Plum Mustangs - 1989 A

Hey ....the first thing I did when arriving home tonight is to hand my three year old son a Flyers Cup program and a copy of Breakaway's High School Hockey Yearbook after exchanging copies of the WPHCA Directory, the bible of Western Pa Hockey with my friends from the Eastern side of the Keystone State ! Visiting with some of my associates from across the State from Flyers Cup land as Pa Hockey flutters it way onto your computer screen.....as my counterparts in Eastern Pa Jeff Nolan and Matt Sacks of the Breakaway Hockey Network and I took the solemn pledge to attend the Pennsylvania State Finals from here on out ...meaning to the inevitable ! Hopefully, Brian Tibbels will make the trip to add his colorful flair and not to soon as coach of his beloved Holy Ghost Prep. Back in November, over 150 Varsity teams in Pennsylvania began the quest for the holy grail known as the Pennsylvania High School Hockey Championships. And after four months of the regular season and a great month of playoffs, three champions were crowned Pennsylvania State Champions for 2002 at the Rostraver Ice Garden on March 30. Another sweep for Western Pennsylvania, as Bethel Park put its stamp on AAA supremacy with a heartstopping overtime victory over a terrific Malvern Prep team with a class coach in John Graves, who came within two minutes and a few inches of the Friars winning Pa's top hockey prize, but came up a little short again at the hands of the Hawks !!. Peters Twp put an exclamation point on a terrific season with an explosive offensive display and a delivered promise ending Archbishop Carroll's third try at the AA crown !! And Serra Catholic, who is everyone's underdog but just keeps on winning in a three-peat performance pulling out all the stops against an impressive Radnor team, who was a couple of bounces from winning it all !! The State Finals had first class officiating in all three contests and the guys who wear the zebras handled the Finals games with pride and excellence ....great job fellas ! And finally to all the Pa Hockey Fans, who include coaches, players, parents and even referees, some who like my style and some who don't, but all who contribute to the success of this growing community of Pa Hockey Interscholastic.....Thanks for your e-mails including praise & criticisms ....it is all welcome and sometimes the brutal honesty rubs people the wrong way and to those people, I say don't take it personally ! As one prominent Western Pa person once said to me 'carry a briefcase with you and if someone challenges you, then hand the the briefcase and see if they can do better'......and after being around this for 31 years of Pennsylvania High School Hockey and 27 years of the Pennsylvania High School Hockey Championships, I am still waiting to hand that briefcase ....to Matt Sacks and Jeff Nolan and Sobo and Brian Tibbels and Greg Dugan and Earl Bugaile and Max Pozzuto and Tim Lane....these are people who are the gems of Interscholastic Hockey and I .....Thank You for your interest and dedication in growing the sport and look forward to working with you all going forward ! Thank you to all who support Pa Hockey....over the next few months look for some exciting things happening with this website as we expand our coverage for all to enjoy !