by:
Saturday, May 4, 2024 | 11:01am
Submitted by Valerie Murphy
Franklin Regional's junior varsity hockey team defeated Mount Lebanon on March 25 at the Ice Castle to win the PIHL Tier I JV Championship. The Panthers, who went 2-11-3 in the regular season, continued their run in the playoffs, defeating Pine-Richland in the quarterfinals and North Allegheny in the semifinals to advance to the finals.
The Franklin Area Junior Varsity Hockey team struggled during the regular season in Tier 1 of the PIHL.
The Panthers were Tier 2 champions in 2022-23 and were promoted due to their success.
“We were put in with the big boys,” Franklin Regional coach Dave Soltes said. “We were playing the best of the best.
“We focused on improving every game, but we didn't get our first win until December. We finished in last place with 2 wins, 11 wins, and 3 losses. We were everyone's punching bag all season.”
The team was also dealing with an ill coach. Soltes was diagnosed with tongue cancer, and the coach was forced to undergo two surgeries. Soltes missed a month but returned in December.
“I had to rest,” Soltes said. “I don't have cancer.
“I've been a coach for 15-16 years and I've led my team to championships three times. This was the most fun and rewarding. It was amazing.”
The Panthers were the No. 8 seed and faced a tough challenge.
But no challenge was too big for the Panthers.
Franklin Regional opened the playoffs with a 4-1 victory over top-seeded Pine-Richland. After giving up an early goal 1:08 into the game, the Panthers stepped up on defense, with goaltender Payson Neff stopping 27 of 28 shots.
“When we were in the locker room before the Pine-Richland game, we told them they had nothing to lose,” Soltes said. “We wanted them to defend first and attack once we got the ball.
“After they scored early, we regrouped, but we were solid defensively and our goalkeeper, he was completely gone. We contained the team defensively. Ta.”
Cole Bradburn tied the score at 1-1 and Ryan Close scored the first of three goals to give the Panthers a permanent 2-1 lead. Kroos scored two more goals in the third period.
“We realized we had to play defense first,” Soltes said. “The season was coming to an end and the games were coming up. After allowing a goal early, they didn't allow another goal until the third period in the championship game.”
In the semifinals, Liam Murphy scored a goal in overtime to lead the Panthers to a 1-0 victory against North Allegheny. Jacob Knizner added the assist.
Neff recorded a shutout, stopping all 32 shots.
They then defeated Mount Lebanon 2-1 in the championship game. Ryland Kasse and Krause scored goals in the second period, and the rest of the way it was a win.
Neff stopped 29 of 30 shots, and Liam Murphy and Michael Pint added assists.
“Payson was great,” Soltes said. “And our defense was solid.
“Our game plan was to play solid defense and take advantage of our opponent's mistakes.”
Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. Contact him at pschofield@triblive.com.
