Afansil Kislykh scored four goals, including the go-ahead goal in the third period, leading Gloucester Catholic to a 5-3 victory over Pope John in a Gordon Conference National Division matchup at Hollydell Arena in Washington Township. Pope John, ranked No. 14 in the NJ.com statewide Top 20, saw its five-game unbeaten streak come to an end with the loss.
The win marked Gloucester Catholic’s third in four games (4-8) after snapping a six-game losing streak. Kislykh, a junior, opened the scoring 14:13 into the first period with assists from Cole Pastor and Illia Buranov, giving Gloucester Catholic a 1-0 lead.
Pope John’s Cameron Guerra leveled the score midway through the second period, but Kislykh struck again with 5:54 remaining in the second to put Gloucester Catholic ahead 2-1.
The third period featured an exciting flurry of four goals. Guerra notched his second goal early in the period to tie the game at 2-2, with assists from Michael Perry and Logan Dickson. Nicholas Colatrella then gave Pope John its first lead of the game.
Gloucester Catholic responded quickly as Justin Martone tied the game at 3-3 with 12:54 left, assisted by Buranov. Kislykh completed his hat trick with 2:32 remaining to put Gloucester Catholic ahead 4-3. He then added an empty-net goal in the final minute to seal the victory.
Gloucester Catholic’s Richie Geiser made 38 saves on 41 shots, posting a .927 save percentage. On the other side, Pope John’s Anthony Conetta stopped 18 of 22 shots.
Despite generating more offensive pressure with 41 shots compared to Gloucester Catholic’s 22, Pope John was unable to capitalize enough against Geiser’s strong performance. The Rams’ efficient scoring and Kislykh’s standout effort proved decisive in the win.
https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2026/01/kislykhs-four-goals-power-gloucester-catholic-past-pope-john-boys-ice-hockey-recap.html