Freeport Yellow Jackets

ROSTARVER – Dave Stepanian finally has his full team together and when Serra defeated Blackhawk 5-0 in February, the Cougars were without Jake Polas and Erik Stedman, who were out with injuries. Blackhawk plays a very patient puck control game and it is very important to have two of your top guns in the lineup for a little BANG ! BANG ! While Blackhawk has had an outstanding season and opening playoff game against Deer Lakes, the Cougars are a work in progress as far as playoff experience goes, which could be a huge factor in facing the perennial playoff studs from Serra, who have pulled out their share of games in which they were outplayed but still came out on top. And if Blackhawk doesn’t believe me just ask Bishop McCort or Radnor or Springfield, who lost to Serra or Westmont who defeated them in last years Penguins Cup. Serra Catholic has been on an unfamiliar roll as off late, which led to two final game season losses to Sewickley Academy 4-3 and Wheeling Park 4-2. With John Mooney not coaching and Eddie Figas on the sidelines, the coaching reins where left to Tom Mooney. The Eagles could have very well packed it in against Blackhawk, but people who have been around Interscholastic Hockey know that the 3-time Pennsylvania Class A champions ‘never say die’ and have only a playoff loss to Westmont in last years Penguin Cup final over the past five years. Timmy Johnson has been the best goaltender in the state in the playoffs over the past four years and dreams of another matchup with his friends from Bishop McCort, which is exactly what will happen if the favorites advance in round two of the 2004 Penguins Cup playoffs. The opening minutes of this playoff game at the Rostraver Ice Garden was fast paced with good flow and featured two of the best goaltenders in Western Pennsylvania. Both teams had an opportunity on the power play in the opening 10 minutes, but it was Serra who capitalized as Joey Manning blasted a slapshot from the right point high over the glove hand of John Fitzgerald at 6:05 for a 1-0 Eagle lead. A poor show of discipline put the Cougars in the box at 4:08 of the opening period and Serra made Blackhawk pay as Josh Jones took a nice cross-ice pass from Justin Lubasch and buried it high upstairs past Fitzgerald at 3:30 and Serra was having it all their way 2-0 and 12-8 in shots. On to the second and Blackhawk went on the power play at 10:18 on a very controversial interference call at 10:08. The Cougars picked up their game to an unreal level pounding Timmy Johnson and the Serra defense with 22 shots in the 2nd period. Johnson made at least a half dozen incredible saves including on Travis Stoll, who was in all alone at 10:05, Jake Polas, three times, on a great glove save at 9:56 and again on a rebound ticketed for the upper corner at 9:56 and finally on another rebound at 9:49. It looked like Blackhawk was never gonna score at this point and Johnson was on fire. At 8:47 Sam Kristan held the puck for seemed like eternity at the left point and patiently waited for his players to get open in front, the Cougar defensemen unleashed a wicked snapshot which Johnson saved but could not control the rebound and Matt Stepanian pounced on the rebound and beat Johnson to put Blackhawk on the board with 8:47 remaining in the period. The Cougars were on a roll and pressing to tie the game, but Johnson came out of nowhere to make a brilliant sliding save on Stepanian, who took a great feed from Eric Stedman at 5:03 and another great save just getting his leg on the snake bitten Jake Polas’ shot at 2:09. Eric Stedman would not be denied as the quick Cougar forward scored on a wraparound at 1:44 to tie the game at two apiece. Blackhawk had finally tied the game and had expended so much energy trying to beat Johnson, you just knew Serra would have their chances and it almost happened with just 50 seconds remaining, but John Fitzgerald made a terrific leg save on Ray Gillis and the teams went to the locker room tied at 2-2. Rather than attacking both teams went into a lull early in the third period and played very conservatively. This would bode well for Serra Catholic, who had a short bench and not very much momentum, but has the playoff experience to know it only takes one break or one shot or a bad penalty to win a close hockey game, putting them in the drivers seat against a Blackhawk team, who last played a game of significance in the Penguins Cup playoffs back in 1996 against West Allegheny in the Penguins Cup playoffs. Serra Catholic would deliver the big blow from Philip Ivkovich, who found himself alone in front with John Fitzgerald on his wallet and all day to shoot it. The Serra forward watched as the Blackhawk goaltender squirmed to try to recover and buried a wrist shot just inside the post for a huge goal at 8:21 of the final period and a 3-2 lead. Blackhawk had to be demoralized at this point, but was given an opportunity on the power plat at 8:04, but never got established in the Serra zone due to some great penalty killing from Ray Gillis, Joey Manning and Ryan Noone. All Serra had to do was show some discipline and get the puck deep into the Cougar zone and this is a trademark of what John Mooney [along Tom Mooney and Eddie Figas] have tried to establish in a very disciplined program when the cads are on the table in playoff games and unfortunately John Mooney was unable to relay and the reason he left the program. Well, its funny that with 2:15 remaining Serra would take a very undisciplined penalty with a slash from a veteran player and put the game in the balance and Blackhawk on the power play with 2:15 remaining. The Cougars had new life and were able to get set up in the Eagle zone and it would all come down to Jake Polas, who had been robbed on several occasions in the 2nd period and Timmy Johnson, the goaltender who is ‘Al Davis on skates’ and says ‘just win baby’…. With 52 ticks left on the clock, Polas was alone in front and Johnson just absolutely robbed him and that’s how close it is in the playoffs because if Polas scores, I think Blackhawk may have won it in overtime. But those Eagles, they just keep finding the way and when Justin Lubasch scored into the empty net with 3 seconds left making it 4-2, it was a little reminder to the teams in Class A that the Penguins Cup still goes through Serra Catholic.