Penn-Trafford notebook: Warriors hockey team of to 1-3 start

By: Paul Schofield
Sunday, November 5, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Penn-Trafford’s ice hockey team opened the season by defeating Norwin.

Since then, the Warriors have dropped three games while they look for stronger goaltending.

“It’s been frustrating; until we fix our goaltending problem we’re going to struggle,” Penn-Trafford coach Chris Cerutti said. “I have four guys I’m working with.”

The Warriors recently fell to Hempfield, 5-3, when the Spartans scored two even-strength goals in the third period.

T.J. Ferguson, Robert Thatcher and Jack Blank scored for the Warriors. Bryce Kropczynski had two assists and Thatcher and Jake Lenart one each.

Thatcher and Kropczynski each have scored four goals this season. Kropczynski has five assists.

The Warriors travel to Kittanning to face Armstrong on Thursday (Nov. 9).

P-T field hockey reaches finals

Ohio State recruit Ava Hershberger scored both goals and Penn-Trafford defeated Latrobe, 2-0, in the WPIAL Class 2A field hockey semifinals on Oct. 28.

The Warriors advanced to the finals Nov. 4 against Fox Chapel where they were chasing their eighth consecutive title.

Mallory Bachar added an assist. Hershberger upped her school single-season record to 42 goals in the victory.

Hershberger put Latrobe (5-7-2) on its heels early in the match. She received a pass from about 15 yards out and whistled a shot into the back of the net.

A benefit of having played so many games since her freshman season is that Hershberger has accumulated plenty of knowledge to know how to attack opponents.

“For me, being a senior I’m a lot more comfortable out there,” Hershberger said. “It’s still as stressful, and I get nervous before every game. You learn the girls on the other teams more. You know who you have to pass when you go up to and who you can attack one-on-one.”

Less than 2 minutes in, Penn-Trafford was ahead.

“I thought we played well defensively,” Latrobe coach Jeff Giordan said. “Aside from giving the ball away to Ava right away, which is not the right way to start the game. That put us in the hole early. We were in the circle once or twice today.”

Neither team got much scoring throughout the rest of the match. Penn-Trafford ended up finishing with 28 corners, but the Warriors (17-2) weren’t able to get too many strong shots on net.

Hershberger scored Penn-Trafford’s other goal in the third quarter.

Penn-Trafford swept Latrobe this season, winning a pair of regular season games 4-0 and 2-1.

“Of all the teams we play, Latrobe and us always play really tight,” Dutt said. “They are a really good team. I’m surprised they were in fourth.”

Greene starting at Temple

When it comes to Conlan Greene, Temple can keep its redshirt.

The former Penn-Trafford standout, who played quarterback and defensive end last season in the WPIAL, is suddenly starting for the Owls at defensive tackle.

Injuries to teammates turned Greene into the next man up.

According to 24/7 Sports, defensive tackles Demerick Morris and K.J. Miles suffered season-ending injuries in preseason camp, which opened the door for Greene.

He was listed as the No. 2 defensive tackle but jumped into the starting lineup against Norfolk State when senior Jerquavion Mahone was injured.

Two weeks after that, defensive tackle Allan Haye suffered a season-ending knee injury at Tulsa.

Greene started against Norfolk State and made four tackles.

In eight games, the 6-foot-4, 280-pounder has 10 tackles.

Writers Josh Rizzo and Bill Beckner Jr. contributed.

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