Old & New: Rustin goes for 4th straight title; Downingtown East seeks its first
Two boys ice hockey teams will be trying to make different kinds of history when they vie for state championships in the Pennsylvania Cup on the campus of Robert Morris University Saturday afternoon.
Downingtown East, fresh off ending Central Bucks South’s reign as Flyers Cup champion, looks to win its first state title in the AA division. The Cougars will take on Penguins Cup winner Plum at 2:30 p.m.
The day starts with Rustin going for its place in the annals of state high school sports history with an unprecedented fourth straight A title. Standing in the Golden Knights’ way is Franklin Regional, in a rematch from last season, won by Rustin, 6-0.
Downingtown East is appearing in its first state final after having rolled past William Tennent, 8-3, in the Flyers Cup final.
“It’s something that stays with you forever,” East coach Dave Hendricks said of winning the Cup. “The boys are a little conflicted between looking back and looking forward. We’re extremely ready and focused to bring a state title to Downingtown.”
The Cougars’ calling card has been defense, they’ve allowed four total goals in four postseason games.
“To get to a game like this, you have to lean on your leaders,” Hendricks added. “We’re lucky to have seniors like Colin Harple, Jeff Cummings, Matt Hill, Jonathan Carreiro and Harrison Layne. We count on that group.”
Backstopping the defensive effort has been Cummings, who has a 1.36 goals against average in the postseason.
East has racked up 30 goals in its Flyers Cup run, led by MVP Luca Pisani, who scored nine goals and added three assists.
“Luca has been our best forward,” Hendricks said. “He’s been playing the best positional hockey he’s ever had. Him and (Alex) Fox have been strong.”
Plum is in the championship following a 6-1 victory over Greater Latrobe. Anthony Borriello registered a hat trick and Nolan Puhala added a pair of goals.
Despite being from across the state, Plum won’t be a stranger to Hendricks and the Cougars.
“We’ve watched them play a couple of times,” he said. “We knows their game and how they want to play.”
Rustin won its fourth consecutive Flyers Cup crown with an epic 3-2 win over West Chester East in four overtimes. The Knights have had a couple of days to recover before preparing for the final.
“They’re ready to go,” said Rustin coach Nick Russo. “Physically, they bounce back pretty quickly. They had Saturday and Sunday to enjoy it.
Franklin Regional booked its place in the final following a 6-1 triumph over Indiana on Tuesday. Oldrich Virag scored two goals and Daniel Soltesz made 25 saves.
“They’re a lot like West Chester East,” added Russo. “They have a couple of strong lines and they have a good goalie.
“They’re pretty similar from last season. The roster is a year older, a year hungrier. They will be tough.”
Rustin comes in with a high-power unit, led by Matt Owens and the leading scorer in the Flyers Cup, Nicholas Castura.
Goalie Jason Grande comes in off an incredible 62-save performance against the Vikings.
“He’s been a warrior for three years,” said Russo. “He’s playing his best hockey lately and I expect him to play another strong game.”
If the Golden Knights pull off a fourth title in a row, they will be joining some exclusive company in Pennsylvania high school history. Two of the teams that have achieved the feat are hockey teams: Meadville from 1993-96 and Bishop McCourt from 1994-97.
“Nobody from the East has done it,” said Russo. “It would be quite an honor to be in the same company as those schools.”
The fact that two teams that butt heads with each other during the season now make the long trek to Pittsburgh for a chance at the ultimate prize in the state has made them brothers in arms.
“I know Nick Russo well, and have the utmost respect for him and the Rustin program,” Hendricks said. “To share this experince with them is real nice. The toughest thing about it is we have to travel to Pittsburgh. We’ll be rooting for each other.”
“Dave is a great friend and great colleague and has done a great job with Downingtown East,” Russo said. “We cheer for each other all the time, except for two or three times a year.”
