Baldwin Highlanders - 1975 & 1988 AAA

Kittanning 5 Montour 4 {OT] NEVILLE ISLAND Montour (14-6-1) and Kittanning (14-6-1) enter tonight’s game knowing what’s at stake in tonight’s second round playoff game. Kittanning ousted Moon in the opening round of the playoffs and has been arguably been the hottest team in Class AA in the past month of the season. Coach Jon Yackmack’s Wildcats travel well as many of the faithful from the Belmont made the trip with the Hurst along with Max & Tim among the ‘Concerned Citizens of Kittanning’. Team Montour has been on a roller coaster ride this season after a year ago when coach Danny Siegel’s troops when the Spartans were bounced from the playoff by Chartier’s Valley and have really overachieved this season are kind of a mystery team as the playoffs enter round two. The winner of this contest will meet Canevin in Tuesday’s semi-finals at Ice Castle and Pine Richland will face defending State Champions Peters Twp, in a rematch of the 2005 Penguins Cup, which the Indians won at Mellon Arena. A packed house of Spartans fans in the house including Frankie Vallie and the much ballyhoo’d four Spartans and many ‘Concerned Citizens of Montour’. Kittanning jumped out on top as Zach Avi scored from in close beating freshman Matt Skoff as the puck slithered past him at 12:49 to give Kittanning a 1-0 lead. The Spartans tied the game with 7:13 remaining in the opening period as Zach Perry beat Joey Mecurio through the 5-hole. With just 1:35 remaining in the period, Kittanning regained the lead as Lee Heilmann deflected a Colin McKelvey shot from the far boards past Matt Skoff to make it 2-1. On to the second and with Montour on the power play Joey Ford was in a shorthanded breakaway and Matt Skoff made a terrific save, but Nick Troup gathered the rebound and scored into an empty net to give the Cats a 3-1 lead with 9:30 to go in the period. Montour came right back at 8:28 as Alex Wayne scored on a long slap shot from the right point for a power play goal and a 3-2 Kittanning advantage. The Spartans went on the power play with 5:13 left and a chance to tie the game. Kittanning played giveaway and it cost them as Zach Perry intercepted the errant pass and fired a slapshot high over the stickside of Joey Mecurio with 4:11 to go and a brand new hockey game at 3-3. The third period was a close checking affair as the Wildcats went on the power play at 10:09 and then again with a 5 on 3 with 7:18 remaining in regulation. With 6:53 remaining in the 3rd period, Joey Ford walked down the slot and wristed one past the glove side of Matt Skoff to give the Cats a 4-3 lead. Kittanning went on the power play with a little over four minutes to go but Kittanning could not score and the score remained 4-3 in favor of the Wildcats. The Spartans pulled the goalie for the extra attacker and a faceoff in the Kittanning zone with 21 seconds left and a 6 on 4 power play and Paul Ciotti scored with no time left on the clock to tie the game 4-4 and send this one to overtime. Kittanning swarmed the Montour zone in the opening minute of overtime and Zack Avi banked the puck of Matt Skoff with 9:11 left in OT to give Kittanning a heartstopping 5-4 victory over the Spartans and a trip to Ice Castle to face Canevin in the semi-finals at Ice Castle.