John Zeiler won three Penguins Cups and a trio of state championships during his playing days at Thomas Jefferson.

So, it’s not really a surprise that his biggest goal when he took over as the Jaguars head coach this past offseason was to get his players in a position to experience that thrill for themselves.

“What you remember is the championships,” Zeiler said. “I’m grateful to have three state championships. I don’t remember the number of points I had. I just remember three state championships.”

Thomas Jefferson (13-1-1) already took the mandatory first step toward winning a state title when it became one the of the first teams in PIHL Class 2A to qualify for the postseason.

“We’re just a hockey team that has a bunch of different kids in a bunch of different roles and not just individuals,” Zeiler said. “It’s been a great pleasure to have them buy in to being disciplined and playing the system.”

Though individual points may not be important in the grand scheme of things, having players who can generate scoring opportunities while also playing solid defense and limiting its opponents’ chances is a bedrock foundation for postseason success.

With that in mind, the Jaguars have scored a classification-best 97 goals this season led by 13 each from Colby Bilski and Ryder Mcguirk. Bilski and fellow senior Nick Stock, who leads the team with 16 assists and 27 points, are two of the holdovers from last season’s squad that lost to Baldwin the semifinals.

In fact, 19 different players have points this season – including a pair of assists for starting goaltender Billy Siemon – and 11 players have double-digit point totals.

“The scoring is spread out more on our team because they can all control the play,” Zeiler said. “The discipline part to me is the big thing because, 5-on-5, I think we can play with anyone.”

It’s not just that Thomas Jefferson scores goals. The Jaguars have allowed the fewest (31) in the classification and are second to only undefeated Fox Chapel (24) in the entire PIHL.

Siemon has been stellar in his first year as a starter as he has gone 10-1-1 with a 2.15 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.

“He’s just playing really well and he’s very composed right now,” Zeiler said. “He doesn’t panic or freak out.”

Still, though Thomas Jefferson has a postseason slot locked up, finding a way to stay playing at a high level will be a challenge. The Jaguars went through a stretch of playing four potential playoffs teams in South Fayette, Armstrong, Penn-Trafford and Franklin Regional where they went 2-1-1, but before they finish the season with postseason-bound Meadville, they will take on Butler, West Allegheny, Indiana and Montour, who have a combined record of 11-47-2.

“All season it’s about moving the puck and advancing the puck and, when you play the good teams, it’s hard to do that,” Zeiler said. “That’s why I’m trying to ingrain it in them over these next five games to play the game the same way we did in our win against Franklin Regional.”

Mt. Lebanon

Mt. Lebanon has become rather adept at getting its game together for the playoffs as the regular season winds to a close.

Last year, the Blue Devils were mired in a 1-8-0 midseason slide that had them in danger of missing the Class 3A Penguins Cup playoffs entirely. In the end, though, they went 4-0-1 down the stretch and parlayed that run into a finals appearance.

This season, Mt. Lebanon (8-7-1) has roller-coastered through the year, but maybe this is the time the team is coming out of it for the stretch run. In their last six games, the Blue Devils dropped three straight and are now on a three-game winning streak after their win Monday against Seneca Valley.

Though they have not locked up a postseason spot, if the playoffs had opened after Monday’s games, the Blue Devils would be the No. 7 seed. It’s also exactly where they entered the tournament a year ago.

“I think for us, as much as everyone else, it comes down to playing to your strengths as much as you can,” Mt. Lebanon coach Jeremy Church said. “The good news is, we’re still in a position to accomplish the goals we want to accomplish.”

What has been the Achilles’ heel for Mt. Lebanon has been its record in one-goal games. The Blue Devils are 1-4-1 in that situation and, with a bounce here and bounce there, this team could easily be within spitting distance of first place North Allegheny.

“In those one-goal games, we got way from what we need to do to be successful at certain segments of the game,” Church said. “Consistency is the key and getting our group playing the same way and understanding how game-management and puck management comes into play.”

TEAM RANKINGS

(Records through Sunday)

Class 3A

1. North Allegheny (13-2-1)

2. Peters Township (11-4-1)

3. Pine-Richland (11-4-0)

4. Baldwin (8-5-3)

5. Seneca Valley (9-6-0)

Class 2A

1. Thomas Jefferson (12-1-1)

2. Franklin Regional (12-2-1)

3. Armstrong (12-2-3)

4. South Fayette (12-3-0)

5. Penn-Trafford (11-4-0)

Class 1A

1. Fox Chapel (15-0-0)

2. North Catholic (12-3-2)

3. Moon (10-5-1)

4. Quaker Valley (11-4-0)

5. Norwin (10-3-1)

First Published: February 4, 2022, 11:00 a.m.