Gateway hockey off to strong start, hopes to make jump to varsity next season

By: Michael Love
Sunday, October 15, 2023 | 11:01 AM

Justin Evans is no stranger to the Gateway hockey program.

He started coaching with the developmental team (ages 8-10) a half-decade ago and then served as the middle school coach for two years before moving up the JV team as an assistant through last year under former head coach Shawn Jesih.

Now, Evans is at the helm of the Gateway JV team as it hopes to make its mark in the 2023-24 season.

The familiarity with the players on the team, he said, really made the transition smooth.

“I’ve been more of an Xs and Os type of coach with them over the years,” said Evans, who played hockey for Robert Morris University and manages a dek hockey rink at Renzie Park in McKeesport. “Hockey has been my life ever since I was a little kid, and I take pride in understanding the game and being able to share that with the players.”

Gateway JV started out 2-0 with wins over Deer Lakes and Montour by a combined score of 15-2. Evans said the strong start was rooted in solid preparation in the offseason from a dedicated group of players who want to win games in Division 3 of JV Tier 3.

“It started with our off-ice conditioning,” Evans said. “We ended up going to the McKeesport rink and were doing drills there. We had them running, as a team, through the park. That kind of training carries over to the ice. That was one of the big things to get everybody going.”

The Gateway JV team consists of five seniors: captains Blake Marsh (defense), Noah Evans (defense) and Hayden Hines (forward), as well as goalkeeper Seth Hunkele and defenseman Austin Mancini.

“The seniors are really stepping up as leaders and making sure what needs to get done is done, whether it is through leading by example or being more vocal,” Evans said.

Marsh is busy right now with not only getting into the hockey season but also with the Gateway boys soccer team, which has qualified for the WPIAL playoffs, and as a kicker for the football team, which is hoping to make its mark in the WPIAL postseason.

Evans said he’s excited with the nine juniors on the team as well as three sophomores and three freshmen.

Despite the five seniors graduating, Evans said it is possible that a move up to varsity could happen as early as next year. But, for now, he said the team is situated well to compete at the JV level.

“To be honest, I think we would’ve struggled a little bit against a lot of the varsity teams this year,” Evans said. “But the goal is to move up to varsity so we can have a team at each level. I think we are getting closer to doing that.”

Evans said a big test for his team was to come Monday against a West Allegheny team which also started out 2-0 and outscored its first two opponents — Carrick and Montour — by a combined 15-5.

“They are also projected to be one of the top teams,” Evans said. “I like how we are getting to face some really good competition early so we can see where we stand.”

Gateway closes out the month of October with a game against Moon on Tuesday at Palmer Imaging Arena in Delmont before taking on Carrick on Oct. 27 at Ice Castle in Castle Shannon.

“I was definitely impressed with how the kids formed chemistry with their new lines and their new teammates in those first couple of games,” Evans said. “With the freshmen and those new to the team, they have really fit in well and have helped give us a spark. One of the nice things about the first two games was that we had kids who scored their first-ever goals in high school hockey. That showed just how well we’re playing as a team. Hopefully, we can maintain that type of scoring throughout the season.”

Evans said that along with the offensive prowess is a strong defensive corps backed up by the goaltending of Huneke and junior newcomer Dakota Montadoro.

“The goaltending was unbelievable the first two games with just giving up two goals,” Evans said. “With this team, it’s a nice balance between great defense and solid offensive work. We have a great group of juniors, and a number of them are going to help carry our offense the whole season.”

The line of juniors CJ Evans and Thomas Tuskan and freshman Canyon Hines owned a combined nine goals and five assists through two games. Tuskan had five of those nine goals to lead the team.

Evans fronted the team in scoring last year. He had a team-best five assists in the first two games.

“That line has looked really impressive,” coach Evans said.

Gateway again co-ops with Woodland Hills, East Allegheny, Derry and Jeannette to provide players from those schools that don’t have teams the opportunity to compete at the high school level.

“We have a nice mix of those veteran players who came in knowing what needed to be done for the team to be successful and also the younger players ready to show what they can do,” Evans said.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Gateway