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Sports

USC Hockey Coach Fired After Winning State Championship

The board that runs the Upper St. Clair varsity hockey team voted to have Larry Marks replaced on Tuesday night.

Upper St. Clair varsity hockey coach Larry Marks has been relieved of his duties and replaced by varsity assistant coach and junior varsity head coach Gary Klapkowski, according to reports from players.

Marks confirmed the move Tuesday night when reached for comment.

"I am in shock," Marks said via text message.

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Marks led the team to a 17-6-1 overall record and the Panthers won the PIHL Class AAA Penguins Cup and Pennsylvania Cup championships.

Several of the players reacted after hearing the move, with varying degrees of emotion.

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"How do you fire a state championship winning coach?" asked captain and team MVP C.J. Murray on Twitter. "It's like firing a president after winning a war."

"This firing is, by far, the worst thing to happen to USC hockey," said forward Justin Selep, who played on this year's PIHL Class AAA Southwest All-Star team, where Marks served as head coach.

Selep called Marks "the best coach I ever played for" on several occasions, notably, during the team banquet in April.

"I can't even believe what I'm hearing about Larry," said sophomore goaltender Mike Ambrose. "Makes me sick.

"I'm gracious that he believed in my abilities enough to let me play down the stretch in the playoffs and accomplish what I was able to accomplish."

In the Upper St. Clair School District, hockey is a club sport. Therefore, a board of people interested in the hockey program, mainly consisting of players' parents, make decisions for the teams. The reason for their decision to replace Marks has not been confirmed.

Upper St. Clair Patch will continue to follow these developments and will bring you more information as we receive it.

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