St Joseph's Prep Hawks

Hampton 4 Greensburg Salem 2 VALENCIA – Hampton (8-5-1) is stuck in a log jam in the Class AA playoff picture just one game out of a top 4 seed and only two games above the 12th and final playoff spot and near playoff extinction. This is a place where the Talbots have been since 2003 and head coach Allen ‘Whitey’ Walsh is trying to break and return Hampton to the 9 of 10 winning seasons the program enjoyed from the mid-1990’s through 2003 in Class AA. With notables Greensburg CC, Kittanning, Canevin and Indiana on the playoff bubble, you can bet that those teams are looking at the Talbot’s recent losses to Peters Twp and Latrobe and start licking their chops. And with upcoming games against tonight’s opponent Greensburg Salem, Thomas Jefferson, Kittanning and Pine Richland, every point will be critical to playoff survival. If anyone can talk about survival, it would be the Greensburg Salem Hockey Club, which was near extinction and opted for the low cost Laurel Highlands Hockey League for a couple of seasons. Last season, coach Anthony DeFazio’s club returned to play in the Open Division, only to capture a Class AA playoff spot and whether deserved or not opened some eyes in their own club in a play in game against Moon, who earned a playoff spot by playing for it. The Golden Lions realized that they should be playing in Class AA all along and returned this season. Salem was cruising early on in the season at 6-2-1 and battling Latrobe for first place in the East Division, when they showed integrity and caught a paperwork snafu, which cost them a win and tie on the ice, suspensions to their coach and fines of over $ 1000 (which I understand the Villans have back pedaled and forgived……hmmm it’s an election year). Anyway, the Golden Lions are currently 9-5-0 and on the cusp of a home playoff berth battling Moon, Thomas Jefferson and Franklin Regional, but could be as many as a 10 team race by the end of the season. On a snowy night before an intimate gathering of ‘Concerned Citizens’ of Hampton and Greensburg Salem, a very important match-up for positioning of seeding began. The Golden Lions had the first opportunity on the power play at 13:55 of the opening period, but the Talbots were able to keep the puck out of the zone for most of the man advantage. Another Golden Lion power play at 6:58 but to no avail. Hampton struck first at 4:41 as Justin Bahorich scored from on the doorstep to give the Talbots a 1-0 lead. On to the 2nd period and at 11:17, the Golden Lions went on a 5 on 3 power play and made no mistake as Bryan Relihan took a perfect cross ice pass from Rick Coyle and deposited it past Shane Talarico with 10:56 to go and give the Talbots a 2-0 lead. A.J. DeFazio had a chance on a breakaway which was stopped by Lance Hutton at 9:15. Moments later at 8:43, Shane Talarico made two nice save on Hampton’s Chase Evans. With 6:05 to go in the second period, the Golden Lions got caught in a turnover and Bryan Relihan made them pay as he beat the GS defenseman and Talarico with a wrist shot high to the stick side to make it 3-0 in favor of Hampton. Salem would go on the power play with 4:28 to go in the middle period and an opportunity to climb back in the hockey game. Interestingly, one of the top lines in Class AA did not see the ice and the score remained three zip. With :52 remaining in the second, Shane Davis danced out of the corner and with a perfect feed threaded a pass to Hank Fontana who chipped it past Hutton to make it 3-1. The third period was uneventful until 7:48 to go in regulation when the Talbots were whistled for tripping, but the Talbot’s playoff heavens were answered with 6:52 to go in regulation as Cody Parker’s 120 slapshot sailed over the glove side of Shane Talarico to make it 4-1 on a shorthanded goal. Kevin Ber scored for Salem with 14 ticks left to make it a 4-2 final. Hampton picked up a huge win and is now has moved up in the seedings a couple of notches.