Penn-Trafford notebook: Hockey team wins as regular season winds down

By: Paul Schofield
Sunday, February 26, 2023 | 11:01 AM

The Penn-Trafford hockey team had three players score goals in a 3-1 win over Meadville in the next-to-last game of its Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League Class 2A schedule Feb. 20.

Meadville (3-14-1) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first period, but goals by Nate Loughner and Bryce Kropczynski in the second period gave the Warriors a 2-1 lead.

Xavier Solomon assisted on two goals and Loughner assisted on Kropczynski’s goal. Solomon now has 28 assists to go with his 24 goals. Loughner now had 14 goals and a team-high 20 assists. Kropczynski has scored 10 goals.

Robert Thatcher scored an empty net goal on the power play to close out the win.

Goaltender Jackson Kerrigan saved 18 of 19 shots.

Penn-Trafford (12-7) scored two power play goals. Meadville was whistled for 10 penalties.

The Warriors were scheduled to close out the regular season with a home game against first-place Armstrong on Feb. 27.

Desantis wins title

Luke Desantis won the 117-pound weight class at the WPIAL junior high wrestling championships Feb. 18 at Norwin.

Desantis helped the Warriors tie for 21st with 74 points.

Aiden Toth placed eighth in the 252-pound class.

Desantis went 6-0 and defeated Mt. Pleasant’s Tristan Wtorkiewicz, 6-2, in the finals.

He defeated Riverview’s Alex Wylly, 11-2, in the semifinals.

His other wins were against Elizabeth Forward’s Riley Albert by pin in 30 seconds, a 10-2 win against Hempfield’s Brody Wilson, a 9-1 win against Gateway’s John Deluca and a 44-second pin of Seneca Valley’s Dean Sauers.

Toth went 3-3 with two pins and a decision. He pinned Trinity’s Edrick Williams and Beth-Center’s Devon Harris.

Swimmers qualify for WPIALs

The WPIAL swimming championships will be held Thursday and Friday (March 2-3) at Pitt’s Trees Pool.

Penn-Trafford had one girl and five boys qualify for the swimming competition.

For the girls, freshman Laela Whetstone is seeded 12th in the 50-yard freestyle (25.45 seconds).

For the boys, senior Evan DelSignore qualified as a 23rd seed in the 50 freestyle (22.94) and No. 27 seed in the 100 freestyle (50.69); senior Dante Barchiesi is seeded 28th in the 50 freestyle (23.12); junior Patton Graziano is third in the 100 freestyle (47.72) and second in the 100 backstroke (50.83); junior Conner Alexander is the 18 seed in the 100 freestyle (49.48) and eighth seed in the 100 backstroke (53.44); and senior Aidan Kelly, is 31st in the 100 breaststroke (1:03.91).

Graziano is seeded second to Franklin Regional’s Holden Thomas in the backstroke.

Also qualifying were the boys 200 medley relay team, seeded 12th, and the 200 freestyle relay, which is seeded ninth.

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.

Tags: Penn-Trafford