Baldwin Highlanders - 1975 & 1988 AAA

KITTANNING - If you live in Kittanning, a playoff game is as good as it gets and TJ is loving the opportunity to play against Kittanning and be in the atmosphere that has become the Belmont Complex tradition. Since 1973, I have been coming to Kittanning and things don’t change very much as the people love their hockey and they know their hockey and they all would love to see their home town team win a State Championship. Don Powell knows a little about that as the Jags won three in 1998, 1999 and 2000 and their first own was one where they came from the 7th seed in a very competitive AA field to win it all. Much like this year, 1998 was a season, where any of 9 teams can do it. Thomas Jefferson and Kittanning are in the same boat. Jon Yackmack, who played for Armstrong Central in the early 90’s and lead them to the promised land beating Meadville in the Penguins Cup before losing to Council Rock in the 1991 in the Pennsylvania State final. It is not a far stretch to predict a team coming out of Kittanning and going on a magical ride to the finals. Who’s Who Kittanning style…Ed ‘Jake’ Jacobs, Max and Tim [Pozzuto and Lane], Jimmo Greenbaum, top 5 fan and Indiana hockey mom extraordinaire Maria Jack, TJ staff Ray ‘Jeff Mauro and Mark Heinauer’s Sacrificial Lamb’ Landucci, Don ‘I will never leave my staff with Jeff Mauro again’ Powell, former TJ Prez Melinda ‘I wear a REAL Jaguar Coat not available in stores’ Heinauer, Linda ‘I faithfully call Jeff Mauro with the scores and highlights after the game’ Bonura, legendary former coach Kittanning / Armstrong Joe Ritchey, Joe ‘the Principal’ Avi’ the Mohawked and bleached Kittanning and Thomas Jefferson players, Canon Mac coach and PIHL Web Discussion Forum icon Dave ‘Joe Carson of the Shady Rest Chronicle’ Fryer, Jim King and Dave Bowser calling the game for Arnold ‘Slick’ Ziffel to watch on Family Life TV and the tailgaters in tow at 6:15 PM in the Belmont Parking lot……bring on the hockey playoff style and away we went. Early on Thomas Jefferson went on the power play and pressured Kittanning as Bryan Joseph’s shot rang off the crossbar at 13:02. TJ went back on the power play at 7:09 and did not score. With 2:30 remaining, the Wildcats went on their first man advantage, but TJ had the best chance as Zach Hanbury was stopped from point blank in a scoreless opening The Cats struck first as Joey Ford scored on a backhand on a Adam Fiscus rebound at 14:27 to give Kittanning a 1-0 lead. At 12:47, Thomas Jefferson forward Joe Moore went hard into the boards and lie on the ice in a scary moment, which prompted the back board to be brought on the ice and the teams were sent to the locker room. Our most sincere thoughts for a speedy recovery for Joe. Back to hockey at 9:38 PM we went and Craig Markovitz robbed Justin Kovatch at 11:59 from right in the doorstep. At 9:03, the Jaguars went on the power play but could not score and the game remained as we went to the third period until 12:02 left in regulation when Kittanning went on the power play. And as predicted by our faithful spotter, Brock Heinauer delivered a shorthanded goal on a Zach Hanbury rebound with 10:56 left in regulation. Kittanning got a little overaggressive and put the Jags on the power play with 10:25 left and a golden opportunity to take the lead, but TJ was whistled behind the play to even it up at the 10:00 mark on a slew footing call, which would have made Arnold ‘Slick’ Ziffel proud. And no scoring would occur and we would head to overtime. Shots were 33-27 in favor of TJ. The most memorable overtime game at the Belmont in 1997 when Todd Holabaugh beat Franklin’s Bubby Prior in double overtime to revive the Kittanning hockey program. The last overtime game between TJ and Kittanning was a 2003 Penguins Cup semi-final when Kittanning Dustin Kellner ended it in overtime # 2 5-4 sending the Cats to the Penguins Cup. So on we went to overtime … and Joe Nadar took adavantage of a bad icing and took the puck on the face-off and buried a wrist shot over the stick side of Peter Tolman and sent TJ on to round two 2-1 in overtime.