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.  

2008 Penguins Cup Semi-Finals AA

Latrobe 3 West Allegheny 2 (OT)

PITTSBURGH –

        West Allegheny  (17-5-0) knocked Latrobe out of the playoffs a year ago in overtime on a Ryan Kumpfmiller goal to help the Indians advance to the Penguins Cup Semis before losing to eventual State Champions Pine Richland. Latrobe (19-3-0) returned the favor earlier in the regular season 5-4 in overtime. Coaches Ron Makoski of Latrobe and Norm Cook of West Allegheny had to figure these two teams would reconvene at some point of the playoffs and it just turns out that after opening victories in the playoffs that these two teams would vie for a spot in the Penguins Cup final. While West Allegheny advanced in Class A in 1996 before losing to Bishop McCort, Latrobe has never advanced past the Penguins Cup Semi-Finals, although they have been many people’s team of choice to do so in 2007 – 08.

     The first period was a series of power plays as Latrobe got the first one at 13:31 and West Allegheny got the 2^nd one at 11:37 and the Indians capitalized as Ryan Kumpfmiller on a nice passing play finished it off with a wrist shot to the far side of Nick Loyacona at 11:02 to give West A a 1-0 lead. Jeff Cupelli had a nice opportunity after a nice maneuver around the Latrobe defense, but Nick Loyacona made a better save. Latrobe had a chance to tie the game on a power play then 5 on 3 at 4:12 of the opening period and they did it as Alex Stahl took a nice cross-ice pass from Brody Aukerman and beat Kyle Mortimer through the 5-hole to tie the score at one apiece with 3:28 to play. Ryan Kumpfmiller had a shorthanded breakaway but Nick Loyacona made a real nice save at 2:36 as the period and the shots [5-5] were a deadlock.

      The second period was a little slower pace than the opening period and did not heat up until Michael McCurdy had a breakaway which was stopped by Kyle Mortimer. West A went on the power play at 8:20, but JeffJoe Regula had a chance shorthanded and missed high over the crossbar. The Indians could not capitalize on the power play at 5:01 and the Wildcats were next on the man advantage at 1:57 and they would take the lead as JeffJoe Regula found a wide open Alex Stahl for his 2^nd power play goal with 1:33 to play and gave Latrobe a 2-1 lead. With 51 seconds to play Latrobe went on the power play again and Brody Aukerman’s chance with :05 to go was stopped by Mortimer. Shots were 6-6 in the second as the Wildcats head to the locker room with the lead 2-1. 

        The third period was back and forth early on as the Wildcats clung to a 2-1 lead. Latrobe’s Andrew Ong set up Jason Angus who hit the post at 10:29 and with 8:18 to play Kyle Mortimer stopped Michael McCurdy after a 3 on 2. Latrobe dug in on the penalty kill at 7:22 and successfully killed off a West A power play. The Indians would take advantage of an errant clearing attempt by Latrobe as a rebound caromed to the stick of Tyler Fitzgerald with 4:40 to play, who slide the puck under Nick Loyacona and the game was tied again at two apiece. The Indians almost took the lead with 4:10 to go as Ryan Kumpfmiller set up Justin DiSanti who narrowly missed a chance for West A to gio ahead. On the next trip up the ice Jeff Rossi’s shot from the slot was blocked by West Allegheny at 3:50. A West Allegheny power play with 3:00 to go but a great penalty kill by Latrobe ensued and JeffJoe Regula almosted ended the game in overtime with :49 to go but his shot sailed high and wide.

2008 Penguins Cup Semi-Finals A

Mars 3 Bishop McCort 1

    Bishop McCort (15-7-0) has a long history of State Championships including 5 in a period of seven years in Class A and also a repeated history in the Penguins Cup Semi-Finals. The Crimson Crushers last advanced to the State Finals in 2005 losing to Penncrest and it has been nine years since paydirt for the Crushers in 1999. Head Coach John Bradley would have to do it this year without Dane Domonkos, who was dressed but unable to play and would have a tough task against a Mars (20-1-1) team who earned the number one seed and defeated the Crimson Crushers back in mid-December 4-1. The Planets have held down the top spot in Class A for most of the season and have knocked on the Penguins Cup door only twice in their history losing to Westmont Hilltop in 2003 and again a year ago to Penguins Cup champions Freeport. Mars Head Coach Tim Coleman in his first year set up prior to the season to accomplish a Penguins Cup and the Crimson Crushers are a stepping stone to achieving what no other Mars team has done before.

    Mars came out in the opening minutes to take control of McCort as Mike Heltman was pulled down at 14:14, setting up a Planets power play and outshot McCort 5-0 early on. The Crimson Crushers settled in and did not let up a shot the rest of the period, while countering with 3 of their own. BM’s Chad James was stopped by Greg Lewis on a breakaway with 7:31 to go. The game was scoreless after one period.

     On to the second period and McCort went on the power play with 14:51 to go in the period, but didn’t score. Mars struck first as Mike Heltman got a loose rebaound and beat Danny Mock high to the stick side to make it 1-0. The Crimson Crushers went on the power play again and this time the Planets Ian Finney had a great chance that was turned aside by Mock at 8:42. The McCort goaltender Mock made a series of nice stops on Finney and Mike Heltman at 6:24 and then a great leg save on Andrew Santa at 5:16. With the score 1-0, Mars put the Crushers on the power play and then took an undisciplined unsportsmanlike conduct penalty putting McCort on a 5 on 3 with 1:59 left in the period. Bishop McCort would take advantage as Todd Thomas shot the puck from the center point and Anthony Pioli tipped it past Greg Lewis to tie the game with 47 seconds left in the second period 1-1and make it a brand new hockey game. The Crushers outshot Mars 14-11 in the period.

2008 Flyers Cup Class AA Schedules and Game Results

 http://www.icshl.org/fcup/servlet/gameServlet?method=displvlidx&jspURL=/levelindex.jsp&level=2

Ø     Pennsbury (18-3-1) led the Lower Bucks League all year and despite some injuries to their top two stars Ryan Gannon and Ian Barnes, the Falcons are getting healthy in time for the Flyers Cup, despite falling in the LBCSHL playoffs. Pennsbury is the team many are talking about in Class AA and I trust my sources. 

Ø     Haverford (15-4-0) is the three-time defending Flyers Cup AA champions and has rattled off 9 of 10 in the 2^nd half of the season. The Fords will face a little stiffer competition in the Flyers Cup and will be challenged to become a 4 time champion.

Ø     Council Rock North (15-3-1) has played some great competition in a division with Pennsbury, who played a dual league schedule in the Suburban and Lower Bucks. The Indians have been in the thick of things all year and are the only Class AA contender who played level with Pennsbury.

Ø     Methacton (14-5-1) plays in the always tough Inter-County Scholastic Hockey League and has been one of the hottest teams in Class AA the 2^nd half of the season. The Warriors are a sleeper in this Flyers Cup field and don’t be surprised if the go on a run.

Ø     Conestoga (17-4-1) has been a front runner in the ICSHL all season long and looks to be a factor in the Flyers Cup in 2008. The Pioneers may have peaked in December and will look to find the touch in March.   

Prediction: Pennsbury, Haverford and CR North appear to be one step ahead of the Flyers Cup field in 2008, but as we have learned over the past few years, that upsets loom in the early rounds and the survivors usually with a top seed move to the top. There are some pretty good teams from the Suburban and Inter-County in the field and I would not be shocked to see a Council Rock South or Pennridge or North Penn sneak through to the final four. I like Pennsbury’s pedigree and the field will have to stop them from a trip to Johnstown.

2008 Flyers Cup Website for Scores and Recaps

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