Shawn Sinclair’s 2nd goal lifts Franklin Regional past Latrobe

By: Paul Schofield
Monday, March 4, 2024 | 10:20 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Previous Next

Franklin Regional dropped both regular-season hockey games to Latrobe this season, and things didn’t look good for the Panthers after the first period.

But circumstances changed in the second period, and so did the outcome of the PIHL Penguins Cup Class 2A quarterfinals at Kirk S. Nevin Arena.

The Panthers scored three times to erase a two-goal deficit and then got the winning tally from sophomore Shawn Sinclair midway through the third period to defeat No. 3 Latrobe, 4-3.

The victory sends the No. 6 Panthers to the semifinals 9 p.m. March 12 at Robert Morris’ Island Sports Center.

“We charged our attack in the second period and started to forecheck them more,” Franklin Regional coach John Winebrenner said. “We got that first goal, everything started to go and we started to get some bounces. We’ve worked hard the past couple of weeks for this time.”

Winebrenner said he got his first Gatorade shower in the locker room.

Latrobe grabbed a 2-0 lead in the opening period on goals by Joey Crimboli. The Panthers could not mount any offense in the first period and didn’t get many shots on Latrobe goaltender Brock Pflugh.

“We’ve been having our struggles,” Winebrenner said. “We lost three consecutive games, but everyone pulled together. It was awesome to watch. It was a team effort.”

That all changed in the second period.

“I think we were a little nervous in the beginning,” Sinclair said. “But the coaches got on us, and we got more aggressive and things started to work.”

Sinclair got the Panthers on the board 4 minutes, 10 seconds into the second period, and Brendan Yohe tied the score five minutes later.

The Panthers continued their pressure and took the lead 3-2 late in the second when a diving Max Williams chipped the puck past Pflugh on a rebound.

Early in the third period Latrobe tied the score 3-3 on a power-play goal by Vinny Amatucci, but with 8:08 left, Sinclair, Jackson Falkner and Max Rutkowski came down on a 3-on-2. The puck eventually got on the stick of Sinclair, who slid it past Pflugh.

Latrobe turned up the heat in the final minutes looking for a tying goal, but Franklin Regional goaltender Grant Novotny, who saved 14 of 15 shots after replacing David Valentino, made a few key saves, the biggest with 29 seconds left.

“Our special teams got to us,” Latrobe coach Adam Ferguson said. “We took too many penalties, and we got gassed. We came out hot off the rush, and I thought that would carry us.”

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Latrobe