The Bethel Park hockey team is a PIHL playoff qualifier.
“In the playoffs, the expectation is simple,” coach Mike Schall said. “Compete every shift and give ourselves a chance to win every night. Playoff hockey comes down to details, discipline and mindset.
“If we stay true to our identity, manage emotions and commit to team hockey, we believe we can be a tough opponent and make a strong run.”
One of the keys to the team’s success in 2025-26 has been a well-balanced offensive attack. The Black Hawks have been led by the likes of forwards Peter Velisaris, Dylan Hartman, Jack Hartman, Lukas Crisson, Kai Decker, Luke Fauth, Ezra Kozak, Lucas Bombich and defenseman Caden Busch.
“That balance says a lot about this group,” Schall said. “We’re not dependent on one or two players to generate offense. We’ve had contributions up and down the lineup, which makes us difficult to defend. It reflects a team-first mentality. Our guys share the puck, create for each other and take pride in producing as a group.
“We’ve had players step into expanded roles and exceed expectations — whether that’s increased responsibility, consistency or leadership. We have also been impressed with how the team handled adversity. Injuries, tight games, tough stretches — they stayed connected and continued to compete for one another.”
The nine players mentioned above combined for 54 goals and 57 assists through 17 games with Velisaris and Dylan Hartman tied for the team’s point lead with nine goals and six assists apiece. Busch was the Black Hawks’ leader in assists with 10.
Velisaris, Jack Hartman and Busch are seniors; Crisson and Fauth are juniors. Kozak and Bombich represent the sophomore class; Dylan Hartman and Decker are freshmen.
Logan Colella and Kevin Teamann have shared the goaltending job for the Black Hawks this season.
Colella had a 6-1 record with a 1.82 goals-against average, .909 save percentage and one shutout. Teamann was 5-4-1 with a 3.02 GAA and .876 save percentage.
Colella and Teamann have been supported by a group of defensemen — seniors Erik Husa, Keilen Jones and Busch, junior Owen Riether and sophomore Calvin Kirstein.
“Our strength on the back end is collective,” Schall said. “We have defensemen who each bring something different — puck movement, physicality, poise and reliability in key situations.
“Our game starts in our own zone and builds from there. That group takes pride in defending hard, moving the puck efficiently and supporting each other in all three zones. When they’re playing connected and detailed, it sets the tone for our entire team.”
With three regular-season games remaining, the Black Hawks were 10-5-1-1 and in fourth place in Class 2A behind Hempfield, Armstrong and Penn-Trafford.
“We’re proud of how this group has competed from start to finish,” Schall said. “We’ve played a challenging schedule and faced our share of adversity, but our players consistently responded with resilience, accountability and a strong work ethic. They bought into our identity, and that commitment showed up in both our results and our growth as the season progressed.
“Early on, we were still learning, defining roles and building chemistry. As the season progressed, our habits improved, our attention to detail sharpened, and our confidence grew. We’re managing games much better now and playing with more purpose and composure in key moments.”
Bethel Park and Penn-Trafford split decisions in their two-game series this season. The Black Hawks won Feb. 9 by a 4-3 score as junior forwards Tyler Miller and Emerson Faust, along with Dylan Hartman and Velisaris, netted the four goals for the winning side.
Crisson was credited with two assists, while Kozak, Jack Hartman and Busch had one. Colella was the winning goaltender with 19 saves on 22 shots.