Plum hockey looks to regain championship after move back to Class AA

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, October 12, 2018 | 7:03 PM

The Plum varsity ice hockey team experienced change in the offseason after a playoff trip to cap the 2017-18 campaign.

One of those changes came in late May when 2005 Plum graduate and Mustangs hockey alum Phil Mains was named head coach. He took over the reins of the varsity program from fellow Plum graduate Vinnie Somma.

Plum then found out it would move back to Class AA after the one season at the Class AAA level. The Mustangs captured the 2017 PIHL Penguins Cup title in Class AA before bumping up.

The Mustangs earned the No. 8 seed for the Class AAA playoffs in March and took No. 1 Peters Township to the limit in the first round before falling 2-1.

Regardless of Plum’s classification, Mains said the focus and goal for the team is to get better each day, put itself in position to win games and make a run at a playoff spot.

“No matter where you are, you have to play the teams put in front of you on your schedule, and that’s what we’re going to keep doing,” Mains said. “It didn’t change how we prepared for the season. We want to be the best team we can be no matter what class we’re in.”

Plum kicked off its season with a 7-6 overtime loss at Hempfield on Oct. 1. The Mustangs were not able to hold on to a 6-2 lead after two periods.

They found themselves in an offensive battle with Upper St. Clair one week later. The Panthers led 3-2 after one period and 7-3 after two before finishing off a 10-6 victory.

“I knew we were strong up front and would be able to score goals, but we were a little more inexperienced on the back end and in net,” Mains said. “We’re really focused on our team defense right now, trying to get them to understand they have to do everything they can in their own zone to clear the puck and generate offensive from good defensive play.”

The Mustangs hoped to pick up their first win of the season against Baldwin in their home opener Monday at Pittsburgh Ice Arena. The game was to be contested past the deadline for this week’s edition.

Plum hosts Latrobe at 9 p.m. next Monday (Oct. 22).

“There’s a long way to go. It’s still very early in the season,” Mains said. “We started out with two really good teams on the road. We came out with a point, which is good.”

Team captain A.J. Adamski, a senior forward, led the team with six points (three goals, three assists) through the first two games.

“Even though we didn’t start the season the way we wanted, I think we have a very good chance to make it to the playoffs,” Adamski said. “I know we will be competitive in each game we play. From the first two games, we showed we can score. We just have to work on a few things defensively.”

Latrobe, Upper St. Clair and Hempfield each won their first two games and jumped to the lead in the South/East Division. Penn-Trafford split its first two games, and Franklin Regional and Baldwin, like Plum, lost one in regulation and one in overtime.

In the North/West Division, Pine-Richland, Mars and Shaler are emerging as teams to beat.

“There are some really good teams in double-A,” Mains said. “We played in the Greensburg Central Catholic preseason tournament and got a good look at a couple of teams on our schedule. We also got a chance to see some of the teams at the St. Margaret tournament. You have to show up and be ready to play every night. We played two good teams already in Hempfield and Upper St. Clair that have a lot of guys who can score goals.”

Mains said the three games at the Greensburg Central Catholic tournament were beneficial to the progression of the younger and less-experienced players, including goaltenders Joseph Miller and Samuel Pine.

In addition to Adamski’s six points, Nick Pushic and Logan Schlegel each scored two goals and added two assists over the first two games, and Joseph Costa added two goals and an assist.

Schlegel, a junior center, is one of three alternate captains. Another alternate captain, junior Donovan Palmer, leads the defensive corps.

Senior Noah Sachs, the third alternate captain, moved from forward to defense in the offseason.

“Noah has played forward his whole life, and he made the switch to give us more experience on the back end,” Mains said. “That was a great example of leadership for the younger guys to see. He never once complained about making the move. The guys really recognize and appreciate the sacrifice he made.”

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Michael at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MLove_Trib.

Tags: Plum