Baldwin Highlanders - 1975 & 1988 AAA

2006 Meadville Bulldog Invitational Championship MEADVILLE - Mt Lebanon 1 LaSalle 0 Mt Lebanon and LaSalle squared off in a rematch of the 2005 Final and more recently a preliminary round game played to a scoreless tie a day ago. The Blue Devils defeated Meadville 3-1 and LaSalle turned back Sylvania Northview 2-1 to set an all Pennsylvania title game. The work ethic displayed by the Explorers in the tournament has been the key to their road the title game, while the Blue Devils have continued to get solid play from the dozen players who have dressed during the tournament, now known as LEBO 66. The teams battled to an even strength scoreless opening period until Mt Lebanon went on the power play at 5:37 of the opening period, which LaSalle was able to kill off. As evenly played a first period as the previous three periods in the preliminary round and even last year’s final the opening period shots were 6-6. The Blue Devils had a good opportunity on the initial shift of the 2nd, but Rick Beuke was turned aside by Dan Pyne, who has been stellar thus far in the tournament. With 5:54, Mt Lebanon was guilty of covering the puck in their own crease and John Williams was awarded a penalty shot and he tried to high to the glove side of Matt Vaughn, who snatch the puck out of the air and kept the Explorers off the board, much to the delight of King Tut’s ‘Concerned Citizen’s of Mt Lebanon’ and the Lebo 66 contingent on the bench. The Blue Devil’s would get another opportunity on the man advantage with 1:20 remaining in the 2nd period. With 1:05 left in the 2nd, some beautiful passing precipitated Rick Bueke finding Jon Wilen on the back door, who slammed home a shot past Pyne breaking nearly 1 hour and 5 minutes of scoreless hockey played between Lebo 66 and LaSalle. The Explorer’s continued to work and press for the equalizer and missed a couple of golden chances with a little over six minutes remaining as Matt Vaughn and the Lebo 66 defense dove scratched and clawed to keep the puck out and a 1-0 lead. With 1:41 remaining, the Explorers took a frustration penalty as the reality that the Lebo 66 was in control of this one playing a very good LaSalle team to nearly 90 minutes of scoreless hockey and capped it off with a 1-0 victory and the first championship of the Meadville Bulldog Invitational for Mt Lebanon.