Quaker Valley using defense to reach final

Tri-State Sports & News Service

Quaker Valley has been one of thoseteams that likes to run-and-gun withits competition.

In the PIHL Class 2A playoffs, however, the Quakers have locked it down on the defensive end and are now one win away from their first title since the last of their three consecutiveClass 1A crowns from 2012-14.

“It’s not the way I like to play, that’s for sure, but we’re playing against some really good hockey teams and we’re doing the best we can to play solid defensive hockey,” Quaker Valley coach Kevin Quinn said. “We know we’re, by far, an underdoghere in the playoffs.”

In its first three postseason games, Quaker Valley has given up just four goals including a 1-0 shutout victory against Latrobe in the quarterfinals. The Quakers also kept a solid PineRichland offense silent until less than three minutes remained in a 3-1 win in the semifinals Wednesday at Robert Morris University Island SportsCenter.

That adherence to defense will be tested in the finals at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex when Quaker Valley will square off with top-seeded Armstrong in the Class 2A championship game. The River Hawks have already won both meetings with the Quakers and put up nine goals in thosetwo contests.

Armstrong (18-3-0) finished the regular season as the only team in the classification to eclipse 100 goals (121), boasted the top three scorers in Class 2A in Zachary Kutch (24 goals, 33 assists, 57 points), Jace Rearic (2726-53 and Nicholas Benvenuti (17-2340) and the team has not slowed down in the postseason. The River Hawks have tallied 19 goals in their two games, with Easton Hooks leading in playoff scoring with five goals andeight points.

Kutch had two goals and six points in the two games the teams played earlier this season to lead all scorersfor both teams.

While Armstrong has been putting the puck in the net at will, Quaker Valley has done considerable damage on special teams. Rico Fernandez has the team’s only power-play goal, but forward Beau Tomczakhas two short-handed goals and is the only player in the classification to score while his team has beena man down this postseason.

Tomczak is also tied for fifth in playoff scoring with the River Hawks’ Giovanni Romeo. Both have threegoals and five points.

Still, this game could come down to goaltending, which could tilt the advantage toward Quaker Valley. The Quakers’ Philip Gagne has been stellar in the Penguins Cup tournament. He is 3-0 with a 1.30 goalsagainst average and a .949 save percentage. Armstrong netminder Ryan Bowser has been solid, but aside from a quick goal he gave up 13 seconds in against Franklin Regional, he has played with a multigoallead for most of the time.

Class1A

Meadville and Bishop McCort have both carried the Penguins Cup around on the ice their share of times. In fact, in their histories, they didit four times on the same day.

These aren’t the days when Meadvillewas a Class 3A powerhouse. The Bulldogs program fell on hard times andworked its way up from Division 2 last year where it won the title to reach the championship game once again.

Though both the Crimson Crushers and Meadville have been incredible programs — when they take the ice at 8:30 p.m. Monday, their 15 combined titles will be the most ever by two teams playing each other in a Penguins Cup final — neither has beenat the top for a long time. Bishop McCort won the last of its six championshipsin 2005, while the Bulldogs’ ninth and most recent crown came in2003.