Over the last two years, it would be difficult to find a more dominating hockey team in Class A of the PIHL than Chartiers Valley.
The Colts finished a combined 37-1 in the regular season and earned an appearance in the state championship game at the end of the 2023-24 season.
Last year, the Colts set a goal to return to the state title game, but lost in the Penguins Cup semifinals to Mars, 4-2, after leading 2-0.
“We learned that you can’t just show up,” said coach Paul Bonetti. “I don’t think we played poorly, but ultimately, we can’t have mental lapses because against good teams, those will kill you.”
“Just because we put the CV jersey on doesn’t mean we’re going to win a game,” said senior defenseman Joey DeAngelis. “That’s what a lot of kids thought last year, and we learned from it.”
As Chartiers Valley began this season’s campaign, the goal never changed: Get to the state championship or bust. But there have been plenty of other changes surrounding the team.
The Colts were led offensively last year by Noah Callender, who scored 27 goals and had 15 assists, and Ryan Kumpf, who totaled 16 goals and nine assists.
Goaltender Matt Colberg was a virtual brick wall, going 16-1 last year with a 1.04 goals-against average and .941 save percentage.
All three left after last season. Colberg graduated, Callender is now playing for Pittsburgh Penguins Elite and Kumpf is playing in a league in Michigan.
“Ryan and Noah are trying to advance their careers,” said Bonetti. “That’s something we’ve had to deal with. It’s hurt our depth and is a reason behind our need to develop our younger players at a faster rate than maybe we would have done previously.”
Even with those huge losses, the Colts still have a lot of experience on the team, beginning with the eight seniors on the roster.
They have played under Bonetti for a long time, know the program and have experienced success growing up.
The group has been competing for championships since its middle school days.
“We’re as tight as a group can be,” said senior defenseman Dylan Shamonsky. “Going through all those championship games and coming out on the losing end last year, we’re hungrier than ever. We want to get back and finish the job.”
“They want to win badly,” said Bonetti. “They’re a good group, and there’s a great sense of leadership there. They just need to bring up the younger group up to their level as quickly as possible.”
It appears that those younger players have adapted to Bonetti’s system and are producing enough to help the Colts to a 12-1-2 record.
Sophomore forward Vinnie Vennero has come into his own, producing five goals and 10 assists and is nearing his point total from last year. Fellow sophomore forward Ryan Viola didn’t play much a year ago but has four goals and 11 assists this year.
“Vinnie is like a man out on the ice,” said Bonetti. “He’s a big player, fast and has a great shot. Ryan played a little for us last year, so he knows the drill. He’s been on a pretty good line with Austin Tornabene and Jackson Chorney. They play well together and share a similar mindset and know were each other is going to be on the ice.”
Tornabene, a senior, leads the team in points with 26 (12 goals, 14 assists) and Chorney has stepped up his production this year, scoring 16 goals and having six assists compared to just five goals and four assists last year.
“It’s been nice for him to see some pucks go into the net,” said Bonetti. “I think his skating and his vision have improved, and it’s never been the will to win with him. But he’s improved to the point that now he’s one of the better players in the league and that’s elevated us.”
But the most interesting development of the season is the contributions the Colts have gotten from some surprising sources.
First, the blue line has stepped in and done its part in replacing some of the goals from the loss of Callender and Kumpf. It starts with a trio of seniors.
Shamonsky leads all the defensemen in points with 25 (9g-16a), and he’s followed by Tyler Held who had scored six goals and added 14 assists.
“We want to score as many goals as we can, playing the right way, playing within our system,” said DeAngelis. “From a blue-line perspective, we’re putting shots on net, getting those rebounds down low and just getting gritty, applying pressure to the opposition.”
DeAngelis has also done his part, adding two goals and dishing out six assists.
“Losing Noah and Ryan, we knew we would have to step up at the point and fill some holes in order for us to continue to win,” added Shamonsky.
The other surprise has been the emergence of two freshmen: goaltender Ben Waldron and forward Bryce Wichterman.
Wichterman produced almost immediately, scoring seven goals and adding six assists.
“Being a freshman, you never know what you’re going to get,” said Bonetti. “But Bryce has continued to improve as the season’s gone on and is a much different player than he was in September.
“We’ve had some players miss games due to injuries, suspensions and vacations. Whenever you have those things and are already a little thin up front, you’re looking for whoever can step up and fill those holes.”
Waldron was one of three goaltenders — the others being seniors Colin Ziolkowski and Bradyn Palko — who came in looking to fill the hole left by Colberg.
“Coming into the year, Ben was behind those players, but he worked hard, showed up, put in the work,” said Bonetti. “When it came time for him to get his shot, he took it.”
Waldron has put together a standout first year. Through the team’s first 13 games, he amassed a 10-0 record with a 1.55 GAA and .919 save percentage.
“He doesn’t let adverse situations affect him,” Bonetti said. “If he does let up a goal, I’ve seen a lot of guys just tank after letting one in, but he’s not built that way. He’s a confident guy. He’s very mature for a freshman.”
“In my opinion, he’s very comparable to how Matt was,” said Shamonsky.
In his last two starts, Waldron suffered a tough 3-2 overtime loss to Plum and in the previous game was let down by some bad penalties by his teammates in a 6-1 loss to Avonworth, which scored three power-play goals. His numbers have dipped to a 2.06 GAA and .898 save percentage.
Penalty minutes have been a problem for Chartiers Valley both this year and last year and are one of the more comparable traits between the two teams.
Last year, the Colts’ final tally for penalty minutes was 247. This year, they have paraded to the penalty box, committing 266 minutes worth of penalties.
“Our biggest problem this year has been the types of penalties we’ve been taking,” said Shamonsky. “The Avonworth game is a prime example. We can’t be giving teams, I think we gave them five or six power plays and they capitalized on half of them. Staying out of the box is a very big thing we need to work on the rest of the season.”
That wasn’t a problem for the team last year, when they were blowing opponents out by eight goals or more in most cases and outscored their opponents 109-18 at the end of the year.
But not having the same scoring prowess, the Colts are only outscoring opponents 76-35 this year and have played in six one-goal games compared with one such game last year.
“Being in those types of games, you see and feel different things,” said DeAngelis. “How you react to pucks not bouncing your way and how you come back from that. That only makes us stronger.”
The Colts play a very gritty, tough dump-and-chase game that forces the opposition to be on their heels. It’s a system that has proven to be successful in the past, and Bonetti wants to continue that type of play.
“I think it was Mike Tomlin who said, ‘I’d rather have to say whoa, than sic ‘em,’” Bonetti said. “That’s kind of the approach I take. I want to be a little more aggressive than not. We have to stop any really dumb penalties.”
The Colts are also hoping to improve their special teams numbers. As of Jan. 20, their power-play percentage was 26.7%, down from 33% last year, and their penalty kill percentage is also down, 83.9 compared with 88 last year.
“Our special teams let us down and, again, that’s my fault and I take responsibility for that,” said Bonetti. “We are going to work on that, and we have a lot of time to clean that up.”
Still, the Colts are finding ways to win and know what they need to fix in order to make another deep playoff run and have a chance at the state championship game.
“We’re not dead in the water by any stretch of the imagination,” said Bonetti. “But we just have to focus and hone in on a couple of problematic areas that we’ve been displaying recently.”