No. 5 Gold Greensburg Salem Golden Lions vs. No. 1 Blue Chartiers Valley Colts

Date: Tuesday, March 19th

Location: UPMC Lemieux Complex in Cranberry

Faceoff: 8:45 p.m.

About the Golden Lions: During the regular season, Greensburg Salem went 13-5-2, compiling 28 points. That tied the Golden Lions with North Catholic for fifth place in the Gold Division, and GS gained the better postseason seed as a result of the tiebreaker. Entering the playoffs on a five-game winning streak, the Golden Lions continued that momentum in the first round, a 5-1 victory against No. 4 Blue seed and host Plum at the Pittsburgh Ice Arena. Five different Golden Lions scored goals in that win, including Jake Fink, who also had an assist. Additionally, Hunter Webb and Carter Cherok had multi-point efforts, each dishing out a pair of helpers. Tristan Gonzales was sharp in net, notching 25 saves in the win. In the quarterfinals, GS upset Quaker Valley, the top seed from the Gold Division, 2-0. Luke Dieter opened the scoring in the first period for GS, and that 1-0 edge stood until Webb notched an empty-net goal in the final minute to secure the win. Gonzales was stellar between the pipes, making 27 saves in the shutout against the Quakers. In the semifinals last Wednesday, Greensburg Salem outlasted Shaler Area 2-1. After the No. 3 Gold Titans scored in the first period, the Golden Lions responded with a pair of goals in the second period, as Chase Kushner deadlocked the score and Dieter followed with the winner on a penalty shot. Gonzales again was paramount, as he registered 29 stops. Corey Mentch, a Greensburg Salem alum, is in his fifth season guiding the Golden Lions.

About the Colts: Chartiers Valley overwhelmed the competition throughout the entire regular season, going 20-0-0 and outscoring its foes 113-24. Earning a bye to the quarterfinals, the Colts blanked Moon Area 4-0. Noah Callender scored two goals and added an assist in the win, while Chris Deangelis had a goal and two helpers, and Brady Nairn added four assists. Goalie Matthew Colberg made 20 saves to secure the shutout. In the semifinals last Wednesday, the Colts edged Indiana Area 2-1. Callender opened the scoring with a first-period goal, but the No. 2 Gold Little Indians pulled even in the second period. However, Chartiers Valley regained the lead later in the frame on a power play marker by Tyler Held. The CV defense made that lead stand, as Colberg notched 27 stops in net. Paul Bonetti is the bench boss for Chartiers Valley.

About the Matchup: The squads have not met in the past two seasons, with the most recent encounter in February 2022, an 8-4 Greensburg Salem triumph. The Golden Lions are in pursuit of the first Penguins Cup championship in program history. Last year, GS reached the semifinals before falling to eventual-champion Kiski Area. The lone Penguins Cup title for the Colts came in 1986, although the program also won the inaugural Division 2 title in 2005. Char Valley finished as the runner up to Indiana Area in 2021.