East Region

2006 Penguins Cup Semi-Finals Kittanning 6 Canevin 4 CASTLE SHANNON – Canevin (16-4-2) and Kittanning (14-5-4) meet for the right to go where neither program has been for a while and when you discuss Penguins Cup with the ‘Concerned Citizens of Kittanning or Canevin, the word of passion comes up frequently is all of the discussions. Whether it’s the normal 3:30 PM call from the head Crusader Kenny Vance or a rare 3:30 AM call from Joe Avi, Jamie King and Armstrong legend Pat McCue, Canevin and Kittanning have tradition not seen in many programs, but only the Crusaders have State Championships in 1983, 1984 and 1989 and it’s certainly been a long time between and for Kitanning /Armstrong it’s etched in the walls of the Belmont, every time one enters. So two teams who no one could have expected to be here at the start of this season are playing for the Cinderella role opposite the winner of the Pine Richland – Peters Twp nightcap, looking for a trip to the finals, which is the opportunity that either would embrace with open arms. Who will have the passion to carry their team to the promised land? I can tell you that both teams traditions will make for a very hard fought game before an absolutely circus atmosphere at the Ice Castle, with so many Who’s whos in the house, my fingers can’t begin to type them all. At 11:54 Canevin struck first as Josh Daley buried a wrist shot from the bottom of the circle past Joey Mecurio for a 1-0 lead. Joey Ziemanski looked sharp early stopping Zack Avi at 10:43 from just in front. Kittanning continued the pressure on the Crusaders and it paid off at 4:07 as Evan Blodgett unloaded a slapshot high over the stick side of Ziemanski to tie the score at one apiece. At 3:20, the Wildcats went on the power play with an opportunity to take their first lead. Joey Ford hit the post with 1:39 remaining and the score remained tied at 1-1. The shots on goal in the opening period were 17 – 11 in favor of Kittanning. The crowd continued to grow into the second period 3-4 people deep around the glass, like sardines in the stands and people almost hanging from the rafters of Ralph and Alf’s Castle. Joey Mecurio made a real nice stop on Zach Haluszczak at 11:36, who beat the Wildcat defense with good speed. Kitanning scored a beautiful goal at the ten minute mark as Nick Troup took a feed from Joey Ford and deposited through the 5-hole to give the Cats a 2-1 lead. Kittanning looked to be tiring a little but came up with enough effort to capitalize on some Crusader turnovers and Joey Ford gathered a loose puck and beat Ziemanski on the backhand with 55 seconds remaining in the 2nd period to increase the Wildcat lead to 3-1. Kittanning held an 11-9 shot advantage in the middle frame. Joey Mecurio made a sharp stick save on Haluszczak at 14:40 to keep the Cats up by two. Canevin would not be denied as they pinned Kittanning in their zone and at 14:21, Josh Daley continued to crack away at the puck and it found the net to cut the lead to 3-2. Just 38 seconds later, the Crusaders would tie the game as red hot Michael Darnley struck again almost in the same fashion as he did against Canon McMillan to get the Crusaders to this game less than a week ago and the game was now tied early in the third period 3-3. A ghost from seasons past helped Kittanning regain the lead at 11:31 as Ethan ‘Zip’ Zimmerman as he chipped home a Nick Troup rebound and all the sudden the score was 4-3 in favor of the Wildcats. The Crusader’s didn’t waste any time countering as 40 seconds later Jason Rogerio beat Mecurio on the backhand to the glove side on the ice inside the post at 10:31 to knot the score at 4-4. Lee Heilmann intercepted the puck from the Canevin defense at 5:41 putting the Wildcats on the power play with an opportunity to go ahead. With 4:20 remaining in regulation, Lee Heilmann’s shot from the center point caroomed off teammate Justin Kovatch and bounded in the air and behind Joey Ziemanski and Kittanning had a power play goal and a 5-4 lead. At the three minute mark, Zack Haluszczak made a great steal from behind the net and fed Cam Zappi, who was stopped by Joey Mecurio from on the doorstep. Canevin pulled the goalie for the extra attacker and Kittanning was not going to let them tie it as Montour did last week and appropriately it would be Justin Kovatch, whose passion cost him a penalty and almost the game would collect himself and buried a wrist shot into the empty net with 49 seconds to go for a 6-4 victory and a return opportunity to the Penguins Cup for the first time since 2003. Canevin out shot Kittanning 19-9 in the 3rd period.

2006 Penguins Cup Semi-Finals Pine Richland 4 Peters Twp 3 CASTLE SHANNON – Pine Richland (19-1-2) and Peters Twp (15-8-0) met in the 2005 Penguins Cup final at Mellon Arenain a game, which the Indians controlled from start to finish beating the Rams 6-2. The victory was the 4th consecutive Penguins Cup for Peters Twp and they captured their 3rd State Championship in 4 years by defeating Haverford High 4-0 at Hersheypark Arena. Pine Richland has been the Penguins Cup three times including 1997 losing to Bishop McCort 2-1 in Class A and in 2001 losing to Beaver 4-1 in Class AA at the War Memorial in Johnstown. What intrigues the observer about the path is the resiliency of Peters Twp defeating Thomas Jefferson and then # 2 seed West Allegheny 5-3, which is a very similar path that the Champions took to go all the way a year ago. The momentum is an important component for a team that refuses to lose. And they will need it against a Pine Richland that has dominated Class AA all year and opened up with a 9-0 thrashing of Greensburg CC in their playoff opener. The Rams and Indians winner will face the upstart Kittanning Wildcats, who have come out of nowhere to capture a spot at Mellon Arena on March 25th. Peters grabbed the lead at 8:11 of the opening period as Gerry Raymond’s intial shot was saved by Stoney Hildreth, but Dave Rigatti pounced on the rebound to give the Indians a 1-0 lead. Pine Richland went on the power play at 6:07. With 53 seconds remaining in the opening period, Dustin Roux handled the puck with precision and found a wide open Brandon Tingle in the slot, who buried the puck past Hildreth to give the Indians a 2-0 lead. Shots on goal in the opening period were 11-6 in favor of Peters Twp. The Rams went on the power play early in the second period and Josh Fodor had a very good chance at 13:07, but Mike Mastracci was equal to the task. Peters would get the next chance at 11:39, but it would be Phil Trombetta with a shorthanded breakaway, that glanced off the post at 10:23. Pine Richland looked like a confused team as Peters continued to frustrate their attack limiting the chances to low quality scoring opportunities. Then the dagger came as Dustin Roux beat the Pine Richland defenseman and slipped a backhander high over the stick side with 22 ticks remaining on the clock…a huge goal for the defending champions and disaster for Pine Richland after a great play in his own end by Jake Della Valle. Pine Richland showed life as Josh Fodor scored a power play with an overpowering wrist shot which beat Mastracci high to glove side with just 1.6 second left to cut the lead to 3-1 in favor of Peters. Shots were nine apiece. Just 29 seconds into the third, Pine Richland had a golden opportunity on the power play, that they failed to score on. But the Rams pulled closer with 8:11 to go as freshman Dylan Trombetta converted a George Saad pass to cut the lead to 3-2. Josh Fodor went on a length of the ice rush and backhanded a cross ice pass to Jordan Yoklic who beat Mike Mastracci with 5:42 remaining to tie the score and erase a 3 goal lead and tie the game 3-3 and a huge momentum swing for the Rams. Then on a wild play with just under a minute to play, Pine Richland would not be denied as first it was Jordan Yoklic and then Josh Fodor who finally gathered the puck and beat the Peters defense and then lofted a wrist shot past Mastracci to the puck with 55 seconds to go in regulation to give the Rams an amazing 4-3 victory over Peter Twp and a date with Kittanning in the Penguins Cup on March 25th. For the Indians the end of a great run with 4 Penguins Cup and 3 State Championships and maybe a passing on the torch in the Rams can go on a capture the State Championship they have long coveted, but have been unable to win. Now Pine Richland has an opportunity to do it and although it didn’t look good with under a minute left in the 2nd, it does now. Shots in the final period was 15-0 in favor of the Rams.

Canevin 4 Canon McMillan 3 MT LEBANON – Canevin (15-4-2) and Canon McMillan (12-6-3) meet in this evening’s match-up with a little more at stake than the December 1st meeting here at the Mt Lebanon Rec Center that ended in a 6-6 tie in a game in which Canevin scored twice in the final minute to tie the game. Both teams have had great seasons as the Big Macs won their 2nd consecutive division title and advanced through the opening round of the playoffs defeating Latrobe convincingly 6-2 for the right to meet Canevin. Coach Dave Fryer’s Big Macs are looking to return to the Penguins Cup Semi-Finals, where a year ago they were ousted by Peters Twp in a game that CM held a 4-1 advantage and succumbed to a furious rally that propelled the Indians to their 4th consecutive Penguins Cup and the State Championship win over Haverford 4-0. If you are a ‘Concerned Citizen of Canevin’, you are a lot less concerned this season than last and for Crusader’s coach Brian Henderson this has to be quite a switch from the past few years when Canevin has been off the playoff radar. The Crusaders won several key games down the stretch to capture the # 3 seed, a bye and one step away from a place their program has not been in over five years, which is the Penguins Cup Semi-Finals. Anyone who doesn’t believe that either of these teams can’t upset the applecart and go on a run to RMU Island Sports Center has not been following the momentum built by both of these teams in the second half of the season. In a quick moving opening period, both teams worked at both ends of the ice to created chances and limit scoring opportunities against one another before a festive packed house at the Rec. The Big Macs had the first opportunity on the power play at 10:18, which was unsuccessful, but Justin Cormack found a streaking Jesse Patnesky down the slot and Joey Ziemanski made the games first big save at 7:02. Canevin had a great opportunity as # 10 was in alone on a breakaway at 4:27, but Mike O’Neill came up big. The Crusaders outshot CM 9-6 in the opening 15 minutes. On to the second period and the Big Macs struck as Nick Cusilito found a loose puck on the doorstep and fired a bullet which snuck past Joey Ziemanski to give the Big Macs a 1-0 lead at 14:31. CM applied the pressure and Ziemanski kept the deficit at 1-0 stopping Justin Cormack. The Crusaders went on the power play at 11:07 and tied the game as Kevin Pawlos slapshot from the right point was tipped by Josh Daley and trickled past Mike O’Neill to knot the game at 1-1 with 9:47 to play in the 2nd. O’Neill had to be sharp as Josh Daley took a drop pass from Zach Haluzchak and fired a wrist shot low to the stick side at 4:27. Ziemanski made a very good series of save on Jesse Patnesky and Nick Cusilito at 3:44 as the game remained tied at one apiece. At 2:32 of the second period, Zach Haluzchak made a terrific forecheck to force a turnover and the result was moments later Michael Darnely shooting the puck and got his own rebound tapping in past O’Neill to give the Crusaders a 2-1 lead. With 37 seconds remaining in the period, Nate Bohn found Patenesky in the slot and Jesse rifled a shot off the crossbar and Canevin would hold off a late Big Mac surge to take a slim 2-1 lead to the ice cut. Canon McMillan outshot Canevin 13-11 in the period. Canon Mac came out flying in the opening minute of the third and hard work paid off as Corey Griffith banged home a short pass from Kyle Harnan to tie the score at 2-2 with 13:33 remaining in regulation. With 11:32 to play, Canevin would receive a golden chance on the power play., but it would be the Big Macs who played opportunist as Nate Bohn intercept an errant pass and drove the defense and dropped it off to Justin Cormack, who made it count beating Ziemanski on the stick side at 10:40 to give CM a 3-2 lead. Canevin made the best of the rest of the power play as Zach Haluzchak beat O’Neill on a long wrist shot to the blocker side at 9:57 to tie the game again. Canevin’s Michael Darnelly stole the puck from the Big Mac defense just 10 seconds later at 9:47 to give the Crusaders a 4-3 lead beating O’Neill low to the stick side. At 6:29, Canon Mac’s Justin Cormack split the Canevin defense and Ziemanski made the save, but the Big Macs would get a power play out of it and could not convert. With 4:52 remaining, Canon Mac was whistled on a questionable play late in the game and time was now the ally of Canevin. Ziemanski made a game saving save on Kyle Harnen on the back door with 32 seconds remaining and another after a big scramble with 8 ticks left and the Canevin Crusader’s would keep their magical season alive with a trip to Ice Castle next Tuesday in the final 4.

Kittanning 5 Montour 4 {OT] NEVILLE ISLAND Montour (14-6-1) and Kittanning (14-6-1) enter tonight’s game knowing what’s at stake in tonight’s second round playoff game. Kittanning ousted Moon in the opening round of the playoffs and has been arguably been the hottest team in Class AA in the past month of the season. Coach Jon Yackmack’s Wildcats travel well as many of the faithful from the Belmont made the trip with the Hurst along with Max & Tim among the ‘Concerned Citizens of Kittanning’. Team Montour has been on a roller coaster ride this season after a year ago when coach Danny Siegel’s troops when the Spartans were bounced from the playoff by Chartier’s Valley and have really overachieved this season are kind of a mystery team as the playoffs enter round two. The winner of this contest will meet Canevin in Tuesday’s semi-finals at Ice Castle and Pine Richland will face defending State Champions Peters Twp, in a rematch of the 2005 Penguins Cup, which the Indians won at Mellon Arena. A packed house of Spartans fans in the house including Frankie Vallie and the much ballyhoo’d four Spartans and many ‘Concerned Citizens of Montour’. Kittanning jumped out on top as Zach Avi scored from in close beating freshman Matt Skoff as the puck slithered past him at 12:49 to give Kittanning a 1-0 lead. The Spartans tied the game with 7:13 remaining in the opening period as Zach Perry beat Joey Mecurio through the 5-hole. With just 1:35 remaining in the period, Kittanning regained the lead as Lee Heilmann deflected a Colin McKelvey shot from the far boards past Matt Skoff to make it 2-1. On to the second and with Montour on the power play Joey Ford was in a shorthanded breakaway and Matt Skoff made a terrific save, but Nick Troup gathered the rebound and scored into an empty net to give the Cats a 3-1 lead with 9:30 to go in the period. Montour came right back at 8:28 as Alex Wayne scored on a long slap shot from the right point for a power play goal and a 3-2 Kittanning advantage. The Spartans went on the power play with 5:13 left and a chance to tie the game. Kittanning played giveaway and it cost them as Zach Perry intercepted the errant pass and fired a slapshot high over the stickside of Joey Mecurio with 4:11 to go and a brand new hockey game at 3-3. The third period was a close checking affair as the Wildcats went on the power play at 10:09 and then again with a 5 on 3 with 7:18 remaining in regulation. With 6:53 remaining in the 3rd period, Joey Ford walked down the slot and wristed one past the glove side of Matt Skoff to give the Cats a 4-3 lead. Kittanning went on the power play with a little over four minutes to go but Kittanning could not score and the score remained 4-3 in favor of the Wildcats. The Spartans pulled the goalie for the extra attacker and a faceoff in the Kittanning zone with 21 seconds left and a 6 on 4 power play and Paul Ciotti scored with no time left on the clock to tie the game 4-4 and send this one to overtime. Kittanning swarmed the Montour zone in the opening minute of overtime and Zack Avi banked the puck of Matt Skoff with 9:11 left in OT to give Kittanning a heartstopping 5-4 victory over the Spartans and a trip to Ice Castle to face Canevin in the semi-finals at Ice Castle.

North Allegheny 2 Central Catholic 1 [2 OT] CRANBERRY – The entrance of Mr Who’s Who Bobby Montana, with his trusty camera and Lebo contingent of Head Coach Paul Taibi, Dave ‘the Chocolate Milk Man’ Dorsey, Ron ‘Tom’s Father of Lexington’ Valerino, Bethel Park’s Jim ‘Mort’ McVay with his expert cameraman Dennis Bannon, Meadville coaches Dr. Jamie Plunkett and Dickie ‘this Old House’ Holabaugh. Pine Richland’s Jim Adams, NA Announcer Don Vandergrift, the ‘svelt’ Billy Zuri, Current NA Concerned Citizens Jim Pekins, Dennis Sheran, Ken McGlumphy and former ‘Head Concerned Citizen Tom Pandolfo’ among a jammed packed Cranberry BladeRunners, which is the only place in America you can buy Strawberry Water in an ice rink. North Allegheny (19-3-0) and Central Catholic (14-7-2) are perennial participants in the Penguins Cup playoffs and over the past few years have been in the hunt to move forward in the process of challenging to win it. The Vikings started the playoffs off with a 9-3 hammering of Franklin Regional, but coach Kevin Zielmanski knows that his team must excel against top opponents to be able to get to the promised land. CC is very capable of being a that team and the keys are getting strong goaltending and a consistent effort for 45 minutes, which will be a pre-requisite to entertaining any thoughts of defeating # 3 seed North Allegheny. The Tigers got a taste of what its all about a year ago coming within one goal of capturing the championship of Western Pennsylvania AAA in 2005 losing to eventual Pennsylvania Cup AAA State Champions Bethel Park in the Penguins Cup final. What is different for NA is that they are not the favorite to win the 2006 Cup, which is a double edged sword, because the underdog role gives the Tigers a looser attitude than a years ago, but as a part of this process of contending for a State Championship, every shift, every goal, every mental mistake becomes magnified the further along we get into the playoffs. One emotional lift for the Tigers could be the presence of Chris Simanic, who was a key ingredient to the Tigers winning the 2005-06 Director’s Cup over Bethel Park in December. If anyone hopes to supplant Mt Lebanon, the # 1 or Bethel Park, the defending champion, it will take a monumental effort to get to RMU Island Sports Center. Central Catholic looked to take the lead early in this contest as Chris Urso could not beat NA’s Max Richards at 14:31. Joe Kerr hit the post of an open net at 10:20 after being set up on a nice feed from Chris Urso. The Tigers had the games first power play at 8:41 and could not capitalize, but struck first with 4:02 left in the opening period as Josh Herbert beat Bobby Magyarics with a wrsit shot high over the stick side after a pass from behind the net from Matt Lancaster to give North Allegheny a 1-0 lead. Alan Halapin set up Chris Gilson streaking down the slot, but shot hit the crossbar and the Tigers held a 1-0 lead after the first. On to the second period and Central Catholic was the recipient of another 2 on 1 due to some lax backchecking by the Tigers off the opening faceoff as Chris Urso beat the defenseman at the blue line and found Joe Kerr, who deposited the puck behind Max Richards to tie the score at one apiece just 17 seconds into the second. The game settled into a tight checking affair at both ends as both the Vikings and Tigers looked to seize the lead. With 2:22 remaining in the period, CC went on the power play but could not score. The third period was a very tight checking affair with limited chances at both ends. Central Catholic enjoyed some good pressure for the majority of the period, but the Tigers came on as the game hit the 5 minute remaining mark. Ian McGlumphy had the best chance for NA with 4:14 to go as he hit the side of the net. The Tigers got a golden opportunity with a power play with 3:57 to go, but the Vikings dug in and killed the first minute. Then it happened a penalty against the Tigers with 2:39 to go created a 4 on 4 and a CC power play but we moved on into overtime with a 1-1 score. The first overtime was action packed and end to end as both team have several chances the best coming as Magayrics stopped Matt Lancaster and the rebound by Josh Herbert at 5:57 of the first overtime. In the second OT, North Allegheny had the second great chance as Wes Waldschmidt was stoned from right in front again by the Central goaltender at 9:39. Bobby Magayrics did everything he could to help the Vikings pull off the upset. But it would not be enough this evening. As the Tigers didn’t get a bounce in last year’s Penguin Cup final when they needed it, North Allegheny made their own break as the play started from the Tiger end as Alan Halapin made a nice pass out of the zone up the boards to Chris Gilson, who has been a solid player for the Tigers for several years, who drove the Viking defenseman deep in his own zone and slid the puck over to a streaking Joey Camut, who deposited the game winner past the Viking keeper and to send the Tigers to the Penguins Cup semi-finals next Wednesday.