Archbishop Ryan Raiders

First Round Results Class A Blackhawk 4 Deer Lakes 0 Highlights: Travis Stoll scores the hat trick for the Cougars & Jake Polas adds insurance as Blackhawk outshoots Deer Lakes 43- 14 & avenges last years playoff loss. John Fitzgerald with the shutout. BANG ! BANG ! Forest Hills 4 Westmont Hilltop 2 Highlights: Freshman Ben Webb scores two goals in the first 1:19 of the 3rd period to tie the game & put Forest Hills ahead as Rangers overcome a 2-0 deficit. Bryan Parkinson with a goal & 2 assists while Kyle Single stops 35 of 37 Westmont shots Sewickley Academy 3 Quigley 2 Highlights: Panthers hold on for victory as Quigley's late rally falls short at the buzzer. Conner Blood with a pair & Scott Limbach with a single as Sewickley Academy wins its first ever playoff game. Richland Cambria 5 Elizabeth Forward 4 [2 OT] Highlights: Rams overcome a 4-3 deficit in the third to tie the game & Mike Werder scores the game winner in second overtime period. Werder scored a pair along with Dean Carpenter, while Jason Layman added the other goal for Richland Cambria. Class AA Pine Richland 6 Canevin 0 Highlights: Josh Fodor & Ryan Tessmer each with a pair as Michael Kearney & Pat Nicholas score shorthanded goals to lead Rams to a shutout win over the Crusaders. Dan Gazzo faces just 12 shots. Montour 4 Moon 2 Highlights: Montour overcomes a 2-1 deficit to begin the 3rd period as Chad Tallotta & Dan Shiwarski put the Spartans ahead & Mario Pannuci adds an empty netter. Andrew Slifkin stops 39 of 42 Montour shots for Moon. ***GAME SUMMARY IS NOW AVAILABLE*** South Park 5 Trinity 3 Highlights: Eagles erase a 2-0 deficit late in the 2nd and add three in the third to defeat Trinity. Larry Locante scores the go ahead goal with a little over ten minutes remaining in regulation. ***GAME SUMMARY IS NOW AVAILABLE*** Greensburg CC 1 Canon McMillan 0 Highlights: Jake Genes stops 29 Canon Mac shots & Josh Kennedy scores the games only goal with 5 1/2 minutes remaining in regulation time Class AAA Mt Lebanon 7 Gateway 0 Highlights: Eric Sloan & Michael Jordan with a pair & Tony Valerino, Dan Wilen and Chad Uddstrom add singles as Blue Devils outshoot Gators 26-14 as Matt Vaughn records another shutout for Mt Lebanon Meadville 8 Cathedral Prep 0 Highlights: Phil Siverd win a pair & CHristian Nickerson with 5 pts as Bulldogs open defense with a pounding of rival Prep. D.J. Durkee, David Moyer, Chris Leone, Rick Thomas and Justin Wilkinson add goals as Meadville outshoots Ramblers 37-17 for a Dan O'Sharuk shutout ***GAME SUMMARY IS NOW AVAILABLE*** Fox Chapel 3 Shaler 1 Highlights: Matt Quigley is the difference as he records a hat trick to fight off upset minded Shaler squad before a packed house at Harmar ***GAME SUMMARY IS NOW AVAILABLE*** Central Catholic 6 McDowell 2 Highlights: Matt Capalongo with a pair as Central defeats McDowell & Russ Hefner stops 26 of 28 shots for the Vikings North Allegheny 3 Baldwin 0 Highlights: Ian Fitzpatrick, Joe Williams & Matt Pekins score as NA outshoots Baldwin 32-17 & Jeff Kristan earns the shutout. Upper St Clair 6 Plum 5 [OT] Highlights: Mike Penkrot scores with 8:27 remaining in first OT period as USC wins a wild one at Ice Castle ***GAME SUMMARY IS NOW AVAILABLE*** Butler 2 Franklin Regional 1 Highlights: Jon Pakutz scores with :08 left in OT as Jared 'Bucky' Holt stops 36 of 37 Franklin shots. Franklin Regional holds a 1-0 lead on a goal by Jimmie Daugherty in the 1st until B.J Tipton ties the game with 8 1/2 minutes left in regulation time Bethel Park 4 Penn Trafford 2 Highlights: Conner McLean breaks 2-2 tie with 1:42 left in the 2nd as Hawks outshoot PT 42-17. ****GAME SUMMARY IS NOW AVAILBLE***

DELMONT – Penn Trafford has had a dream season winning the South Division by edging out rival Franklin Regional by one point for its first ever division title. Coach Todd Purvis was not around for the near playoff upset of Bethel Park in the 1st round of last years playoffs, but is very familiar with the Hawks from his battles as the coach of North Allegheny over the years. The Warrior were hosting their first ever home playoff game before a standing room only crowd at Center Ice Arena and would need to concentrate on playing defensively and eliminate over 450+ penalty minutes which have been the Achilles heel for PT. On the flip side, if Penn Trafford could generate its offensive prowess against BP, it could spell an upset [even though the Warriors were the higher seed] and revenge for the overtime loss from a year ago. Bethel Park coach Jim ‘Mort’ McVay is always looking for an edge and his team’s commitment to doing whatever it takes to put Bethel Park in position to win a championship. Take Bryce Merriam, the Bethel Park goaltender, who joined the team in late January and played in the last seven regular season games and could be seen running out of Varsity games to play in Junior Varsity games just to meet the 10 game minimum for the State Playoffs. This is the kind of commitment expected from a hockey program, which prides itself in being on top of anything that can put itself in a position to win and takes nothing for granted. The Hawks are a dangerous playoff team, who no one wants to play because they are a great defensive team and have found a goaltender, who has a .931ish save percentage, a healthy Dan Zabkar and is finding some scoring touch from 2nd and 3rd line players….. a recipe for playoff success and a legitimate darkhorse. Bethel Park worked its opening period plan to perfection putting Penn Trafford on its heels and outshooting the Warriors 15-7. After a scoreless opening 8 ½ minutes, Jason Hedglen opened the scoring at 6:31. Penn Trafford tied the game at one apiece as Glenn Bowersox beat Merriam at 3:50. Jacobus Bliek scored on an assist from Dan Zabkar to put the Hawks back on top with 2:01 remaining in the opening period. Penn Trafford continued to shoot themselves in the foot in the second period with penalties and Bethel Park kept up the pressure with an 11-6 shot advantage. Bethel Park had a golden opportunity to extend their lead in the second with a 5 on 3 advantage but could not beat Joel Sterniak, who made several keys saves in the period to keep Penn Trafford in the hockey game. Devon McCusker delivered for Penn Trafford as he took the puck through the neutral zone on his off wing shot the puck, which Merriam saved but could not control the rebound and McCusker buried with a wrist shot high over the shoulder of the BP goaltender to tie the game with 5:20 remaining in the middle frame. With 1:42 remaining in the second, BP sharpshooter Conner McLean walked off the near boards and beat Sterniak on the short side over the glove side to give Bethel Park a 3-2 lead. On to the third period and the Blackhawks wasted no time taking control as Michael Diethorn scored on the power play to make Penn Trafford pay for its undiscipline at 14:13 and extend the BP lead to 4-2. Bethel Park continued to frustrate the Warriors by clamping down defensively and yielding only 4 shots on Bryce Merriam and forcing PT into undisciplined penalties and Bethel Park poured 16 more shots for a 42-17 advantage on the evening nullifying a strong goaltending performance by Joel Sterniak, who finished with 38 saves. The Hawks will now move on to face archrival and # 1 seed Mt Lebanon next Monday night at the Mt Lebanon Recreation Center.

CASTLE SHANNON – The Trinity hockey program has not been exactly a Class AA power over the years, but under the guidance of Larry Marks the team is a far cry from the 1-18-1 record in 2001-2002. The Hillers entered the 2004 Penguins Cup playoffs for the second straight year and while making the playoffs was a big deal last year, Trinity was looking for its first ever playoff victory. The Hillers have a short bench and have relied heavily on players like Jeff Hildebrand, Chris Graff, Greg Bandzuch, Josh Kelly and Matt Warco, who have provided over 80 % of Trinity’s scoring throughout the season. South Park has been to the Penguins Cup playoffs for 16 years and has yet to capture a Penguins Cup in 31 years, which is amazing given the talent that has been developed in the program over the years. The closest call believe it or not was way back in 1976, when the Eagles lost 3-2 to Gateway, who went on the next day to lose to Abington in the Class AA State Championship. The best South Park team may have been in 1997, when the Eagles were SHIHL AA Champions and could not overcome a early deficit against eventual Pa State AA Champions Erie Cathedral Prep and lost 5-3 at Rostraver. Head coach Bob Juha’s team down the stretch looked more like a team heading out of the playoffs as the Eagles have struggled to score goals when they need them and a prime candidate for a first round exit if they didn’t change things in a hurry. Trinity slowed the pace of the game down in the first period to perfection with smart play and good puck control, which kept the short Hiller bench fresh. South Park’s Matt Nichol appeared to score the opening goal at 9:57, but was waived off for the net was dislodged. The Hillers struck first late in the period as Chris Graff poked home a rebound and Trinity was on top 1-0 with 48 seconds left in the period. The Hillers extended their lead to 2-0 at 13:49 of the second as Chris Graff’s wrist shot through a screen handcuffed Ian Artim and the Eagles looked to be in trouble. Artim made a huge save on Jeff Hidebrand at 9:56 to keep South Park within reach. The momentum swung South Park’s way after a power play at 4:48, but Mick Alexander made two diving stops on Matt Lutrell and Michael Englert with 4 ½ minutes remaining. On the unsuing face-off this playoff game would take on a complete momentum switch. Dennis Fleming’s wrist shot from the right point found its way through traffic and bounced past Mick Alexander and South Park was finally on the board with a power play goal at 4:15. The Eagles were flying now and Tim Ryan took a great cross ice pass from Matt Slogan and tied the game deking Alexander at 2:55. Both teams had great chances late in the period to take the lead but Jared Miley’s shot rang off the post ay 2:02 and Josh Kelly just missed on a wide open chance at 1:53. Trinity had the first opportunity of the third period as Josh Kelly had a partial break, which was stopped by Ian Artim at 14:40. Alexander robbed Don Remlinger with a glove save at 12:57 after the Trinity defenseman lost his edge and fell. South Park just kept coming and Tommy Vaughn found Larry Locante alone in front, who beat Alexander between the legs to give the Eagles their first lead 3-2 at 10:40. South Park took a very undisciplined penalty at 8:01 and Trinity went to work on the power play in an attempt to tie the game. The Hillers were all over the South Park goal but could not score but the Eagles somehow kept them out after a big scramble in front of Ian Artim at 6:39. This would be all South Park would need as Tim Ryan took a nice chip pass from Slogan and beat Alexander on a breakaway to give the Eagles a 4-2 lead with 5:06 remaining. Matt Slogan would put the nail in Trinity’s coffin as the lanky forward scored on a wrist shot with 3:20 left. Greg Badzuch’s goal with 2:16 remaining brought the Hillers within two, but it was too little too late and the Eagles earned a 5-3 victory and a date with arch-rival Peters Township next week in the Elite 8 Class AA Penguins Cup.

CASTLE SHANNON – The movie ‘Groundhog Day’ plays on most cable stations this time of year and if someone is looking for a sequel, they could hire the Plum Hockey Club as the actors. The Mustangs have been here before and opened the season with a 4 overtime thriller against North Allegheny only to lose the championship game of the St Margarets Fall Face-Off. So head coach Stu Relnick must have looked forward to any overtime possibilities because sooner or later Plum would win one. Yes there was the overtime loss to Holy Ghost Prep in the Pa Hockey Scholastic Showcase, which left the Mustangs out of the Medal Round and of course the Central Catholic loss 3-2 in overtime, when Plum looked like a sure winner only to see it slip away and the tail end of all of this was the season finale against Gateway, when the Mustangs out shot the Gators 39-14 and still lost 4-3, putting the Gators in the playoffs. So this factor motivated some of the Plum players off the sidelines and back into action to reverse the disturbing trend as Travis Senchur and David Dincau returned to the lineup for round 1 of the playoffs. The opponent this evening was a road game against Upper St Clair, the talented ones who have gone home the past three seasons, after some pretty good regular seasons, but nothing to show for their efforts. The last playoff victory for the Panthers was in 2000, when they went on the road and defeated Gateway in a wild affair at the Golden Mile 7-6, which was the same time frame when Kip Guenther was helping Jim ‘Mort’ McVay begin orchestrating three straight Pennsylvania Class AAA championships for Bethel Park. Upper St Clair is a team which can score a lot of ways with players like Jeff Greenberg, John Markwell, Kris McDonough, Ian Joyce and a few other players and those few other players are the ones who would have to step forward to enhance the Panthers chances of moving forward in the Penguins Cup for the first time in four years. Upper St Clair struck first as nice looking freshman Andrew Blazek walked off the far boards and buried a wrist shot upstairs on the glove side of J.P. Balson for a 1-0 lead just 1:12 into the contest. Plum would answer as Aaron Arnold made a terrific play along the boards and found a streaking Mike Renna at 12:05, who made no mistake to tie the game at one apiece. The game really opened up as the teams played wide-open hockey and both Balson and USC’s Kevin Gorder were called upon to make some tough saves. The Mustangs went on the 5 on 3 power play at 8:35, but were thwarted on a great penalty killing effort by the Panthers, in particular Kris McDonough, who was brilliant blocking 3 Plum shots and clearing the zone. The Mustangs would overcome the inability to score on the power play as Travis Senchur picked off an errant clearing attempt and blasted a slapshot high over the glove side of Gorder to give Plum a 2-1 lead at 5:35. USC was awarded a penalty shot at 2:11, when a Mustang covered the puck in the crease and Matt McGinnis made a great move, but J.P. Balson made a better save just getting his leg on the puck. At 1:59, Travis Senchur gathered a loose puck in the USC zone and went high to the stick side on Gorder and all the sudden Plum had a 3-1 lead. Gorder robbed Mike Dunlap from point blank range with just 33 seconds left in an entertaining opening period. The Panthers refueled in the second period as the caught a break when J.P. Balson lost sight of a loose puck and relentless Mike Penkrot banged it home for a big goal at 14:38. USC was flying now and poured 12 shots on Balson and Jono Lohman tied the game 3-3 after the Panthers were buzzing the Plum zone courtesy of Jeff Greenberg and John Markwell, who worked the to the front of the net. USC recaptured the lead at 6:57 as David Crockett showed great patience on a breakaway sliding the puck just past the outstretched Balson and the Panthers were now on top 4-3. On to the third period and Travis Senchur completed the hat trick as he buried a wrist shot on a great pass from Jonathon Smith just 35 seconds into the period. The defenses tightened up a little in the middle of the period, but David Crockett delivered a huge goal with 6:37 left in regulation as skated in between the circles and fired a laser high over the stick side of Balson to give St Clair a 5-4 lead. Plum was desperate now and David Dincau made a great play on the forecheck to pry the puck loose in the USC zone and get it to John Kalichuk who found Jonathon Smith in the slot who delivered a blistering wrist shot upstairs on the stick side to tie the game at 5-5 with just :56 seconds on the clock. On to the overtime period and Plum had a golden opportunity to win it but Kevin Gorder stopped Kalichuk from just in front less than a minute into the extra session. The next trip up the ice would prove fatal for the Mustangs as Mike Penkrot picked up a loose puck in the high slot and made a great move shooting the puck down on the ice past Balson and giving Upper St Clair a thrilling 6-5 overtime victory before a festive crowd at the Ice Castle and a date with either Central Catholic or Fox Chapel in the second round next week.

2004 Penguins Cup Playoffs NEVILLE ISLAND - Special Report provided by the Montour Hockey Club ISLAND SPORTS CENTER -- Montour defeated Moon by the score of 4 - 2 in a thrilling and heart stopping match up in a classic first round PIHL AA battle. Dan Shiwarski slid the puck along the ice for the game winning goal on a tape to tape centering pass from Mario Panucci, that split two Moon defensemen on its way to the net. Montour's Tyler Kocak struck first with a goal 4 minutes into the game following a pass from defenseman Joe Uram. However, Moon answered quickly 28 seconds later with a goal of their own when Lee Feigert took a centering pass from David Alberga and sneaked it past Montour goalie Nick Gialloreto, making the score 1-1 at the end of one. Moon scored again early in the second [period] on a goal by Chaz Story following a pass from Max Polinski giving Moon a 2 - 1 lead after two. Montour goalie, Nick Gialloreto, would not let another goal in for the rest of the game, making key saves in the third period. Montour out shot Moon by the score of 39-18 but Moon goalie Andrew Slifkin stood on his head and kept it close making one spectacular save after another. However, the Montour offense finally solved Slifkin in the third and the Montour defense tightened up. Starting the third period, Montour's Mario Panucci won the face-off and dropped it back to Chad Talotta. Talotta skated the puck the length of the ice and roofed a backhander past Slifkin's blocker side to tie the game at two. Meanwhile, Montour defenseman Brian Dugan skated hard and made great plays on defense while also moving the puck up ice to create some offensive opportunities. With 6:15 to play in the game, Mario Panucci stole the puck from a Moon winger and skated it along the boards into the Moon defensive zone. Panucci then made a slick pass that split two Moon defenseman on its way to the net, where a cutting Shiwarski was able to put it home to give Montour the 3-2 lead. Moon was given a late power play opportunity following a tripping call with 2 minutes to play. However, Mario Panucci stole the puck from a Moon defenseman and put the game sealer into the empty Moon net for his third point of the night.