Baldwin Highlanders - 1975 & 1988 AAA

HARMARVILLE – McDowell coach Paul Mancini sat on the sidelines after his team took 15 + penalties in their game against rival Cathedral Prep. The Trojans have had a splendid season at 17-4-2 and had a golden opportunity to move up to as far the 4th seed entering this evenings game and a loss would put them in the 6th seed just behind Upper St Clair and Plum. The boys from Erie have defeated Meadville and Cathedral Prep twice this season and Upper St Clair and their blemishes are like many others include Bethel Park, North Allegheny [twice] and Mt Lebanon. A typical hard hitting Trojan squad with feisty skaters, good positional play and strong goaltending of John Cleary, but they will have to be disciplined to have a chance of advancing deep into the Penguins Cup playoffs. Fox Chapel coach Jim Damp would enter tonight’s game with his team owning a 13-10-0 record and in a battle with Central Catholic and a resurgent North Hills team to claim the 9th seed and a trip to Meadville, which doesn’t bother the Foxes, who defeated the Bulldogs 1-0 earlier this season. Tonight’s test would be interesting since leading scorer Matt Quigley was sidelined and FC would start senior Brandon Beal on Senior Night instead of Eric Thiessen, who has handled a majority of the Foxes big games. When Beal is on he has displayed the ability of just being stellar, but a recent subpar performance against Shaler, put him on the bench in the games final minutes, which may have motivated him to play better. A packed house at Harmarville including coaches from North Allegheny, Mt Lebanon and Meadville in anticipation of the playoffs next week were on hand. Several years ago, there was a meeting at the then Civic Arena to discuss the officiating in Western Pennsylvania, especially at the high school level and after several heated arguments between the referees association [WPHOA] and the high school leagues [WPIHL and SHIHL] at the time. After some heated discussions, it was decided that their would be referee evaluations of the officials by the coaches, which would put into a database and a monthly meeting to discuss issues and potentially would mean officials who don’t meet the criteria, would see limited if any action late in the season and be eliminated for the playoffs. This was back when we ALL were volunteers and the database was maintained and as Vice President of the WPIHL at the time, I attend these meetings and it worked. Now that there is PAID administration, we now see the same guys who were in 1996-1997 were banished from late season competition and having an adverse affect on results of games. Supposedly, in our current environment and according to some coaches, the infinite wisdom of the PIHL is pulling the best officials from first round playoff games and letting ALL officials have an opportunity to call games. So on display tonight were two guys, who in 1997 didn’t cut it and HAVE NEVER IMPROVED and in my opinion cannot handle playoff action in a very important game between McDowell and Fox Chapel and with only 7 games on the schedule tonight, you would think whoever is scheduling these games would check the standings and put their BEST on the ice instead of their near WORST in this situation! Fortunately for McDowell and Fox Chapel, their first round playoff games will be in Erie, where there are some decent officials including McDowell coach Paul Mancini [who is one of the best officials in Western Pennsylvania] who is a veteran of many years of playoff tilts and the Ontario Hockey Association [Major Junior A] in Erie over the past ten years and could only shake his head in disgust at the proceedings early on in this game. Anyway, a weak call in the games first minute of this game put Fox Chapel on the power play and BOOOM….Joe Budz took a Kyle Misour feed and beat John Cleary at 12:38 to give FC a 1-0 lead. Before the bus legs of McDowell could go away, the Foxes caught the Trojan defense napping again and Kyle Misour took a great pass from Budz out of the corner and beat Cleary through the 5-hole and it was 2-0 with 10:21 left. Another questionable call at 9:50 put the Foxes on the power play again and give Fox Chapel credit, they pounced on this game early and knew the consequences as Misour blasted a slapshot from the right point which sailed past the McDowell goaltender and Fox Chapel was now up 3-0 with 8:51 left in the opening period. A series of makeup calls proceeded in the second half of the 1st period and McDowell applied some decent pressure but only resulted in 3 shots to Fox Chapel’s 12. On to the 2nd period and the game was back and forth as the Foxes went on another power play, which the Trojans killed off. McDowell finally had a flurry at around the 10 ½ minute mark, but Brandon Beal would stopped them at every turn as he made a great sliding save on Mark Skirzynski at 9:58 and several other saves to keep the Trojans off the board. Fox Chapel would score the only goal of the middle period, again on the power play as Dan Umanski unloaded a slapshot from the right point, which John Cleary never moved on and went high over the stick side and Fox Chapel held a 4-0 lead with 2:17 left. To add insult to injury, Beal stopped Skirzynski on a breakaway with 40 seconds left and the Foxes went to the locker room with a commanding lead. The third period was just ugly hockey with the teams more interested in getting into individual battles than scoring and after a slew of more penalties and causing League Rep Steve Sturm to use more scoresheets than normally necessary, Justin Kreps put the dagger in McDowell on a 5 on 3 power play, he deposited a rebound past Cleary with 6:33, which put McDowell on the bus headed back to Erie to prepare for Central Catholic in the first round, while Fox Chapel earned a trip to Meadville to face the Bulldogs. You can bet Erie’s best officials will be scheduled on those games!

VALENCIA – When we last left our cavaliers from Peters Township, they were knocking Canon McMillan from the ranks of the undefeated before a crowd estimated at over 800 at Southpointe. The Indians would be without Gerry Raymond, Rob Madore, and Matt Lazzaro, again who don’t like the Pa Hockey game summaries, because I rarely get to cover them and this being a Thursday, we would miss their presence again. The Indians are currently tied for 6th position in Class AA, but are considered a favorite by many to repeat as Penguins Cup champions for the 4th year in a row and could drop to # 7 with a loss. Pine Richland entered tonight’s game with a 16-4-0 record in a battle with Indiana for the # 2 seed with Peters Twp and Kittanning left on the slate. Two tough games, which coach Jimmy Black’s club needs to become playoff tested after a crucial win in Indiana 4-1. Simple as it is that PR must win their last two and due to the advantage the Rams hold on Indiana with the final tiebreakers with less penalty minutes, they would secure the # 2 seed. The reality is that Pine Richland could avoid a full Peters team until the Penguins Cup semis if they get there in a tough Class AA field, where anything could happen. Justin Maharamas made the games first big save on Brendan Conlon at 9:54 as the speedy Ram beat the Peters defense. At 6:53, after a delayed penalty Steven Adams controlled the puck and placed a perfect shot low to the stick side to a perfectly positioned Phil Trombetta for an easy tap-in and a 1-0 Pine Richland lead. Jeff Hannan came right back at 3:44 scoring on a backhand after Dustin Roux won the battle for the puck out of the corner and tied the contest at 1-1. At 13:32 of the 2nd, Peters Twp went on the power play, but could not capitalize. After Josh Fodor danced around the Peters defense and missed, the Indians came right back and Chris Papciak would find a loose puck in the slot and found Brandon Tingle at the side of the net, who had nothing but net to give the Indians a 2-1 lead. Brendan Conlon responded with a goal for PR at 4:20 to tie the game at 2-2 from right on the door step. Phil Trombetta had an opportunity to give the Rams the lead at 3:34, but Maharamas stoned him with a glove save. At 12:47 of the third period, Peters took the lead as Chris Papciak buried a snapshot to the stick side of Tommy Zajac for a 3-2 lead after a great checking effort by Jake Della Valle and Eric Windemueller. Back came the Rams at 11:31 as Phil Trombetta found a breaking Josh Fodor, who made no mistake through the 5-hole and tied it at 3-3. Tommy Zajac made two nice stops just moments later to keep the game tied. Maharamas stopped Trombetta from point blank, but Peters was whistled at 9:40, putting the Rams on the power play, prompting a timeout by coach Jimmy Black. Peters showed pretty good patience keeping PR on the perimeter and yielding limited chances. But at 6:07, Tommy DiDinato delivered a huge goal intercepting a pass and beating Marahamas with a wrist shot through the 5-hole for a 4-3 Pine Richland lead. Evan Goetz nearly gave PR a 2-goal lead with 4:25 left, but the Peters goaltender stopped the puck before it crossed the line. Tommy Zajac stopped a great chance on Dustin Roux at 2:38 with a glove save. Play ended in a scramble around the Pine Richland net and the Rams held on for a 4-3 victory.

CORAOPOLIS -- Special Report to Pa Hockey by Joe Carson of the Shady Rest Chronicle With word of Ralph and Alf finally coming through on their contract to construct division championship trophies and news of a West Allegheny loss earlier in the evening spreading throughout the Island Sports Center, Montour sought to schedule the Cannonball for a stop in Robinson Township in Monday night’s game against Bishop Canevin. A Spartan victory would earn them the West Division crown, but the Crusaders weren’t about to lay down as they’re in a late-season fight for playoff positioning. Fate could put these two teams on the same ice again in the first round of the playoffs, so there was a lot riding on this contest. After Aaron Williams posted the win in net for Montour over West Allegheny last week, Nick Gialloreto was back in goal for the Spartans tonight. At the other end was fellow PIHL All-Star Joe Ziemanski of the Crusaders. Ralph and Alf were not on hand at this one, but the lively pair of Chet Steen and Barry Woznichiak provided an experienced and highly respected pair of referees for the contest. Mario Panucci appeared to have injured his hand on the first shift of the hockey game, but he was back out there for his next shift, making a nice clearing pass to start a rush up ice. The Spartans would not convert on that rush, but it set up a face-off in the Canevin end. After the puck was dropped, Panucci slid a pass to Zack Perry in the corner, who then found Danny Shiwarski in scoring position. Shiwarski would fire the puck off the post and in at 11:44 for the game’s first goal. Montour kept coming as Ross Polk just barely missed on a backhander at 10:14 and Panucci was stoned by Ziemanski at 8:36. Polk also set up a streaking Chad Talotta with a nice one-touch pass in the neutral zone, but Talotta couldn’t complete the play as Ziemanski again made a nice save at 7:07. Ziemanski had accumulated several nice saves before Gialloreto had to make his first save of the night at the other end, which came on a backhand shot by Jason Rogerio at 5:40. A slow, methodical first period picked up its pace late as Panucci came out on a tear. Panuci’s grit yielded him a few good scoring chances, but it was his backdoor pass that found Zack Perry, who tipped the pass towards the net and it just barely crossed the goal line. The first period ended 2-0 in favor of the Spartans, but the home team had dictated the play for the entire 15 minutes. Canevin used a strong forecheck to control the play at the start of the second, and it almost resulted in a goal by Scott Christopher off a Montour skate. The puck stopped harmlessly in the crease, however, and Montour rallied right back by springing Panucci on a breakaway. A shot to the 5-hole was stopped but as Zack Perry hunted the rebound, a Canevin defender forced Ziemanski and the puck behind the goal line. The goal came just 42 seconds in to the period and gave the Spartans a 3-0 lead. Montour kept coming with a 3-on-1 moments later but couldn’t manage to get off a shot. Canevin regrouped and threw a barrage of shots on Gialloreto, who made some key saves to keep the Crusaders off the board. Panucci again created a spark when he picked off a clearing pass at 7:10, danced behind the net, then found Perry coming to the net. Ziemanski stood his ground to make the save, and then the game opened up as the teams exchanged odd-man rushes and quality scoring chances over the next few minutes. By the time Panucci touched the ice again, the game had reached the speed he thrives on. After Danny Shiwarski was checked off the puck driving to the slot, Panucci came streaking through to corral the puck and quickly dish a blind behind-the-back pass to Perry, who pushed home a backhander in to an open net at 3:03. Montour used a flurry of shots on the Crusader net to extend their suddenly immense lead to 5-0 on a rebound goal by Kevin Bishop from Perry and Panucci with only 1.1 seconds left in the period, putting Canevin on the ropes after 2 periods of play. On to the final period, and strong work by Jeff Peters on the forecheck led to a goal by Adam Rizza on a redirection in tight. Peters and Brian Dugan assisted on the goal, which came at 13:13 of the third. It seemed like Panucci made something happen every time he touched the puck, and he nearly picked up another assist on a nice pass to Perry on a 3-on-2 at the 12-minute mark. Ziemanski again stood tall to make the stop, keeping the score 6-0. Montour got their second power play of the night at 8:10 of the third, but it was Canevin’s Dennis Zeh with the best scoring chance with a slap shot from the high slot at 7:31. Canevin’s penalty killing looked strong again, and the Crusaders got their chance on the power play just after going back to even strength. Montour boasts one of the top penalty killing units in the league, but a miscue in their own ended needed a nice glove save by Gialoretto at 4:58 to keep the zero on Canevin’s side of the scoreboard. As the seconds ticked down on the man advantage, Chad Talotta was hauled down heading in to the Crusader zone. After 12 seconds of 4-on-4 play, the Spartan power play took the ice. Panucci again created the spark, and the resulting action around the net gave Montour a 5-on-3 advantage with 3:15 to play. The Canevin kill couldn’t continue its dominance when down by two men, as Polk took a pass from Joey Clarke behind the net and set up Talotta for a quick snap shot goal from the slot at 2:29. The running clock kicked in, but Ziemanski still had to make a few great saves in the closing seconds. As the final buzzer sounded, Montour had won the game, 7-0, and had won their second straight division championship. Top 5 Fan Justin Panucci presented the Spartans with their West Division championship banner (purchased at Drucker’s General Store) in an ad hoc, post-game ceremony.

SATURDAY - Finals 2/27/05 - Nailers Cup 'Open Division' Finals Chartiers Valley 9 Wheeling Park 4 HIGHLIGHTS: Drew Paolicelli 3 goals and 3 assists, Tom Miller 2 goals and 4 assists, Ed Olczyk 2 goas and 2 assists to lead the Colts. For Wheeling Park Zach Eckman and Derek Felici had 1 goal and 1 assist each. TUESDAY NAILERS CUP - FIRST ROUND Penn Hills 6 Connellsville 2 HIGHLIGHTS: Anthony Battista had the hat trick and Ryan Jones, Mark Eberle and Brad Zafris add singles for the Indians. WEDNESDAY NAILERS CUP - FIRST ROUND Chartiers Valley 11 Woodland Hills 1 HIGHLIGHTS: Tommy Miller with 4 goals, Drew Paocelli with 3 goals & 1 assist, Eddie Olczyk with a pair and Ryan Woodall with 2 assists Wheeling Park 6 Ringgold 3 HIGHLIGHTS: Justin Gray and Derek Felici with 2 goals and 1 assist and Zack Eckman with 1 goal and 2 assists, while Austin King adds 1 goal for the Patriots. Daniel Tonini 2 goals and 1 assist and Chris Lewis 1 goal and 1 assist for Ringgold. Wheeling Central 2 Carrick 1 HIGHLIGHTS: Bobby Herron scores with under a minute left in overime and assists on Erik Baker's goal as the Maroon Knights move on to Wheeling. THURSDAY - Semi Finals Chartiers Valley 6 Wheeling CC 2 HIGHLIGHTS: Tom Miller had the Hat Trick and two assists for Char Valley in their game, while Ryan Woodall had two goals and three assists. Drew Paolicelli added another score.Matt Ball and Erik Baker score for WCC. Wheeling Park 7 Penn Hills 6 HIGHLIGHTS: Park's R.T. Blass scores in the 2nd OT after 1 minute and 20 seconds of the SECOND OVERTIME to end a marathon with Penn Hills. Indians are led by Ryan Jones 4 goals and 1 assist, Will Banks 1 goal and 1 assist and Matt Sawhill 1 goal and 1 assist. Wheeling Park is led by Zack Eckman 2 goals and 2 assists Derek Felice 2 goals and 2 assists and Justin Gray 1 goal and 1 assist.

CORAOPOLIS – Quaker Valley has had another outstanding regular season under coach Kevin Quinn at 15-2-1 and currently sits at 15-2-1, with lone blemishes against Serra (8-2) and Bishop McCort (2-1). The Quakers will enjoy a first round bye and clinched the West Division title with a victory over Sewickley Academy on Valentines Day 5-3. All of this is great for QV and tonight they celebrated Senior Night. In addition, there was a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette photographer on hand to take pictures of Furman South, [to no avail because he left before South showed] a Pa Hockey top 25 selection, who has not played in any Quaker Valley games I have attended and covered. I am sure he will participate in 10 to be eligible for the playoffs under the Pennsylvania High School Hockey Championships rules,but I know he hasn’t participated in 75% of the QV games, which will make him ineligible for Team Pittsburgh. South is the key figure in ANY chances that the Quakers will have of defeating Serra or Bishop McCort, but on this snowy night in Hooterville, he is off fulfilling Mr Haney’s contract obligations and would show up later in our story. In addition, super freshmen players Tim Hall and Grant Scott were not in uniform to face Mars, a team the Quakers may face in round 2 of the playoffs. Mars has really turned their program around in 2004-2005 under 2nd year coach Eric Glover, clinching a playoff spot and with a victory over Quaker Valley, could sneak into a home playoff berth and a bye should they overtake Sewickley Academy in the seasons final week. The Planets are a far cry from a 6-15-1 team a year ago and will be a darkhorse at best to get into the Penguins Cup semis, which happen three years ago for Mars. At 5:47 of the first period, Wil Forser opened the scoring with a wrist shot from between the circles past Bryan Ross to give the Quakers a 1-0 lead. QV continued to pressure the Planets and forced a penalty putting QV on the power play at 4:14. Ross made an excellent save on a wide open George Jackson at 3:41 and Mars killed off the penalty and the score remained 1-0 after the first after complete domination of the 2nd half of the period by QV. The Quakers went back on the man advantage at 14:09 of the 2nd period, which was killed again by the Planets. At 8:23 of the 2nd, QV took advantage of a miscue by the Mars defense as Bret McNamara walked down the slot and scored on the wrist shot for a 2-0 Quaker lead. At 4:50, Mars went on the power play and had some nice pressure until they were whistled for goaltender interference for running over Zac Zinger. At 13:10 of the 3rd period, Noah Zamagias scored on a wraparound to make it 3-0 and conveniently Furman South took a seat on the bench. Kelly Elson celebrated Senior Night with a goal at 9:05 to extend the lead to 4-0 and the Quakers were looking to move into a big rematch with Serra next Monday at Rostraver. Mars went on the power play after an unsportsmanlike penalty with 7:04 left, but did not get many chances, the best coming after the penalty had expired but was stopped by Zac Zinger, who stopped all 13 shots that the Planets had for a 4-0 victory for Quaker Valley.