Archbishop Ryan Raiders

GREENSBURG – Greensburg CC and South Park did not meet in the regular season in Class AA in 2002-2003, but the Centarians and Eagles did meet twice and the flavor of both meetings was one team taking the lead and the other mounting a big comeback for victory. In the Greensburg CC Invitational semi-finals in October, GCC overcame a 2-0 South Park lead and being outshot 36-18 to defeat SP 3-2. In the Pa Hockey Scholastic Showcase in late December South Park overcame a 3-2 third period deficit and two five minute majors to defeat GCC 5-3. Greensburg CC coach Joe Dytka’s club has not been to the Penguin Cup semi-finals since 1996 and was looking to erase playoff frustration of the past few years. South Park on the other hand, made it to the dance in 2001, only to fall to eventual Pa Class AA Champion Beaver. So both schools had something to prove in this game and one would move on to Rostraver next week. The game would be played before a packed standing room only crowd at Kirk Nevin. The game was wide open early on as Jake Genes made a great stop on Vito Caporal at 14:08. GCC came right back as Allen Pershing beat Ian Artim on a quick shot to the stick side to give the Centarians a 1-0 lead at 13:55. The Eagles answered just 38 seconds later, as Justin Juha took a perfect feed from Tim Ryan out of the corner and handcuffed Genes with a wrist shot to tie the score at one apiece. Then at 9:50, Pat Bates took a big shot from the left point and Matt Ward was on the doorstep to poke it between the legs of Artim to give Greensburg CC the lead 2-1. South Park came right back as Juha took advantage of some great corner work by the towering Matt Slogan, who walked out of the corner and fed Juha who buried a shot on the stick side to tie the game again at 2-2 with 8:35 remaining in the opening period. The teams traded power play chances and the Egales capitalized as Rocco DaBecco snapshot through traffic fooled Genes and SP had its first lead 3-2 at 2:56. On to the second and DaBecco walked the puck to the net and beat Genes cleanly on the backhand to extend the South Park lead to 4-2 at 12:20. GCC was in a little trouble now, but was rescued as Allen Pershing gathered a Zach Cutrell rebound and scored a huge goal to put the Centarians back within one at 4-3 at 7:05. South Park went on the power play, but got a little careless and committed playoff sin # 1 and turned the puck over at its own blue line and Pershing made them pay as he sprinted 120 feet and slipped a shot through the 5 hole past Artim and tied the score at 4-4 with 2:14 remaining in the second period. The next goal would be huge as the teams took the ice in the third period and goaltending would be outstanding as Ian Artim and Jake Genes would come up big. Colin Ludwig and Matt Ward had excellent chances in the first three minutes of the 3rd and Ian Artim stoned them. Jake Genes stopped Tim Ryan, who was in a lone at 9:27 and then DaBecco and Juha again at 6:15. Artim made a diving save on Zach Cutrell with just 4:08 remaining in regulation. After a phantom elbowing call gave GCC the power play with just 3:58 remaining, the Eagles dug in and killed off the disadvantage and almost scored the go ahead goal as Josh Hickey took a feed from Justin Juha in the slot but was denied by Jake Genes. The third period was scoreless as the teams were dead even in shots 34-34. On to the overtime we went and the crowd was now on its feet as the chances of ‘Lets go Eagles’ and ‘GCC’ rang off the tin foil roof in a great playoff atmosphere at Kirk S. Nevin. South Park would have the early chances as Genes dove out and stopped Justin Juha on the breakaway at 9:21 of the OT. Juha came right back on the next shift and clanged one off the right post at 8:41. Then GCC had a great chance as Matt Ward was stopped by Ian Artim at 7:35. It would be Allen Pershing who would have the final say in this one as he gathered a SP turnover and buried it upstairs on the shortside to send Greensburg CC to the dance at Rostraver for the first time since 1996, which happened to be the year that the Centarians won their last Pennsylvania Class AA crown.