Freeport Yellow Jackets

Check out all the action on the Pa Hockey Network brought to by Bx Video as PA Hockey brings us on Demand Internet Television from Center Ice Arena ~ 2004 Pa Hockey Scholastic Showcase Semi-Finals between Bethel Park and Upper St Clair DELMONT ~ Everyone in Western Pennsylvania knows how explosive that Upper St Clair is on the offensive side and coach John Harford’s club ripped through their bracket whipping Gateway 8-1, Chartiers Valley 14-4 and Indiana 8-0 to gain the medal round of the 2004 Pa Hockey Scholastic Showcase. The Panthers are a very talented club who would be looking to put another notch on their belt against archrival Bethel Park. The Hawks entered the medal round after defeating Shaler 9-0, Thomas Jefferson 10-3 and Franklin Regional 4-2 to gain the medal round for the 2nd consecutive year. Coach Jim McVay’s club displayed their depth and was looking to shut down Upper St Clair’s scoring frenzy in the preliminary round. USC’s David Crockett would strike first at 11:46 beating Bryce Merriam with a wrist shot to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. Bethel Park answered at 5:58 of the 1st as Tim O’Brien scored after a nice feed from Ken Lehman to tie the game at one apiece. Upper St Clair would capitalize on rare sloppy play by the Bethel Park defense as Jono Lohman found a loose puck in Bryce Merriam’s feet and gave USC a 2-1 lead a 4:02. Coach Jim McVay replaced Merriam with Rick McLuckie and the Panthers didn’t waste any time baptizing the new BP goaltender as Mike Penkrot overpowered the Hawk goaltender with a blistering slapshot from the top of the circle just 6 seconds after Lohman’s goal to give USC a 3-1 lead with 3:56 left in the opening period. If their was a turning point of this hockey game it came midway through the second period when USC’s Andrew Blazek got loose behind the Bethel defense and ticketed a shot for the upper corner, but Bryce Merriam snatched the puck with the glove hand to keep the deficit at two goals for Bethel Park. The Hawks fed of their goaltenders big save and after some hard work by the 5 man BP unit, Graham Cohen scored from just in front at 2:50 to cut the USC advantage to 3-2. On to the third period and Bethel Park continued its siege on Panther goaltender Kevin Gorder, who face 31 Hawks shots on the evening. Tim O’Brien would score a beautiful goal at 13:35, as the lanky BP forward circled from behind the net and whistled a backhand upstairs over the glove of Gorder to tie the game and give the Hawks all the momentum. Bethel Park went on the power play at 10:40 and would take the lead at 10:07 as Michael Diethorn scored on an assist to Conner McLean and Ed Bendik. Bethel would add an insurance goal just 50 seconds later as Mike Poljak scored after a nice play by Ken Lehman, who picked up his 13th assist of the Showcase in just 4 games. The Hawks would shut down USC the rest of the way and move on to the Director’s Cup final for the 4th time in 6 years.