St Joseph's Prep Hawks

2008 Penguins Cup Semi-Finals AAA

Pine Richland 5 Meadville 1

PITTSBURGH –

     Pine Richland (21-0-0) has won two consecutive Pennsylvania Class AA State Championships in 2006 and 2007 over Haverford Fords and is looking for their 4^th consecutive trip to the Penguins Cup finals, but the first in their history in Class AAA. Also on the line is a perfect season, which has happened by the 1986 Conestoga Pioneers, 1987 Upper St Clair Panthers and 2006 Mt Lebanon Blue Devils. Meadville did finish their regular season in the old Lake Shore League and in the Pennsylvania State playoffs several times in their history as well. Rams Head Coach Bob Kennedy has a history with Meadville as well as he was the coach of Bethel Park in 1997 that broke the Bulldogs run of State Titles at five straight. Although his Rams have played only 21 or so games this season, the Bulldogs of Meadville (13-5-3) annually play 50 + contests against the PIHL and top flite competition from Ohio and across the USA. After the Dawgs win as the  # 7 seed over rival North Allegheny last week, the Meadville history of State Championships looked to have new life if Meadville could somehow derail Pine Richland and it would take all of Jamie Plunkett’s 21 of years experience the Bulldogs to get them there. 

     Meadville and Pine Richland played a pretty even game in the opening period and the Bulldogs had the games first opportunity at 14:15 of as Dan  Szymanski made a glove save on Morgan Nickerson. Pine Richland came back at 12:19 as Dylan Trombetta stole the puck and had a near miss and then another at 11:59  as Trombetta got behind the defense but a nice stop by Brian Danczak. The Rams had another chance at 8:41 as Brandon Saad just missed wide and then at 7:23 Dylan Trombetta made a great move and just hit side of net on the backhand as the game remained scoreless. Drew Finton had a good chance with 2:29 to go and Dan Szymanski made a nice stop. Pine Richland took the games first penalty, but Meadville could not capitalize and the period ended scoreless as the Bulldogs outshot the Rams 8-7.

       Pine Richland was a different team to start the second period as freshman Brandon Saad unleashed a shot from point blank range but Bryan Danczak made a leg save at 14:32. Less than a minute later at 13:10, Saad took the puck off the near boards walked to the middle of the ice and fired a snapshot to the glove side which handcuffed Danczak and fluttered over the glove side and into the net to give the Rams a 1-0 lead. PR struck quickly 32 seconds later at 12:38 as Bryan Watt gathered the puck behind the net and fed Eric Febert who made it look easy beating Danczak to make it 2-0. The Rams tilted the ice in the second period with a 12-1 shot advantage prior to a 50n 3 power play and had a chance to put some distance between themselves and the Bulldogs at 6:55, but coach Plunkett called the timeout and Meadville killed it off. Meadville could have been back in the game as Pine Richland’s mental mistake with a too many men on the ice penalty, but the bulldogs took a costly penalty just 47 seconds into the power play. Shots in the 2^nd period were 17-2 in favor of Pine Richland.

             The Rams were looking for the knockout punch early in the third period and the brothers Saad would delivered it as Brandon Saad set up George Saad who scored at 13:58 to make it 3-0 in favor of Pine Richland. The Rams were now on cruise control and would just begin to close the door on Meadville by limiting chances and cutting the ice in half. Evan Goetz gathered the puck in his own end and took the puck up the left side and blasted a wrist shot high over the glove of Bryan Danczak with 8:01 remaining to make it 4-0. Shots were 7-6 in favor of Pine Richland in the 3^rd period and the predicted trip to the Penguins Cup was well within reach for the Rams. Meadville’s Billy Espy broke the shutout of Dan Szymanski with 48 ticks left to make it 4-1 and then Ryan Battin would close it out for Pine Richland with a goal from on the doorstep with 14 seconds left to make the final count 5-1 and put Pine Richland on track for a showdown with LaSalle in the State Championship on March 29^th in Johnstown.