Hockey Notebook: Coach fights to revive Centurions
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Tony Marietta is a proud Greensburg Central Catholic alumnus.
He played for the Centurions and served as an assistant coach under his father, Butch , when the team won three Class AA state championships in a four-year span less than two decades ago.
Marietta -- with Butch along as an assistant -- rejoined Greensburg Central Catholic prior to this season with an eye toward returning the Centurions to their glory days.
"We are very passionate about it," Tony Marietta said.
But even someone who bleeds the maroon-and-silver as much as Marietta does can find a way to make light of the season Greensburg Central is going through. The Centurions were 0-11 heading into a game at Kittanning Thursday night.
"Everyone is keeping a good attitude, and the team has improved so much since the beginning of the year to now. We're a completely different team," Marietta said, before laughing.
"When we started the season, it was easy for quality teams to [score] double-digits on us in the first period. Now we can at least hold off double digits until late in the third."
Indeed, it has been a tough season for the Centurions. Greensburg Central Catholic is the only team in the PIHL without a victory.
"We've got to keep our heads up, keep it positive," Marietta said. "This group of kids, they're just the greatest group of kids. They have so much fun and they bust their butts in practice and bust their butts in the game.
"We're not winning any games, but that doesn't stop them from playing straight through 45 minutes of hockey every game. Those guys are putting forth so much effort given our win-loss situation."
The Centurions, who moved down to Class A because of enrollment this season, began with the bare minimum number of players. Four of those players, Marietta said, were playing hockey for the first time, including some freshmen competing at the varsity level. Greensburg Central doesn't have a junior varsity or freshman team.
The Centurions' captain, Domenic Antonucci , is an accomplished amateur hockey player. He is Greensburg Central Catholic's leading scorer, averaging a point per game, and also the team's emotional leader.
Beyond him, however, the rest of the roster has combined for eight goals in 11 games. Still, the Mariettas insist they wouldn't have taken on the challenge if it wasn't possible to return Greensburg Central Catholic to a playoff- and championship-caliber level.
"My dad coached at the school for 18 years," Marietta said. "He is an ultra, ultra competitive person -- and even he's optimistic. If you can keep somebody as competitive as him optimistic, we must be doing something right."
Chartiers Valley's Bryan Pustay had the outstanding offensive performance at the PIHL All-Star Games this past Sunday at the Rostraver Ice Garden. A senior forward, he had a hat trick and added an assist in the Class AA Southwest Conference's 8-2 win against the Northeast. Pustay was the only player to have at least four points and one of only three to score multiple goals in any of the four contests.
Penn-Trafford's Michael Cheswick had the best statistical line of any goalie, stopping all 13 of the shots he saw from the Southwest Conference team in the first period of the Class AAA game the Southwest team rallied to win, 6-5, in overtime.
• Hampton at Mars, 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Bladerunners Warrendale
This past week, thee Planets (10-1) bounced back from their only loss with a victory while the Talbots (9-1-1) ran their unbeaten streak to nine by beating Westmont Hilltop.
• North Allegheny at Mt. Lebanon, 9:10 p.m., Thursday, Mt. Lebanon Recreation Center
The winner between the Tigers (11-4-1) and the Blue Devils (11-3-1 heading into Thursday) will take over first place in Class AAA Section 2 and have the inside track to securing a bye in the playoffs.
First Published January 27, 2012 12:00 am
