Baldwin Highlanders - 1975 & 1988 AAA

VALENCIA - If you live in Kittanning, the smell around March the 1st reeks of playoff fever. And their fans will turn out in droves for a home game at the Belmont. Tonight, they were on the road and loud at the Ice Connection. At stake, a home berth and a # 8 seed setting up a date with Thomas Jefferson, the only thing that remained is where? A Wildcat win or tie and Kittanning would play at the friendly confines of the Belmont and a loss could mean a trip to Rostraver. Coach Jon Yackmack’s club has been playing well of late ever since the 7-7 tie with Indiana in a game that the Cats trailed 6-0 and came back to tie it. With the possibility that TJ will not play their final game due to a pending snowstorm, which would wipe out the final game of the season, because of the brilliant scheduling of the PIHL, who are starting the playoffs the day after the regular season ends. So the games continue to be decided by people with no regard for the sport and not on the ice where they should be decided. Pine Richland defeated Peters Township on Thursday night 4-3 to clinch home ice advantage in the upcoming playoffs. At stake for Jimmy Black and the Rams is a first round bye in the upcoming first round. PR and Indiana are deadlocked in a race, which would spin the heads of many a MIT professor which has come down to this. A Richland win and an Indiana win over Somerset tomorrow night will result in a tie in the standings. A split in the season series between Indiana and Pine Richland then takes us to penalty minutes, which the Rams have a slight advantage over the Indians. Needless to say this game means something to Pine Richland’s playoff aspirations and could end up opposite Peters Twp by clinching the # 2 seed in round two. A loss by the Rams could drop them to 4th position. Both teams came out hitting in the opening minutes and the Rams struck first as Tom DiDinato chipped a backhand over Pete Tolman for a 1-0 lead at 11:07. PR went on the power play moments later and with 9:22 remaining, the Rams scored as Tom DiDinato found Josh Fodor who buried a quick shot past Tolman for a 3-0 lead. Kittanning came right back and Joey Ford would not be denied fighting for a rebound and chopping it past Tommy Zajac to cut the lead to 2-1 with 8:41 left in the opening period. Then the Wildcats struck again to erase the 2-0 lead at 5:45 as Lee Heilman and Justin Kovatch kept banging away and Kovatch got the final stick on it to forge a 2-2 tie. Kittanning received a power play chance at 2:19 and took just 13 seconds to convert as Joel Shriver scored through the 5-hole on the ice and in just a little over six minutes Kittanning took the lead 3-2 at 2:06. Back came the Rams, as Josh Fodor picked the pocket of the Kittanning defense and tied the game on a beautiful goal at 1:04. Pine Richland went back on the power play with under a minute to play anms went back scored again as Tom DiDinato overpowered Tolman on a wrist shot with just 27 seconds left in a wild first period. On to the second we went and Adam Fiscus scored a great goal as he cut between the circles and slipped a backhand past Zajac at 12:09 to knot the score at 4-4. After a great save by Tolman on Josh Fodor at one end Kittanning rushed the puck 2 on1 and it was Lee Heilman with Joel Shriver and Heilman finished it off beating Zajac on the stick side for a 5-4 lead at 8:07. Coach Black replaced Zajac with Stoney Hildreth. The Rams went back on the power play at 3:43 with a chance to tie the game, but the Wildcats killed it off. With :17 ticks left in the period Josh Fodor took a critical penalty putting Kittanning on the power play which would carry over to the third. Pine Richland killed off the penalty for their captain and the score remained 5-4. The Rams went to work in the Kittanning end and nearly scored as Phil Trombetta was stopped by Tolman, but two penalties occurred putting them on a 5 on 3 with 9:13 left and the turkey was on the table. Josh Fodor made Kittanning pay as he looped around the Wildcat defense and beat Tolman on the backhand at 8:51 to tie the game again at 5 apiece. With time still left on the penalty, PR looked to take the lead. Then the clock struck 3:00 and Joel Shriver caught Stoney Hildreth off the post and shot it from behind the goal line and off the Pine Richland goaltenders skate and in for a 6-5 Cat lead. Hildreth stopped Colin McKelvey ona breakaway at 2:06 to give the Rams a chance. The captain Fodor took an ill-advised retaliation penalty with a little over a minute to go, to put his team down. Kittanning obliged with a bad penalty of their own with 18 ticks left and a faceoff in the Wildcat zone. Kittanning held on and sent the message to start the tailgate party for Thursday night at the Belmont !