Archbishop Carroll Patriots - 1981 AAA 2004 AA

At last fully dressed and all their equipment packed into their burgeoning hockey bags, Jayson Angus and Zach LaDuke were the final two Latrobe players to walk out of what usually serves as the visiting NHL team's locker room at Mellon Arena late Thursday afternoon.

"Lets go home, Jayson," LaDuke said to his longtime friend and linemate.

"Let's go home," Angus concurred, and with that, the two together squeezed their way through the cramped, dingy bowels of the old arena.

It was the third time those two got to go home together as state champions.

Angus scored twice and LaDuke once, and LaDuke set up Angus for the winning goal with 6:28 left in the third period as Latrobe won its third consecutive Pennsylvania Cup with a 3-2 victory against Downingtown East (24-1-1).

"A three-peat? This is unbelievable," said LaDuke, a junior. "It's been great, the whole way through. It's been incredible. You can't ask for more."

It was fitting that in their final game as Wildcats teammates (the two also play amateur hockey together) Angus, a senior, and LaDuke played pivotal roles.

Two of four players to play on all three title-winning teams -- senior defensemen Tyler Ridder and Josh Harris are the others -- Angus and LaDuke have developed remarkable chemistry along with linemate Josh Singley, who had two assists Thursday.

LaDuke skated with speed down the left wing, beating three Downingtown East defenders and sending a pass to Angus in the slot. Angus slid it between goalie Ryan Lord's pads for what would be the winner.

"I know Jay goes hard to the net all the time," LaDuke said. "You kind of have that sense you know that he's going to be there and you can just throw it. But I saw him out of the corner of my eyes, too."

LaDuke and Angus finished 1-2 in Class AA playoff scoring with 14 and 12 points in four postseason games. They also finished in the top six in the classification's regular-season scoring race.

"He's obviously a great player, and he made a great play," Angus said.

"It started with Singley in the neutral zone getting a chip-in, and Zach made a great play going around two guys. I just went hard to the net, put my stick down, and he did all the work for me."

Freshman Shane Brudnok made 32 saves for Latrobe (21-3-1), which has won 10 consecutive games overall and 12 playoff games in a row, dating to 2008.

"To win a championship, you have to have great defense, and it starts with great goaltending," Wildcats coach Dan Ridder said. "And Shane was just outstanding, especially with us giving up all those penalties."

Latrobe killed off five of Downingtown East's seven power plays.

It was the second consecutive year the Wildcats scored the winner to break a tie in the state title game in the final seven minutes.

"It hit me how special this team is as soon as the buzzer went off," Brudnok said. "When we were all jumping up and down and I was attacked by my teammates, I realized how special this team is."