Behind experienced roster, Plum hockey eyes return trip to playoffs

By: Michael Love
Saturday, October 12, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Plum hockey coach Jon Gratton said his team remained positive despite tough losses to Chartiers Valley and Quaker Valley to start its PIHL Class A season.

“Everybody had a good understanding of what we were up against with two really tough opponents right off the bat,” said Gratton, who leads a team into the 2024-25 season which features a mix of key returning talent with younger players, he said, who are ready to make an impact at the varsity level.

“We also were down two top goal scorers in (senior forward) Rylan (Schoonover) for most of the game against Chartiers Valley and the entirety of the Quaker Valley game and also (senior forward) Luca (Lapiana) for both games. It was a tall measure.

“We certainly showed up to win those games. We had a lot of freshmen and sophomores, a lot of young guys see a lot of minutes that they probably wouldn’t have seen otherwise. There were a lot of positives to build off of with their compete level. There’s no fear in their game. They have a really strong grasp of the system and what we’re trying to do, where they need to be, and what they need to do. If those guys can continue to build that way, and we can get healthy, things are going to turn around pretty quickly for us. There isn’t anybody lacking any confidence moving forward.”

Plum wasn’t able to get on the board in a 4-0 loss to Chartiers Valley, the defending Class A champion, on Sept. 30. The Mustangs fell behind Quaker Valley, a Class A quarterfinalist last year, 3-0 last Monday (Oct. 7) before senior forward Tyler Bresso broke through with a goal in the third period off assists from sophomore defender Max Keller and sophomore forward Will Amen.

Returning Mustangs goaltender Landon Gribbin-Horner, a senior, made 30 saves on 33 Quakers shots.

Plum was scheduled to host Blackhawk on Monday (Oct. 14) at Pittsburgh Ice Arena.

The Mustangs are to continue early season play this Monday (Oct. 21) with a rematch against Chartiers Valley at Pittsburgh Ice.

“That is what is beautiful about the game of hockey,” Gratton said.

“You go out there and you might not do the things you want to do in a particular game. But then you get another chance to get it done against that same team. We’re looking forward to matching up again with Chartiers Valley. They had a great season last year, and boy, do they have a great team again. Until they prove otherwise, they should be the team to beat in Class A. But we know Class A is pretty deep with a lot of teams ready to challenge for the title.”

Plum experienced a sizeable turnaround last season, going from three wins the year before to 12 victories and an appearance in the PIHL Class A Penguin Cup playoffs.

Lapiana led the way with 16 goals and 12 assists, while Schoonover added 13 goals and 11 assists.

Sophomore forward Colby Bartos hopes to deliver a strong encore performance after tallying 12 goals and 11 assists in his varsity debut.

Despite a 5-1 loss to Greensburg Salem in the first round of the Class A playoffs, Gratton said he was encouraged by the growth of his players throughout the season and the energy that has carried over to this season.

“Last year was such an important step in what we’re trying to accomplish at Plum,” Gratton said.

“It was about rebuilding the culture and the Plum hockey name. We want to get back to being that powerhouse team I know we can be. A lot of the guys made sacrifices for the betterment of the program. To go from three wins to 12 is not an easy thing to do. And most of the guys from last year would tell you that we left some wins out on the table. But that is part of the process of growing and learning to win and win on a consistent basis. The amount of time and effort they put in, and to have close to 90% of that roster back, we feel we’re in a good spot this year.”

Gratton said being a part of the St. Margaret Fall Face-Off preseason tournament was a boost into the regular season.

Plum played three games in pool play against Class 3A Central Catholic and Class 2A Canon McMillan and Fox Chapel. Gratton said that despite the 0-3 tournament record, his players held their own in all three games.

“With the division we’re in, we don’t normally get to see those teams, but it is good to get on the ice with them,” Gratton said.

“I am big on playing top-tier talent so we can see what exactly we need to work on. … We played these games for a purpose, and that is to get better, and I think we did that against three really good opponents.”

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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