Baldwin Highlanders - 1975 & 1988 AAA

NEVILLE ISLAND – Peters Township is ranked # 2 in Pa Hockey Elite 8 in Western Pennsylvania in the latest poll, not counting the 6-5 overtime disaster loss against West Allegheny on Monday night. That game has encompassed Mark Cooper’s season as the Indians were impressive with a 5-2 lead after two periods and then self destructed with penalties and opportunist play by West A, who stormed back with a couple of power play goals and won it in overtime in a statement game of what we can expect in the Class AA Penguins Cup playoffs, which are less than a month away. Less than a month ago, Peters pummeled Montour 8-1 sending a message to Class AA that the Indians can turn it on at anytime, which everyone knows, but the question remains can they do it for 5 straight in March. With a full lineup, discipline and water rather than Kool Aid for some underachieving players would help, but this rematch with Montour would be different as Coach Cooper would watch from the stands, while my one-time State Championship broadcast partner Rick Tingle and Scott Simmons substituted for Coop behind the bench and only a dozen or so skaters due to suspension or injuries or reindeer game for Gerry Raymond, Rob Madore, Jake Machel, and Matt Lazzaro. Peter Twp Television was there to televised game with no announcers and one phone call could have netted myself and perennial Pa Hockey top5 fan Earl Bugaile, both in attendance. Great crowd of Montour fans for Senior Night on hand including several coaches and players from Class AA teams including Canon McMillan, who are on the verge of clinching the South Division with a Montour victory. Danny Siegel’s Montour club is ranked # 5 in Pa Hockey Elite 8 Western Pa and the Spartans have been up and down this season, but look to be one of the half dozen to a dozen AA teams in the mix, when the playoff bell rings in three weeks. So after a very nice rendition of the nation anthem by Lauren Talotta, sister of Chad Talotta….before the game and heading off to the Super Bowl, we all settled in for tonight’s game. The first period was very quick and fast paced as the Spartans missed several chances against Justin Marahamas. At 10:20 Montour went on the power play and at 9:30 Ross Polk tipped a Brian Dugan wrist shot past the Peters Township goaltender to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead. At 9:25 Peter’s Eric Windemueller just missed as the puck glanced off the post. Montour looked to take control of this contest in the 2nd period and at 12:23, Paul Ciotti scored from in close on a rebound of a Jeff Peters shot to give Montour a 2-0 lead. At the 10-minute mark, Peters came back as Dustin Roux overpowered Aaron Williams with a wrist shot on the short side to cut the lead to 2-1. Lighting struck again at 8:41 with another Peters Twp power play and at 7:29, it was Roux again as he circled from behind the net and showed great patience beating Williams inside the post to tie the game at two apiece. Not to be outdone at 6:45, Roux came down the off wing and undressed the Montour defense and beat Williams through the 5-hole for a 3-2 Peters lead. The Indians went back on the power play at 5:30 as Montour showed frustration evident from the first meeting and looked to be self destructing themselves. The turning point of the hockey game came when Peters took an ill advised and undisciplined penalty, which broke the Peters momentum with a little over 5 minutes left. And at 4:45 Peters took another bad interference call, which put Montour on a 4 on 3 power play. And it happened …..just like that Brian Dugan scored a big goal with a big slapshot on the stickside to tie the game again at 3-3. At 3:05, Marahamas made a point blank save on Danny Shiwarski and stopped him again just moments later at 2:40. With 46 seconds left, a harmless shot by Adam Rizza fell right on the doorstep and Jeff Peters found a loose puck and scored on a wide open net for a 4-3 Spartan lead. On to the 3rd period and Montour killed the penalty to start the period. As many of you have been following the Game Summaries the last few weeks, it was time for Green Acres and we now have learned that Ralph [not Murovich] and Alf were given the exclusive contract to build the division championship trophies and if Montour defeated Peters, thus giving Canon McMillan their first ever division championship. Rumors surfaced at the Island Sports Center [from qualified media representatives not related to Arnold ‘Slick’ Ziffel, that the trophies would be arriving on the Cannonball after a stop in Pixley. With Floyd unavailable this evening, Montour’s Zach Perry lit the engine with a big slapshot goal from the top of the circles past Marahamas at the 10 minute mark to extend the lead to 5-3. Then it was Mario Panucci, who moved the train down the tracks at 7:31 with a great wrist shot in the upper right hand corner to make it 6-3. At the 5:32 mark Montour went on the power play and Marahamas made a great glove save on Zach Perry to keep the game within three, but could not stop him again as Perry wrapped it up with 1:29 with a rebound goal to make it 7-3. Dustin Roux scored on a great effort with his 4th goal beating Williams on the short side shorthanded to make it 7-4 with 45 ticks left, but Montour scored a huge 7-4 win at RMU Island Sports Center.