Panthers claim Penguins Cup

Virag scores two en route to 6-1 win

Indiana sophomore Madison Barker became the first female goaltender ever to start a PIHL Penguins Cup championship game when she skated into the crease Tuesday against Franklin Regional.

Now she’ll have to wait at least one more year before she becomes the first to win a title.

Franklin Regional (20-10) sophomore Oldrich Virag scored two goals and an assist and senior Jamie Mauro chipped in four helpers, while sophomore netminder Daniel Soltesz made it stand up with 25 saves as the Panthers rolled over East Division rival Indiana (16-5-0), 6-1, to win their second consecutive Class1A crown.

“It was a great time out there and a great battle,” Virag said. “This was a great win for our seniors and its’ an unreal experience.”

Franklin Regional lost in its first six trips to the Penguins Cup finals before breaking out with a win over South Fayette last season. This year the Panthers opened with 17 consecutive victories and needed a come-from-behind win against Thomas Jefferson in the semifinals just to have an opportunity for a repeat.

“This is a great feeling but we’re not done,” Franklin Regional coach Brian Kurtz said. “We won last year and we were satisfied with that, but with this team it’s unfinished business and we have a greater goal and that’s to win a state championship.”

Franklin Regional will play Flyers Cup champion Bayard Rustin in the Pennsylvania Cup finals on Saturday at noon at the Island Sports Complex. It will be a rematch of last season when the Golden Knights won their third consecutive title with an easy 6-0 victory over the Panthers.

Class 2A

Plum’s top line of Anthony Borriello, Nolan Puhala and Dillon Joyce has been virtually impossible to stop for most of the season and that triumvirate helped the Mustangs bring home their first Penguins Cup title in 29 years.

Borriello had the hat trick, and Puhala netted a pair and three helpers while Joyce chipped in four assists to propel Plum (19-2-1) to a 6-1 victory against Latrobe to give the school its first Penguins Cup title since it won the first Class 1A championship in 1989.

“I think it means everything right now,” Borriello said. “We started in the summer preparing and stuff and to finally see it, it feels unbelievable.”

Latrobe played much of the game without its leading scorer, junior forward Jared Schimizzi, who took a puck to the back of his head or neck area with 10:57 remaining in the first period and the game scoreless. Schimizzi lay on the ice for several minutes while he was attended to by a trainer and left under his own power, but he did not return to the game.

Only seven seconds after the injury, Plum scored its first goal as Borriello poked home a rebound of a Puhala shot for his fourth goal of the playoffs.

Plum will play Flyers Cup champion Downingtown East in the Class 2A Pennsylvania Cup championship game on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the Island Sports Complex.