St Joseph's Prep Hawks

Kittanning takes that next step in Double Overtime thriller! ROSTRAVER ~ The Dean of Western Pa Class AA coaching, Thomas Jefferson head coach Don Powell calls his team the ‘Young Piranhas’ because of their tenacity and intense work ethic. The Jaguars advanced to the Penguins Cup Semi-Finals against Kittanning with a big win over Canon McMillan last week and did so with a strong third period where the Jags shut down the Big Macs with great defensive play. TJ was looking to return to the Penguins Cup for the first time since 2000, when they completed the hat trick and won their third straight Pennsylvania Class AA State Championship. The coaching contingent for the Jaguars was on hand in Kittanning last Thursday night to get a look at the Wildcats for the first ever playoff meeting between the schools. Kittanning coach Jeff Smouse, on the other hand, must be living a dream after the exciting 3-2 win over Indiana before a packed house at the Belmont last week. The Wildcats motto all season has been ‘Unfinished Business’ and after losing to Indiana last year at Rostraver, Kittanning vowed to return to the big dance and this time they brought half of Armstrong County with them to take on a big throng of TJ supporters. The ‘Cats’ were looking to return to the Penguins Cup for the first time since 1991, when they carried the banner of Armstrong Central and defeated Meadville 7-4 at the Civic Arena before bowing to Council Rock in the State Finals, so for many a long-time Armstrong County hockey supporters, this is their version of ‘Unfinished Business’. For the first two periods of the Penguins Cup Class AA Semi Final, it was a defensive struggle as the teams matched blow for blow like a heavyweight boxing match or maybe a chess match was more indicative of what went on. As the Dean of AA Coaching Powell and the brain trust of Kittanning Jeff Smouse and ‘the Professor’ Al Stipp charted and plotted and matched lines and matched shits as well. The duel-taking place on the ice was just fantastic as Adam Toy and Danny Hartman, showed all of Western Pennsylvania why they were selected as Pa Hockey Top 25 selections and why Kittanning and Thomas Jefferson have been very successful this season, with great defense and excellent balance across three lines. Like a Broadway musical moving toward a climax the teams forged on after two periods in a 0-0 tie with Thomas Jefferson holding a slight advantage in shots 15-13. The third period was much like the first two as Toy and Hartman’s goaltending turned brilliant. In the middle of the third, Kittanning’s Dustin Kellner was slammed to the boards on a big collision behind the net and TJ broke out with a two on one as Brandon School moved up ice with great opportunity for the Jaguars and Kittanning got a huge break when the linesman using his discretion, blew the play dead since Kellner appeared hurt on the play. With 7:18 to play, the Jaguars were whistled for a penalty putting the Wildcats on the power play and a golden opportunity to score the games first goal…. and as fate would have it they did and it was Dustin Kellner walking out of the corner and beat Danny Hartman for a 1-0 Kittanning lead with 6:13 left. The Wildcats adjusted their fore check going to a 1-4 and frustrated the Jaguars, but TJ fought through the dreaded trap and forced a face-off in Kittanning’s end with a little over 4 minutes left. C.J. Parkinson showed great composure as he found Luke Wawrzeniak alone in front and Luke banged home a shot past Adam Toy to tie the game with 3:24 remaining. The game went into overtime and thanks to Adam Toy and Danny Hartman’s continued stellar goaltending neither team could score and there were many opportunities at both ends. The chess match continued as both teams fought to not make mistakes, while looking for that one opportunity to end it and Jessie Shriver just would not be denied as he outworked two Jaguars in the corner and threw the puck in front with under a minute left in Overtime # 2 and a big scramble ensued as it was Dustin Kellner, who found the loose puck and in one motion wristed one past Hartman sending the Kittanning Wildcats dancing onto the Penguins Cup with just 49.7 seconds remaining in the second extra session, ending what will go down as one of the Classic AA Playoff games in history. The Peters Machine shows why they may be the best team in the State at any level ! In 1996, Greensburg CC won their third State Championship under Butch Marrietta and for those who don’t remember the journey, the Centarians completed a magical run which included a win over an Indiana team, thought to be at the time one of the most dominating Class AA teams in State History. Indiana was coming off a 6-0 whitewashing in the Penguins Cup of Beaver, while GCC outlasted Erie Cathedral Prep in one of the best double overtime playoff games in State History. GCC went on to win the Class AA Penguins Cup and Class AA State Championship with an improbable comeback down 3-0 and beat Indiana 4-3 at Iceoplex. So when Greensburg CC handed Peters Twp a 4-3 loss earlier this season, I am sure coach Joe Dytka felt that the Centarians could slay the dragon AKA Peter Twp. Peters Twp head coach Mark Cooper is going to need some therapy sooner or later, because this group of Peters Twp Indians is gonna drive him nuts with all of their flight plans and the multiple personalities on the defending State Champions. There is no question that the Indians are the best team in Class AA and they have proven it, but winning a State Championship is a different story as one bad outing sends you home and no one knows that better than coach ‘Coop’. If he doesn’t believe me, just read the aforementioned story about Indiana again. Peter Twp had all of the suspects, prospects and players in uniform as they took the ice against Greensburg CC, maybe with a little payback in mind for their early season loss to the Centarians. The defending champs came out on all cylinders in the first period as Corey Bovalina banged home a rebound past Jake Genes at 13:08 to give the Indians a 1-0 lead. Mike Papciak extended the lead to 2-0 at 8:43 and Mike Sherer added another at 6:47 to give PT a commanding 3-0 lead at the end of one. On to the second, and after a goals was waived off for Peters Twp Christian Minella slammed home a shot from in close to make it 4-0 at 11:10 and Brandon Rubeo turned it into a rout with just 6:35 left in the second at 5-0 PT. Kyle Kittleberger stopped a couple of GCC chances and Peters Twp was well on its way to the Penguins Cup at the end of the second. Peters continued its onslaught in the third as Matt Clackson scored on the rebound at 11:29 and a backhand at 6:30, while brother Chris Clackson closed out the scoring late in the third period and Peters Twp sent the patrons home early with a convincing 8-0 shellacking of Greensburg CC. The win sets up a match up with Kittanning, which will be a rematch of sorts of an upset by Peters over Kittanning in 1998 in the Penguins Cup Semi-Finals, but this time Peters will be the favorite and Kittanning will be the underdog……..the Kittanning coaching brain trust may want to give coach Marrietta a call for some advice how to slay the dragon because judging by the performance by Peters Twp versus GCC, the well oiled machine is out to prove they are the best team in the state at any level.