News and Announcements
2005 Central Catholic Invitational
November 18-20, 2005
Valley Sports Complex
CHAMPIONSHIP
MT LEBANON 5 CHEEKTOWAGA 1
SEMI-FINALS
MT LEBANON 3 NORTH ALLEGHENY 1
CHEEKTOWAGA 2 BETHEL PARK 1 (OT)
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 18
ST. JEAN DE BREBEUF 8 UPPER ST. CLAIR 1
NORTH ALLEGHENY 7 MONSIGNOR BONNER 1
DOWNINGTOWN EAST 6 DEMATHA CATHOLIC 4
GERMANTOWN ACDEMY 4 MEADVILLE 2
CHEEKTOWOGA CENTRAL 5 CENTRAL CATHOLIC 1
MT. LEBANON 6 ORCHARD PARK 1
BETHEL PARK 7 THOMAS JEFFERSON 0
HOLY GHOST PREP 4 CALVERT HALL PREP 2
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19
ST. JEAN DE BREBEUF 5 MONSIGNOR BONNER 1
CHEEKTOWOGA CENTRAL 3 MEADVILLE 1
UPPER ST. CLAIR 3 NORTH ALLEGHENY 1
GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 6 CENTRAL CATHOLIC 4
ORCHARD PARK 4 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 1
MT. LEBANON 2 DEMATHA CATHOLIC 1 (OT)
BETHEL PARK 5 CALVERT HALL PREP 0
HOLY GHOST PREP 6 THOMAS JEFFERSON 3
NORTH ALLEGHENY 5 ST. JEAN DE BREBEUF 2
UPPER ST. CLAIR 6 MONSIGNOR BONNER 1
MEADVILLE 4 CENTRAL CATHOLIC 1
MT. LEBANON 4 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 1
CHEEKTOWOGA CENTRAL 2 GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 2 (OT)
ORCHARD PARK 3 DEMATHA CATHOLIC 2
BETHEL PARK 4 HOLY GHOST PREP 3
CALVERT HALL PREP 2 THOMAS JEFFERSON 2 (OT)
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 20
Consolation Round
CENTRAL CATHOLIC 6 THOMAS JEFFERSON 0
DEMATHA CATHOLIC 11 MONSIGNOR BONNER 3
MEADVILLE 5 CALVERT HALL PREP 0
UPPER ST. CLAIR 5 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 4
GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 4 HOLY GHOST PREP 0
ORCHARD PARK 9 ST. JEAN DE BREBEUF 0
***CHECK OUT A COMPLETE DAY 2 WRAP-UP IN GAME SUMMARIES***
See the entire Tournament Wrap-Up from the Valley Sports Complex on Pennsylvania's # 1 Website
***PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE 2005 Results and History of the Tournament***
2005 Central Catholic Invitational
November 18-20, 2005
Valley Sports Complex
CHAMPIONSHIP
MT LEBANON 5 CHEEKTOWAGA 1
SEMI-FINALS
MT LEBANON 3 NORTH ALLEGHENY 1
CHEEKTOWAGA 2 BETHEL PARK 1 (OT)
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 18
ST. JEAN DE BREBEUF 8 UPPER ST. CLAIR 1
NORTH ALLEGHENY 7 MONSIGNOR BONNER 1
DOWNINGTOWN EAST 6 DEMATHA CATHOLIC 4
GERMANTOWN ACDEMY 4 MEADVILLE 2
CHEEKTOWOGA CENTRAL 5 CENTRAL CATHOLIC 1
MT. LEBANON 6 ORCHARD PARK 1
BETHEL PARK 7 THOMAS JEFFERSON 0
HOLY GHOST PREP 4 CALVERT HALL PREP 2
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19
ST. JEAN DE BREBEUF 5 MONSIGNOR BONNER 1
CHEEKTOWOGA CENTRAL 3 MEADVILLE 1
UPPER ST. CLAIR 3 NORTH ALLEGHENY 1
GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 6 CENTRAL CATHOLIC 4
ORCHARD PARK 4 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 1
MT. LEBANON 2 DEMATHA CATHOLIC 1 (OT)
BETHEL PARK 5 CALVERT HALL PREP 0
HOLY GHOST PREP 6 THOMAS JEFFERSON 3
NORTH ALLEGHENY 5 ST. JEAN DE BREBEUF 2
UPPER ST. CLAIR 6 MONSIGNOR BONNER 1
MEADVILLE 4 CENTRAL CATHOLIC 1
MT. LEBANON 4 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 1
CHEEKTOWOGA CENTRAL 2 GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 2 (OT)
ORCHARD PARK 3 DEMATHA CATHOLIC 2
BETHEL PARK 4 HOLY GHOST PREP 3
CALVERT HALL PREP 2 THOMAS JEFFERSON 2 (OT)
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 20
Consolation Round
CENTRAL CATHOLIC 6 THOMAS JEFFERSON 0
DEMATHA CATHOLIC 11 MONSIGNOR BONNER 3
MEADVILLE 5 CALVERT HALL PREP 0
UPPER ST. CLAIR 5 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 4
GERMANTOWN ACADEMY 4 HOLY GHOST PREP 0
ORCHARD PARK 9 ST. JEAN DE BREBEUF 0
***CHECK OUT A COMPLETE DAY 2 WRAP-UP IN GAME SUMMARIES***
See the entire Tournament Wrap-Up from the Valley Sports Complex on Pennsylvania's # 1 Website
***PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE 2005 Results and History of the Tournament***
2005 Greensburg CC Final
Greensburg CC 5 Norwin 2
On the trek to Greensburg Kirk Nevin arena, I couldn’t help to reflect about the many drives to practice each Thursday to Kirk Nevin for my high school team. What I really looked forward to knowing that every practice and every game, each of my teammates would be there with one single goal in mind, a league championship and a state championship, which our team accomplished in 1979 and came within one game of in 1980. In those days, there were travel teams and amateur programs and those teams played on the weekend and the high schools played during the week. The concept was that players would be afforded the ability to play for both teams and have the advantage of getting as much ice time as possible to improve their skills. A novel idea!
In those days, there was as much debate as there is now about High School vs Amateur or Travel and that theory was put to test my senior year as my high school team participated in the annual Laurel Tournament, which is still held at Kirk Nevin and we beat the Westmoreland Midget AAA Team handily 5-1 in the Finals and were never invited back. So all of these people from THIS era [many of who coincidentally are now parents of current players] who want to tell me about their AAA midget programs and Junior B teams and how great that hockey is….my answer is to schedule the games.
North Allegheny, Bethel Park and Meadville have a long history of not being afraid to play the AAA or AA midget or Junior B teams [which they did last season], but all I heard about was how the Junior B’s and the Midget AAA’s would beat them by eight or nine goals. When these players put up 100 goals in a 20 something season like Mike Sargo did for Gateway or John Mooney did for Serra Catholic, I will be a believer and both of those guys played travel hockey too and on the flip side, Ryan Malone and RJ Umberger, who played Division 1 and are now professional hockey players both played High School Hockey!
Greensburg CC has a long history of winning teams including three Pennsylvania State Championships in the early to mid-1990’s with the last coming in 1996 with a victory over Upper Darby at the Johnstown War Memorial under coach Butch Marrietta.
Current head coach Bill Bucholtz knows the Centurians were close to a run a year ago with hard fought 2-1 loss to eventual Pa AA champs Peters Twp in the Elite 8. With a strong nucleus returning led by sophomore goaltender Ryan Homanics and sophomore scoring machine Alfonso Arevalo, GCC could be one of the teams looking to take the next step in the process back to prominence in Class AA. All of the Centurians were present and accounted for cause they have a goal in mind from a year ago.
The Norwin hockey program has been stuck in the mode of Class AAA whipping boys for the likes of the Bethel Park’s, Mt Lebanon’s, Meadville’s, etc. Coach Dave Warren likes the early season success of the Knights as they entered this evening’s Greensburg CC Invitational final on a roll of four straight victories including a heartstopping overtime win over Plum. The guarded optimism is that Norwin must have ALL of their guns in the lineup. Their best player and in my opinion one of the better returning forwards in Class AAA, Jimmy Recupero was noticeably absent and had a date with the Penguin [not the Penguins] for a mandatory October reindeer practice and is not allowed to come play with his team and his friends in front of neighbors and peers in a game of significance that the Norwin program has seen in a long time. So what would and should have been a match-up of this tournament’s two top talents was only left for imagination.
With a packed house of GCC fans and Norwin students and faithful, the game began and GCC looked confident from the outset. At 13:47, the Centarians Evan George walked off the near board and slipped a wrist shot through the 5-hole of Mike Pochan for an early 1-0 GCC advantage. Then at 11:26 of the opening on the power play, the Centurians struck again as Frank Jupena whipped through the slot and lofted a backhander past the stick side of Pochan to make it 2-0. At 10:43, Dave Ulishney pounced on a loose puck in tight and deposited it past the Norwin goaltender to make it a quick 3-0 lead. The Knights would have an opportunity to get back in the game with a power play after the 3rd GCC goal in the first, which it failed, but made the best of a second chance at 7:48 as Mike Ulicny fought off the Centurian defenders and scored on a second rebound to put Norwin within striking distance at 3-1. Greensburg kept up the pressure on the Norwin defense and Dave Mattock cashed in at 4:02 for a 4-1 GCC stronghold on the game.
On to the second we went and GCC continued the onslaught on Norwin goaltender Mike Pochan as Dan Seijk scored at 9:11 to make it a 5-1 advantage. With 1:39 remaining in the second, the Norwin faithful had something to cheer about as Jesse Kunkle burying a shot past Homanic on the power play to cut the lead to 5-2.
So Norwin had to face the third period with an uphill climb of being down three without their difference maker and as well Phil Gigliotti, who went down with an injury in the 2nd. Mike Pochan returned to the form of the Plum game making a stop on the sniper Arevalo at 13:09. The Knights would have another chance on the power play at 12:27, but would not capitalize. Another power play at 8:30 for Norwin and nothing to show for it. Then frustration with 5 ½ left as the Knights took a penalty and GCC retaliated. The final count would turn out 5-2 in favor of the Centurians of Greensburg CC and their third title in four years as the teams headed toward the regular season in two weeks.
2005 Greensburg CC Final
Greensburg CC 5 Norwin 2
On the trek to Greensburg Kirk Nevin arena, I couldn’t help to reflect about the many drives to practice each Thursday to Kirk Nevin for my high school team. What I really looked forward to knowing that every practice and every game, each of my teammates would be there with one single goal in mind, a league championship and a state championship, which our team accomplished in 1979 and came within one game of in 1980. In those days, there were travel teams and amateur programs and those teams played on the weekend and the high schools played during the week. The concept was that players would be afforded the ability to play for both teams and have the advantage of getting as much ice time as possible to improve their skills. A novel idea!
In those days, there was as much debate as there is now about High School vs Amateur or Travel and that theory was put to test my senior year as my high school team participated in the annual Laurel Tournament, which is still held at Kirk Nevin and we beat the Westmoreland Midget AAA Team handily 5-1 in the Finals and were never invited back. So all of these people from THIS era [many of who coincidentally are now parents of current players] who want to tell me about their AAA midget programs and Junior B teams and how great that hockey is….my answer is to schedule the games.
North Allegheny, Bethel Park and Meadville have a long history of not being afraid to play the AAA or AA midget or Junior B teams [which they did last season], but all I heard about was how the Junior B’s and the Midget AAA’s would beat them by eight or nine goals. When these players put up 100 goals in a 20 something season like Mike Sargo did for Gateway or John Mooney did for Serra Catholic, I will be a believer and both of those guys played travel hockey too and on the flip side, Ryan Malone and RJ Umberger, who played Division 1 and are now professional hockey players both played High School Hockey!
Greensburg CC has a long history of winning teams including three Pennsylvania State Championships in the early to mid-1990’s with the last coming in 1996 with a victory over Upper Darby at the Johnstown War Memorial under coach Butch Marrietta.
Current head coach Bill Bucholtz knows the Centurians were close to a run a year ago with hard fought 2-1 loss to eventual Pa AA champs Peters Twp in the Elite 8. With a strong nucleus returning led by sophomore goaltender Ryan Homanics and sophomore scoring machine Alfonso Arevalo, GCC could be one of the teams looking to take the next step in the process back to prominence in Class AA. All of the Centurians were present and accounted for cause they have a goal in mind from a year ago.
The Norwin hockey program has been stuck in the mode of Class AAA whipping boys for the likes of the Bethel Park’s, Mt Lebanon’s, Meadville’s, etc. Coach Dave Warren likes the early season success of the Knights as they entered this evening’s Greensburg CC Invitational final on a roll of four straight victories including a heartstopping overtime win over Plum. The guarded optimism is that Norwin must have ALL of their guns in the lineup. Their best player and in my opinion one of the better returning forwards in Class AAA, Jimmy Recupero was noticeably absent and had a date with the Penguin [not the Penguins] for a mandatory October reindeer practice and is not allowed to come play with his team and his friends in front of neighbors and peers in a game of significance that the Norwin program has seen in a long time. So what would and should have been a match-up of this tournament’s two top talents was only left for imagination.
With a packed house of GCC fans and Norwin students and faithful, the game began and GCC looked confident from the outset. At 13:47, the Centarians Evan George walked off the near board and slipped a wrist shot through the 5-hole of Mike Pochan for an early 1-0 GCC advantage. Then at 11:26 of the opening on the power play, the Centurians struck again as Frank Jupena whipped through the slot and lofted a backhander past the stick side of Pochan to make it 2-0. At 10:43, Dave Ulishney pounced on a loose puck in tight and deposited it past the Norwin goaltender to make it a quick 3-0 lead. The Knights would have an opportunity to get back in the game with a power play after the 3rd GCC goal in the first, which it failed, but made the best of a second chance at 7:48 as Mike Ulicny fought off the Centurian defenders and scored on a second rebound to put Norwin within striking distance at 3-1. Greensburg kept up the pressure on the Norwin defense and Dave Mattock cashed in at 4:02 for a 4-1 GCC stronghold on the game.
On to the second we went and GCC continued the onslaught on Norwin goaltender Mike Pochan as Dan Seijk scored at 9:11 to make it a 5-1 advantage. With 1:39 remaining in the second, the Norwin faithful had something to cheer about as Jesse Kunkle burying a shot past Homanic on the power play to cut the lead to 5-2.
So Norwin had to face the third period with an uphill climb of being down three without their difference maker and as well Phil Gigliotti, who went down with an injury in the 2nd. Mike Pochan returned to the form of the Plum game making a stop on the sniper Arevalo at 13:09. The Knights would have another chance on the power play at 12:27, but would not capitalize. Another power play at 8:30 for Norwin and nothing to show for it. Then frustration with 5 ½ left as the Knights took a penalty and GCC retaliated. The final count would turn out 5-2 in favor of the Centurians of Greensburg CC and their third title in four years as the teams headed toward the regular season in two weeks.
2005 Greensburg CC Invitational
Semi-Finals – Greensburg CC 4 Franklin Regional 3
Another hockey season is nearing and for the past 10+ years a prelude to the season has been the Greensburg CC Invitational, which used to feature the top AA teams in its inception and now is a warm-up for teams from the East Suburbs. The Invitational has history dating back to the mid-1990’s, witness to many superb players and teams over the years.
Greensburg CC and Franklin Regional Greensburg CC have a long history as well and was one of the most fierce rivalries in all of Interscholastic Hockey in the 1990’s and the home of Penguins Cup Champions and Finalists in 1991,1992,1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997. More recently, GCC won the championship in 2002 defeating Plum 2-1 and again in 2003 defeating Fox Chapel 3-1 in the final and Franklin Regional captured the title in 2001 defeating Plum.
The first period was fast paced and scoreless with very even play and good goaltending by Central’s Ryan Homanics and the Panther’s James Orr. Then with 1:06 remaining Alfonso Arevalo released a quick shot from the bottom of the face-off circle beating James ‘Bobby’ Orr down on the ice for a 1-0 GCC lead.
On to the 2nd we went and FR pressed to tie the game and the best opportunity came at 11:08 as GCC goaltender Ryan Homanics stopped Ryan Kramer on the breakaway to keep the Centarians on top 1-0. The Panthers would get the equalizer as Daniel Neal converted a back door pass from left point Tim McDonough at 7:20 tying the game at one apiece. Greensburg CC regained the lead 2-1 as Alfosno Arevalo beat the Franklin defense and then James Orr on the backhand with great speed and an even better move at 6:19 less than a minute after FR tied it. Back came the Panthers at 3:39 after some good work as Joe Nicoletti redirected the puck on the backhand on a rebound from Patrick Coyne, who threw the puck in front to tie the game again at 2-2.
Franklin Regional outshot GCC in the third, but the Centarians would have the period’s first chance but James Orr stopped Evan George at 9:32, who was in alone from point blank range. Central regained the lead 3-2 as Nick Vukmarowich scored on a bang bang play rebound of Alfonso Arevelo with 7:32 remaining in regulation. A Centarian mental mistake with too many men penalty on the ice with just 4:47 left and led to a power play goal as Franklin’s Joe Nicoletti tipped a Daniel Neal shot from between the circles on the ice past Ryan Homanics with 4:22 remaining to knot the score at 3-3.
Franklin went on the power play with 2:41 remaining and an opportunity to win the game, but GCC killed it. Then with just :07 left Alfonso Arevelo completed the hat trick beating James Orr with an overpowering slapshot on through the 5-hole sending the Centarians back to the finals for the 3rd time in 4 years with a heartstopping 4-3 victory over their former archrivals from Murrysville.
Semi-Finals –Norwin 5 Plum 4 [OT]
The Norwin Knights are a team, which could surprise many in 2006 and coach Dave Warren hopes to conserve his big guns to move a little bit further than last year’s play-in game for the Penguins Cup playoffs. Coach Warren’s squad returns Jimmy Recupero & David Ulicny and welcomes Jesse Kunkle and Phil Gigliotti to compliment a now experienced group of players. The Knights have been impressive with wins over Kiski, Latrobe and Penn Trafford thus far in the tournament and a loss to Franklin Regional to capture the # 1 seed in the Gray Division and a spot in Semis for the first time in a long time for Norwin Hockey.
Plum on the other hand is still in training of a young corps of defense and some relatively new players up front. Former Mustang and Head Coach Shaun Keller knows that time is on his team’s side as the more experience his young players get in the pre-season, the better his team will be down the stretch toward the playoffs. A 7-1 thumping at the hands of North Allegheny in the St Margaret’s Fall Face-Off semi-finals was a tough loss to stomach for some Mustangs faithful, but Plum was right back on the horse in the GCC Semi-Finals with a 3-1 preliminary round finish with the only blemish coming at the hands of awaiting finalist Greensburg CC 2-0 in the 2nd game of the tournament.
A festive crowd including the Plum Cow Bells and the Norwin students and faithful on hand for the second semi-final as Norwin and Plum squared off with the winner getting a date with GCC in Thursday’s final. Plum opened the scoring at
10:11 of the first period as David Humphries scored on the rebound of Jon Smith for a 1-0 advantage. The first period was evenly contested and shots were five apiece. The Mustangs had a great chance to extend 2:52 Norwin goaltender stopped Matt Giunta
on a breakaway .
Giunta would have another breakaway at 10:39 of the second but was hauled down resulting in a penalty shot and a rare 3rd breakaway early in the middle period. The speedy Plum forward tried to deke on the forehand but the Norwin goaltender Mike Pochan was equal to the task keeping the score 1-0. The Knights used the momentum from their goaltender and struck quickly as Mike Ulicny blasted a slapshot over the shoulder of John Bronder at 6:45 to tie the score at one apiece. Just six seconds later Adam Ference got an early Christmas present as Jimmy Recupero set him up for a tap-in to give Norwin a 2-1, which they took to the third.
Plum kept up the pressure on Norwin and kept pouring the shots on Mike Pochan and finally at 9:57 the Mustangs cracked the safe as 9:57 as Matt Giunta found the puck on a loose scramble in front on a Jon Smith rebound to tie the game at two apiece. With 8:39 remaining Andy Weston walked between the circles and buried a wrist shot down on the ice through the 5-hole to give the Mustangs the lead 3-2. Moments later, the Knights poured on some pressure of their own, but John Bronder was able to cover the loose puck with 8:14 remaining. Plum was now looking to go up by two, but Jon Smith was stoned by Pochan and Giunta just missed with a little over 6 ½ left. Then with 5:32, the Knights gained the equalizer as welcome transplant via New York Phil Gigliotti buried a wrist shot upstairs on the shortside over the shoulder of John Bronder to tie the score at 3-3. Norwin would have the opportunity on the power play to win it with 3:58 to play in regulation as they went on the power play. Jimmy Recupero just missed with 3:15 over the net and Plum came right back just seconds later as Jon Smith used great speed and puck protection and after being hauled down slipped the puck past Pochan to give the Mustangs a shorthanded goal and a 4-3 lead with 2:54 left. Norwin still had power play time left and with 2:28 remaining, Jimmy Recupero scored from on the doorstep to tie the game at 4-4. Knight keeper Pochan stopped Ben Colsomo and Smith on consecutive chances with a little over two minutes to go and the game remained tied into overtime with Plum outshooting Norwin 32-15 through three periods.
With 2:52 remaining in OT Andy Weston got behind the Norwin defense and was unable to beat Pochan. Weston had a chance with 1 ½ left and Pochan sprawled out to make save # 29 on the night. Norwin went on the power ply with 1:22 remaining and Jimmy Recupero delivered 13 seconds later taking a cross ice pass from Mike Ulicny and burying a wrist shot upstairs over John Bronder at 1:09 for a power play goal, a heartstopping win and sending the Knights to the finals of the GCC Invitational to face Greensburg CC.
