Freeport Yellow Jackets

MONROEVILLE ~ Upper St Clair has had a breakthrough season in some respects and a disappointing season in other respects. Kip Guenther’s club has proved it can compete with the best Class AAA has to offer in tying Bethel Park and Meadville and defeating Mt Lebanon and Franklin Regional. The flip side is some of the dreadful defeats to mediocre clubs, which have plagued the Panthers in the standings and comes with the territory associated with a young talented club, which has not fielded a full lineup consistently throughout the season. Penn Hills coach Lou Biancanello would like to have such problems as the once proud program has fallen on hard times of players who go to the school and will not suit up for the Indians or maybe it’s a sign of economics of a sport which is pricing out a lot of people in Interscholastic Hockey. One thing that PH can be proud of is the effort of those players who have suited up and given their best in an otherwise very trying 5-14-1 start. Upper St Clair came out in the first period and dominated the territorial play and this resulted in a Dan Duda goal at 12:14 and a 1-0 lead. Penn Hills answered two minutes later as Jay Gilardo’s slapshot beat Kyle Wolfey through the five hole on the ice. Then with 7:57 remaining, Pa hockey top 5 Freshman selection Kris McDonough’s wrist shot from the right point found its way through traffic and past Kyle Bolte for a 2-1 Panther lead. Penn Hills scored a huge goal with just :02 left in the opening period as Ryan Jones scored to tie the game at two apiece. With USC on the power play early in the second, Jones was in behind the Panther defense and undressed Wolfley on the forehand at 11:59 for a shorthanded goal and a surprising 3-2 Penn Hills lead. After killing off a 5 on 3 shorthanded situation, Upper St Clair used that momentum to mount a charge as McDonough scored with 4:21 left in the 2nd and Ian Joyce put the Panthers ahead on a power play goal with 2:25 remaining. Back came the Indians and Jones completed the hat trick on a third assist from linemate Jay Gilardo and the game was tied again 4-4. On to the third and Jones was now possessed to make this his and the Indians game as the talented sophomore made USC look defenseless on the rebound at 13:13 and PH was back in front 5-4. The Panthers came back as Joyce picked up his second goal on a great shorthanded effort at 10:20 and the game was tied again 5-5. Just when USC looked as if it was gaining momentum and an advantage in the play, Jones struck for # 5 coming out of nowhere to poke a Gilardo feed past the outstretched Wolfley and give the Indians a 6-5 lead with 7:38 remaining. Jay Gilardo added an insurance goal with 2:49 left and Kyle Bolte shut out USC the rest of the way as the Panthers pelted the Penn Hills goaltender with rubber in the games final few minutes making the final count 7-5 in favor of Penn Hills.