Dylan Novak ’26, defense, Malvern Prep (Pa.) / Big 4 HHH – Notre Dame
Novak struggled in the second quarter with his matchup against NLF No. 2 ’26 James Gillis (Long Island Express / Duke). Gillis scored twice on high wing dodges off of picks, and he also had a picturesque skip pass to set up a Finn Pizzo (Long Island Express / Cornell) stepdown. After that, though, Gillis set up another Pizzo tally in an unsettled transition situation, and Novak won the battle and the game down the stretch. The four-star defender and his Friar defensive mates adjusted well to the high pick game. From there, the 6-4, 220-pounder was outstanding. Novak covered very well, and it was his takeaway on a great hard slide that got transition going for a Danny Lucovich (Penn State) goal that got the Friars to within 10-9.
“We just couldn’t talk in the second quarter,” Novak said. “The communication was off. At halftime, we talked with our coaches and figured it out. You know, put me on an island, have the support from the picks and we got some awesome play from our D-middies in the second half and we were just able to get it done. For me, I just put my head down, next play and grinded it out.”
Eddie Rudloff ’26, SSDM, Malvern Prep (Pa.) – Drexel
Better known as a faceoff midfielder heading into this season, Rudloff saw a clearer path onto the field as a SSDM rather than at the faceoff stripe. Malvern already has junior Richmond verbal TJ McDermott and senior Lehigh signee Matt Connolly taking faceoffs. So now Rudloff is a D-middie, and a darn good one at that at a place that seemingly has elite D-middies every year. Like Bekiers, he’s far from the biggest SSDM, but he’s incredibly effective. The future Dragon has been automatic off the carpet all season long, and that continued against the Flyers with a half-dozen ground balls. He also relishes the idea of being dodged 1v1 and can run the field well, too. Rudloff was a major presence on the defensive end for the Friars.
Kieran Walsh ’26, goalie, Chaminade (N.Y.) / Long Island Express – Notre Dame
Upgraded to five-star status in the summer, Walsh did nothing to dissuade that idea with his play Tuesday. The 6-6 stopper came away with a dozen saves for the Flyers. He takes up a ton of the net, but it’s his ability to move around the crease and flash quick hands on tough shots that separate Walsh from others. Beating him low seems really difficult, which doesn’t make sense because he’s so big. Walsh catches most shots cleanly and doesn’t cede rebounds.