Penn-Trafford notebook: Hockey team rallies for quarterfinal win

By: Paul Schofield
Sunday, March 9, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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The Penn-Trafford hockey team sure surprised a lot of teams during the PIHL playoffs in 2024.

The Warriors entered the Penguins Cup tournament in Class 2A and proceeded to defeat No. 1 Thomas Jefferson and No. 4 Norwin.

This year, the Warriors were seeded fourth in the tournament, and they were not about to make news by being upset.

No. 5 Bishop McCort came into the Monday’s first-round match with fire and determination against the Warriors.

They built leads of 2-1 after one period and 4-3 in the second period before the Warriors rallied for an 8-4 victory by scoring the final five goals.

Aiden Drotos tied the game 4-4 late in the second period and Marco Ferraccio scored 12 seconds later to give the Warriors a 5-4 lead heading to the third period.

The Warriors put the game away as Drotos, Brock Bienemann and Ben Zierski, with an assist from goaltender Tyler Funk, scored.

“I like the team’s resilience,” Penn-Trafford coach Brian Zagorac said. “There was no panic, and they showed their mettle.

“Bishop McCort came out with a lot of fire and were physical. I was glad to see our response. We were just as physical.”

The win put the Warriors in the semifinals March 11 against No. 1 Fox Chapel. The Foxes won both meetings against the Warriors in the regular season, 4-1 and 3-2, so Zagorac hopes a third time will be a charm for his team.

“Fox Chapel is good at what they do,” Zagorac said. “It is going to be a challenge for us. We know how good they are. It’s a game that we must limit our mistakes.”

What makes Penn-Trafford good is its ability to score. They have three capable lines. Drotos and Bienemann, both sophomores, are the top goal scorers. Drotos scored 21 goals and had 18 assists. Bienemann had 16 goals and 19 assists, and senior Cam Kiste scored 16 goals and 18 assists.

Zierski had two goals in the win against Bishop McCort. T.J. Ferguson and Kyler Doran also scored.

Funk stopped 25 of 29 shots, including the last 12.

“This is a special group,” Zagorac said. “They work hard, and they know what we expect.”

Latrobe and Erie Cathedral Prep were set to meet in the other semifinal.

Spring sports starting

The spring season for the Penn-Trafford teams is getting underway.

The baseball team, the returning Class 5A champions, is scheduled to play Norwin on March 14. Their first section game is against Latrobe on March 24 at home.

The softball team had scrimmages scheduled against Mt. Pleasant on March 11 and Connellsville on March 12, both at home. They are set to open the season against Hempfield on March 14.

The track season begins March 31 at Kiski Area.

The boys tennis team had its first match scheduled March 10 against Central Catholic.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

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