When the PIHL regular season ended, Greater Latrobe had a perfectly pedestrian 9-9-1 record. The Wildcats finished in a tie with Shaler for the No. 4 seed in the Class A Eastern Conference, earning the fourth spot on a tiebreaker.
They didn’t come into the postseason on a hot streak, either, dropping two of their final three regular season games. But the postseason appears to agree with head coach Josh Werner’s squad.
On Tuesday, Latrobe won its third straight postseason game, knocking off Quaker Valley, the third seed in the Western Conference, by a 6-3 margin and setting up a Penguins Cup finals battle with Plum.
They way they’ve gotten it done in the postseason has been all offense, as Latrobe scored six goals for the second consecutive game after scoring five in the play-in game against Mars.
But it’s been difference heroes every night. Cory Gates had two goals against the Planets in first round. Gregory Ferri scored two third-period goals as the team ousted top-seeded Moon in the quarterfinals. On Tuesday, it was a total team effort, as Ferri and Gates were two of six goal-scorers to light the lamp for the Wildcats.
“It’s crazy. These kids are just stepping up at the right time,” Werner said. “I’m proud of these guys that have worked hard all season for this. We’re prepared for it. Guys step up at big times and six different goal scorers [Tuesday night] shows. Six different goal scorers makes it tough for other teams to play against us.”
Perhaps even more impressively, Latrobe’s six goals scorers didn’t include a contribution from leading scorer J.T. Schimizzi. Schimizzi led the team with 25 goals and 21 assists in the regular season, and as a result, has been the focus of most of Latrobe’s opponent’s defensive efforts.
“For Moon, he got matched up against their top line and top defense,” Werner said. “Quaker Valley matched up their top line with our top line. That’s what we’re seeing every night. You can take away J.T., but there are 17 other guys on the team to take advantage of opportunities because they’re cuing in on J.T.”
When it comes time to deal with the Plum in the Penguins Cups final, the Wildcats will need all the offense they can muster. The Mustangs feature a deep, veteran defensive corps and solid goaltending from Sergio Benitez.
“They’re tough, man,” Werner said. “They’re big, physical, they’ve got some good scorers, good defensemen, good goalie, they’re very well coached. They have a lot of upperclassmen. They’re an all-around, very good team. It’s going to be a tough matchup. We’re definitely going to have to bring our best game.”
Plum dispatched Hempfield, 5-2, on Tuesday to set up the Penguins Cup final meeting between the clubs. The Mustangs have spent most of the season as one of the best teams in Class AA, and have showed no sign of slowing down in the postseason. The Mustangs and Wildcats will face off for Penguins Cup glory Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township.
