Baldwin Highlanders - 1975 & 1988 AAA

Gateway had a lot of high expectations coming into the 2004-2005 season with a group of seniors who overachieved last season down the stretch and secured a playoff spot in the season’s final week. Coach Lou Biancanello has watched his team play well against some good teams and just awful against some not-so good teams, but the end result has been a disappointing 5-12 season for the Gators. One more loss to this evening’s opponent Shaler would leave Gateway in the cellar of the North Division. Shaler coach Ron Steedle has seen a lot in 20 + years at the helm with Shaler, but has never had a team which scored less than the 2004-2005 squad with just 23 goals in 17 games. The Titans have suffered from players who started out in the program and have departed to places like Shady Side Academy or North Allegheny or are playing in a beer league or bantam program near you. So coaching this team has been a challenge, but this team made up of a handful of seniors and mostly underclassmen including almost a dozen freshman who have competed in the lineup, has never quit and has improved drastically from the season’s first half as evidenced by the past four games where Shaler has been leading, tied or trailing by a goal entering the final period. Shaler played a very efficient first period keeping the Gators out of their end and getting a few quality chances of their own on J.D. Dominick. The Titans hard work paid off with 2:30 remaining in the opening period as sophomore Will Moushey pounced on a rebound and beat Dominick to give Shaler a 1-0 lead. The 2nd period was a little different as Gateway had a couple of chances, but this time it was Titan goaltender Ben Burns stoning the Gators on all of the 21 shots through the first two periods. Shaler went on the power play midway through the 2nd and capitalized as freshman Robert Kuhn chipped a rebound past J.D. Dominick to give the Titans a 2-0 lead, which they took to the locker room for the ice cut. Gateway came out storming in the 3rd and would outshoot Shaler 15-3 in the third period, but Ben Burns was phenomenal and looked like the Gators would not beat him, until Ryan Whitfield found a wide open chance with 9:57 left in regulation to put the Gators back within one at 2-1. Shaler had a great opportunity with a little over five minutes to play as P.J. Domski had a breakaway, but shot it wide of Dominick. The Gators took an undisciplined penalty with a little over three minutes left, but Shaler could not capitalize keeping the score at 2-1. Gateway pulled the goalie for the extra attacker and made it count as Michael Delorenzo burst down the slot and lofted a wrist shot through traffic which eluded Burns to tie the game with just 14 seconds left in the regulation. Then in the overtime, it was DeLorenzo again, a kid who I coached at Gateway as a freshman and was looked at as a liability by many Gateway people [but not me] and is now Gateway’s best player [aside from goaltender J.D. Dominick] and wasn’t even nominated for an all-star position. DeLorenzo took this game into his hands and took the Gators from being 14 seconds into last place to winning a crucial game in overtime by scoring on a wrist shot from the slot to give Gateway a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory and put them back within striking distance for a playoff spot down the stretch.

MT LEBANON - Since we haven’t had one in a while it is the time of the year one would expect a Who’s Who night and with the stars aligning and NO Bob Montana [supposedly off on a cruise…. probably on the Goodship Lollipop] in sight, we all decided it would be a great night to commence. In attendance tonight, Mt Lebanon Rec Center staples Jamie Cummings, Rick Woods, Dave Hornack, & Chuck ‘the real Mr Hockey’ Kelly, my sidekick and fellow Shaler head coach Ron Steedle, Jack ‘Camera in Hand’ Bliek, Plum braintrust Jerry ‘Dr Evil’ Bass and Stu ‘they need a Pizza Pub in the South Hills’ Rulnick, Ralph ‘Mr Ice Castle’ Murovich, Bob ‘can sing a mean National Anthem, but is saving it for Sunday’ Sebastian, with Ron ‘I am Tom and Tony’s father’ Valerino and his old pals Mr. Sloan and Uddstrom, Bethel’s Jim ‘Mort’ McVay and NA’s Tommy ‘Tax Season’ Pandolfo. The only ones missing by my count were our contractor Mr. Haney and our scheduler Mr. Kimball, who took the night off for more important duties. What a difference a year makes between games for Fox Chapel and Mt Lebanon. Coach Jim Damp’s Foxes have struggled to a 10-7-0 campaign after their greatest season in history a year ago due to some key graduation on defense and between the pipes. The Blue Devils on the hand have fought off roster distractions to post a strong 14-2 record with losses only to current # 1 seed Bethel Park and current # 2 seed North Allegheny. Coach Taibi is trying to gear up for a big rematch with Bethel next week, which should be a good barometer of the progress of the Blue Devils. In last year’s game, FC All-Star Matt Quigley played the first two periods of a 0-0 tie game and left for reindeer practice only to not see his team succumb to Mt Lebanon 3-1. This years game started with no # 14 in the lineup for the Foxes, which has been a common distraction for a team in need of a win over a team ahead of them in the standings and also trying to secure a home playoff game as the current # 8 seed. The first period was all Mt Lebanon and at 9:35 James Cichra walk in alone and beat FC netminder Eric Thiessen high over the glove hand for a 1-0 Mt Lebanon lead. At 4:08 of the opening period, Tony’Tom’ Valerino beat Thiessen with slick move on the forehand for a 2-0 Mt Lebanon lead. To cap off the first at 1:01 Eric Thiessen stopped Chad Uddstrom twice, but Rick Beuke found the puck on the doorstep and deposited it into the empty net for a 3-0 advantage and a 13-4 shot total in favor of Mt Lebanon. On to the 2nd Period and at 7:52 Fox Chapel broke through on the power play as Kyle Misour banged home a rebound of Tyler Keenan to cut the lead to 3-1 in favor of the Blue Devils. Then at 6:34, the Foxes came right back as Justin Kreps would not be denied and scored on his own rebound to make it a 3-2 game after some good work by linemates Joe Budz and Kyle Misour. Mt Lebanon would turn the tide with 5:05 left in the 2nd as Rick Beuke had a golden opportunity to regain a two goal advantage and missed a wide open net as the puck fluttered off his stick and hit the side of the net. The Blue Devils did capitalize at 1:11 as Mt Lebanon got an odd man break and took advantage of lackluster backchecking by the Foxes and Shane Ferguson made a great pass to Tyler Murovich who was parked in the crease to make it 4-2. Tony Valerino wasted no time getting into the act just 7 seconds later and beat Thiessen to extend the lead to 5-2 at 1:01. The Foxes and the Blue Devils both had 11 shots, but Lebo went to the intermission with a three-goal lead. The 3rd Period started and Matt Quigley entered the building and you just wonder if the Mt Lebanon players saw him when they scored in the end of the 2nd. At 13:44 of the 3rd the Blue Devils made it not matter [that Quigley showed] as Shane Ferguson found a wide open Tyler Murovich, who beat Thiessen on the backhand to make it 6-2. At 12:38, James Cichra got behind the FC defense and beat Thiessen on the forehand for a 7-2 runaway. The Blue Devils smothered the Foxes the rest of the way for an impressive victory at the Mt Lebanon Recreation Center.

**Special report to Pa Hockey provided by Canon-McMillan Hockey. CANONSBURG - The last time Canon-McMillan and West Allegheny faced each other, it was one of the most thrilling games of the season. The Big Macs were ranked #2 at the time, while the Indians weren't far behind at #3. That game, held on December 9th, lived up to all the hype as it featured 4 lead changes before Jesse Patnesky scored the game winner in overtime for Canon Mac. Because of those things, the rematch on Monday night certainly brought on plenty more hype. Moreover, these two teams have both moved up a notch in the rankings over the past 6 weeks, creating a #1 vs. #2 showdown on a night full of exciting AA games. Patnesky picked up where he left off in the last match-up by firing a wrist shot from the high slot past WA netminder Dan Kuzio on a power play. Doug Stanton assisted on the goal, which came at the 10:42 mark. West Allegheny's Marek Polidor had an answer to that goal when streaked down the left wing and tucked a shot in on the short side just 24 seconds later. Tony Lutz and Mason Fisher picked up assists, and it appeared this game was going to be another seesaw affair. The tie stayed in place for the next 8 minutes, but it wasn't because the offenses went dormant. Canon-McMillan put forth a furious attack on the West A net, firing 20 shots on goal in the first period. Kuzio was up to the challenge, though, making save after save to keep the score even. It was West Allegheny that broke the deadlock on just their 6th shot of the period. Steve Sarachine was the goal scorer on the power play with assists to Ryan Kumpfmiller and Polidor. With a 2-1 lead and only 1:47 left in the period, the Indians felt like they were about to escape the CM barrage and take control of the game. Patnesky had other thoughts, though, as Stanton hit him with a pass from the behind the net, and Patnesky stuffed it inside the left post with 18 seconds left in period number one. A power play for the Big Macs early in the 2nd period gave them an opportunity to continue their offensive showcase. However, Polidor won the defensive zone face-off to the stick of Mason Fisher, who wrapped the puck around the far boards to a streaking Ryne Savisky. Savisky muscled his way to the CM net and went to the backhand for a shorthanded goal at 13:16. The Canon Mac power play didn't let up, though, and Doug Stanton pulled the game even again a minute later off an assist from Patnesky. West A was called for a penalty after the goal was scored, but an interference call against CM nullified their man advantage. WA took their turn on the powerplay after the 4-on-4 ended, but Patnesky was determined to notch a shorthanded goal of his own. He collected the puck from his own end and fought through a check along the boards at the blue before dancing in and unleashing another wrist shot from the slot. The goal came unassisted and gave the Big Macs their 2nd lead of the night. Like their first lead, it wouldn't last long, though. Polidor again restored the tie with a power play tally 23 seconds later with a quick shot to the left corner from the low slot off an assist from Savisky. So despite having 2 leads and severely outshooting the Indians, the Big Macs were only ahead for a total of 47 seconds of action by the game's midpoint. The 4-4 tie would last the rest of the period after a few penalties led to a rare instance of 3-on-3 play. The lead had changed hands 5 times through the first 30 minutes of play, setting up what would be an electrifying third period. Canon-McMillan came out gunning again in the final period, looking more to increase its advantage on the scoreboard rather than the shot clock this time. A shot by CM sophomore Justin Cormack led to a wild scramble in front of Kuzio. Corey Griffith took a crack at a loose puck, and while the shot didn't immediately go in, it found the back of the net anyway off a West A defender. The Big Macs made sure their third lead lasted a little longer than the first two by scoring 28 seconds later. Kyle Harnen dished the puck to the red-hot Patnesky, who beat Kuzio again for his 4th goal of the night. For the first time in the game, a team held a 2-goal lead, but the offenses of both teams weren't about to let that stand. The goaltenders were, however, as Kuzio for WA and Drew Stanton for CM turned aside multiple shots each. Drew Stanton, who was battling a bad case of the flu, played his best hockey of the game at this point to frustrate the Indians. Canon Mac couldn't withstand the mounting pressure from West A for too long, though, and Ian Skacan set up Lutz at the 6:00 mark to pull the visitors back within 1 at 6-5. In a game full of quick, back-to-back goals, Canon-McMillan need only another 46 seconds to put the scoreboard operator to work. This time it was Doug Stanton notching his second goal of the contest to put the home team up by 2 once again. A slashing call on goaltender Drew Stanton gave West Allegheny a power play chance with just over 4 minutes to play. Stanton and the penalty killers held the Indians in check, though, and soon thereafter it was the Big Macs turn on the man advantage. Drew Stanton put his stick to use again, but this time it was a long, lead pass to Cormack, who drove to the net from the left circle and snapped home Canon Mac's 8th goal with 1:41 to go. West Allegheny refused to give up despite the 3-goal deficit, and with the goaltender pulled, a high wrist shot from the blue line found its way through a screen and just under the crossbar behind a blinded Drew Stanton. The Indians were back within 2 but there was only 52 seconds left to play. The Indians were able to manage one more shot on goal, their 14th shot of the third period, but it wasn't enough to change the score. The game ended with the #1 Big Macs still on top by a score of 8-6. Drew Stanton made 20 saves to pick up the win for Canon-McMillan, who improves to 15-0-1 on the year. Kuzio made an impressive 36 saves for West Allegheny, who suffers only their 3rd loss of the year. Montour is the only other team to have beaten the Indians this year, but West A still holds a 1-point advantage over the Spartans in the West Division. The Big Macs, meanwhile, hold first place in the South Division -- and all of AA -- by 7 points over Peter Township. Canon Mac will look to extend that lead Tuesday night when they travel to Johnstown to take on the home town Trojans at the War Memorial. The going doesn't get much easier for West Allegheny, though, since they face Peters Township on the road next Monday in a game that will likely be for the #2 ranking in AA.

Special Report provided by Canon McMillan Hockey JOHNSTOWN -- The longest road trip of the season for Canon-McMillan almost proved to be a dead end for their undefeated season, but the Big Macs were just too powerful for the Somerset Eagles to stop. In the end, a late rally by Somerset wasn't enough, and the top-ranked Big Macs prevailed, 3-2. Canon Mac didn't have a problem finding their legs after arriving in Johnstown, dominating the opening period in overwhelming fashion. But they did have a problem locating their scoring touch. The Eagles could only muster 1 shot on goal in the opening frame, while the Big Macs put 10 on the opposing net and buzzed around it all period. Neither team was able to find the back of the net, though, and Somerset was relieved to see zeros on both sides of the scoreboard. Doug Stanton would break the tie with a stellar shift early in the 2nd period. Stanton put the Big Macs ahead 1-0 at the 10:10 mark with a low wrister from the bottom of the right wing circle that found its way past Somerset netminder Wes Cramer. Justin Cormack assisted on the goal, and got another helper on another goal by Stanton 26 seconds later. This time it was a low wrist shot again that gave Stanton his league-leading 29th goal of the season. Cramer then returned to his first period form and held the Big Macs off the board despite a furious onslaught. Cramer made 10 saves again in the 2nd period, and at the other end, CM goaltender Mike O'Neill was making efficient work of the 6 shots he saw through the first 30 minutes of play. The Canon Mac defense was playing exceptionally well in front of him, and the few chances that got to the net were all turned away by O'Neill. A pretty glove save with 4:25 left in the second stopped the Eagles' best scoring chance prior to the ice cut. The Big Macs looked to put away the Eagle in the third, and an early power play gave them the opportunity to do so. CM buzzed around the net, but Cramer kept the puck in front of him and kept the 2-goal differential in tact. Officiating in Johnstown always poses a challenge for visiting teams, and this game was no different. Penalties 14 seconds apart left Canon Mac down two men at 9:33 of the period, and the Somerset power play would use the advantage to sneak back in to the game. K.J. Elowek took a pass down low from Alex Olsen, then threw a pass across the slot to Craig Eddy, who deposited it in the back of the CM net at 8:08. Canon-McMillan was able to kill off the rest of the 5-on-4 advantage, then quickly restored their 2-goal lead. A shot up high by Stanton deflected off Cramer and in to the air above the Somerset goal. As the puck came down towards the crease, Jesse Patnesky was there to knock it out of mid-air and in to the open net. The referees debated the call, but in the end it was clear the puck was below the crossbar. The Eagles weren't about to let Cramer's strong performance end there, though. Another 5-on-3 advantage was granted to them, and they made the most of it again. A pass from the left wing circle by Mathias Eliasson deflected off the heel of a CM skate and past O'Neill at 5:19 to make the score 3-2. Olsen received his 2nd assist on the goal, and the home team had aspirations of an upset. CM once again killed off the remaining penalty time, then continued to play tough in their defensive zone. Somerset was never able to set up a prime scoring opportunity despite the press to tie the game. Cramer took the loss in spite of a stellar, 30-save effort for Somerset, who falls to 3-10 on the year. O'Neill improved his personal record to 3-0 for the season by making 11 saves, while Canon-McMillan remains unbeaten at 14-0-1. Somerset next welcomes Bishop Canevin to Johnstown for a Sunday night match-up at Planet Ice. Canon-McMillan returns home to play one of the biggest games of the season in Monday night, when they host West Allegheny in a showdown of the top 2 teams in AA.

This Game Summary was provided by Latrobe Hockey GREENSBURG - There was a cat fight at the Kirk S. Nevin Ice Arena in Greensburg on Thursday night as the Latrobe Wildcats hosted the Kittanning Wildcats in AA Varsity Ice Hockey action. Latrobe jumped out to a 1-0 lead early in the first period on a Brad Roth goal assisted by Mike Kimmel and Aaron Stitt. However, Kittanning's Joel Shriver responded with two goals, including a power play goal, to give his team a 2 - 1 lead at the end of the first period. Justin Kovatch assisted Shriver on both goals while teammates Lee Heilman and Nick Troup chipped in with one assist each. In the second period, Kittanning's Colin McKelvey struck quickly with a goal assisted by Cory Beers and Adam Fiscus. Nevertheless, Latrobe jumped back into striking distance on an Eric Gondosh goal with Stitt and RJ Williams assisting. But, McKelvey, assisted by Troup, scored again with 13 seconds remaining in the period to give Kittanning a 4 - 2 lead at the end of two. A short-handed breakaway goal by Shriver took Latrobe by surprise early in the third period. Heilman assisted Shriver with his hattrick goal to give Kittanning a 5 - 2 lead. Shortly thereafter, Williams put another goal on the board for Latrobe with Kimmel and Roth providing assists. The final twelve and one-half minutes of the game resulted in a defensive battle as each team refused scoring rights to the other. Kittanning clinched the game with a 5 - 3 victory. Kittanning Goalie Joseph Mercurio stopped 24 of 27 shots and Latrobe Goalie Justin Fontaine denied Kittanning 28 of their 33 scoring attempts.