Latrobe hockey team playing up to rookie coach's expectations
With an experienced goaltender in Shane Brudnok and a prolific scorer in Josh Singley, Latrobe coach John Winebrenner had high hopes for his team in his first season as head coach.
So far, the team has lived up to them.
The Wildcats are 4-1 and already lead Section 3-AA by six points.
“Yes it has,” Winebrenner said when asked if his team has performed as well as he expected. “We’re taking it one game at a time right now. Every game is important and anyone is capable of beating anyone on a given night. The guys found that out against Chartiers Valley the other night.”
Chartiers Valley, who is currently 2-1 and was 17-4 last season, handed the Wildcats their first loss Monday, 5-2. Latrobe outshot Chartiers Valley 29-19, but had trouble getting the puck past Colts’ goaltender Noah Stevenson.
But, other than Monday, scoring hasn’t been much of a problem for Latrobe. Singley leads Class AA in points with 16 (eight goals, eight assists). That total includes a five-goal, three-assist game against Franklin Regional earlier this season.
Singley’s teammate, Adam Ferguson, is currently tied for third in points in the classification with 12 (five goals, seven assists), while Christopher Johnson is also in the top 10 with nine points (five goals, four assists).
Brudnok, meanwhile, is leading the class in wins, is third among goaltenders that have played more than one game in goals-against average (2.20) and is tied for third in save percentage (.882).
Latrobe’s next game is Dec. 3 against Gateway.
So far, the team has lived up to them.
The Wildcats are 4-1 and already lead Section 3-AA by six points.
“Yes it has,” Winebrenner said when asked if his team has performed as well as he expected. “We’re taking it one game at a time right now. Every game is important and anyone is capable of beating anyone on a given night. The guys found that out against Chartiers Valley the other night.”
Chartiers Valley, who is currently 2-1 and was 17-4 last season, handed the Wildcats their first loss Monday, 5-2. Latrobe outshot Chartiers Valley 29-19, but had trouble getting the puck past Colts’ goaltender Noah Stevenson.
But, other than Monday, scoring hasn’t been much of a problem for Latrobe. Singley leads Class AA in points with 16 (eight goals, eight assists). That total includes a five-goal, three-assist game against Franklin Regional earlier this season.
Singley’s teammate, Adam Ferguson, is currently tied for third in points in the classification with 12 (five goals, seven assists), while Christopher Johnson is also in the top 10 with nine points (five goals, four assists).
Brudnok, meanwhile, is leading the class in wins, is third among goaltenders that have played more than one game in goals-against average (2.20) and is tied for third in save percentage (.882).
Latrobe’s next game is Dec. 3 against Gateway.
hockey