Chartiers Valley hockey eager to tackle PIHL playoff gauntlet

By: Ted Sarneso
Sunday, February 23, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Purchase Photo Options

The loss Chartiers Valley suffered against Quaker Valley at the midway point of the PIHL season might have come at the right time.

“We hadn’t lost for so long to a team from Western Pa. that it was like, hey guys, it can happen, wake up,” said coach Paul Bonetti. “We laid an egg that night. They’re a very good team and the type of team we’ll see in the playoffs. Hopefully our guys learned a valuable lesson.”

The loss was just the second in the last 331 days for the Colts, with their previous setback coming in last year’s state championship game.

The lesson the Chartiers Valley players took away from the uncharacteristic 6-2 defeat at the hands of the Quakers on Dec. 2 was to be prepared from the opening faceoff if they want to again reach the state championship game.

“We came out flat and were chasing the score when we normally have opposing teams chasing us,” said Bonetti. “Our goal is to make it back to that state championship game, but it’s going to be a tough road to get out of Western Pa.”

What the Colts (19-1) have going for them is a roster filled with players who have plenty of playoff experience, having gone through the gauntlet last year that ended with a 2-0 loss to Hershey in the state final.

“That’s where I feel we might have the most advantage,” said Bonetti. “I feel some teams have similar player personnel to us, but maybe they’re younger and have never been in the playoffs or only got to see one game.”

On top of last year’s playoff experience came another year of development and growth for a Chartiers Valley team that started the year with holes in the lineup that needed to be filled after seven seniors graduated.

“As concerned as I was before the year, my concerns have been eliminated at this point,” he said “Watching my players develop and mature and see them get what we’re trying to do here has been the highlight of my year.”

Junior forwards Ryan Kumpf and Darien Strosnider have stepped up to help provide much-needed offensive depth. Kumpf, who recorded just five points last year, is fourth on the team in points with 28, scoring 17 goals and dishing out 11 assists. Strosnider has seen his stat line more than double, going from seven points last year to 19 this season (15 goals, 4 assists).

Their performances have helped support the team’s leading scorers, beginning with sophomore Noah Callender, who leads the team in points (45) and goals (29).

“Noah’s been a total package this year,” Bonetti said. “He’s always been a sniper with a really good shot, but he’s learned to distribute the puck to his teammates better, and he’s worked to play better in the defensive zone.”

Senior defenseman Tyler Held is second on the team in points (36) and the co-leader in assists (22). Senior Brady Nairn is tied with Held in assists. He hasn’t replicated his 15-goal tally from last year, scoring eight this season.

“The reason that Brady’s numbers aren’t up there with Noah’s is because he’s been injured a lot this season,” Bonetti said. “But he’s been a four-year starter for us, and he’s probably our best defensive forward. He does everything you can ask of a player, and it’s been a pleasure to coach him.”

The Colts have a total of 12 players with double-digit points on the year. They have used all that firepower to outscore opponents 122-18.

“This is probably the deepest group of forwards we’ve had in my 13 or so years at Chartiers Valley,” Bonetti said. “We’ve worked for years to develop that.”

Their goal differential (plus-104) is staggering, but it’s due more to the Colts’ defensive style of play than their offense.

Senior Luke Mitchell and junior Joey Deangelis have stepped up on defense, replacing two key players from last year and filling in as a solid No. 2 pairing behind Held and junior Dylan Shamonsky.

“We graduated an all-star defenseman and his partner last year, so two top-four level guys,” said Bonetti. “I was worried about who would fill those roles, but those guys have stepped up big for us.”

In net, the Colts have a virtual brick wall in senior Matthew Colberg, who finished the regular season with a goals-against average of 0.93 and a save percentage of .945.

“We try to make it as difficult as possible to get good shots on goal against us,” Bonetti said. “If they do finally break through and get a shot on Matthew, he’s going to make the stop. It adds confidence to our play, because we know he can clean up some of our messes.”

Special teams have also been a huge strength for the Colts. Their power play is operating at a 33.3% clip, while their penalty kill is at 90.3%.

“We’ve been a little disappointed in the penalty kill numbers,” said Bonetti. “We were at 93 to 94% last year, but it’s hard to expect a team to do that every year. Assistant coach Mike Kennedy is our penalty killing guy, and that’s his baby. He deserves all the credit for those numbers.”

Chartiers Valley has done a terrific job of shutting down their opponents’ power plays, but it’s how their opponents end up with the man advantage that could be alarming.

The Colts play a physical style of hockey and have racked up a total of 271 penalty minutes.

“We have a bigger team, and we’re physical,” Bonetti said. “Physicality is a part of our identity, and we lay a lot of checks.

“What has a tendency to happen is when a player appears to be injured, whether the check was legal or not, a penalty will be applied to that hit.”

The Colts will look to try to rein in that physical play a bit, but they won’t abandon it, as it’s what has helped them be successful in the past. It will be needed to help them through a tough field in the Class A playoffs.

In their own division, Chartiers Valley has faced not only Quaker Valley (18-1-1), but Shaler (15-3-1) and Montour (14-5). All three opponents have more that 40 points on the year.

Moon (17-2-1) tops the other section with Mars (17-2-1), Avonworth (14-3-2) and North Catholic (13-7) all putting together great seasons.

“I really believe there are eight teams that can win the whole thing on any given night,” Bonetti said. “All the teams are great when you get to the playoffs. I don’t think you’ll see many blowouts outside the first round.”

With his team’s solid special teams play, an impenetrable goaltender backed by stout defensive play and plenty of depth scoring, Bonetti believes his team can continue to play its game and make it out of the PIHL gauntlet.

“We have a group of kids right now that are very committed to playing hockey the right way,” said Bonetti. “That’s very important as the playoffs come around and there are no easy games.”

Tags: Chartiers Valley