Mt Lebanon Blue Devils Coaches

Varsity Coaches

HC - Jeremy Church - Coach Church was named Mt. Lebanon High School Varsity Head Coach on May 25, 2021.

Church took over on an interim basis March 8, 2021.  He coached the team to a 6-2-1 record and its first appearance in the PIHL Class AAA Penguins Cup championship game since 2006.

Under his guidance, the Blue Devils have earned three consecutive playoff appearances in PIHL class AAA for the first time since 2012 through 2014 and achieved their best regular season record at class AAA since 2012 during the 2021-22 season.

Church began his coaching career in 2002 at national prep school power Culver (Ind.) Military Academy, which has produced more than 120 NCAA Division I college players and nearly 30 NHL draft picks.  During six seasons in various head and assistant coaching roles with the Eagles, his teams went 168-54-26 overall. 

He was the head coach for seven eventual NCAA Division I players: Jared Beers (Notre Dame), Nick Cecere (Michigan Tech/Niagara), Nic Dowd (St. Cloud State and the NHL’s Washington Capitals), Brice Geoffrion (Alabama-Huntsville), Connor Kucera (Bowling Green), Dominic Panetta (Ferris State) and Andrew Schmit (Nebraska-Omaha/Miami of Ohio).

Church was also head coach of Shady Side Academy’s varsity team during the 2009-10 season and served five years as an assistant varsity coach at Mt. Lebanon from 2010-15.  He then spent six years as both a head and assistant coach at multiple age groups at the A, AA and AAA levels in the Mt. Lebanon Hornets youth program.

As a player, Church played youth hockey for the Mt. Lebanon Hornets and later the Pittsburgh Amateur Penguins. He earned two varsity letters for the Blue Devils and was the team MVP, leading scorer, and league all-star as a sophomore. He was selected to attend the USA Hockey Select 17 Camp in St. Cloud State as one of the top 20 players in the Mid-American District before leaving to play for Culver Military Academy Prep as a junior. Nearly all of his Culver teammates played collegiately, more than a dozen competed at the NCAA Division I level, and four were drafted in the NHL.

Church played two seasons collegiately for Hobart College (the 2023 NCAA Division III national champions) and finished up at Ohio University (four-time ACHA national champions), where the Bobcats won their third consecutive national championship over Iowa State and were national runner-up to Penn State during his two years in Athens.

AC - David Hornack - Coach Hornack has more than 30 years of experience at the high school varsity, AAA, and collegiate levels. He served two stints as Mt. Lebanon High School varsity head coach from 1989-97 and 2008-13. In his 13 seasons, the Blue Devils reached the playoffs 10 times and recorded nearly 140 victories - all at the AAA classification.  Hornack also served as head coach for Washington and Jefferson College at the ACHA Division I level, leading the team to a pair of national tournament appearances in 2004 and 2005.

He started his coaching career in impressive fashion at Upper St. Clair High School, where his teams won Penguins Cup championships in 1986 and 1987.  In 1987, the Panthers would go on to win the state championship.  Coach Hornack has also been an assistant for Mt. Lebanon High School (2006-08), Pittsburgh Penguins Elite U15 AAA (2013-18) and the Mt. Lebanon Hornets U15 AAA team (2019-20).

At the all-star level, he has coached both Team Pittsburgh in the national high school showcase (1995) and at the Keystone State Games (1989-94).  He was the coach of the year in Western Pennsylvania in 1987.  Coach Hornack played collegiately at Penn State and has taught hockey clinics at Mt. Lebanon Recreation Center for nearly 40 years.

AC - Kurt Voss-Hoynes - Coach Voss-Hoynes began coaching for Mt. Lebanon in November 2021 and joined the varsity coaching staff in the fall of 2022. During the 2007–2008 season, Voss-Hoynes was an assistant coach at Kent State University, where he also played from 2004–2007. In addition to Kent State, he played for the Thornhill Major Islanders in the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League.

Voss-Hoynes is a full-time member of the English department at Mt. Lebanon High School and a valuable liaison between the Mt. Lebanon High School Hockey Association and the high school administration, as well as an accessible point of contact for the players during the academic day.

“Doc” – as he is known by the students – earned his master’s degree and PhD in English literature from the University of Miami, where he also taught for 10 years. He also earned a master’s degree in teaching from the University of Pittsburgh.

JUNIOR VARSITY 1 COACHES

HC - Daniel Bigley – Coach Bigley was named JV1 coach in May 2023 after serving the previous two seasons as MS1 head coach and one season as varsity assistant. His overall record at MS1 was 20-11-1. The Blue Devils finished third during the regular season each year at MS1. In 2022-23, Bigley led MS1 to the PIHL championship with playoff wins over sixth-seeded Peters Township, second-seeded Pine-Richland and top-seeded Seneca Valley, which hadn’t lost a MS1 game in two seasons. The title was Mt. Lebanon’s first at MS1 in more than a decade.

Coach “Bigs” is a 2020 graduate of Duquesne. He has been a proven winner and leader throughout his hockey career.  Bigley played four seasons for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite from U15 though U18.  His teams qualified for the USA Hockey Tier 1 National Tournament each year, finishing as national runner-up in 2011 and defeating Culver Military Academy to win the 2016 U18 National Championship.  He was also selected to attend the U17 USA Hockey camp in Amherst, NY, as one of the top 20 players in the Mid-Am District.  Bigley competed on the varsity team at Char Valley as a freshman.  He played three seasons of Division I ACHA hockey at Duquesne, earning rookie of the year honors and twice being named all-conference as a defenseman. He served as assistant captain his sophomore year and captain both his senior season.  He has assisted Dave Hornack coaching summer ice hockey clinics at Mt. Lebanon for the past nine years and has experience teaching skating and power skating to individuals and teams.

AC – Luke Gross - Coach Gross is native of Ford City, PA, and grew up with a deep passion for ice hockey. He excelled as a player for the Armstrong Arrows, Pittsburgh Selects, and Armstrong River Hawks before competing collegiately on the ACHA Division I team at Duquesne University.

With his extensive playing experience and love for the game, Gross is eager to contribute to the team's success. He aims to inspire and develop the players, fostering their skills, teamwork, and overall growth both on and off the ice. Luke's unwavering commitment and enthusiasm make him a welcome addition to the coaching staff.

AC - P. J. Breslow – Coach Breslow assists with JV1 coaching duties, but is the Head Coach of the JV2 squad.  See below of his full bio. 

JUNIOR VARSITY 2 COACHES

HC - P.J. Breslow - Coach Breslow is originally from Philadelphia, PA.   He moved up to serve as head coach of the JV2 team and to also assist his former college teammate Dan Bigley on JV1 in 2023 after serving as head coach on MS2 the previous two seasons.

Under his guidance, the MS2 team reached the finals in both seasons, including a 12-round shootout loss in 2023.  His overall record was 21-12-2.

Breslow relocated to Pittsburgh in 2017 to pursue his studies at Duquesne University. 

During his youth, Coach Breslow spent eight years with the Hatfield Ice Dogs, where his teams were finalists in the International Silver Sticks Competition and made an appearance at the National Championships in 2015.

Breslow played for the Philadelphia Revolution for two years in the 18U/Junior Hockey division.  His team won the EHL Elite Championship in 2017, when he was named 2nd Team All-EHL.

Before graduating from Lasalle College High School in 2017, Coach Breslow played one full season of AAA High School Hockey and helped the team reach the Flyers Cup Finals.  Breslow played four seasons of ACHA Division I hockey for Duquesne University, where he finished with 94 points playing a mix of forward and defense.   Additionally, he contributed to the student run organization as the team’s marketing director.  He recently finished up his MBA at Duquesne and currently works for a third-party logistics company in Carnegie.

AC - Evan Baehr - Coach Baehr is a former varsity hockey player for Mt. Lebanon. He returns as a coach for the JV2 program and will also serve as a goaltending instructor for the association.  Baehr has been a skills coach for the past seven seasons and is currently a coach at the U8, U10 and U12 levels for the Pittsburgh Predators. He also helped with the Mt. Lebanon varsity team during the second half of the 2020-21 season and serves as the program’s goalie coach.

AC – Griffin Erdely – Coach Erdely earned four varsity letters for the Blue Devils before graduating in 2019.  During those four seasons, he was selected to two PIHL All-Star teams.  He then played three seasons of ACHA hockey for Susquehanna University, serving the final two years as team captain.  Erdely played amateur hockey for the Mt. Lebanon Hornets, SHAHA, and Pittsburgh Predators organizations, as well as playing U15 AAA for Esmark Stars.

MIDDLE SCHOOL 1  COACHES
 

HC – Dean Cefalo – Another proud Mt. Lebanon alum, Coach Cefalo brings more than thirty years of playing and coaching experience to the program. After playing varsity hockey for the Blue Devils, he went on to play for the University of Dayton. In the mid 1990s, he started coaching and helping with the Mt. Lebanon freshman and JV teams. In 2002, Cefalo joined the Peters Township Indians as an assistant varsity coach, helping lead them to two Penguins Cups and two state championships. Since then, Cefalo has coached in the MLHA Hornets and Pittsburgh Predators organizations, and looks forward to helping build the next generation of Blue Devils.

AC – Andy Vines – Coach Vines is a Mt. Lebanon native, former varsity player and a 1989 Mt Lebanon graduate. He has almost 40 years of hockey playing experience, including previous coaching experience with the Mt. Lebanon Hornets. He also served several years on Mt. Lebanon High School Hockey Association board, is extremely involved with Blue Devil hockey alumni events, and spent time as the PIHL representative for the organization.  

AC – CJ Simione - Coach Simione began assisting the MS program in 2021. He helped the MS2 team reach the championship game in its division during each of his first two seasons. He is entering his senior year at Duquesne University, where he will again compete for the school’s ACHA Division I hockey team.  Simione earned three varsity letters at Pittsburgh Central Catholic and played amateur hockey for the Mt. Lebanon Hornets, Steel City Renegades and Pittsburgh Predators. He is president of Duquesne Hockey and was elected the 52nd president of Duquesne’s Student Government Association at the conclusion of his junior year.

MIDDLE SCHOOL 2 COACHES
 

HC – ​Ralph Falbo - Coach Falbo is a level 4 USA hockey coach. He’s been on the bench as a head coach/assistant coach for most of the past 15 years. His three sons all played hockey at the Varsity, AA, and AAA levels. Falbo previously coached at Upper St. Clair and led the MS hockey team to the championship game of the 2022-2023 season. He works as an emergency physician at St Clair Hospital.

AC – Bryton Tomko – Coach Tomko moves over to assist coach Falbo after working with him on the MS team at Upper St. Clair. Tomko played varsity hockey for Keystone Oaks and AAA for the Esmark Stars before playing junior hockey for El Paso in the WSHL and ACHA hockey for Marian University.