Moon Tigers

ROSTRAVER - One day after Bethel Park 2-1 victory in the 2001 Pennsylvania State Championship, Malvern Prep head coach John Graves made it known that his team had some unfinished business against the two time State Champion Bethel Park Blackhawks. So the Friars were on a mission as they won the ICSHL, the prestigous Meadville Bulldog Invitational and then capture their second consecutive Flyers Cup. There was something different about this Malvern Prep team and its was depth and more skill at more positions. Now coach Bethel Park coach Jim McVay, is the master of preparation and his 78-2-1 three year run would only be complete with a 3rd straight Pa State AAA title and Mort knew he had his hands full this year and so much that he travelled to Philly Thursday to take in a little Flyers Cup final action, to get a glimpse of the Friars. The first period was back and forth as Bethel Park and Malevrn Prep locked up in a classic dual of backchecking and tight defense which yielded only three shots. Then at 2:08, defenseman Dan Zabkar deep in the Malvern zone gathered the puck and threw it toward the net and it hit a skate in front and bounded past Max Sorenstrom to give Bethel a 1-0 lead. On to the second and Malvern Prep continued to pressure Bethel Park and had some excellent opportunities but could not beat Matt Feige. Feige stopped Mike Curran with a little over 7 minutes left in the middle frame and then stone Mike McMullen's backhand at 4:03 to keep the Hawks in the lead. The Friars outshot Bethel 9-8 in the period, but could not tie the score ad it was 1-0 Bethel Park after two periods. On to the third and Malvern went on the power play and Bethel Park responded with some terrific penalty killing. While Malvern was trying to tie it, Bethel was looking for the knockout so the next goal would be huge in this this see-saw affair. The game opened up and at 8:52 Tim Wochek of the Friars found himself alone high in the slot and a rebound on his stick and he blasted a slapshot headed for the upper corner, but Matt Feige made an unbelievable glove save to keep the 1-0 score. Malvern kept on coming, which prompted a Blackhawk timeout at 7:59, but shortly thereafter Jason Ferrell was in on a breakaway and Feige just got his leg out to make the stop at 6:49. The frustration was mounting for the Friars and an undisciplined penalty led to a Bethel Park power play. The Hawks best chance came with Tom Starkey on the back door but the puck bounced and the score remained 1-0 with 3 1/2 to go. Then the prayers were answered for the Friars as Will Averona's wrister from the right point was tipped by Brett Watson and snuck past Feige at 3:09 and the score was tied at 1-1. Then with the game in the balance, Malvern seemed to have the Hawks on the run and Luke Benner took a shot from the left point which Feige stopped, but this time Michael Curran found the rebound and backhanded it home to give the Friars and improbable turnaround and put them 1:58 away from that State Championship they were seeking. Rostraver is a funny place and has some history for some classic games, and for those of who have been following the sport a long time, we all remember the 'stick measurement' game in the 1998 Penguin Cup Semi-Finals between Thomas Jefferson and Pine Richland. BP coach Jim McVay was in attendance that evening and he invoked a rule with his Bethel Park team that they will never be caught with an illegal stick. Most of the store bought sticks that you find in rinks have illegal curves and Malvern was caught with one and assessed a two minute minor. People may say that McVay stretched the rules, but I believe it was a gutsy call because if he were wrong....then Bethel Park is a man short with less than two minutes to go and probably loses the State Championship. Bethel Park then gained the Malvern zone and feverishly worked the puck down low with Tom Starkey and Brandon Hanley providing the grit. The puck squirted to the front of the net and there was Tony Sands, who broke Malvern's back a year ago and he did it again beating Sorenstrom to tie the game with 1:34 remaining and sent it to overtime at 2-2. The shots at the end of regulation were 23-21 in favor of Malvern. In overtime, the Friars had a golden opportunity to win it at 7:36 when Phil McKeon tipped a shot from the point which hit the post and bounced right back to McKeon whose second chance hit the post and Bethel's Steve Preite, the kid who is the first Bethel Park player to every game usually and hour and a half before each game, saved a sure open net opportunity by sliding to save the day for the Hawks and clearing the puck into the corner. Now it was Bethel's chance and Tony Sands took a Dan Mackin pass but Sorenstrom made a great stop at 6:13. Back and forth they went and at 4:59 the puck came to the right point and C.J. Strauss took a long shot and a cutting Justin Glock got the tip of his stick on it and it found its way behind Sorenstrom and Bethel Park won its third straight Pennsylvania State Class AAA Championship. This game will go down as one of the greatest State Finals in the history of Pennsylvania Hockey as Bethel Park finished a perfect 27-0-0 becoming the 2nd school in State History to go undefeated, the other being the 1987 Upper St Clair team, which McVay was the goalie. For Malvern Prep, a tough loss for the second year in a row and they will talk about that final 1:58 they were away and the McKeon near miss and can only think how close they were to winning that elusive State Championship.