The defending PIHL Penguins Cup Champions jumped out to a lead in the first minute of play and never looked back, as Thomas Jefferson ousted Penn-Trafford 5-1 in the Class AA quarterfinals at the Palmer Imaging Arena in Delmont on Monday.

The fifth-seeded Jaguars, who scored three times in the opening period, were led by Ryder Mcguirk’s four-point performance. As a result, they advance to the Class AA semifinals on March 14 to play either top seed Armstrong or No. 8 Hempfield Area.

Conversely, the No. 4 Warriors concluded their season with a postseason loss to Thomas Jefferson for the second year in a row.

Just 55 seconds into the contest, Scott Allan struck for the Jaguars. Ryan Galis added to the lead less than four minutes later, and Andrew Oliver capped the impressive period by extending the advantage to 3-0 with 1:45 left in the first.

While Penn-Trafford outshot the Jaguars in the second period, TJ goaltender Aidan Dougherty held strong between the pipes, keeping the Warriors off the scoreboard through two frames.

Homestanding PT finally struck on the power play early in the third, as Bryce Kropczynski tallied from Josh Goldberg. The Warriors could not parlay that momentum into any more production, however, as TJ restored its three-goal lead on a power-play marker by Mcguirk. Despite an extended 6-on-3 advantage late in the third, the Warriors were unable to trim into their deficit, as the Jaguars sealed the outcome with an empty netter by Jake Stock in the final seconds.

In addition to Mcguirk’s goal and three assists, Allan posted a goal and a helper, while Dougherty made 31 saves in net.

Jackson Kerrigan was charged with the loss for PT, as he allowed four goals while making 19 stops.