Storied Cathedral Prep hockey team hopes to claim Class 2A Pennsylvania State Finals against upstart North Penn

The Ramblers were 71 seconds away from being eliminated in the Penguins Cup final. After a late rally, senior foward Ethan Cunningham scored the game-winning goal in overtime to seal a hat trick.

Cathedral Prep's Ethan Cunningham, center, along with Chris Bruschi, left, and Tucker Kinnear, right, celebrates his goal in the Penguins Cup Class 2A final Tuesday night at the UPMC Lemieux Complex. Cunningham scored a hat trick, including an overtime game-winner, to lift the Ramblers to their fifth title in program history. / Josh Rizzo

Ethan Cunningham won’t ever be intimidated by the prospect of facing a team he doesn’t know much about. The senior forward for the Cathedral Prep hockey team has benefitted from being part of a program that plays outside of their Western Pennsylvania bubble.

When the Penguins Cup champion Ramblers play upstart North Penn in the Pennsylvania State Class 2A Finals at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the RMU Island Sports Center, they will lean on their acquired knowledge to carry them.

The Ramblers took a trip to Chicago that ended with one win and three losses. But the experience is something Cunningham, who scored 11 goals in 20 PIHL regular-season games, believes the other local teams don’t get.

“It prepared us for success later in the season,” Cunningham said. “We played a different level of teams. We saw a lot of different looks from different teams. We came up with different strategies to capitalize on them.”

The Ramblers, who last won a state title when they claimed their third in program history in 2015, will welcome a new player on the big stage. North Penn claimed its first-ever Flyers Cup by knocking off Council Rock South 8-2 Wednesday night.

Love it when a plan comes together

Cathedral Prep coach Mark Sprickman anticipated that the Ramblers would be matched up against Council Rock South in the finals. However, North Penn pulled the upset of the Golden Hawks.

Sprickman said after the Ramblers’ beat Fox Chapel 5-4 in overtime to claim the Pens Cup that the opponent wouldn’t change Cathedral Prep’s approach.

The Ramblers have shown consistentcy throughout the season. Netminder Ian Brown was 16-4 in the regular season and has a 2.20 goals-against average. Three Cathedral Prep players scored 10 or more goals in the regular season, including a team-high 20 from Tucker Kinnear, 12 from Chris Bruschi and 11 from Cunningham.

“If you notice, we don’t change for anybody,” Sprickman said. “We play our system. We keep our system. We trust in it. We’ll do the same thing, come out Saturday, play the same way and hope for the best. Then we’ll jump on a plane Monday morning for California and nationals.”

The Ramblers have already shown a knack for the dramatic.

Cathedral Prep celebrates in the background as the Penguins Cup trophy is wheeled out following its 5-4 overtime win over Fox Chapel Tuesday night at the UPMX Lemieux Complex in Cranberry Township, Pa. / Josh Rizzo

Clutch Cunningham

Cunningham didn’t have a lot of opportunities to shine on the PIHL playoff stage during his first three years in high school. The Ramblers are five-time Pens Cup champions, but hadn’t won since they captured consecutive titles in 2015 and 2016.

“The only other time we made the playoffs, we had a first-round exit against North Allegheny in Class 3A,” Cuningham said.

Against the Foxes, Cunningham scored several clutch goals. The overtime game-winner allowed the Ramblers.

But Cunningham’s most important goal may have come late in the first period. Fox Chapel dominated the first 16 minutes, building a 3-1 lead.

But with less than five seconds left in the opening period, Cunningham scored to slice the lead to one and keep the Ramblers in the game. The two teams traded goals after that before Tucker Kinnear scored with 1:10 remaining to send the game into overtime.

Cunningham was able to pick out the top corner and score the winner.

“I’ve never had a hat trick in a playoff game,” Cunningham said. “It was a surreal moment to have a hat trick and overtime winner.”

Cathedral Prep's Tucker Kinnear attempts to shield the puck from Fox Chapel's Dom Casile during the first period of the Class 2A Penguins Cup final at the UPMC Lemeiux Complex. Kinnear scored tiwce, including with 1:10 remaining to force overtime in a 5-4 Ramblers' win. / Josh Rizzo

A colorful coach keeps calm

Sprickman was often quick to give his credit to his players for keeping calm against Fox Chapel. The Ramblers trailed 3-1 early and 4-3 late in regulation. Cunningham said that Sprickman understands how to relate to the team.

“He’s been most of our coaches since we were 8-years-old,” Cunningham said. “He knows us more on a personal level than other coaches people may have. He knows us on an eye-to-eye level. It contributes to him being able to calm us down.”

Sprickman was impressed with how his team handled the adversity. It’s why he is convinced they may not be done winning trophies yet.

“They play for each other,” Sprickman said. “They never give up. They are never down on one another. They’re just a straight family from the start to the end. It shows. These guys have six more games as far as I’m concerned to win a national championship.”

The Knights are knocking

North Penn finished in second place in the Suburban High School Hockey League behind Council Rock South in the National Division. Samuel Norton leads North Penn in scoring with 30 goals and handed out 28 assists.

Cole Pluck (22 goals) and Nolan Shingle (20) have also scored 20 or more goals for the Knights. Andrew Norton was third in the SHSHL with nine wins in net. Norton has a .901 save percentage and 2.28 goals-against average.

Commonwealth clash has big stakes

The Ramblers aren’t new to top stage for hockey in Pennsylvania, but it has been awhile. Cunningham and company will have to figure out a way to keep first-timers North Penn on its toes if they want to add to the Erie-based program’s storied history.

“I had a gut feeling we would be a good team,” Cunningham said. “I’ve never been on a team that’s gelled like this.”

--Josh Rizzo |rizzo42789@gmail.com| @J_oshrizzo