The student news site of Greater Latrobe High School

The High Post

The student news site of Greater Latrobe High School

The High Post

The student news site of Greater Latrobe High School

The High Post

Icecats Take PIHL State Cup at Mellon Arena

Two years ago, the Greater Latrobe Ice Cats won

their first Penguin Cup title and, ultimately, their first state title. Last year, they improved what seemed to be perfection, and went undefeated from the start of the preseason to being crowned as Penguin Cup Champions and State Champions for the second straight year.

In 2010, after defeating Moon, Peters Township, and West Allegheny in the Penguin Cup Playoffs and ultimately Downingtown East in the State Championship, they achieved the ultimate three-peat.

“I feel honored to bring home the Penguin Cup and the state title for the third year in a row,” said Captain Tyler Ridder.

Two early goals by Jayson Angus and Zack LaDuke gave the Icecats an early 2-0 lead on Downingtown East in the  championship match. When the Cougars fought back and tied the game up at two a piece in the third period, the fans rallied behind the team as the players remained unnerved.

The Cats rallied, however, as Angus put in the game winning goal. Latrobe defensively held their ground  for the last six minutes. Downingtown East could not generate any offense after they pulled the goalie with a the longest minute of the game. Latrobe defended the title, for the third time in three years as the 2010 AA State Champions.

Angus stated, “The game was exciting and the fan turnout was beyond great. It was a blast.”

To get to the state title, the Cats had to win the Penguin Cup first. The quarterfinals and semifinals of the Penguin Cup went by in a breeze. A 9-1 win over the Moon Tigers and a 7-2 win over the Peters Township Indians led the Icecats into the finals.

It was a different story in the finals, however, when Latrobe played the West Allegheny Indians. They gained a wide margin earlier on in the game, which got as wide as five points. Then, in a short amount of time, the Indians fought back and made the score 6-5. An empty net goal with 23 seconds left sealed the deal for the Cats, who won 7-5.

“Winning the state title three years in a row is unbelievable. Every time I think about it, I am amazed. It was cool having the players from last year come back and watch us, especially my brother. The freshmen who played this year, helped to fill in the empty spots of those who graduated,” said Zack LaDuke.

The talented  and selfless freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors  contributed to the success of the Wildcats. At the end of the season,  the hard work, long hours, and consistent play  paid off in the ultimate fashion as the the Ice Cats skated into the Pennsylvania State Championship game.

More to Discover