Seneca Valley Raiders

Upper St Clair 3 Plum 1 CASTLE SHANNON – Plum has struggled this season with loss to graduation and lack of numbers to replace the key components after a very good 2004- 2005 campaign. The Mustangs need to gain every point possible to possibly grab the 12th and final playoff spot in March. Plum has earned a playoff berth 8 out of the past ten seasons including the 1997 and 1998 seasons when Head Coach Sean Keller and a fellow by the name of R.J. Umberger donned the Purple, Gold and White before moving onto Ohio State and now plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League. The club will retire Umberger’s jersey toward the end of this season as R.J. will come back to see his alma mater play, which may be an inspiration to the young Mustangs. Upper St Clair has the only other player in the National Hockey League from Western Pennsylvania in Ryan Malone who plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins who has his number 12 retired and now hangs at the Ice Castle. For the Panthers, there is another number that is in front of them, which will place the USC program # 1 in Regular Season and Western Pennsylvania playoff wins as the first program to reach 500 wins. USC currently stands at 498 and with a win against Plum and Butler next week will be the 1st program to accomplish this feat. Kittanning at 496 wins is running a close second, but it appears the Panthers, who started play in 1971 at the Alpine Ice Chalet will do it. After a scoreless opening period, USC opened the scoring as Tucker Green scored on a partial break with 12:28. Back came the Mustangs at 11:40 to tie the game as Matt Giunta ??? scored picking up a loose puck in front and beat Kevin Gorder with 11 ½ left . The Panthers went on the power play at the midway point of the 2nd period and Davey Crockett won the faceoff and scored on his own rebound at 6:51, beating John Bronder on a rebound to give St Clair a 2-1 lead. Just 32 seconds later, the Panthers scored again as Jono Lohman beat Bronder high over the glove hand side to make it 3-1. The third period began and after fear of no backup power of the Bat Computer and the Bat Phone, it was Ralph and not Alf, but the Terminator to the rescue with an extension cord to keep our Game Summary rolling on. Upper St Clair maintained the pressure in the third period, keeping the puck in the Mustangs end trying to score and put the game on ice. The Panthers were able to kill the clock and pick up win # 499 setting up an opportunity next Monday night on Senior Recognition night to win the 500th game in Upper St Clair history.

Quaker Valley 5 Bishop McCort 0 Coraopolis – Landscape of Class A hockey in Western Pennsylvania is so predictable due to the haves and have not’s that anyone who believes two of threesome of Serra Catholic, Quaker Valley and defending State Finalist Bishop McCort are not going to play for the Class A Penguins Cup on March 25th should have their head examined. With the Crimson Crushers and Serra dominating the Class A circuit winning 9 out of the last 11 Championships, there is no question both teams intend to be there. Quaker Valley has been knocking at the door the past few seasons and has displayed the depth necessary to win it all, but coach Kevin Quinn’s teams have fallen short, but this year has been different as the Quakers are on a mission. McCort features a balanced attack with three strong lines and good team defense and goaltending, while QV has a few marquee players to compliment a scrappy group of seasoned players along with the goaltending of Zac Zinger, who has come a long way since last season. A very important seeding game, especially for McCort as both teams are tied in the loss column with Serra with one setting up the February match-ups amongst all three # 1 seed contenders, which will ultimately decide who will have a clear path to the 2006 Penguins Cup finals. So before a packed house at the Airport Ice Arena Bishop McCort and Quaker Valley locked horns. The Quakers opened the scoring early in the 1st period as George Jackson scored to give QV a 1-0 lead. At 3:16 of the opening period, after some hard work by Tim Hall, the speedy winger found the loose puck in a McCort defenders feet, plucked it and found a wide open Colin South, who made no mistake firing a snapshot low on the glove side of Brent Troyan for a 1-0 Quaker Valley lead. Things got worse before they got better for the Crimson Crushers as they took two late penalties in the opening period giving QV a 5 on 3 advantage for over a minute. At 14:12 of the second, the Quakers made them pay for taking penalties as Colin South buried another shot from the right faceoff circle past Troyan to make the count 3-0. McCort had their 1st chance on the power play at 11:37, but did not mount much pressure on Zac Zinger and took a penalty, putting the Quakers back on the power play. With 11 ½ left in the 2nd , which BM killed. The Crushers had a golden opportunity to get back in the game at 9:35 as QV was whistled with a double minor. Colin South had a great chance to score the hat trick at 6:46 shorthanded, but Troyan made a real nice save to keep his team in the game. McCort started to build momentum of the power play and the Troyan save and got yet another chance on the power play at 5:39 and QV still leading 3-0. Then the backbreaker came at 4:30 as Tim Hall stole the puck and scored shorthanded to give the Quakers a 4-0 advantage. Another McCort power play at 3:46 and Zac Zinger made the save at 3:32 on the rebound on a shot that went off the post and fell right into his glove. The Crimson Crushers lost their composure and took a bad penalty and Mikail Lemieux made them pay beating Troyan through the 5-hole to make it 5-0. The third period was pretty much a white wash as McCort looked defeated and Quaker Valley was looking to kill time off the clock, protect Zac Zinger’s shutout and collect their victory and a big win in the seeding position heading to February. The Quakers would hold on as planned for a 5-0 victory moving them in a tie with Serra with only one loss and setting up a winner take all game on Monday February 13th.

As we draw closer to the Penguins Cup playoffs, its great to recognize the accomplishments of some outstanding hockey programs and their rich history. Winning a division title is the first step to moving on and challenging for the Penguins Cup and the ultimate Interscholastic Hockey prize, a State Championship at Class AAA, AA & A. So while our villan friends are busy with schedule changes mounting in the hundreds and too busy to even think about let alone send one of their people to present the Division Championship trophies as they happen. Good Ole Pa Hockey is here to keep track of these items, which are very important accomplishments. CLASS A Bishop McCort Crimson Crushers clinched 7th PIHL Division title in a row [in 7 years] & 12th in 13 years overall including play in the WPIHL dating back to 1994. One of Western Pennsylvania's top programs and always a contender for the Penguins Cup and State Championship. Congratulations to Head Coach John Bradley and Bishop McCort ! Quaker Valley clinched their 5th consecutive Division title in a row and is once again looking to advance to their first Penguins Cup Championship. Congratulations to Head Coach Kevin Quinn and the Quaker Valley Quakers. Serra Catholic clinched their 7th Division Title in as many years and looks to recapture the Penguins Cup that eluded them a year ago. Congratulations to the Serra Catholic Eagles ! Westmont Hilltop captured their 2nd consecutive Division title and we would like to congratulate 'King' Arthur McQuillan and the Mighty Hilltoppers on their championship ! CLASS AA Pine Richland Rams win 9th Division Crown in 12 years of PIHL/WPIHL play including 5 out of the past 7 years of PIHL play. This program dates back to 1972 and won three straight division titles three different times [1973-1975 AAA + 1995-1997 A + 1999-2002 with 4 in a row] and picked up their 2nd consecutive in a new streak. Congratulations to coach Jimmy Black and Pine Richland ! West Allegheny notched its first division title since 1996 under the direction of Norm Cook and we would like to congratulate the West Allegheny Indians on their Division title. Kittanning netted its 3rd division championship in 4 years and 12th overall in its history in a tight race down to the final week of the season. Congratulations to Jon Yackmack and the Wildcats ! Canon McMillan wrapped up their second consecutive division title on the final day of the regular season and we would like to congratulate the 'Boy Wonder' Dave Fryer, the Big Macs team and the always 'Concerned Citizens of Canon McMillan' CLASS AAA Mt Lebanon clinched their 2nd Division title in 3 years and has been Western Pennsylvania's best team in the 2005-2006 season at any level and is Western Pa's only undefeated teams with a remarkable 12 shutouts this season. Congratulations to Head Coach Paul Taibi and the Mt Lebanon Blue Devils Meadville clinched 4th Division title in the past 5 years and looks to return to the Penguins Cup for the first time since 2004. Head Coach Jamie Plunkett captured his 700th coaching victory in 20 seasons at the helm. Congratulations to Head Coach Jamie Plunkett and the Meadville Bulldogs. Penn Trafford captured their 3rd consecutive Division title in 2005-06 and looks to advance into the Final 4 in the Penguins Cup for the first time. Congratulations to Head Coach Todd Purvis and the Penn Trafford Warriors. North Allegheny captured their 2nd consecutive Division title under the direction of Head Coach Tom Pandolfo and looks to return to the Penguins Cup. Congratulations to the North Allegheny Tigers ! OPEN DIVISION Carrick won the Open Division South Crown this season and we would like to congratulate Head Coach Chris Chusiano and Carrick on their accomplishment ! Wheeling Park captured the Open Division West title and we would like to congratulate Head Coach Jim Tecca and the Wheeling Park Patriots ! State College clinched its first division crown since joining the PIHL and we would like to congratulate the Icers on winning the Open East title. Kiski captured its first ever division title in 2006 and congrats go out to coach Jeff Horvath and the Cavaliers The following schools have clinched playoff berths in the upcoming Penguins Cup playoffs: Class AAA MT LEBANON - NORTH ALLEGHENY - MEADVILLE - BETHEL PARK - PENN-TRAFFORD - UPPER ST CLAIR - FOX CHAPEL - CENTRAL CATHOLIC - FRANKLIN REGIONAL - MCDOWELL - NORTH HILLS Class AA WEST ALLEGHENY - PINE-RICHLAND - MONTOUR - PETERS TOWNSHIP - CANEVIN - GREENSBURG C C - THOMAS JEFFERSON - KITTANNING - CANON MCMILLAN - LATROBE - MOON Class A QUAKER VALLEY - SERRA CATHOLIC - BISHOP MCCORT - SEWICKLEY ACADEMY - FREEPORT - MARS - WESTMONT HILLTOP - FOREST HILLS

Canevin 5 Thomas Jefferson 2 Mt Lebanon – Canevin entered this evenings contest with an 8-3-2 record and coming off an alarming 7-1 beating at the hands of Indiana last Wednesday. Brian Henderson’s squad has been a pleasant surprise in Class AA in the 05-06 season and currently is tied with Thomas Jefferson 9-4-0 for the # 5 seed in the overall standings. Don Powell’s club is currently engaged in a battle for the South Division with Peters Township and Canon McMillan, who is in striking distance of both teams. For many of these players on both squads, this is a game which has standings significance and seeding significance. For those of us, who have been around a few years, like for instance Coach Powell and maybe Canevin Prez Kenny Vance, we all can point to the mid-1990’s through early 21st century when a Crusader-Jaguar matchup would fill the Mt Lebanon Rec Center. So if you are a TJ fan, you have fond memories of the 1998 regular season finale in which the Jaguars defeated Canevin to knock the Crusaders from the final playoff spot and propel Thomas Jefferson to their first ever State Championship. Or possibly in 1999, when undefeated Thomas Jefferson lost their only game of the season in the Pa Hockey Scholastic Showcase Director’s Cup to Canevin 5-2 or maybe, just maybe the 2000 Penguins Cup Final in Erie, when John Zeiler and Brian Hartman combined for a goal in the game final minute to rip the hearts out of the Canevin faithful and the Jaguars went on to their 3rd straight Class AA title. Needless to say there is no love lost in this storied rivalry. Canevin came out smoking in the opening minutes of the contest, but was unable to score early on. With 6:07 remaining in the 1st, Josh Daley was in alone and beat Jeffrey Wojanovich on the forehand to give his team a 1-0 lead. Less than a minute later, on a weird play around the TJ net at 5:16, Zach Haluzchak’s shot handcuffed the Thomas Jefferson goaltender and founded its way into the net for a 2-0 lead. The Crusaders added to their lead on the power play with just 1:13 remaining in the opening period as Jason Rogerio picked up a rebound goal to give Canevin a 3-0 lead after one period. At 10:18 of the 2nd, Rogerio picked up his second goal of the night as he walked out of the far corner and beat Woyjanovich over the glove hand to make it 4-0. TJ got on the board at 8:04 as Ian Connelly tipped a Matt Z shot from left circle to cut the Crusader lead to 4-1. The Jaguars went on the power play with 6:10 to go with an opportunity to cut the lead further and that’s exactly what happened as Brock Heinauer lit the lamp with a little under 4 minutes to go and plenty of time for TJ in a 4-2 game. The game remained 4-2 until with 5:44 remaining in the 3rd, TJ went on the power play and Joey Zemanski and the Canevin penalty killing unit was able to kill off the penalty. With 2:04 remaining, the Jaguars would have another chance on the power play. TJ pressured and pull the goalie and Zach Haluzchak, stripped the Jaguar point man of the puck and raced 120 feet and deposited the puck into an empty net for a 5-2 Crusader victory in a very important seeding game in Class AA.

Western Pennsylvania ALL-STAR Games Saturday January 28th 2006 Valley Sports Complex - New Kensington Class A - Southwest Conference A 9 Northeast Conference A 2 HIGHLIGHTS: Freeport's Patrick Spangler scores the hat trick and Sewickley's Scott Limbach adds 4 assists in a rout. Freeport's Beau Zack with two goals and Serra's Steven Gruhalla, Quaker Valley's Breton McNamara and Mars Mike Kenitz also score for the SW. Forest Hills Andrew Judy and Conemaugh Valley's Craig Yingling score for the NE. Class AA - Southwest Conference AA 6 Northeast Conference AA 5 HIGHLIGHTS: Moon's Chris Simoni scores a pair and Montour's Zach Perry, South Park's Matt Nichol and Matt Miley and Peters Township's Dustin Roux score for the SW. Kittanning's Justin Kovatch, GCC's Alfosno Arevalo, Latrobe's Miles Ritenour and Pine Richland's JOsh Fodor and Jordan Yoklic score for the NE Class AAA - Northeast Conference AAA 1 Southwest Conference AAA 1 (OT) HIGHLIGHTS: Penn Trafford's Joel Sterniak, FC's Eric Thiessen and Shaler's Nick Bennardo combine to stop 47 of 48 shots in a 1-1 tie game. Mt Lebanon's Tyler 'the Terminator' Murovich and Norwin's Mike Ulicny trade goals in the opening period. Class Open - 6:30 PM - Northeast Conference Open 4 Southwest Conference Open 1 HIGHLIGHTS: Penn Hills Anthony Battista, State College's Kurt Collins, Kiski's Adam Bowman and Bishop Guilfoyle's Steffan Langguth score as the NE defeats the SW. This is an opportunity to see the Top 25 Players as selected by PA Hockey strut their stuff with 160 of the top players in Western Pennsylvania. The unfortunate part of these All-Star games is the the Penguins Hornets WILL NOT BE PARTICIPATING and again robbing these players an opportunity to represent their school for this High School event. While that continues to happen, a great story came out of these All-Star Games thanks to John 'Just call me Chief O'Hara' Eddy of Somerset and Mary Sullivan of Woodland Hills after numerous attempts with the Villans to work out a time change with the Joker Commissioner [who has changed over 100 games in the Regular Season Schedule] would not budge on the times of the All-Star Games to accomodate several Junior B and Junior C players who were selected and ARE NOW PARTICIPATING. The Amateur Penguins Organization, who I'll call 'Luke Warm' High School Friendly changed the times of their games at Harmarville to Saturday Night to make this a reality. When are people in Western Pennsylvania going to learn that there once was co-operation bewteen High School and Amateur......back when R.J. Umberger of Plum [Philadelphia Flyers], Ryan Malone of Upper St Clair [Pittsburgh Penguins], Martin Wilde of Forest Hills [Hershey Bears], J.B. Bittner of Seton LaSalle [Johnstown Chiefs], John Zeiler of Thomas Jefferson [St Lawrence], Kris Mayotte of Central Catholic [Union College], Bernie Chmiel of Central Catholic [Sacred Heaart], Mike Handza of Shaler [Denver University] And Louie Garritan of Seton LaSalle [Bemidji State] among many others, all played High School including All-Star Games and for the Midget AAA or Junior B teams. The result is that these players were able to use this competition and environment to excel and move on to play Division 1 hockey. Today's dilemma is a death struggle over kids cause by people, who frankly care more about lining their pockets rather than helping student athletes advance to the next level and reach higher educational and leadership roles. I know I sound like a broken record people, It's time for change......................the promises in April have just gotten worse and programs are dying ! UP NEXT: MY SOLUTION TO SAVE HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA INCLUDING THE WOEFUL CLASS A AND OPEN DIVISION.......STAY TUNED.........SAME BAT TIME ....SAME BAT CHANNEL