Baldwin Highlanders - 1975 & 1988 AAA

CRANBERRY – The North Allegheny hockey program started in the Ohio Valley High School Hockey League in 1973 at the old Sewickley Rink underneath the Sewickley Bridge and from the beginnings, the program had success winning the OVHSHL title and competed in the qualifiers for the Inaugural Pennsylvania High School Hockey Championships in 1975. The loss that year was to Baldwin, the eventual State Champions. And the program moved forward and was always afforded a sniff of the States, but has never danced past the 2nd round except 1977. The 1977 Tigers competed in the round robin State Championships after capturing the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League crown over Richland and seemed head for destiny, but fell short to Erie McDowell, who edged NA out in the tiebreaker and then went on to lose to Churchill in the finals. A series of what ifs and why nots have culminated in the emergence in the 2004-2005 season in which the Tigers have dominated Western Pennsylvania AAA hockey destroying everything in site ….the # 1 seed, the Central Catholic Invitational, the Pa Hockey Scholastic Showcase are all nice and all have been celebrated, but the Tom Pandolfo mentality seeks more. A great season and a good season are currently not in the vocabulary because the vision is chocolate in the form of Hershey, Pa on March 26th for the State Finals, which is a long way away from today. Gene Hackman in ‘Hoosiers’ said ‘you never think about the next step until you’ve taken the one in front of you’. And the step tonight is the 8-time Pennsylvania Cup State Champion Meadville Bulldogs, who have broken down the ‘one step at a time’ theory of Norman Vale into ‘one shift at a time’ or ‘play every shift as if its your last’ as they say in Meadville. That mentality has permeated into every Jamie Plunkett coached hockey club since he arrived on the scene in 1987 and as this young edition of the Bulldogs has seemed to have the light bulb going on in their heads lately including a 3-1 near miss loss just two weeks ago in Meadville. So the venue may have changed to BladeRunners CRANBERRY, but the fear of the Dawgs is present as a very dangerous team in the Penguins Cup AAA playoffs as Meadville has rounded into playoff form over the past month as usual. If we think about upsets, 1988 comes to mind when Shadyside Academy upset Meadville or maybe the 1999 game when then # 1 seed NA lost to # 8 seed McDowell. This is what happens in the playoffs and this is what Meadville, the underdog is gunning for and # 1 seed North Allegheny is trying to avoid and everyone in Western Pa will be holding their collective breaths and some ventured out to witness it on a cold March night as the playoffs have now begun and are underway. So the usual suspects were in the house as the Meadville Nation made the trip down I-79 and the North Allegheny faithful filed including Phil May, original coach of the NA Tigers. After a quick moving 3 ½ minutes of up and down hockey, NA showed great composure as Wes Waldschmidt kept the puck alive at Chris Simanic finished it off over a fallen Brian Danczak at 11:39 for a 1-0 lead. The Tigers kept up the pressure and Meadville was forced to take a penalty at 6:05 putting NA on the power play but Meadville survived and killed it in the games first big turning point. NA kept coming and continued to pressure and Danczak made a big save on Brandon Lied at 2:56 from just in front. But that wasn’t his best as when Matt Pekins found Wes Waldschmidt between the circles an almost sure goal was turned aside by the quick Meadville goaltender, who stopped 19 of 20 in the opening period, while Jeff Kristan faced only 2. The second period was much like the first period as NA continued to pressure and Brian Danczak continued to sparkle stopping nine more shots, while Jeff Kristen faced a pair of icings. The fact remained that the score is just 1-0 in favor of the Tigers. A far cry from the 8-3 pasting at the beginning of February and a little closer to the 3-1 game late in the season. For North Allegheny, the next goal will be huge and for Meadville, the next goal would be huge as well, which is what playoff hockey is all about. So while the ice was cut the teams headed to the locker to make adjustments, but the fact remains that in the playoffs one team moves on and one goes home as we readied ourselves for the 3rd period. The history is now what comes into play, will it be made or will it continue? The NA JV Championship banner came down and would it be enough ? At 14:36, Wes Waldschmidt with 6 x 4 in front of him but Brian Danczak’s glove said no ! Then Chris Leone with a partial break and a penalty on NA at 14:13 put the Dawgs on the power play. A shorthanded 2 on 0 with Paul Dittrich and Garrett Waldschmidt and Danczak guessed right again at 13:26 getting his leg down to make another brilliant save…still 1-0. Then at 9:54 it was Paul Dittrich, who would lug the puck out of his own end and cut down the right side and blister a slapshot over the stick side of Danczak and the Tigers could breath a little easier 2-0. But still a lot of time left and Meadville came to life a little and finally got in to the NA zone with a little over 8 to go. Meadville never quit and kept comin and went on the power play with 2:46 left. But North Allegheny would only surrender one shot and five on the night to 11 on Danczak, who was absolutely spectacular stopping 40 of 42 that the Tigers would have, but it wasn’t enough and the Tigers will move on to Harmarville in a propeller game of sorts and we’ll see if that’s true next Wednesday as the history continues to be written for the Tigers

CANONSBURG - Chartiers Valley has been the subject of much debate over the past weeks with their decision to compete in the Open Division this season after a 1-19-0 season in 2004-2005. So I will say this once for everyone to hear….. The Colts would have never played in the ‘Glorified JV’ Open Division and played AA, if there never was an Open Division and we wouldn’t have been even talking about it. So coach Bonetti and his band of merry men and players, fresh off the Nailers Cup and defeating Somerset 7-2 and then stunning the High School Hockey world by defeating # 3 Montour 5-4 in OT are now here with a chance to move one step closer to a real Cinderella story. Canon McMillan started this season on nobody’s Elite 8 ballot and really in no one’s thoughts of even winning the South Division. The Big Macs rattled off a 19-1-2 record capturing the # 1 seed of the Penguins Cup playoffs and for coach Dave Fryer and his team, the aspirations of a State Championship lie ahead with four victories. Those victories would be a lot harder now as each team begins the playoffs at 0 wins –0 losses and the regular season means absolutely nothing as evidenced by the first round bye week which saw 3 of the top 6 seeds playing lose [3-8] including # 3 seed Montour, # 5 seed West Allegheny and # 8 Kittanning. These facts I am sure have not escaped the thoughts of the Big Macs. A circus atmosphere if you will outside the Iceoplex at Southpointe with Tailgating Canon McMillan fans awaiting their # 1 seed Big Macs to take on the Cinderella Boys from Char Valley head Carl ‘Paul Bonetti’ Spackler, who once caddied at Bushwood and aspires to be Masters Champions is living ‘the Dream’ as his team is one win away from the Penguins Cup semi-finals and Pennsylvania High School Hockey Championships Quarter-Finals next week at Harmarville. The big stage and a loose team, who started this season with Connellsville, West Mifflin and Allderdice and now can move on to a place where no one including coach Bonetti could have dreamed to be playing Canon Mac, who brought out to display their South Division trophy. A capacity crowd on hand of Canon Mac and Char Valley faithful in a game, which not even I could have predicted as the season started, but has begun to take shape since the mid-season Pa Hockey Scholastic Showcase, which both teams participated in and fair well, especially the Colts who beat # 2 Indiana. The first period began with end to end action in kind of a wide open as CV’s Eddie Olczyk had the games first good chance picking up a Ryan Woodall rebound and shoving it just wide at 12:21. Moments later the Colts went on the power play at 12:07. Tommy Miller saw an open net at 11:13 and the diving Drew Stanton made the save and the Big Macs killed off the patient CV power play. The Colts looked to be composed despite the big game pressure, but where given a dose of reality as Jesses Patnesky took a pass and split the CV defense and beat Dan Padgelek on the backhand to give CM a 1-0 lead. A bad call put CV on the power play at 4:30 as Eric Lang took his second penalty of the first drilling a Colt as the puck came a break for CV. Then a break and Joe Michelucci found a loose puck which squirt in the slot and backhanded past Drew Stanton to tie the game at 1-1 with 2:03 left in the opening frame. If this did anything it may have helped the Colts stop running around in their own end and get them focused again. Then at 14:21 Char Valley caught the Canon Mac defense napping as Drew Paocelli found a streaking Ryan Woodall on a 100 foot breakaway and Stanton stopped him, but Woodall would not be denied slamming home the rebound to give the Colts a 2-1 lead. At 13:03, the Big Macs went on the power play and Char Valley appeared to survive but just as the penalty expired Doug Stanton walked down the slot and beat Padgelek through the 5-hole to tie the game at two apiece with 10:55. Padgelek made a great save on Stanton at 8:13 and the game remained tied. The Colts went on the power play at 6:31 And CM killed . Char Valley had a golden opportunity on a two on one with Ryan Kelly and Drew Paocelli, who could not convert, but Ryan Woodall had it on the platter, but Drew Stanton made the save of the game with 1:55 left in the 2nd and the teams went to the locker room tied at 2-2. On to the third we go or went or something like that and Stanton stopped Tommy Miller, who walked right down the slot with 13 ½ left in regulation. Then at 12:27, a set play off the face-off as Doug Stanton pushed the puck to an open area where Justin Cormack slid behind the CV defense and deposited the puck behind Padgelek for a 3-2 Canon Mac lead. Then CV lost their their composure and took a penalty at 12:11, putting the Big Macs on the power play and Drew Paocelli had a chance shorthanded at 10:47 and Drew Stanton stopped him and then stopped a backhand by Eddie Olczyk at 10:21. Then at 9:56 Cormack made a beautiful backhand pass to Stanton, who could have never missed the open net he had in a million years and made it 4-2 and gave the Big Macs complete control of this hockey game. Char Valley seemed to look tired and worn as Cinderella neared midnight and when Jesse Patnesky slipped a backhander which mesmorized Padgelek to make it 5-2 with 3:21 left and the # 1 Canon Mac Big Macs were on their way to the Penguins Cup Semi-Finals for the first time in their history. When we look back on this game, it will be the Pa Hockey Top 25 goaltender Drew Stanton who would be the difference as he had all season long carried his club with the big saves late in the 2nd on Woodall and early in the 3rd on Miller and Olczyk continuing his mastery in the close games that took the Big Macs to 19 wins in the regular season. A great finish for Char Valley, who accorded themselves well in a season where no one expected them to be here and should be proud that the Colts are back and now they can move on and play in Class AA where they belong and belonged when the season began in November. For Canon Mac, it’s time to dance to go where no Big Mac team has ever been to the Penguins Cup semis next Tuesday at Harmarville.

Special Report to Pa Hockey by Joe Carson of the Shady Rest Chronicle CORAOPOLIS -- For the second night in a row, a great playoff game in AA was decided in overtime. After Thomas Jefferson topped Kittanning in the extra frame Thursday night, it was Chartiers Valley and Montour that needed extra time to decide a winner on Friday night at the Island Sport Center. Like the game in Belmont, it was once again the visiting team that found the back of the net last as Chartiers Valley shocked Montour, 5-4. Chartiers Valley came out flying from the drop of the puck and went straight down the ice for a scoring opportunity. Nick Gialloreto made the save to keep the Colts faithful from erupting. Back came the Spartans, as the Montour offense took control of the game. Montour produced great chances of their own, but both opportunities clanged off the post. On a night when the Colts dominated in face-offs, a draw in the Montour zone led to the game’s first score when Tommy Miller stuffed home a loose puck off a Derek Kelly face-off win at 11:32. Chartiers Valley extended their lead to 2-0 when Ryan Woodall found a loose puck from the side of the net and somehow got it to slide across the goal line at 7:54. Down by 2 goals, Montour knew they needed the next goal or it could be curtains for them. They hit another post at 5:35 and escaped a crippling blow when Woodall barely missed wide on a backhander at 4:23. Montour pressed on and finally broke through. After Eddie Olczyk blocked a shot from the point, Joey Clarke got the loose puck to Aaron Siegel at the left point. Siegel sent a wrist shot on goal that found the upper left corner at 1:37 to make it 2-1. Montour kept coming, and CV goaltender Dan Padgelek had to make a key save on Zack Perry with 44 seconds remaining in the period. Montour clearly had gained some momentum going in to period #2, despite still being down by a goal on the scoreboard. That deficit didn’t last much longer, though. Adam Rizza worked the puck free to PJ Ciotti, who walked across the slot from the left wing circle and fired a wrist shot back to the blocker side to tie the game at 2. The goal came at 11:54 and started an action-packed period of hockey. Montour felt relieved to have battled back, but Chartiers Valley caught them exhaling a little too long. Just after the ensuing face-off, the Colts broke in to the Spartan zone on a two-on-one with Olczyk controlling the puck. After looking off the defender, Olczky fired a wrist shot from the left wing circle that was stopped by Gialloreto, but the rebound came right back to Eddie O, who had an open net to restore the 2-goal lead. Joe Michelucci assisted on the goal, which came at 11:33. CV went for the kill this time, but Brian Dugan made a great play to break up a 3-on-1 at the 9-minute mark. The teams exchanged rushes, and sustained pressure around the CV net yielded a power play for the Spartans at 6:04. A dislodged net nullified a great scoring chance for Montour at 5:00, but the Colts were penalized for knocking the net loose on the play. With 56 seconds of 5-on-3, the Spartans raised their level of play. Mario Panucci slipped through a check in the corner and moved the puck to Perry behind the goal. Perry quickly dished the puck in front to Ross Polk, but his shot to the short side was stopped by Padgelek. But Polk followed his rebound and this time used the far side to tally the power play goal and tie the game once again. The goal came at 4:47, leaving 1:47 remaining of 5-on-4 play. With Montour determined to take their first lead of the night, Padgelek stood tall to make a big save on Panucci at 4:33 and another save on Perry at 4:19. The Spartan power play kept coming, though, and at 3:30, Danny Shiwarski redirected home a sharp pass from Kevin Bishop off the left wing boards. Montour had their first lead of the night, and many thought the tide had turned on the Colts. Dugan made perhaps the biggest defensive play of the night when he broke up a 2-on-1 without a stick to keep the score 4-3 after two. On to the third period, and a determined Colts team got a boost when Montour took a holding penalty just 1:29 in to the period. CV couldn’t take advantage, though, as their only chance sailed wide from the slot. Joey Clarke nearly scored on a bouncing puck at 11:06, but he couldn’t get it settled enough to put it on net. CV had a close miss of their own when Woodall nearly scored at 9:47, but Montour was whistled for cross-checking on the play. Once again the Montour penalty kill looked strong to keep the Colts from generating any scoring opportunities. Olczyk created a great chance for the Colts a few minutes later when he danced out of the corner and set up a chance in front, but the Spartans played tackle football in front to deny the chance in favor of a penalty. With only 6:07 remaining, CV knew they had to get their power play in gear if they hoped to find the tying goal. It only took them 3 seconds to get the equalizer, and it once again came off a face-off. Ryan Kelly won the draw to Drew Paolicelli, who wasted no time burying the puck in the back of the Spartan goal. Tensions grew as the crowd came to its feet many times over the final 6 minutes. Padgelek used the blocker to stop Panucci on a break to the net at 5:21. Montour was able to stall a few quick rushes by CV with physical play at the blue line. With 2:34 to play, CV took a tripping call that gave the Spartans a huge chance to get the lead. Montour struggled to get the power play in motion, and Chad Talotta just missed on the only good chance they got with 4 seconds left on the man advantage. With the crowd going wild, the final seconds ticked away, and the game was headed to overtime. Perry got the first quality chance of the 10-minute OT off a nice feed from Panucci, but his shot just missed at 9:11. Padgelek made another big save on Panucci at 7:50 as Montour dictated the play at the start of the extra period. Talotta almost snuck a shot in from the side of the net at 6:11, but it hit the post next to Padgelek’s skate and the CV defense cleared the rebound. After Shiwarski sailed a shot high from the slot at 4:12, it seemed like only a matter of time before the Montour snipers tickled the twine. CV finally got their first shot on goal in the overtime at 2:19, and the Colts were able to create a few more chances from there. Montour couldn’t convert a 2-on-1 at the end of the first OT period, so it was off to the locker rooms for an ice cut and a much needed breather. Chartiers Valley returned to the ice with a spring in their step and a look of determination. Woodall nearly ended it at 9:12, but Gialloreto was just able to get the edge of his pad on the shot. The Colts kept coming, though, as the momentum had swung back in their favor. CV saw that this was their time to capitalize, and that they did. Woodall gathered the puck to the left of the Spartan goal and slid a pass across the crease. Tom Miller went hard to the net and, from his knees, pushed the puck back to the far post, under a sprawling Gialloreto, and in to the net for the game-winning goal at 7:18. The Colts bench and fans went wild as the Montour faithful stood in shock. One of the best games of the high school season had finally ended after 62:42 of intense hockey. A tremendous season had come to an end for a dejected and exhausted Montour team. An exuberant Chartiers Valley squad advances to the second-round of the AA playoffs to face #1 Canon-McMillan. That game will be Monday night at the Iceoplex, starting at 7 PM.

KITTANNING - Since all you need is a pulse to qualify for the Class A playoffs, Deer Lakes at 7-15-0 finished tied with Forest Hills for the 10th slot in the playoffs, resulting in a tiebreaker situation. The head to head was 3-2 in favor of Forest Hills giving the Rangers the 10th spot and Deer Lakes the 11th to face Mars. The Forest Hills School Board told the club that since they were under .500, they would not participate, which is advice the PIHL should heed and only have 8 teams in the Class A playoffs, 12 in AA and 12 in AAA. So Deer Lakes ended up at # 10 anyway and a return trip to the Belmont to face Freeport, who the Lancers fell last week to 5-2 after relinquishing a 2-0 lead after two periods. Deer Lakes can be proud as at the beginning of the season, there were rumors that the Lancers would not field a team, so pulse was an issue in November. Coach Dave Hepler’s squad earned a spot in the Class A dance with a 13-8-1 record finishing just behind Westmont Hilltop in the North Division missing a division crown by just one point. The Yellow Jackets have faired well in the playoffs as in 2002 they ventured to the Penguins Cup Semis before losing to eventual State Champions Serra Catholic at Rostraver and in 2003 they lost in round two. The game was slow paced early on as the teams traded territorial edge in the first ten minutes. Freeport received a scare as leading scorer Dustin Gaworski was slammed to the boards with 4:30 left in the opening period, but return to the game late in the period. The Yellow Jackets struck first as Josh Schreckengost tipped in a Branden McQueen shot past Rich Smith for a 1-0 Freeport lead. Deer Lakes answered as Rick Bigley beat Tim Zahuremsky over the glove side to tie the score with 46 seconds left in the period. On to the 2nd and Freeport seized the lead as Josh Schreckengost scored his second goal with 10:23 remaining for a 2-1 edge. After being stopped on a breakaway by Rich Smith just moments earlier, Dustin Gaworski converted beating Smith for a 3-1 lead with just 1:10 left in the 2nd. The Jackets came right and scored again with just :28 left in the period as Zach Hepler beat Smith and Freeport took control 4-1. At 13:19 of the 3rd Josh Schreckengost completed the hat trick to put Freeport sniffing round two with a 5-1 rout. Gaworski added another goal on a rebound at 9:30 for 6-1 and the Yellow Jackets were on their way to Johnstown next week for a meeting with Bishop McCort. With 26 ticks left Jason Bubb capped it off with a wrist shot to the stick side for a 7-1 Freeport victory.

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.