Butler Toronadoes

2006 Penguins Cup AAA Final – Mt Lebanon 3 North Allegheny 1 PITTSBURGH – History is sometimes a cruel reminder of what has transpired over the past 30 + years of the Penguins Cup and for North Allegheny (21-3-0) and Mt Lebanon (24-0-0), it must feel a little awkward to not facing either Bethel Park or Meadville, who are now both out of the playoffs and for the first time since 1988 are not participants in the Penguins Cup final, when Baldwin defeated Shadyside Academy, which is many moons ago and prior to all of the players participating in today’s game being born. In fact, since the Blue Devils and Tigers were directly responsible for ousting each of those long time powerhouses during the Penguins Cup semi-finals last week, both North Allegheny and Mt Lebanon can now chase the void in each of their programs, a AAA State Championship against the 2006 Flyers Cup champions Cardinal O’Hara, a 6-3 winner over Germantown Academy in the 2006 Flyers Cup championship. To be a part of the process is what Paul Taibi’s Blue Devils and Mike Schenk’s Tigers have long awaited an opportunity for and for North Allegheny, a return to the stage where a year ago the Penguins Cup was well within graspe, but slipped out courtesy of a 1-0 Bethel Park victory in one of the better Penguins Cup AAA game in recent memory. For Mt Lebanon, it has been since 1976 when the Blue Devils defeated the aforementioned 2006 Flyers Cup champions Cardinal O’Hara and Haverford High [coincidentally the 2006 AA State Finalist and the 2006 Flyers Cup champs] on their way to their only State Championship exactly 30 years ago defeating Churchill 4-2 at this same Civic Arena. The coach of that 1976 team Mickey McDermott’s has followed the plight of this team and its 24 straight victories to this point and would probably advise current coach Paul Taibi that it will take two more victories that will probably be two of the toughest for the Blue Devils for Mt Lebanon to capture that elusive title. Many of the members of this team, who lost to Malvern Prep in 2004, probably remember the heartache of that game, which is shared by many of the North Allegheny Tigers from a year ago. North Allegheny would get an opportunity on the power play at the ten minute mark And they struck first as Joe Camut backhanded an Ian McGlumphy rebound past Matt Vaughn at 8:21 to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Lebo 66 then showed up in time for the Blue Devils as James Cichra took the puck from his own end and beat the NA defense with speed and slipped a wrist shot just inside the far post to tie the game at one apiece with 5:07 left in the opening period. On to the second period and North Allegheny and Mt Lebanon engaged in a defensive battle as the Blue Devils turned up the heat and Max Richards continued to find the puck. With 5:10 to go in the 2nd, Matt Lancaster got behind the Lebo defense, but Matt Vaughn came up big holding his ground. The Tigers went on the power play with 4:44 remaining and a golden opportunity to swing momentum and take the lead, but this game would remain tied and head to the ice cut. The third period started with a flurry of activity in the NA end and the Tigers continued t0 survive as the shots read 18-6 in favor of the Blue Devils. At 12:42 Shane Ferguson was hauled down and the ever dangerous Blue Devils would go on the power play and with 11:32 remaining the puck lay on the goal line and Paul Dittrich was able to save the day and no goal for the Blue Devils. Josh Mandic walked down the slot with 10:45 remaining and Max Richards made the save and NA killed it off. And then a ghost from Lebo’s past swooped down out of the heavens with 7:32 remaining and got enough stick on the puck to poke it past Max Richards as Sean McDermott scored a huge goal to put Mt Lebanon on top 2-1. With 6:50 to play, the Tigers got a fortunate call putting them on the power play to hopefully build on the meager 6 shots registered through 2 ½ periods. Matt Vaughn stopped Alan Halapin at 6:20 and made it look easy and then Wes Waldschmidt and Matt Lancaster on the rebound moments later. With 5:00 to go in regulation, the Blue Devils went on the power play with a chance to put this one out of reach and some great passing we have become accustomed to with the Blue Devils as Brandon Dornish took a beautiful feed from Shane Ferguson with 4:21 remaining to put Lebo 100 up 3-1 with not much time left for the Tigers. Alan Halapin, who has tasted Penguins Cup disappointment in three consecutive seasons [two with NA and one with Indiana] as he headed to the penalty box as Mt Lebanon was now in control of the 2006 Penguins Cup and on their way to face Cardinal O’Hara in the State Finals at RMU Island Sports Center on April 8th.