Hardman leads South Fayette hockey to 9-1 start

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, December 13, 2018 | 11:24 PM

South Fayette hockey coach Frank Certo thinks he has one of the best goalies in the PIHL.

The stats are there to back him up.

Bruce Hardman has been the catalyst for a strong Lions defense this season. The senior has a 7-1 record in front of the net and has allowed only 12 goals on 188 shots. Hardman’s save percentage of 93.6 ranks third in Class A behind West Allegheny’s Joshua Ferry (93.8) and Meadville’s Jordan McCurdy (93.7).

“Bruce has the desire to be great,” Certo said. “He has gone out and got a lot of additional training. He shows up early to every game and gets his body and mind engaged.

“He takes pride in being one of the top goalies.”

Hardman’s play has sparked a strong defensive effort through the first half of the season for South Fayette.

The Lions (9-1) have recorded three shutouts and are allowing only 1.7 goals per game — second to only West Allegheny’s 1.30 average in Class A.

“We play more of a team defense,” Certo said. “We figure if we play a grinding style or a chip-and-chase style, we will spend a lot more time in the other team’s zone. Our forwards have been committed to coming back and helping.”

Ian Kumar is leading the team on the offensive end of the ice with 11 goals and 11 assists — both are team highs. Alex Keller and Ethan Szymanski each have 13 points.

Chartiers Valley

Things didn’t look good for the Colts at Westmont Hilltop on Nov. 27.

Chartiers Valley trailed 4-1 with eight minutes to play in the third period. Instead of suffering its sixth loss of the season, the team rallied and won the PIHL Class A game, 5-4, in a shootout.

The Colts (4-5) rolled the win into a three-game winning streak.

“That was huge,” Chartiers Valley coach Paul Bonetti said. “It was a turning point. The kids got on the bus, and everyone was signing. That was the game that the team came together.”

In the comeback win over the Hilltoppers, the staff moved Adam Weiss from defense to offense. In the final eight minutes of regulation, the senior recorded a goal and an assist.

“His speed brings a new dimension we didn’t have before,” Bonetti said. “Moving him allowed us to move some guys to different lines and create more balance.”

Trevor Stevenson and Matthew Storar lead the team in goals scored with four each. Luke Vaughn leads the team in assists with six.

After dropping tight games to some of their South Division rivals early in the year, Chartiers Valley is ready to embark on a revenge tour in the second half of the year.

“Our guys are enjoying winning,” Bonetti said. “We have some big games in our division coming. We play South Fayette twice and South Park again. These are games they’d love to win. We are going to need to have a lot of intensity when we play them.”

Bishop Canevin

After a one-season hiatus, the Crusaders’ return to PIHL play has been tough. Bishop Canevin has only managed to capture a pair of wins in Division II so far this season. The Crusaders topped Trinity, 7-3, on Oct. 23 and Central Valley, 6-5, in overtime on Nov. 19.

Cameron Ropchock leads Canevin (2-7) with eight goals and five assists .

Nathan Smith is a freelance writer.

Tags: Bishop Canevin, Chartiers Valley, South Fayette