Young Plum skaters getting up to speed in early going

By: Michael Love
Saturday, November 11, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Plum’s ice hockey season started well enough with a pair of victories and a combined 14 goals.

With both games at home at Pittsburgh Ice Arena in New Kensington, the Mustangs skated past Hampton, 8-2, and then beat Wheeling Park, 6-4.

The youthful Plum skaters — there are just four seniors on the roster — have since hit a rut with four losses in a row, the latest being a tough 2-1 setback to Blackhawk on Nov. 6, where the Cougars scored the game-winner with 19 seconds left.

But former Plum player and first-year Mustangs coach Jon Gratton said the team continues to come together and is still forming an identity through what was expected to be some ups and downs in the early going.

“There are a number of guys still getting use to the speed and physicality of hockey at this level and what it takes to win at this level,” Gratton said.

“It’s different from what they are coming from. In some cases, guys are playing with and against guys three years older than them, and that presents its own set of challenges. I think we are absolutely on the upswing of learning those lessons. They are lessons that need to be learned and valued.”

Plum tallied just six goals in the losses to Blackhawk, Chartiers Valley, 5-2; Wheeling Catholic, 3-2; and Moon, 4-1.

The Mustangs will get back to action at 6:45 p.m. Thursday against Beaver at Brady’s Run Ice Arena in Beaver Falls.

Plum closes out November with a game against Richland at Pittsburgh Ice on Nov. 27 and a matchup with Freeport on Nov. 30 at Belmont Complex in Kittanning.

“The guys are coming off a season where they won three games, and we are learning what it will take to win some of the close games,” Gratton said.

“I am a firm believer that you learn more from losing than you do winning. No one on this team is going out to lose, ever, but we’re also not going to waste a failure. Every time we’re in these moments, win or lose, we’re learning something new that will hopefully pay dividends down the road. When it clicks and that light goes off, it is going to be scary for other teams and fun for us.”

Freshman forward Maksim Popienko has provided some pop in the lineup. He leads the team in goals with four through the first six games.

He tallied his first-career hat trick in the win over Wheeling Park.

Popienko scored Plum’s lone goal in the loss to Blackhawk. It came on the power play 11:24 into the second period and tied the game at 1-1. He was assisted by senior defenseman Travis Marks and junior forward Luca Lapiana.

Another freshman forward, Colby Bartos, owns three goals. He netted both scores in the loss to Chartiers Valley and scored one in the win over Wheeling Park.

Gratton said the team captains — Lapiana, Marks and senior defenseman Mason Wilkes — have provided strong leadership in the early season and did so throughout the preseason, as well, as Gratton and the other coaches got up to speed with the team and program.

“It’s important that we stay positive in these early moments, and my leadership group is crucial in keeping an upbeat environment,” Gratton said.

“They are at the front of this team, and they are still learning themselves. They have been a light for us. They see what they want this team to become and are working hard to get us there. No one is happy that we’ve lost a couple games in a row, especially ones that are right there for the taking, but they see what we are building to, and they’ve stayed positive. They understand that you can’t skip steps in this process.”

Junior goaltender Noah Lander was strong in net against Blackhawk as he stopped 33 shots.

Plum fired off 28 shots in the loss to Blackhawk.

“There is a difference between the quality of shots and the volume of shots, and that is something we are pushing home to the guys,” Gratton said.

“But this is a team that wasn’t generating a lot of chances in games just a year ago. The positive is that this is a team which is finding its confidence and getting pucks towards the net. That is the first step. The next step is finding ways to support each other to make those chances even better quality and put those chances home for goals.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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