By:
Saturday, January 18, 2025, TRIB-LIVE
It could be said that the Fox Chapel hockey team had reached a crossroads five games into the season.
After suffering back-to-back one-goal losses against Canon-McMillan and Bishop McCort, the Foxes were 3-2 and were about to face always tough and talented Penn-Trafford.
“That was the game we come back to, where we made a collective decision on the style of hockey we wanted to play,” coach Ryan Loebig said. “Penn-Trafford plays a hard, really strong defensive game, and we really buckled down and played them tough.”
The Fox Chapel players embraced the style of play Loebig knows wins games. They played a grittier game, winning puck battles, and came away with a 4-1 victory.
“We wanted the guys to play a style that was more than just making the pretty plays,” Loebig added. “Playing that gritty style is what’s going to benefit the team, and the guys have taken it in stride.”
Since that win, the Foxes have won seven of their last eight games, which sees them sitting in third place in Class 2A with 31 points. They’re behind first-place Penn-Trafford (39) and Latrobe (36), which was the only team to beat the Foxes in the last eight contests, a 7-5 defeat.
“I hope that them putting seven on us doesn’t sit well with our guys,” Loebig said.
Avenging the loss to Latrobe when the teams meet again Jan. 30 would help the Foxes climb a little higher in hopes of getting the No. 1 or 2 seed when playoff time comes, but it’s not a pressing issue for Loebig at the moment.
“I don’t necessarily look at standings all the time because seeding to me is just a ticket into the postseason,” he said. “You’re going to play a worthy team no matter who you play, and it’s going to be a test. Doesn’t matter to me who we play.”
The Foxes have seven games left on the schedule, including Latrobe and another game against Penn-Trafford.
“Penn-Trafford will, no doubt, be coming after us because we did beat them,” Loebig said. “It’s another great challenge against a worthy opponent that’s going to make us better.”
If Fox Chapel gets any better, it could spell trouble for the rest of Class 2A. The Foxes are second in the class in goals scored with 81, just behind Penn-Trafford’s 84.
Leading the way for Fox Chapel is senior forward Dominic Casile, who has 22 goals and 41 points, but he has made his presence felt in other ways.
“Sure, Dom leads us in scoring, but he’s been an emotional leader for us,” Loebig said. “He began the year with some tough instances, including a suspension. But he’s responded well and taken it upon himself to be that guy in the room who shows the younger guys how the game should be played.”
Casile has left his mark on sophomore Tucker Cullen, who is second on the team in goals (18) and points (37).
“Tucker knows what he’s doing, has a great hockey sense,” Loebig said. “Both he and Dom were instrumental in getting the rest of the guys to embrace that team-first mentality. Those guys drive the offense, but there are other players that I could talk about for days in our lineup.”
One such player is senior defenseman Trip Goehring, who has five goals, 22 assists and 27 points. He gets the Fox Chapel offense started by pushing the puck through the neutral zone.
“He’s a unique talent, and when he gets the puck, he creates something out of nothing,” Loebig said. “He does so in a good, responsible way and doesn’t put the team in trouble.”
Other standout players include senior captain defenseman Tyler Goldstein, who plays a solid defensive game, and senior forwards Pierce Osterholm and Liam Wiseman and junior Spencer Goehring.
“All three of those guys provide leadership for us in their own ways,” Loebig said.
Lastly, senior goalie Miles Carey has been having a stellar year with a 1.79 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.
“He’s made a lot of saves that he didn’t have any business making, and that’s kept us in a lot of games,” Loebig said. “When we’ve gone through tougher stretches, he’s helped us out.”
Fox Chapel clearly has the talent, as those individual numbers show, but Loebig wants his players to continue to use their talents in a way that benefits the team-oriented style of play that has helped them succeed.
“We need to stick to our identity and who we want to be,” Loebig said. “That means playing sustainable hockey, so things like puck management and playing gritty and as a team will be important. We can play that way and beat any team as long as we show up to work.
“We want to continue to push as we go through these tough challenges to nourish that mindset so that we’re clicking and firing on all cylinders once March rolls around.”