By: Ray Fisher 
Sunday, March 26, 2023 | 11:01 AM

Many of the skaters in the PIHL maintain their time on the ice as members of local club teams.

Five Quaker Valley hockey players — four freshmen and one middle schooler — are on club squads that have advanced to the USA Hockey national championships to be held March 30 to April 3.

Defenseman Jacob Keisel and forward Max Modrovich, both freshman members of the Pittsburgh Vengeance AAA 2008 team, are looking forward to participating the Tier 1 Nationals in Plymouth, Mich.

“I am really proud of my team for accomplishing this great feat,” Keisel said. “After winning the district championship, it was really surreal. I know it was a dream for myself along with my teammates and coaches. We flipped the switch on during crunch time and beat some very good Top 10 and even Top 5 teams in the nation, moving us up a few spots in the rankings.

“I feel this has been a great stepping stone for future teams, as this is the first Vengeance team to make nationals. I think we will make some noise in Michigan. All the teams there are teams we have beaten.”

The Vengeance has been coached by Dave Dorsey and assistant Gene Spadaro the past two seasons.

“I am very fortunate,” Keisel said. “They have developed me as a player and a person in a positive way. I feel I’ve developed more in these areas than ever before, plus they just make practice fun while preparing us for games at the same time.”

Keisel, 14, has been playing for the North Pittsburgh Wildcats since he was a youngster but started skating at RMU even before that.

Modrovich is looking forward to competing against some of the country’s elite teams at the national tournament.

“I’m excited for the opportunity,” Modrovich said. “We finished 12-1 down the stretch and were 5-2 against the teams in our bracket, so I feel if we play hard on the forecheck, we give teams a lot of problems, and we should get to the quarterfinals. We played the second-hardest schedule this year, so I think if we get into the final eight anything can happen.”

Modrovich, 14, began playing hockey age 4 in the RMU program. He has competed in football, soccer and basketball as well, but stopped participating in those sports because of conflicts with scheduling.

“I moved to Quaker Valley in seventh grade and have been playing hockey for coach (Kevin) Quinn for the last three years,” Modrovich said. “He has helped in my development.”

Colin York and Jace Vasbinder, both forwards, and eighth-grade defenseman Sawyer Krotine play for North Pittsburgh AA and are going to the Tier II Nationals in Denver, Colo. The team is coached by Cliff Loya.

“I am so excited that our team won the MidAm district championship,” York said. “Our entire team stepped up in ‘trophy hunting season,’ as we also won two league banners. It was great to share these on-ice victories with two of my best friends at Quaker Valley.

“Our team is looking forward to playing some of the best teams from around the country. We know the competition will be tough, but we also expect to step up to the challenge, stick together and support each other.”

The 15-year-old York started playing hockey at age 6.

“I am so proud of my four teammates for making it to national tournaments,” York said. “We’ve all worked so hard. These are some of my very best friends, so to celebrate our success together is special.

“I know one of the contributing factors for so many of us is that we have all played for coach Quinn for years. He’s taught us to push and support each other both on and off the ice, and to keep a positive attitude no matter the challenge. Playing for coach Quinn this year will most definitely help all of us compete at nationals.”

Vasbinder, who is 15, believes his team will have a strong showing at the national event.

“It was a lot of hard work to get to nationals,” Vasbinder said, “and we need to make the most of this amazing opportunity. I expect us to give it our all like we have all season and hopefully we can make it pretty far at nationals.”

Vasbinder began playing hockey when he was only 3 or 4.

York, Vasbinder, Keisel and Modrovich were freshman members of the Quaker Valley playoff hockey team in 2022-23. All four are participating in the QV boys lacrosse program this spring.

“All four played a lot of varsity hockey for us this year,” Quinn said. “It is a great sign if your players are playing at a high level of amateur and competing for national championships. I’m proud of Sawyer, Colin, Jace, Max and Jacob for the accomplishment. Along with so many of our Quaker Valley players, they play at a high level of amateur hockey. It takes a lot of commitment to do both amateurs and high school at the same time. I am excited about their future.

“The middle school team went undefeated in the regular season led by goaltender Ian Lorang, along with captains Charlie Pyle, Jack Watson and Sawyer Krotine. The future is bright for QV hockey.”

The Vengeance ‘08 AAA squad traveled to Columbus to compete in the Mid-American district playoffs looking to earn a berth in the USA Hockey nationals.

The Vengeance defeated the Cleveland Barons (7-0), South Hills Panthers (6-0), Columbus Blue Jackets (4-0) and cross-town rival Pittsburgh Penguins Elite (4-2) by a collective score of 21-2.

The Vengeance will take a 33-19-4 record into the national limelight.

“Beating our No. 1 rival (Penguins Elite) twice in two weeks felt amazing,” Keisel said. “I am very honored to have made it to nationals, and Max has been a great kid to hang with.

“My other three friends, Jace, Colin and Sawyer, have also made it to nationals for the 14U AA Wildcats. I know the Quaker Valley hockey community is proud.”

The North Pittsburgh Wildcats of the North Pittsburgh Youth Hockey Association edged the Steel City Ice Renegades, 2-1, thanks to a goal by forward Brody Yurkovac with less than a minute to go. York assisted on the game-winning play.

The Wildcats will represent the Mid-Am district at the USA Hockey Tier II Nationals.

By: Ray Fisher 
Sunday, March 26, 2023 | 11:01 AM

The PIHL regular season is a long grind, beginning in October and running into February.

Quaker Valley, competing in the Varsity A Gold division, finished fourth behind North Hills, McDowell and North Catholic with a 14-5-0-1 record.

The Quakers started out 2-2 then skated to wins in nine of their next 10 games and wrapped up their regular-season schedule with three consecutive victories.

“Overall, I was pleased given how young we were and the competition we face in Single-A,” QV coach Kevin Quinn said. “So many senior-laden large schools play down multiple levels. We know we learned a lot about compete, consistency and courage. We will be young next year, too. We have a lot of work to do this offseason if we want to not only compete but compete for titles again.

“I expect us to be very good. We had a lot of freshmen get a lot of experience this year. And there is another good freshman group coming up that we are excited to add to the varsity mix. We return our goaltending as well as the majority of our defensive corps. I believe we will have strong senior leaders, and I am definitely excited about the future.”

Five QV players — senior forwards Ben Carlson and Braeden Steffey, junior defenseman Will Watson, freshman defenseman Jacob Keisel and sophomore goaltender Landon Buterbaugh — were named as PIHL all-stars this season.

Carlson, 18, was the Quakers’ team captain in 2022-23.

“Ben really rose up for us this year,” Quinn said, “especially late when we needed his scoring. We almost pulled off an upset in the (PIHL) quarters thanks to his and Landon Buterbaugh’s efforts. He had a great career at Quaker Valley and will be sorely missed on and off the ice next year.”

The Quakers competed in two playoff games, blanking Indiana, 3-0, before losing a 6-3 decision to Fox Chapel. Overall, QV outscored the opposition by a 90-48 margin in 2022-23.

Carlson, a four-year varsity player, led QV in scoring this year with 35 points on 23 goals and 12 assists.

“I’m very proud of the team’s performance this season,” he said. “We faced a lot of adversity, losing players, having a very young team, and all the other struggles that come with a long season. Through it all, the team battled hard and really came together as a group. 

“We had a rough second half of the season, but I couldn’t be happier with how we responded in our last three games. Even though we lost to Fox Chapel (in the playoffs), I’m still immensely proud of all the hard work we put in and I couldn’t have asked for a better group my senior year.”

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Carlson said he is thankful to be able to play hockey for Quaker Valley.

“I’ve been blessed to have incredible coaches and people I can really look up to as mentors every step of the way,” Carlson said. “Coach Quinn, coach Aaron (Siegel), coach Blaine (Buterbaugh), (Rich Guerrieri) and many others have been there every step of the way for me and have really helped me to grow as a player and person over the years.

“Every year, graduated players come back to help out in practices or watch games, which is something I think speaks to the culture coach Quinn has created for QV hockey and is something I look forward to doing after this year. I really couldn’t say better things about my time playing for QV, and I’m thankful for all that hockey’s given me.”

Carlson also competed for the QV wrestling team for the first time this winter. He won his first varsity match Dec. 8 via a pin in 1:15 at 189 pounds against an Avonworth opponent.

He had a 3.87 GPA at the end of his junior year and plans to attend either Wisconsin-Madison or Miami of Ohio to study biochemistry.

Carlson started playing hockey at around the age of 5 and is participating in lacrosse for the Quakers this spring.

He was complemented offensively on the ice in 2022-23 by Steffey (7 goals-18-25 points), Watson (7-17-24), senior forward Riley Moore (14-6-22), Keisel (3-18-21) and freshman forward Jace Vasbinder (11-5-16).

Buterbaugh finished with an 11-6 regular-season record and 2.39 goals-against average. He compiled an .892 save percentage and posted two shutouts. 

Ian Lorang, a freshman goaltender, was 3-0 with a 1.36 GAA and one shutout. Lorang logged a .925 save percentage.

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, January 22, 2023 | 11:01 AM

Five members of the Quaker Valley hockey team have been chosen to participate in the PIHL all-star showcase this year.

Only two are seniors.

It’s a testimonial to the youth of the QV team and the success the Quakers have experienced so far this season.

Two forwards, seniors Ben Carlson and Braedan Steffey, two defensemen, freshman Jacob Keisel and junior Will Watson, and sophomore goaltender Landon Buterbaugh will represent QV on the Varsity A Gold all-star squad.

The showcase event will be held Jan. 29 at the Robert Morris Island Sports Center.

Games will take place at noon (Varsity D2), 1:50 p.m. (Class A, Group 1), 3:40 p.m. (Class A, Group 2), 5:30 p.m. (Class 2A) and 7:30 p.m. (Class 3A).

As of Jan. 17, Carlson led Quaker Valley in scoring while serving as team captain. He is a two-time PIHL all-star.

“I’m very honored to be named an all-star for the second year in a row and am excited to play in the game later this January,” Carlson said. “And I’m really proud of how well our team has played this year, especially for a lot of our younger players who have risen up to the challenge and excelled in their first year at the varsity level.

“It means a lot to me to be able to lead this team, and I’m very optimistic for our chances going forward and in the postseason.”

A four-year starter for the Quakers, Carlson had accounted for 14 goals and 10 assists, or 24 points, through games played by mid-January.

“Ben’s a big senior center who has been solid all year,” QV coach Kevin Quinn said. “He is scoring and leading our team in so many ways.”

Steffey also is a four-year varsity player and an alternate captain this season.

“I’m super excited to be selected as an all-star,” he said.

Steffey ranks among the team’s top offensive threats with five goals and 11 assists, good for 16 points. He led the Quakers in points last season.

“Braeden is having another solid year offensively,” Quinn said, “but he does so much for us defensively as well.”

Keisel and Watson are instrumental in a QV defensive corps that surrendered only 25 goals in 13 games, the lowest total allowed in the Varsity A Gold Division.

“They are our top defensive pair,” Quinn said. “The pairing has been dominant this year, and they will need to be even better the rest of the season and playoffs.

“They play a lot of hockey for us, both offensively and defensively. We’re extremely happy with their play. They are excellent skaters and play the game the right way.”

Along with their prolific defensive skills, Watson (5 goals) and Keisel (3 goals) were second and third in scoring with 17 and 16 points.

“I can’t remember a freshmen skater that has made the all-star game (in the past) for us,” Quinn said. “Jacob is an advanced player with all the tools to be a great player. He is eager to learn and get better.

“And Will has been exemplary in all phases. He brings it every night.”

Buterbaugh had a 7-3 record in 10 decisions with 19 goals against, a 2.02 goals-against average, .884 save percentage and one shutout.

“Landon’s been a rock back there (in goal),” Quinn said. “He pushes himself very hard, and I love his competitiveness.”

Three other leading scorers for the Quakers in 2022-23 are freshman forwards Ben McHenry and Jace Vasbinder and senior forward Riley Moore.

Quaker Valley started the long PIHL season with a tepid 2-2 record, but then exploded to win six in a row and take an 8-2 record into the new year. The Quakers improved to 10-2-0-1 by the middle of the month.

During the winning streak, Buterbaugh logged one shutout and held the other five opponents to one goal.

“We have relied on a combination of senior leadership and young players contributing in all areas,” Quinn said. “We have a balanced attack and are very solid defensively.

“I have to mention the solid defensive play by Carter Siuciak and Liam Welge, as well as key offensive contributions from Riley Moore, Noah Kenneweg and Coleman Carey.”

QV’s coach said the strong performance by the freshmen has been a boost to the program this season.

“Our large freshman class with Ian Lorang, Jace Vasbinder, Ben McHenry, Luke Koehler, Max Modrovich, Colin York and Jacob Keisel has been a pleasant surprise,” Quinn said. “They all play a lot and have been instrumental to our success.”

QV edged Avonworth, 4-3, in a shootout Jan. 16 to win for the eighth time in nine games. The Quakers stood in second place and trailed only North Hills in the divisional standings.

“We have a lot of tough games to go,” Quinn said, “and we want to get the highest seed possible for the playoffs.”

The Quakers have four games on tap in February, then it’s on to the postseason.

With the five all-stars leading the way.

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, November 6, 2022 | 11:01 AM

Jace Vasbinder, a freshman forward, scored twice and senior forward Ben Carlson collected a goal and an assist as Quaker Valley won 4-1 on Oct. 31 to hand Montour (4-1) its first PHL loss.

The Quakers improved to 3-1-1 behind sophomore goaltender Landon Buterbaugh, who stopped 23 of 24 shots. On the year, Buterbaugh was 2-2 with a 2.75 goals-against average.

Senior defenseman Riley Moore netted QV’s first goal against the Spartans. Jacob Keisel, a freshman defender, and senior forward Braenden Steffey were credited with assists along with Carlson.