Baldwin Highlanders - 1975 & 1988 AAA

JOHNSTOWN – Ah the War Memorial and might I add the beautifully refurbished Cambria County War Memorial and home to the Chiefs of Johnstown and ‘Old tyme hockey’ and of course, home to the 5-time Pennsylvania Class State Champions Bishop McCort Crimson Crushers, who have had their State Championship banners removed from the rafters of the War Memorial and now are posters tacked up on the wall in the lobby near the locker rooms. Maybe this is a statement of where High School Hockey is right now and that is in the lobby! So in the road less traveled this mighty story brings us back to the Rostraver Ice Garden for the 2002 Penguins Cup Semi-Final game between Serra Catholic and Freeport and the story of Nick DeCroo [Which is coincidentally, the year after I left as President of the PIHL because I saw what many of you are seeing right now, which is the dismantling of High School Hockey by the now current administration]. As a freshman, DeCroo had scored 40 + goals that season for the Yellow Jackets and led them to the promised land with a 15-5 regular season record and two playoff victories over Deer Lakes and Quaker Valley and now had a possible shot at a State Championship for a Freeport program that had never been anywhere. As the story continues, Freeport got the shaft that night at Rostraver as DeCroo, who took less than a dozen penalties all season, was whistled for four, by a ridiculous display of partial refereeing that will never be equaled and to this day was influenced heavily by members within the PIHL Brass who had ties to Serra Catholic. The result was the ice being showered with debris by the distraught Freeport fans, a few punches thrown and connected and cries of foul rung throughout Western Pennsylvania about this ugly display of sticking it to one team by officials. In fact I was threatened [and I have witnesses to attest to this] for my Game Summary by a Penguins Cup playoff committee member for my candid account of the game and I invited that person to take a shot because I would taken care of him after his first and last punch. What does this have to do with Quaker Valley and Freeport? Well, waiting in the lobby that night was good old Mr Haney, with contract in hand, in the form of a Hornets coach and for Mr Decroo, ‘Today was his lucky day!”. Why would DeCroo want to play for Freeport and enjoy his friends he grew up with and play in front of big crowds at the Belmont and possibly lead Freeport to glory, when he could come drink some ‘Kool-Aid’ and play for the Hornets. So DeCroo said goodbye to the Yellow Jackets and played 2 ½ seasons for the Hornets Midget AAA and was headed for Junior A and Division I hockey at maybe Ohio State or wherever? From reports to sources close to Pa Hockey, it is now my understanding that earlier this year didn’t make the cut at Junior A and when he was asked to return to the Hornets he supposedly declined. So this player is now ‘Road-Kill’ and he went from Freeport to the Midget AAA Hornets to Junior A to home and is possibly considering going to school maybe at Duquesne, with his old teammate Mike Bender, who stayed at Freeport and is now in year two at Duquesne. So like Jim Fuhs and Luke DeLorenzo and Matt Quigley before and after him he drank the Kool-Aid and Mr Haney got him! So DeCroo, now a would-be senior at Freeport is at a crossroads…. can he return to Freeport, who is now 7-2-0? I don’t know? This story continues as I am sitting with Mike Mastovich of the Johnstown Tribune Democrat to cover a very big hockey game between Pa Hockey # 2 ranked Quaker Valley [8-1-1] and # 4 ranked Bishop McCort [8-3-0] and before we could settle into our seats, I feel a tap on my shoulder and its Joe Delic, who played four years for the Crimson Crushers and led them to 3 Penguins Cup finals, which they could not beat then and still Class A power Serra Catholic. Joe mentioned that he is attending of all places, Duquense University and now that he has his studies underway is thinking about playing hockey at Duquesne for my old buddy Tim Bosack, who Joe and I have competed against in the Keystone State games over the past few years and is doing an outstanding job with in ACHA Division I and I recommend kids to explore if they are looking to play competitive hockey in college and want to attend a great institution. So I called Tim last night and will speak to him today about Joe and his aspirations and wouldn’t be ironic if Delic reunites with Keystone linemate Mike Bender and possibly Nick DeCroo. So Joe was taking his time off from school to watch his younger brother Justin and his Crimson Crusher teammates take on a high powered Quaker Valley team, which is in my opinion the best team in Class A in Pennsylvania behind Serra Catholic. Poor Kevin Quinn knows all about the story and can probably relate with Freeport and Nick DeCroo. The Quakers have been knocking at the Penguins Cup door for the past three seasons and the missing piece to the puzzle can’t help QV get over the top. And it probably won’t in 2004-2005, because now Furman South has taken Ben Herring’s place as the player who is playing for the Hornets missing QV games who signed Mr Haney’s contract of the ‘Road less Travelled’ and has to attend Hornets practice on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday or whenever they schedule it. South is now not only ineligible for Team Pittsburgh, which you have to play in 75% of your high school games, a Chicago Showcase rule [which I intend to write to the AHAI committee, if I see ONE player who tries out for Team Pittsburgh and breaks the rule], he is now is jeapordy of being ineligible for the Pennsylvania State Playoffs, which require 10 regular season games along with teammates and FRESHMAN Grant Scott and Tim Hall, who are also missing Quaker Valley games for Hornets practice. And its not coaching either, because Kevin Quinn, who played hockey at a higher level and knows more about hockey than the entire Hornets staff, could teach these kids a lot about hockey and frankly is probably pretty disgusted after dedicated a better part of nine years to the Quaker Valley program. So the QV JV less South less Hall less Scott less Kelly Elson, still injured took to the ice to face the Crimson Crushers before an intimate gathering of less than 60 – 70 people at the War Memorial in a rematch of a 2-1 game won by the Quakers in the first half of the season. The first period was pretty uneventful as McCort outshot Quaker 8-6. The best chance of the period came for QV at 5:23 as Crusher goaltender Ron Stenger came sliding out to play the puck and left an open net, Quaker Valley’s George Jackson couldn’t beat defenseman Paul Reilly, who made a skate save to keep the game scoreless. On to the second period and the Crimson Crushers struck first at 12:35 as Cory Mock’s wrist shot from the right point through traffic and hit something in front and found its way past Zac Zinger for a 1-0 McCort lead. Aaron Thomas and Chad James on the assist as McCort outshot QV 12-11 in the 2nd. The 3rd period had lots of action and many good chances as Zinger and Stenger looked sharp between the pipes. At McCort’s Aaron Thomas was robbed by Zac Zinger on a rebound and a diving save as Zinger was sprawled on the ice and kept it out. QV went on the power play at 12:11 but BM killed the penalty. At 6:27, the Quakers had a flurry of shots but the Crushers Ron Stenger made several nice saves, including a point blank chance on Bret McNamara after big scramble in front. At 5:54 Zinger stopped Thomas with poke check from right in front. Finally, with just 4:18 to play QV made a nice play out of the corner by Wilhelm Forster who out maneuvered Crimson Crusher defense and slid puck to George Jackson who found Bret McNamara wide open at post and scored to tie the game at one apiece. Then the drama after Zinger made a nice save on Zac Seidel to force a face-off at 1:38. On the ensuing face-off at 1:36, Chad James won draw clean to Aaron Thomas who beat Zinger on the stick side to make it 2-1 McCort and the Crimson Crushers would hold on for a big win in Johnstown. Wake up Kool-Aid drinkers………..you are missing out on your best days of High School and spending a lot of your parents money for something that can be obtained by playing for your school AND amateur hockey right here in Western Pennsylvania! Maybe Monday - Thursday should be High School and Friday - Sunday Amatuer including Travel ... what a novel idea ?