Baldwin Highlanders - 1975 & 1988 AAA

INDIANA ~ Pine Richland pulled of an upset late in the 2002-2003 season over Thomas Jefferson in a game involving many of the players who traveled to and suited up against Indiana last evening. Coach Jimmy Black wasn’t even around to see it, but ever the student of Pa Hockey, probably knew about the young talent for the Rams. PR has showed that talent early on in the 2003-2004 season and under the direction of Black are going to be a very interesting team heading down the stretch and into the playoffs. What strikes this writer is the many players who seem to be on the verge of really breaking through, but as Black and his young Pine Richland squad found out in a 7-1 pasting in the Central Catholic Invitational, is that it can fall that much harder if you don’t come to play every night or in Meadville’s case every shift. Pine Richland is striving for the consistency that drive coaches nuts and is the mark of a contender. Indiana knows all about that animal, as a group of Seniors two years removed from a Penguin Cup appearance has been at it for three years and has done a pretty good job of being consistent. Coach Dom Glavech has it down to a science and must go through a pre-game ritual every time he chooses goaltenders and this night he would turn to the veteran Mike Mentch, who at times over the past three seasons has turned in some brilliant performances and others not so brilliant. The other intangible is that the Indians will need to get goal scoring in a timely fashion in big games, which they failed to do in close loses to # 2 Kittanning last week and # 1 Thomas Jefferson the week before. Maybe a little desperation and the fact that an Indiana loss would put the Indians two games behind Pine Richland, Kittanning and Thomas Jefferson, in the race for the top spot in Class AA. In the playoff scheme, this was a must win situation for Indiana in early December. A feeling out process took place in the first period at the HOKS [House of King Samuel] as the Kittanning braintrust and players looked on in eager anticipation to see who their divisional nemesis for 2003-2004 would be. Although the shots were 6-6, Indiana had the bnest chance of the opening period as Michael Nesper flew past the PR defense and in alone on Dan Gazzo, who came up with a brilliant pad save getting his toe on the deke by the speedy Indiana forward. The period ended in a scoreless 0-0 deadlock. The play opened up in the 2nd period, as Pine Richland’s John Phillips had a great opportunity at 13:09, which was turned aside by Mentch. If their was a defining point of this game it came at 11:45 as Michael Jack put a punishing hit on Ram star Ryan Tessmer and rather than trying to put him in the refreshment stand, Jack [using skills from Football at HIS like a great linebacker] separated Tessmer from the puck, which found its way to the stick of Corey Mills, who walked to the net and put a backhand on Gazzo who stopped him but could not control the rebound, which Jack found and deposited into the net for a 1-0 Indiana lead at 11:45. This play seemed to charge the Indians and turn the tables on Pine Richland, who had several chances after getting by the Indiana defense, but did not capitalize. The Rams were a little sloppy in clearing rebounds at 6:27 and Zach Diamond made them pay as the big forward cleaned up a Mike Nesper rebound and poked home a second chance rebound to make it 2-0. Less than a minute later, Mike Hart threw a seemingly harmless shot from the right point, which Gazzo did not control and Jason Boske found and buried to make it 3-0 Indians. Black had seen enough and pulled Gazzo, to try to provide a spark for Pine Richland, in favor of Tom Zajak. That maneuvered seem to work as PR came on late in the second, but Michael Mentch was equal to the task stopping Jordan Younklin at 3:35 with a great glove save, followed it with a nice stop on Adam Fodor at the 2 minute mark and robbed Tom DiDinato with another glove save with just :37 left to take a 3-0 advantage to the locker room. On to third period and the Rams continued to pressure Indiana and finally Jordan Younklin put his team on the board beating Mentch to the stick side at 8:54giving Pine Richland new life. Not so fast Rams, said Zach Diamond as just 11 seconds later the power forward for Indiana walked off the near boards and right to the net and buried a wrist shot over the glove side of Zajak and took the starch right out of Pine Richland 4-1. While PR was still reeling, the next shift Nesper and Diamond combined again as Diamond fed a great pass to Nesper, who walked down the slot and beat Zajak at 3:55 for a 5-1 Indiana lead. Pine Richland went on the power play and pulled the goalie in an attempt to score, but Zach Diamond found a loose puck and shot it 170 feet into the open pantry for his first career hat trick and a convincing 6-1 Indiana advantage at 3:55. Mike Mentch sealed the stopping 9 of 10 in the third, including a blistering slapshot by Ryan Tessmer for a 6-1 victory at the Indiana Ice Center.