When Sports Were Played: A surprise hero for C-M in Penguin Cup
Eleanor Bailey / The Almanac
Canon-McMillan players celebrate after beating Butler to win the 2015 PIHL Class AAA Penguin Cup championship.
Eleanor Bailey
Austin Tonkovich (81) is congratulated after scoring the first goal for Canon-McMillan in the 2015 PIHL Class AAA Penguin Cup championship game.
Today’s “When Sports Were Played” takes us back to March 14, 2015, when a light-scoring junior came up huge when Canon-McMillan’s hockey team needed him most.
In a matter of 10 seconds, the outlook on Canon-McMillan left winger Austin Czartorsky’s junior hockey season changed drastically.
After scoring only four goals in 18 games and being demoted to the Big Macs’ fourth line early in the regular season, Czartorsky had an unforgettable PIHL Class AAA final. He scored two goals in a 10-second span as Canon-McMillan defeated Butler, 4-0, to win the Class AAA Penguins Cup Saturday night at Consol Energy Center.
The Big Macs (15-7-1) advanced to the state championship game, where they will face Holy Ghost Prep (15-8-1) next Saturday at Penn State’s Pegula Ice Arena. It is the program’s first Penguin Cup since 2010.
“Austin has been there the whole time,” Canon-McMillan head coach Terry Virtue said. “He takes things in stride and is working hard no matter what. He showed up today and came through. Those two goals put Butler on their heels.”
Trailing 1-0 after the first period, Butler (11-9-3) created two odd-man rushes, but in a 3-on-2, the Golden Tornadoes fired a shot over the net and on a 2-on-1, a shot went into the chest of Big Macs’ goalie Conor Hartnett.
Butler’s Benjamin Rodgers came within inches of tying the game with just over three minutes remaining when his shot rang off the far post on a breakaway.
The Golden Tornadoes controlled momentum until Czartorsky changed everything. Canon-McMillan center Brad Folino fired a shot from the bottom of the face-off circle that went off the leg pad of Butler goalie Clay Bachman.
Czartorsky collected the rebound and back-handed it through Bachman’s legs to give the Big Macs a two-goal advantage.
On the next shift, he skated toward the left corner and collected a loose puck. Czartorsky used a quick wrist shot to fire the puck under the crossbar and under Bachman’s shoulder for a 3-0 lead with 1:53 remaining in the second period.
“I did not expect this to come out of that game,” Czartorsky said of the performance. “I honestly don’t even know what to say. When you get goals like that from your third line it’s very good for the team. That was definitely a game-changer.”
The atmosphere in the Big Macs’ locker room reflected that. After Austin Tonkovich’s 22nd goal of the season gave Canon-McMillan a 1-0 lead, Virtue did not want his team to relax at the end of the first period.
They were facing a team that had defeated second-seeded Peters Township in the semifinals. The Golden Tornadoes had killed 10 consecutive power plays during the postseason.
Intelligence with the puck and attention to detail could not be lacking. Though Butler created several scoring chances in the second period, it was a role player who helped Canon-McMillan hoist the Penguins Cup.
Czartorsky’s performance reminded Tonkovich of former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Max Talbot’s two goals during game seven of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals, which helped his team win its first championship since 1992.
“(Czartorsky) is a really good player for us. It doesn’t matter what line he plays on,” Tonkovich said. “It reminded me of Talbot against Detroit. That was so big for us.”
Hartnett took care of the rest. The Big Macs’ goalie, who held a 2.37 goals against average and 11 victories entering Saturday night, shut Butler down with a shutout and made 18 saves.
Jack Clendaniel’s power play goal with 4:59 left in regulation sealed the victory for Canon-McMillan. With Czartorsky’s effort, the Penguins Cup Trophy is returning to Canonsburg.
“We’ve all been playing together for four or five years,” Tonkovich said. “We’re all great friends and that chemistry we built is great. It’s definitely exciting winning a title with guys you’ve known for a while.”