Quaker Valley hockey playing strong defense, stacking up wins

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, January 14, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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The Quaker Valley hockey team started 2024 similarly to 2023.

With a win.

The Quakers edged Shaler, 3-2, on Jan. 4 at Alpha Ice Complex to improve to 11-0-1. The only blemish on the QV schedule is a 3-2 defeat in OT to Indiana on Dec. 7 at S&T Bank Arena.

The Little Indians stood in first place in with an 11-1-2 record.

“We are obviously happy with our record and league standing,” QV coach Kevin Quinn said. “We have had a tough schedule and played some good teams on the road and fared well.

“We want to win the division and get the No. 1 seed. To do so, we have to make sure we come ready to compete in each and every remaining league game.”

QV’s strength is on the defensive end of the rink. Through 12 games, the Quakers allowed just 18 goals.

“This has been our strength all year,” Quinn said. “We have only allowed three goals twice all season, and if we could increase our depth scoring, we will be a tough opponent come playoff time.

“Our D has been led by senior captain Will Watson and sophomore assistant captain Jacob Keisel. Junior Liam Welge and freshmen Sawyer Krotine and Jack Watson have all had great seasons. Of course, our team defense is truly led by our outstanding goaltending. Landon Buterbaugh has had an exceptional season and Ian Lorang has also been so solid when called upon.”

QV has two exceptional goaltenders in Buterbaugh and Lorang, who have top-notch credentials.

Buterbaugh, a junior, was 8-1 with 237 saves on 251 shots through nine decisions. He allowed 14 goals in the 10 games he played and had a 1.55 goals-against average and .944 save percentage with back-to-back shutouts on the road in November against Meadville, 3-0, and Mars, 2-0.

A third-year starter, Buterbaugh stopped 29 shots against the Bulldogs and 40 against the Planets.

“We would not be 11-0-1 without Landon’s efforts,” Quinn said. “We know going into each game that Landon will hold the fort down for us.

“He continually gets better and better and is a fantastic young man and teammate. Without a doubt, he has been our MVP all season.”

The 5-foot-10, 145-pound Buterbaugh is a three-time PIHL all-star.

“The team’s done really well this year,” he said. “We have found a lot of success, which is good, but we still have a lot of work to do with playoffs coming up. I’m having a solid season. I’m happy with how I’m playing and the confidence I have while on the ice.

“I feel the key to being the best you can be is just playing as simple as possible and let everything come to you. I also feel like the ability to never give up on pucks is huge because you never know how much of the game can change if you just make one huge save.”

Buterbaugh has been a goaltender since he was 9. He follows the NHL and particularly the play of the league’s goalies.

“One goaltender I try to look at is Juuse Saros, who plays on the Nashville Predators,” Buterbaugh said. “I like how well he skates, and he’s around the same height as I am so it’s nice to look at how he decides to position himself with his limited height.

“Another goalie I like is (Marc-André) Fleury. I admire how he never gives up on pucks, and how he makes a lot of athletic saves, which makes him really fun to watch.”

Lorang is a sophomore who was 3-0 with a 1.33 GAA and .909 save percentage.

He surrendered four goals on 44 shots and owned a 7-0 shutout Oct. 16 against McDowell. Lorang faced only 11 shots in the game.

Sophomore centers Jace Vasbinder, Ben McHenry and Luke Koehler provide solid D-zone support.

QV’s leading players offensively are Vasbinder, with 15 goals, including four power-play goals, and nine assists (24 points), sophomore forward Max Modrovich (11-11-22), Watson (1-18-19), McHenry (6-6-12) and Keisel (5-5-10).

Modrovich, Watson and freshman forward Charlie Pyle netted a goal apiece in the 3-2 win over Shaler.

Along with Buterbaugh, Watson and Keisel were named on defense to the PIHL Varsity A Gold division all-star team, as were Vasbinder and Modrovich as forwards.

Quinn also was selected as an all-star coach.

Tags: Quaker Valley