Baldwin Highlanders - 1975 & 1988 AAA

VALENCIA – So my schedule said the game between Thomas Jefferson and Pine Richland started at 6:00 PM and then it was changed to 7:00 PM and then the e-mail nobody ever gets changed it to 7:30 PM. Another fiasco in a year of fiasco’s including JV and Freshman scheduling, which not only effected our game this evening, but also a freshman game at Center Ice with no referees! And all of you out there are paying a lot of money, for ineptitude and remember…..”if you don’t show up, you will be fined $ 1000.00”! I can’t wait until the freshman playoffs in Wheeling for 5 nights in March. So we had an opportunity to spend some quality time with the Thomas Jefferson folks and talk about the old times and good times over the past few years and well we won’t get into that right now. Speaking of which, there was a game played in the 1999 Penguins Cup Semi-Finals at the Rostraver Ice Garden between Pine Richland – Thomas Jefferson, that was the ‘2nd most famous’ stick measuring incident in Pa State Playoff history. The Jaguars won that game and went on to win their 2nd of 3 straight Pennsylvania State AA Championships under Don Powell, the Dean of Class AA coaching. In 2004-2005, TJ entered this evening’s game at 7-6-1 with a young, but maturing team, which could make lots of noise in the playoffs, if it finds consistent scoring and goaltending. Pine Richland coach Jimmy Black’s team is just looking for consistency period as the Rams have survived the opening night loss to Ambridge and then won 10 of 12, before being defeated by Montour. PR can score goals and their goaltending has had its moments as they figure to be in the mix when the playoff bell rings in March. So after a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem by a young lady from Pine Richland, we all settled into our seats at the Ice Connection for the now 7:40 start to this game. The first period featured a few good chances and goaltending, which both coaches are looking for in the playoffs. The Ram’s Josh Fodor beat the TJ defense and tried to score on the backhand at 11:12. but Mike Patterson stood tall. Then at 8:10 of the first, Phil Trombetta had a great chance from in front, but Patterson stopped him to keep the game scoreless. Thomas Jefferson had their chance in the opening 15 minutes as Joe Moore intercepted a pass while shorthanded but was stopped on a glove save by Andy Hildreth. The Jaguar’s Gary Bucci had a 2 on 1 late in the period, but shot high and wide as the game remained scoreless. Pine Richland had several chances on the power play in the 2nd period, but Patterson and the Jags defense held them off as key saves came on Jordan Yoklic at 13:22 and Tom DiDinato at 12:06. The thirds power play was a charm for the Rams as Yoklic found a loose puck in the slot and buried it past a sprawling Patterson for a 1-0 lead for PR at 8:20. The turning point of the hockey game came with The Jaguars on their first power play, but it would be Josh Fodor, who displayed great speed and finesse beating the TJ defense and Mike Patterson on the forehand at 5:02 for a shorthanded tally and a 2-0 lead. Thomas Jefferson had a great chance to get back into the game on a 5 on 3. but Fodor and the Rams killed it off. Brendan Conlon banged home a Jordan Yoklic rebound at 11:50 of the third period and Pine Richland had the game in their hands 3-0. Thomas Jefferson tried to mount a comeback as Brock Heinauer used the Pine Richland defenseman and beat Andy Hildreth with a wrist shot at 3:20, but it would prove to be the last score of the evening as the Rams defeated the Jaguars 3-1.

VALENCIA - This report was provided by the Montour Hockey Club Montour got back on track tonight with an impressive 6-2 victory versus Pine Richland at the Ice Connection of Pittsburgh. Montour came out early with big hits, sharp passing, and quick skating. Montour took an early lead when Paul Ciotti scored from the slot. Montour quickly made the game 2-0 when Dan Shiwarski centered a pass from behind the Pine Richland net where Zach Perry was waiting and put the puck home for the goal. Adam Rizza made the game 3-0 as Zach Perry passed the puck up to Rizza, who in turn slid the puck five hole on the backhand past Pine Richland goalie Thomas Zajac. Pine Richland added some pressure in the second period and would answer twice on the power play to cut the Montour lead in half at the end of two. Pine Richland's first goal was scored by Jordan Yoklic when he put a wraparound past Montour goalie Aaron Williams. Pine Richland's second goal came off a rebound by Thomas Didonato. However, Pine Richland would not score for the rest of the night. In the second period, Mario Panucci took a great pass from Dan Shiwarski as they entered the Pine Richland zone. Panucci waited and wristed a shot short side for his 17th goal of the season. The Montour defense stepped it up and stifled the Pine Richland offense throughout the night. Defenseman Brian Dugan played tough and played the body well. Defensemen Kevin Bishop, Aaron Siegel, Josh York, Ed Elbel played great as well and cleared the zone in front of goalie Aaron Williams, who picked up his second win on the season. Midway through the third period, Chad Talotta would take a lead pass from Joe Clarke and score five-hole on the breakaway to make the score 5-2 in favor of Montour. Talotta played aggressively all night and skated extremely well. Mario Panucci would later score his second goal of the game after he put a huge hit on a Pine Richland forward at center ice and then threw the puck the length of the ice into the empty net for his 18th goal of the season for the 6-2 final.

Pool Play Friday January 14th Toledo St Francis 4 Meadville 1 Ø Toledo St Francis breaks open a 2-1 game with two empty net goals by Charlie Fox and Anthony Long. Andy Hafner and Brian Bilius gave St Francis a 2-0 lead with goals 2 ½ minutes apart in the 2nd period, but Meadville’s Nick Fedorka scored with :42 left in the period to cut the lead to 2-1. Cleveland St Ignatius 9 Cathedral Prep 0 Ø Kevin Colleran and Tim O’Shaughnessy scored hat tricks and Steve Hruby faced only 12 shots as the Wildcats skunked Cathedral Prep in the Pool Play opener. Mt Lebanon 7 Thomas Jefferson 2 Ø Chad Uddstrom picks up the hat trick and James Cichra with 2 goals as Mt Lebanon breezes to easy win over TJ as Blue Devils outshoot the Jaguars 37-12 LaSalle 3 Central Catholic 1 Ø Over 4 ½ hour drive and a trip to Meadville results in a re-match of the 1998 Pennsylvania State AAA finals in which the Explorers won and they defeated Central Catholic again to win their opener in pool play Saturday January 15th Cleveland St Ignatius 5 Thomas Jefferson 2 Ø Ignatius forward Dan McLain scored a goal and picked up two assists as the Wildcats defeated Thomas Jefferson 5-2 in pool play. Brock Heinauer and Dan Jantzi scored for the Jaguars. Mt Lebanon 6 Cathedral Prep 0 Ø 6 different Blue Devils chipped in with goals as Mt Lebanon swamped Cathedral Prep 6-0. Mike Roman, Rick Beuke, Brandon Dornish, Tony Valerino, Bryan Colligan and Steve Millshouse scored at the Blue Devils clinched a spot in the semi-finals. Matt Stein picks up the shutout for Mt Lebo. Central Catholic 1 Meadville 1 Ø Meadville and Central played to a 0-0 game for three periods and a five minute overtime earlier this season. The Vikings Doug Dietrich scored with 9:03 remaining in the 3rd period, but the Bulldogs Nick Fedorka scored the game tying goal with 3:04 left as the teams fought to another tie. CC’s Bob Magyrics and Meadville’s Brian Danczak both had solid games between the pipes. LaSalle 7 Toledo St Francis 1 Ø LaSalle’s Steve Klenk had a breakout game with two goals and three assists as the Explorer’s smoked St Francis with 7 unanswered goals. L.G Gattison added two goals and two assists and Gino Naticchione and Tom Hartman tallied a goal and an assist for LaSalle. Cathedral Prep 3 Thomas Jefferson 2 Ø Ryan Zapolski is considered one of the top goaltender’s in the State of Pennsylvania and showed why stopping 47 out of 49 shots as the Ramblers edged Thomas Jefferson. Ken Zambryzcki scored two goals including the game winner and Nathan Bond added a goal for ECP. Joe Moore and Corey Joseph scored goals for the Jaguars. Mt Lebanon 3 Cleveland St Ignatius 2 Ø Craig Anderson’s goal with 1:18 remaining in the 2nd period proved to be the difference as Mt Lebanon holds off the Wildcats. Matt Stein stops 23 of 25 shots for the Blue Devils and Chad Uddstrom and James Cichra score goals. Joe Boehm and Jack Ubbing score for St Ignatius as both teams advanced to the semi-finals on Sunday. Toledo St Francis 6 Central Catholic 1 Ø St Francis clinched a spot in the Semi-Finals with a victory over Central Catholic. Anthony Long scored two goals and Alex Majewski and Andrew Hafner added a goal and an assist for Toledo. Meadville 1 LaSalle 1 Ø Meadville and semi-final bound LaSalle played a hard fought contest and the Explorers came out on top on a goal by George Oliver at 13:07 of the 3rd period on a wrist shot high over the glove hand of Brian Danczak. Ken Wochele continued his strong play in the tournament with a shutout win for the Explorers. Sunday January 16th Semi-Finals ~ LaSalle 4 St Ignatius 1 Ø In a fast paced and physical semi-final contest between LaSalle and St Ignatius, the Explorers Ken Wochele stopped 30 of 31 Wildcat shots and John Williams scored twice to lead LaSalle into the finals of the Bulldog Invitational. Steve Klenk and Gino Naticchione also added goals for the Explorers, while Dan McLain scored the lone St Ignatius goal late in the 1st period. Semi-Finals ~ Mt Lebanon 4 Toledo St Francis 1 Ø St Francis dominated the early going and the majority of the 1st period as Anthony Long scored to put his club on top 1-0. The turning point of the hockey game came with 1:58, as Lebo’s Matt Bartkowski scored an apparent goal that was waived off on an offsides call. This gave the Blue Devils a spark and Chad Uddstrom tipped a Brandon Dornish slapshot from the left point for the 1st Mt Lebanon tally with 56 seconds remaining to tie the game. The Blue Devils never looked back as Uddstrom scored his 2nd goal and Tony Valerino added two more for a 4-1 win and a trip to the finals

2005 Meadville Bulldog Invitational Championship LaSalle coach Wally Muhlenbronner spends a lot of time traveling all over the Northeastern United States to take his team to places such as Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland and gold ole’ Pennsylvania to give his program an opportunity to not only play great competition, but to learn from their stops along the way. The annual homage to the’ House of Chills’ in Meadville in January is one of those excursions, which will make you appreciate heat and for those who pay close attention some nice lessons about hockey program successes via from the 9-time State Champion Meadville Bulldogs. Coach Wally led the Explorers to the 1998 Pennsylvania Class AAA title, but his team has been knocking at the door to get back to the finals every year since then, but has run into the Malvern Prep roadblock. Mt Lebanon has been paying attention for the past few years and most recently in 2004 the Blue Devils came within just 5 minutes of sending Malvern Prep home trophyless for the 4th straight year. The defending Penguins Cup champions have had an interesting year to say the least and head coach Paul Taibi has rooted the distractions out of the Mt Lebanon locker room for the entire first half of the season and was looking at the 2005 Bulldog Invitational to get a look at some players who maybe could step into the roles needed to return to the State Finals in March. The Blue Devils played the entire tournament without Shane Ferguson, Tyler Murovich and goaltender Evan Baehr, who were fulfilling commitments with their club teams. Sometimes, in these situations you find that your team is solely dependant on feature players, but in this situation coach Taibi found a few ‘diamonds in the rough’ in goaltender Matt ‘the Marksman’ Stein and James Cichra, who both have played significant roles in getting Lebo to the finals along with ole’ reliables Tony ‘or it Tom’ Valerino, Chad Uddstrom and Craig Anderson. Matt Stein made a great leg pad save at 13:51. Mt Lebanon went on the power play at 10:24 and made it count as James Cichra banged home a third chance as Ken Wochele stoned Valerino and Uddstrom. Stein continued his strong goaltending as he stopped Steve Klenk with a glove save at 7:48 and John Williams on a shorthanded breakaway at 6:57. Wochele kept his team within one as he stopped Chad Uddstrom from point blank range at 6:32. The teams battled into the 2nd period in a fast paced and physical very even one-goal contest with the shots 15-14 in favor of the Blue Devils. Mt Lebanon would capitalize late in the period on the power play as James Cichra cut across the slot and tipped a Craig Anderson point shot past Wochele to give Lebo a 2-0 lead with 1:37 remaining in the period. LaSalle got new life in the 3rd period as they scored on the power play at 14:18 as L.G Gatison found a loose puck on the doorstep on a shot from Mike Martinelli from the point and the Explorers cut the lead to 2-1. Coach Wally’s boys from Philly were not done and John Williams tied the game on a great effort as he beat the Mt Lebanon defense and lofted a chip shot high over the short side of Matt Stein at 12:54 to make it two apiece. The Explorers out shot Mt Lebanon 15-5 in the 3rd period and almost went in front at 10:23, but the play was blown dead as the official lost sight of the puck. The game moved into overtime and on a bang bang play Steve Klenk found a wide open L.G Gatison, who made no mistake and beat Matt Stein through the 5 hole giving LaSalle a 3-2 overtime victory and boat load of confidence heading into the playoff stretch run in a 7-8 team race in March for the 2005 Flyers Cup AAA Championship.

-MT LEBANON The greatest part about doing ‘Game Summaries’ is attending the games and visiting with some of the great personalities of the Pa Hockey community. Its always great to see ‘Canevin’ and they are Canevin…so whatever the school says or WPIAL says doesn’t matter because you can but a Bishop or Monsignor in front of it or Catholic behind it ….but in my mind and many others it is just plain Canevin. It was great to see long time and former great player from Canevin Greg Timmons in attendance and it started the memories swirling of the teams he played on in 1983 and 1984, which captured State Titles and coached to State Title 1989 and Penguins Cup 1994. The Crusaders have a great tradition and a hockey family if you will, with a burning desire for excellence. They talk about the trip to Erie the most in March of 2000, when Canevin played one of its best games in the Penguins Cup finals against Thomas Jefferson and fell short 2-1 in one of the better Penguins Cup finals in recent memory, where the Jaguars made one more play by two Division 1 players John Zeiler [now at St Lawrence] beat Crusader goaltender Marshall Scott to a loose puck behind the net and swept it in front to Brian Hartman [now at Niagra University and former captain of the Pittsburgh Forge] who found a wide open net for the game winner. Canevin president Kenny Vance, one of my favorite HOCKEY people of all-time, is the fire for Crusader Hockey and is building the ranks along with some other folks to bring Canevin Hockey back to prominence and the greatest part about Mr. Vance is he doesn’t sugar coat anything and always lets you know where he stands! If you read ‘Game Summaries’, you will understand my admiration for that philosophy. Indiana is building quite a tradition themselves and the Indians and head coach Dom Glavech can relate to falling short as three trips to the Penguins Cup have netted the Indians one goal losses at the hands of Greensburg CC [1996] and Peters Twp [2002 & 2004]. Team Indiana has had a decent season this year, but has fallen to some teams they should have beaten like Somerset 5-4 and ChartiersValley 3-2 [in the PA Hockey Scholastic Showcase] and is a prime candidate for a Penguins Cup upset, if they don’t pay attention and work hard every game. In a very evenly played first period with 10 shots apiece, Indiana scored the periods only goal as Nick Onuschek beat Joey Ziemanski at 11:36 for a 1-0 Indian lead. Onuschek was opportunist in the 2nd period as well as he picked up a rebound from in front and slid the puck past Ziemanski at 8:59 for a 2-0 Indiana lead. Canevin answered as Dennis Zeh unleashed a wicked slap shot from the left point, which beat Mike Kennedy and the lead was cut to 2-1. Ziemanski made a nice stop on Cory Mills with 2:08 left in the middle frame and it looked like the Crusaders could seize this game with a tying goal. Sloppy play in the Canevin zone resulted in Indiana capitalizing as Cory Mills found Zach D’Amico, who beat Ziemanski cleanly on the stick side with just 29 seconds left before the ice cut and a huge insurance goal for the Indians. On to the third period and Mike Kennedy made several nice stops to keep the two goal advantage including two on Jason Ruggerio at 11:48 and again at 6:47. Canevin finally broke through on Kennedy with just 1:26 remaining as Frank Cimino scored on a rebound to cut the deficit to 3-2 for the Crusaders. Coach Brian Henderson of Canevin pulled the goaltender for the extra attacker but Indiana killed the clock for a 3-2 win at the Mt Lebanon Recreation Center.