The 2025-26 season had a sweet taste to it for the Quaker Valley hockey team.
QV won the Class A state championship by defeating Hershey, 6-2, on March 21 at Ice Line Quad Rinks in West Chester.
Senior forwards Jace Vasbinder and Ben McHenry each scored two goals for the Quakers (23-1-1), who earned their third state crown in team history. QV also captured titles in 2006 and 2012.
“It was an incredible effort,” QV coach Kevin Quinn said. “We got better every game of the playoffs and peaked at the right time. Max Modrovich got us started again with another highlight goal and our record-setting power play scored three straight to give us a big 4-0 lead.
“Jace Vasbinder and Ben McHenry were exceptional with two goals apiece. Ben really stepped up with big goals in both the Penguins Cup and state championship games. Charlie Pyle scored again in a championship game. He rose up for us too.”
QV’s veteran coach — Quinn has been coaching at QV since the start of the program in 1997-98 — mentioned some of the stars of the state championship game. There were several others.
“Max Modrovich added a goal and an assist and Charlie Pyle also scored,” Quinn said. “Defensemen Luke Koehler and Jack Watson recorded four assists and two assists, respectively. Ian Lorang picked up the win in goal, saving 28 of 30 shots.
“But this game was once again an example of how great Luke Koehler was for us all year. Playing nearly the whole game, he had four assists. Luke had one of the best seasons by a defenseman in our team’s history. He was not alone. Jack Watson, his defense partner, played crazy good shutting down a very good team.”
QV held a 2-0 lead at the end of the first period and picked up the pace in the second to go up 5-0. The Quakers finished with 33 shots in the game, including 21 in the middle period.
“I’m so proud of the team,” Vasbinder said. “We worked so hard to put ourselves in a position to succeed, and we did just that in the end. Coach made sure we were ready for every team we faced. We all bought in to what he was saying, which was one of our biggest attributions.
“It was one of the best feelings coming home with the state cup and having the whole town’s support.”
Lorang finished his stellar all-star career in championship form.
“Ian was our playoff MVP,” Quinn said. “He continued to shut down great teams. We won a state title beating teams like Greensburg Salem, Chartiers Valley, Mars, Avonworth and then Hershey.
“We did so allowing just seven goals in five games. Ian stepped up this year in every way. I’m so appreciative and proud of his efforts.”
Lorang played 751 minutes in the regular season and surrendered just 23 goals on 303 shots, making 280 saves. He finished with a 1.56 goals-against average, .924 save percentage and had six shutouts.
“I’m really proud of all my teammates for taking on some tough competition throughout our playoff run,” Lorang said. “Their ability to consistently put up goals against top teams in the league made my job much easier since I knew I could always count on at least three or four goals every single game. That level of consistency is hard to come by.
“I’m really happy we pulled it off in our senior year. Many of us have been playing together since sixth grade, and we’re all honored to be a part of such a rare occurrence and something that has only been done twice before in QV history. We’re also really appreciate all the support we received from the community throughout the past month. It’s a really unique environment we have being such a small school district, and I think that only helps us to be so successful.”
QV advanced to the state finals by skating past defending champion Avonworth, 6-2, in the Penguins Cup title game March 17 at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.
“Winning these championships means so much to everyone,” McHenry said. “We put in a ton of work all season, and to see it all come together at the end was special. I’m really proud of our group. We have a special team; being able to go all the way is something I’ll never forget.”
Sophomore forward Matthias Lezama led QV with two goals and two assists. The Quakers netted five unanswered goals with two in the second period and three in the third.
The win gave QV its sixth PIHL championship and first since 2014, when it won three in a row.
“It was a relentless effort by our group,” Quinn said. “In front of 1,000 fans, it was super exciting to see our team rise up and play their best when it counted. We had exceptional efforts by Matthias Lezama, Max Modrovich, Charlie Pyle and Ben McHenry up front, and Luke Koehler, Jack Watson and Ian Lorang on the back end. And Hunter Kronk scoring his goal in the Penguins Cup game after missing much of the season with an injury was such a great moment.
“It was a team effort every step of the way against a very good Avonworth team. It is a very unselfish group of players who support each other. They’re a great team in every way and now they are Penguins Cup and state champions forever.”
Lezama led the Quakers in scoring during the regular season with 29 goals and 29 assists. He tacked on five goals and six assists in the PIHL playoffs.
“It’s an absolutely surreal feeling winning both the Pens Cup and states,” Lezama said. “This was our goal from the beginning of the season and to see our hard work pay off is incredible.”
The team’s top five scoring leaders heading into the postseason consisted of Lezama, Vasbinder (26g-13a-39), Modrovich (18-20-38), McHenry (17-19-36) and Koehler (8-22-30).
“It feels great. We all dreamed about this,” Modrovich said. “I knew we had it in us and we performed.”
QV outscored the opposition 132-29 this season and 26-7 in the playoffs. The Quakers wrapped up the year with 14 wins in a row.
“There is no question that defense wins championships,” Quinn said. “Ian Lorang, Luke Koehler and Jack Watson on the back end and strong two-way centers like Max Modrovich, Jace Vasbinder and Kieran Cain made it tough to score on us.
“Teams like ours do not win with just stars. We had numerous great efforts all year by unsung players. Kieran Cain, Colin York, Stefan Mauer and Hunter Kronk were great in the playoffs, and defensemen Charlie Johnson, Tristan Bemis and Charlie D’Antonio had to step up when we weren’t very deep on defense.”
Quinn also mentioned the season-long efforts of other players on this year’s team.
“Our young goaltenders Kian McKenna and Neil Dwyer played very well when called upon in the regular season,” Quinn said. “Also, when given the opportunity, forwards Luca Kurumfasche, Lance Shaner, Oscar Lok and Noah Blair all gave me everything they could. I’m so proud of them and now they are all state champions.”
Several of the QV athletes grew up together; they can now share memories of their championship season.
“Winning both the Penguins Cup and the state championship means a lot to me and the team,” said Watson, who is a junior. “I’ve been playing with a lot of these guys my whole career, and it’s a special way for them to finish, and a just reward for their hard work and leadership.”