Shaler hockey coach adjusts philosophy
When Curt Hetz was a hockey player at Shaler in the early 1970s, he was a top-line forward who twice led the WPIHL in scoring.
After nearly 25 years — and in his first year as the coach of his alma mater — he has had time to reflect and alter his philosophy. Now instead of high-flying offense, Hetz has become a proponent of a defensive-minded ideology.
"I took a lot of penalties and I was a stupid player," Hetz said. "I told these kids from the beginning that I didn't have a coach who had the guts to put me in my place because I scored goals, and I felt like I could go out and win the game so they overlooked the discipline side of the game."
Hetz has some quality scorers for Shaler (21-2-0) this year, including junior forward Zac Lynch, who was fourth in PIHL Class AAA with 25 goals and ninth in scoring with 39 points in only 20 games during the regular season, and junior Patrick Schafer, who had 19 to help the Titans win Section 3 and lock up the top seed in the Penguins Cup playoffs.
Shaler will take on Mt. Lebanon (12-7-5) in the Penguins Cup semifinals at 9 p.m. Wednesday at Mellon Arena. The Titans have never won the Penguins Cup, while Mt. Lebanon has won four times, including two of the last five, and knocked off defending champion Pine-Richland in the quarterfinals.
Because Shaler wasn't one of the teams initially thought of as a contender in Class AAA this season, the Titans have been able to concentrate more on getting the job done than deflecting hype about expectations, which helped them to a 6-2 win over another perennial powerhouse, Bethel Park, in the quarterfinals.
"I think we have great momentum because the kids are playing really well, they're skating well and they've been playing the strategy we've been trying to push all along, which is good, disciplined hockey and moving the puck quickly," Hetz said. "(Slipping under the radar) probably happened, which is fine. I don't like the spotlight being on us. The rest of them can have it. We just need to keep doing what we need to do and I'm fine with that."
Shaler has allowed 64 goals in 23 games but has not been a team that consistently wins blowouts. The Titans played three overtime games in their last eight regular-season contests, including a 7-6 win over Mt. Lebanon on Jan. 20, but they won all three thanks in large part to that solid defense and the clutch goaltending rotation of junior Oscar Prom (14-1-0, 3.10 goals-against average) and senior Steve Weilersbacher (9-1-0, 2.35 GAA), who was the winning netminder in the victory over Bethel Park.
Now, however, Shaler gets Mt. Lebanon and will hit the ice with a very simple plan of attack.
"We have to play hard, work hard and keep doing what I keep telling them to do," Hetz said. "It comes down to quick puck movement, playing smart hockey, staying out of the penalty box and doing all the little things right."
