Churchill Chargers - 1977 & 1979 AAA

KITTANNING - High School Hockey in Pa Hockeyland is becoming a fun thing for the players and their contingent of fans. Keystone Oaks took the old Paul Newman adage from the movie 'Slapshot' on the road with something like and I can hear KO coach John Harford ..... but we brought our fans, the 'KO Crazies' and they paid their hard earned money to get here...... A packed house at the Belmont of oh, lets say about a 1000 to watch Keystone Oaks take on the hometown Kittanning Wildcats. Keystone Oaks broke out on top, when Chris Harford found a loose puck in the Kittanning zone in the slot and wristed a shot down on the stick side past Adam Toy to give the Golden Eagles a 1-0 lead at 12:14. Then the goaltending took over as KO's Adam Beck stopped Luke Heller twice from in close at 8:53. In the second period, Beck and Toy continued their stellar goaltending with a little help from the goaltenders best friend. Andy Coldren was in on Beck on the breakaway at 7:46 and hit the post. Then Toy stopped Ozanich on the breakaway with just 20 seconds remaining in the first. KO missed a golden opportunity to make it 2-0, Bobby DiPippa had an open net with 11 seconds left an hit the post. The score remained KO 1 Kittaning 0 after two and the shots were almost dead even with KO outshooting the Wildcats 16-15 thru two. While Kittanning coach and his staff were adjusting their game plan, KO coach John Harford was dealing with a distraction of captain Jim Fuhs, who left the game at the start of the third period to attend a team meeting for his travel organization in Cleveland at 11 PM on a school night. Promises of Division 1 scholarships, a spot on Team Pittsburgh and a nearly $ 15,000 investment holding gun to a 17 year old kids head to attend a meeting. Fuhs had to leave his teammates and friends, a great game, a great crowd and a chance at a Penguin Cup to go to a team meeting. Great choice ! Kids as pahns in a chess match between travel hockey and high school hockey. Well enough of that, I am sure you all get the point ! Adam Toy made a great save on DiPippa again just 30 seconds into the final period. Then the strategy as Kittanning began to carry the puck to open ice and it was Zach Cain, who bought time in the KO zone went behind the net and found Rob Lizik in front who slipped a shot down on the ice just inside the post at the 11:00 mark Kittanning tied the game sending the hometown corwd into a frenzy. Then, the Wildcats went on the power play at 10:14, and this time it was the captain Justin Avi rushing the puck the length of the ice and showing the saavy to let his teammates join the play and found David Pore, who then spotted Michael Mercurio coming down Broadway and Mecurio buried a shot between Becks legs at 9:24 and the Wildcats had the lead 2-1. Now Keystone Oaks faced a real uphill battle without their captain and leading scorer, but more so by a hungry young Kittanning squad who was seizing an opportunity to go on in the playoffs. The Wildcats kept the pressure on and while Adam Beck was giving his team a chance with several great saves, it couldn't get the puck out of its zone and Kittanning earned a great victory 2-1 and a date with Route 422 riavl Indiana next Tuesday!

Keystone Games Ice Hockey Wilkes Barre / Scranton TOURNAMENT RESULTS ICE HOCKEY - Ice Box, Pittston MIDGET DIVISION Pocono/Harrisburg 4 Great Lakes/Nittany 3 [2 OT] Delaware Valley 4 Allegheny 2 Delaware Valley 4 Pocono/Harrisburg 3 OT Allegheny 4 Great Lakes/Nittany 2 Delaware Valley 3 Great Lakes/Nittany 1 Allegheny 5 Pocono/Harrisburg 1 Gold - Delaware Valley [Philadelphia] Silver - Allegheny [Pittsburgh] Bronze - Pocono [Harrisburg] Congratulations to Coach Andy Richards on capturing the Gold Medal for the Delaware Valley region ! Bantam Division Pocono/Harrisburg 7 Great Lakes Nittany 2 Allegheny 6 Delaware Valley 1 Delaware Valley 5 Pocono/Harrisburg 3 Allegheny 15 Great Lakes/Nittany 1 Delaware Valley 9 Great Lakes/Nittany 0 Allegheny 10 Pocono/Harrisburg 6 Gold - Allegheny [Pittsburgh] Silver - Delaware Valley [Philadelphia] Bronze - Pocono [Harrisburg] Congratulations to Coach Paul Taibi on capturing the Gold Medal for the Allegheny region ! Junior - Male Great Lakes Nittany 4 Blue Mountain 3 Delaware Valley 4 Allegheny 3 [OT] Delaware Valley 4 Pocono/Harrisburg 0 Great Lakes/Nittany 4 Allegheny 1 Delaware Valley 5 Great Lakes/Nittany 2 Allegheny 4 Pocono/Harrisburg 3 Gold - Delaware Valley [Philadelphia] Silver - Great Lakes/Nittany Bronze - Allegheny [Pittsburgh] Congratulations to Coach Bill Weil on capturing the Gold Medal for the Delaware Valley region ! Junior - Female Great Lakes/Nittany 5 Pocono/Harrisburg 2 Delaware Valley 2 Allegheny 1 Delaware Valley 12 Pocono/Harrisburg 2 Allegheny 4 Great Lakes/Nittany 3 Delaware Valley vs Great Lakes/Nittany Allegheny vs Pocono/Harrisburg Gold - Silver - Bronze -

CRANBERRY - North Allegheny survived the first round in beating a gritty Franklin Regional squad in double overtime to advance against ECP. Coach Nels Whites Ramblers were looking to get back into the Penguin Cup Semi-Finals after a sabatical last season. NA's Jeff Hall picked up right where he left off in the FR game scoring just 44 seconds into the first period. Prep came back with two goals late in the first by Sam Namey and Mike Boiling to take a 2-1 lead after one. Early in the second, Prep's Pat Figurski scored to extend the lead to 3-1, but Hall came back just 16 seconds later to cut the lead to 3-2. The Ramblers shut the door on the Tigers over the final period and a half aloowing only 12 shots and Jon Freeman stopped them all to secure the 3-2 victory and a Semi-Final date with Mt Lebanon.

KITTANNING - QV coach Kevin Quinn knew the importance of his teams regular season finale loss to Quigley, which handed Freeport home ice in the second round. If he didn't, when he walked into the Belmont Complex and saw the capacity crowd on hand, it probably hit home. Freeport was riding a remarkable 13 game winning streak into the second round and coach Jim Hill's team was fired up for its opportunity as it took to the ice. Derek Gaworski, who has been the Yellow Jackets workhorse all year was between the pipes and Jed Michael, a surprise choice in goal for the Quakers over Nick Signet, who has handled a majority of the work for the Quakers. The Yellow Jackets came out flying in the first and Nick DeCroo chipped the puck off the boards and created a 2 on 1 and took the puck to the net and beat Michael at 11:39 to give Freeport a 1-0 lead. Then the Yellow Jackets went on the power play at 9:32 and again it was Decroo positioned between the circles, who made a beautiful tip of a Ryan Janoski shot at 8:16 and it was 2-0. The Jackets extended the lead with just :38 seconds left in the opening period as Mike Bender took a great feed from Dustin Gaworski and buried it to make it 3-0 Freeport. In the second, Quaker gain some momentum and an edge in play, which resulted in an Adam Kostial power play goal at 10:03 to get QV back into the game. Then Kostial found Sam Herring on the breakaway at 3:41 and he scored to cut the lead to 3-2. QV was back in the game and outplayed the Yellow Jackets in the period and gained a 14-7 advantage in shots for the period. On to the final period of regulation and with the game in the balance, Bender found DeCroo and the freshman sensation blistered a wrist shot past Michael towards the end of a power play at 10:04 and a huge two goal lead. Then Dustin Gaworski picked off a Michael clearing attempt just a minute and a half later and deposited the puck into an empty net to make it 5-2. Tom Christy added an empty netter to make the final 6-2 and the Freeport Yellow Jackets will move on to the Penguin Cup Semi Finals next Monday for the first time in its history.

MEADVILLE - Central Catholic and Meadville have developed quite a rivalry over the past five years as each team has scored some big playoff victories over the other on their way to Penguin Cup Championships. There was the 6-1 Central victory in the 1998 Penguin Cup and on the other side the 1999 overtime victory for Meadville at the Mellon arena to win the Penguins Cup. Then, in 2000, the double overtime thriller in which Meadville sent the Vikings home, care of Nick Tucci, who was on hand last night, just as a reminder to CC coach Kevin Zielmanski, that there is still some old magic in the 'House of Chills'. I am sure Jamie Plunkett had thoughts of suiting up old # 14 and sending him out there for warmups to send the message to CC, should this one go to OT ! Playoff games are a unique blend of nervousness, crazy bounces and unsung heroes and if we keep in mind the old coach adage 'that no shot is a bad one', well that sounds like the beginnings of a playoff game for the ages. The fact that the last Western Pennsylvania team to beat Meadville at home in a PLAYOFF GAME was Shadyside in 1988, would even give more storyline to this one. These Vikings, playing without leading scorer Jeff Race, were determined to pressure and get chances. Before the Dawg faithful could settle into their accustomed positions throughout the MARC, a Thomas Grossman shot, a rebound and Eddie Martin found that loose puck and chipped it past Danny O'Sharuk at 12:17 to give CC a 1-0 lead. Then at 11:53, a harmless shot from the right point by Rob Donatucci, found its way past the Bulldog goaltender as if it had eyes on it and all the sudden it was 2-0. Just 32 seconds later, Brian Bahurinsky wheeled from behind the net and lofted a shot past Russ Hefner on the short side which cut the lead to 2-1. Then a break for the Vikings, Rob Donatucci shot the puck and Martin got the rebound and shot the puck which trickled past O'Sharuk and lay on the goal line. The light went on and whistle blew and the referee after reviewing the play with the goal judge determined the puck had crossed the line and gave CC a 3-1 lead at 10:27. Building on that momentum, Andrew Petnuch scored on a backhand at 9:11 to extend the lead to 4-1 and you could hear a pin drop in the MARC for the remainder of the first period and well into the second as Central looked well on its way to victory. Sure Meadville had chances, as Hefner stopped Christian Nickerson on the breakaway at 5:25 of the 1st and Matt Rusilko had a goal waived off at 1:34 or Bahurinksy hit the post at 11:40 of the 2nd and then pulled Hefner out of the net at 2:12 only to see the puck go wide of an open net. This was not to be for the Dawgs or was it ? With :34 left in the 2nd period, Justin Werle's shot, from the same spot the CC's Donatucci scored, found the net past Hefner and all the sudden it was 4-2. Early in the 3rd the Dawgs killed a penalty and took advantage as Bahurinsky's pass in front found its way on the stick of Matt Rusilko who scored and pulled the Bulldogs within one at 4-3 with 11:57 remaining. Now the the 'Let's Go Dawgs' chants started and Meadville was all over Central, Hefner made an improbable save on Nickerson who went to the backhand and caught the CC goalie leaning the wrong way, but somehow the puck didn't go in at 8:57. Coach Z called a timeout to settle the troops and on the next shift, it was Nickerson again, who collected his own rebound and beat Hefner at 4:51 to tie the game 4-4 and send the game to OT. In the overtime, both teams had chances to win it with near misses. A great play by Central's Zach Roberts to read the play and capture a loose puck in the Bulldog zone and throw it to the net resulted in a rebound, which Thomas Grossman poked past O'Sharuk at 6:52 of the extra frame. The goal sent shockwaves throughout the House of Chills, stunning the capacity crowd and the Bulldogs in a classic 5-4 Central Catholic overtime thriller . Now a tradition with this Viking squad, they all gathered in front of the bench to do their 'Dirty Bird' dance to celebrate a great win !