Westmoreland County Senior Spotlight: Penn-Trafford’s Bryce Kropczynski

By: Anthony DiFilippo
Monday, March 18, 2024 | 11:39 AM

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For Penn-Trafford’s hockey team, this is truly the season of streaks.

The Warriors started 1-3, went 5-1-2 in the middle of the season, then closed out the season 1-5-2.

Despite the rough patch at the end, Penn-Trafford (7-9-4) sneaked into the playoffs and grabbed the eighth seed in the 2A playoffs, setting up a date with the top-seeded South Fayette.

Senior forward Bryce Kropczynski highlighted some of the reasons for his team’s regular-season inconsistencies.

“I think it was just finding our game, our team’s identity,” Kropczynski said. “Once we figured that out, we began to win some games, but the games that we lost, we weren’t able to get that done.”

P-T, which had lost 4-1 and 4-3 in overtime to the Lions earlier in the year, stunned the reigning PIHL and state champions with a 4-3 victory of their own.

In a season riddled with irregularity, the Warriors won when it mattered.

“We played a full 51 minutes of hockey the right way,” Kropczynski said. “Just before that game even, the energy in the locker room was so good. I never had a (thought) that we were going to lose that game.”

Kropczynski was the leading scorer for P-T this season with 18 goals and 35 points.

“I think I did, overall in the regular season, very well,” he said of his personal performance. “A little inconsistent in some games, but I’m pretty proud of myself for my senior year, to do that.”

Golf in the fall and lacrosse in the spring also fill up Kropczynski’s year, leading to a busy schedule.

Kropczynski has decided to attend Penn State to major in data science and possibly play club hockey.

This week, Kropczynski took some time for a Senior Spotlight Q&A:

How did you get started with hockey?

I’ve had a stick in my hand, in my living room, for as long as I can remember, playing knee hockey with my dad. Then eventually I went into dek hockey and then at about 6 years old, I put on skates for the first time.

Was there anything in the two regular-season South Fayette games that helped you in the playoffs?

Yeah, I think just playing them the first few times really helped us because we were able to figure out their tendencies and what they liked to do. They’re a solid team. They like to work the puck down low and find the open guy up top. I think we were able to take that away very well because we knew it was coming.

How would you describe your personal game and role on the team?

I like to look at myself as a 200-foot player, where I’m playing both the offensive side and defensive side of the game. When it comes time to score, I definitely put it upon myself and try to get one in the net. Overall, I like to play 200 feet.

Is there a player in the NHL you try to emulate?

I love watching Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’s very creative and just has a great sense of the game.

How do you stay conditioned to play sports all year round, and is there anything from your sports that helps the others?

I’ve been playing multiple sports from the time I was, like, 5 years old. I started with baseball, hockey and basketball all at once. It’s just kind of been part of my life forever, and it’s really all I know. I think definitely hockey’s helped me the most with playing lacrosse because it’s a fairly new game to me. I just started playing freshman year, and I think the game of hockey helped me learn the game of lacrosse a lot.

What’s one thing that people may not know about you?

I’d like to say I’m a pretty good chess player. My grandpa, my pap, taught me chess when I was about 5 years old. He’s taught me that chess is like life. Someone can take one of your pieces, but it’s about how you respond. It’s how you get back and to get back up whenever you get knocked down.

Tags: Penn-Trafford