Trio of scorers pacing Penn-Trafford hockey during early-season stretch

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, December 14, 2018 | 8:03 PM

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Ben Leslie doesn’t check Class AA scoring leaders on the PIHL website too often, so he was surprised to learn that entering Thursday he was a part of a group of players tied for second in the league with 23 points.

“I knew I was having a good season, but honestly I didn’t think I was up that high,” Leslie said.

A little bit down the list is Leslie’s Penn-Trafford teammate, Gavin Patrick, with 21 points and then Jack Hughes is just below both with 19 points.

Those numbers all add up to a trio that’s lighting the goal light with regularity this season and has helped Penn-Trafford to a 5-5 record and a better start to this season than last year.

Leslie has been on a separate line from Patrick and Hughes most of the season, but all three have created a lot of offense.

“We’re all offensive-minded players, and we’ve played together for a few years, so we’ve built up some chemistry,” Patrick said. “We have two or three really solid lines, so everyone on our team is looking for the best opportunity to score. Ben, Jack and I have been putting the puck in the most I guess.”

Leslie was tied with three other players behind Hampton’s Justin Adamski, who had 26 points.

Leslie got to go heads up against Adamski last Monday when Penn-Trafford played Hampton, and Leslie got to join Patrick and Hughes’ line for that game Monday. All three registered two goals, and Leslie had three assists for a five-point night in an 8-6 win.

“Hampton had one really good line, so coach (Chris Cerutti) put Gavin, Jack and I, together when they weren’t on the ice,” Leslie said. “We had a lot of points. I think we were out there for seven or eight goals and that was only like the second time we’d played together all season.”

It’s not surprising for Cerutti to see Leslie having success, because of the dedication he sees in him as a player.

“He plays amateurs for Armstrong (Arrows), so he plays two to four games a weekend, but still comes to every high school practice,” Cerutti said. “He puts in a lot of effort and playing that much hockey not only do your skills get better, but you get smarter in terms of hockey IQ. You anticipate where to be, and I think that helps him a lot.”

Penn-Trafford is even in goal differential with 49 goals for and against. The third period has been a good one for the Warriors as they are plus-4 in goal differential, which includes outscoring Hampton 2-1 in the last game.

Patrick and Leslie both said playing with desperation has been a factor in their third period success.

“During the second period ice cut we all go in and get a talk from coach, and he puts us in the mindset of what we need to do,” Patrick said. We play our last period like it’s a playoff game. We settle down and figure out what we have to do to win the game. Our play in the third period has been a bit part of our success.”

Penn-Trafford was in last place at this time last year, but came out of the gate in January winning four consecutive games to put itself in playoff position. They credited playing in a showcase at Alpha Ice Complex over the holiday break against teams from Class AAA and out of state with helping them prepare for the second half last year and are in the showcase again this season.

The Warriors are already in playoff position this year and are hopeful they can put together a similar January run this time around and take that momentum into the stretch run.

“We’re 5-5, but I feel like from a coach’s perspective we let a couple get a way, and we could be 7-3,” Cerutti said. “We’re happy with the way things are going right now, but obviously there’s room for improvement as we try to climb the standings.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer.

Tags: Penn-Trafford