Plum Mustangs - 1989 A

Special Report to Pa Hockey provided by Meadville Tribune High School Hockey: Bulldogs hand USC first PIHL loss of season By Bob Heist ~ Meadville Tribune If the game of hockey is an art form, than Rick Thomas and Christian Nickerson can double as Piccaso and da Vinci. Upper St. Clair can't disagree after Monday night's game at DeArment Arena, because the goal that ended the Panthers' unbeaten streak in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League was certainly a work of art. Tied after one period, Thomas made a brilliant move between defenders toward the crease and stuck a pass right on the tape of Nickerson's stick. The senior captain then beat USC goalie Kevin Gorder with a backhanded shot. Game, set, match. Meadville 3, USC 2. "We've just been playing together since we learned how to skate and everything's starting to click," said Thomas. "We just know where everyone's going to be on the ice. It's a chemistry we've grown up with, I guess." And it's a chemistry that's becoming irreplaceable for the Bulldogs, who improved to 7-1-0 in the PIHL and ran their current unbeaten streak to 11 games. The loss was the first for the Panthers (9-1-1) in the league. "I looked at (assistant coach) Scott (Phillis) after that goal and we said that was as nice of a play as we've seen in a long while," Meadville coach Jamie Plunkett said. "But that line has been playing great and they did again tonight." And they had to. Trailing 2-1 after USC scored 23 seconds apart midway through the first period, the Bulldogs' top line - which accounted for all three goals - took over as Phil Siverd tied the game with 1:12 left to play, beating Gorder off a rebound. Assists went to Thomas and David Moyer. Then came the play, just 25 seconds into the second period. Breaking into the zone and knifing between a pair of defenders, Thomas made a nifty touch pass to Nickerson, who was sliding unattended through the crease. The backhander was never in question, beating Gorder to the stick side. "You search all season for lines that work and I think (Plunkett) is still looking for lines, but that one's clicking and we can always fall back on it," said Nickerson, who leads the Bulldogs (16-2-4) with 49 points and is tied with Thomas with four game-winners. While all the scoring came in a stretch of just over nine minutes, the final 29-plus minutes of the game boiled down to some incredible goaltending by Gorder and the Bulldogs killing off a late power play. With Moyer in the penalty box for interference, Meadville weathered a furious final 30 seconds of regulation as USC pulled its goalie for an extra attacker with the puck in the 'Dogs' zone. The Panthers -outshot 33-14 in the game - never created a good chance and couldn't convert. "We had a chance. Two minutes left, power play, pull the goalie ...," said USC coach Kip Guenther. "But that's a game where they should be sitting there feeling as if they should have won because they did outplay us. "They're a good team. They win the races; they win a lot of races and that's the key to controlling the play." But this game did have a strange beginning. Gorder (6-1-1) allowed the first goal - which was credited to Thomas at the 8:56 mark of the first period - when teammate Matt McGinnis won a faceoff deep in the Panthers' zone and the puck knuckled into the net. It got even more bizzare when USC scored twice in a 23-second span. Anthony Sirabella deflected a shot by Ian Joyce in mid-air inside the post past Meadville goalie Dan O'Shurak for the equalizer at the 4:53 mark while Michael Michalek was given the go-ahead score at 4:30 on a puck that was re-directed off the stick of Bulldog forward Shawn Harbaugh. "Those were two fluke goals," O'Shurak said. "They were tips from far out and one was off our own player ... they're hard to stop. Those are frustrating, but there isn't much you can do." O'Shurak, now 10-2-3, didn't allow another goal and finished with 12 saves. Gorder was under pressure the entire game and finished with 30 saves. "I give credit to Danny for keeping his head in the game because that's hard to do after two goals like that go in," Thomas said. "It was no one's fault, just bad luck." And bad luck hasn't made a visit to Meadville's bench lately. The win drew the club within two points of Butler (8-2) - a 4-2 loser to Mount Lebanon last night - in the PIHL's North Division. It also extended the team's current streak to 9-0-2. In fact, Meadville has not lost since Nov. 13 against Padua, Ohio (3-0). The Bulldogs have not dropped a PIHL game since the opener on Nov. 3 against Central Catholic (4-2). "That's a big win because they're a good club," Plunkett said. "It isn't going to be easy for anybody down the road, so to get a win like that over a quality team is very good for the kids. We have a long way to go, but we're playing pretty well right now. This was a big step for us."