Butler Toronadoes

KITTANNING – Back in week 8, coach Craig Clontz’s Hampton club 3-6-0 and looked ready to mail the season in and miss the playoffs for the first time in a few years. The Talbots have turned their season around with six wins in seven outings including big one goal victories over Indiana and West Allegheny. Hampton was looking to add division kig pin Kittanning to the trophy closet. Kittanning on the other hand is in a real battle with Thomas Jefferson, Peters Twp and Greensburg CC for the top spot in Class AA and the chain of events 24 hours earlier put head coach Jeff Smouse’s club in a must win situation. The Wildcats, who’s lineup looks more like a hospital than a hockey team, dropped a heartbreaker to division rival Pine Richland while Thomas Jefferson’s last second win at Indiana put the Jaguar’s a game ahead of the Wildcats. So the coach was not in his usual cheerful mood prior to the late game at the Belmont. Hampton came out smoking in the opening minutes with some aggressive play and Ben Daniels goal with 8:02 put the Talbots on top 1-0. Michael Mecurio tied the game at 5:21 as the big Kittanning forward continued his hot hand. John Bongiovanni put Hampton back on top with a backhander with just 1:33 left in the opening frame. With his team a little down after Hampton took a 2-1 lead, Mecurio scored a huge goal on a big slapshot with just :53 seconds left to tie the game at two apiece. On to the second and Hampton took the play to Kittanning as Matt Celin scored at 14:52 and again at 10:57 and all the sudden the Talbots had a 4-2 lead. Kittanning now had to dig down and got a big time play as Luke Heller made a terrific feed to budding superstar Eddie Germy who whipped shot past Brian Troiano and the Wildcats were back within one at 4-3 with 8:54 left in the middle period. The Kittanning dug down and started to outwork Hampton and their lunch pail specialist Wade Bowser, while falling down, slipped a shot past Troiano and the game was tied again at 4-4. The long trek to Kittanning’s marvelous locker room facility built by the boosters and players was a little easier as the sick and wounded followed behind to hear the rally cry in the ‘House of Smouse’ between periods and what ever was said really had an impact as the Wildcats hit the ice in the third and Eddie Germy provided the spark as he beat Troiano on a rebound 47 seconds into the final period on a rebound. Back and forth they went and Adam Toy made several key saves along the way as Kittanning clung to a slim one-goal advantage. With the Wildcats winding the clock down, Hampton was awarded a power play with :49 left and the Talbots pulled the goalie for an extra attacker and had several chances with scrambles around the Kittanning net but Toy and the Wildcat four of Justin Avi, Brandon Beatty, Joel Shriver and Michael Mecurio would not let the Hampton score and Kittanning held on for a HUGE victory setting up a big game next week with Indiana.