Peters Twp Indians - 2014 AAA 2002-2003-2005 AA

Plum 5 Norwin 2 DELMONT - Plum 3-4-0 looked to even its record on the season against Norwin 1-6-0 in the late game at Center Ice. Plum coach Sean Keller’s team has some inexperience and will look to make a playoff drive into the season’s 2nd half, while Dave Warren’s Knights have been disappointing after some lofty expectations prior to the season. Norwin took the lead at 6:58 remaining in the opening period as Jimmy Recuperio was in alone and beat Mike Bronder for a 1-0 lead for the Knights. Plum cam back with 1:25 left as Jonathon Smith’s shot from the point through traffic was tipped by Ben Colosmo through the 5-hole Mike Pochan to tie the game at 1-1. On to the 2nd period and Jonathon Smith picked up a loose puck at 12:41 and beat Pochan through the 5 hole to give the Mustangs a 2-1 lead. Plum extended their lead at 4:18 of the second as Jonathon Smith found Matt Giunta in the slot and Giunta roofed a shot over the glove hand side to give the Mustangs a 3-1 lead. Giunta returned the favor with 2:27 of the period finding Jonathon Smith, who fired a wrist shot on the stick side beating Pochan for a 4-1 lead. In the third period, the teams traded gaols as Shawn O’Conner scored an unassisted tally at 12:00 and Jimmy Recupero picked up his second goal for Norwin with a little over 3 minutes remaining to make the final count 5-2 in favor of the Mustangs.

Penn Trafford 4 Franklin Regional 2 DELMONT – Penn Trafford 6-2-0 and Franklin Regional 5-2-0 squared off in a battle for first place in the East Division of Class AAA. Coach Jim Daugherty’s Panthers have started the season with a solid effort losing only to Fox Chapel and North Allegheny. Todd Purvis’ Warriors have won some exciting contests as well falling to # 1 Mt Lebanon and McDowell. The records added some flare to what is becoming a big rivalry for the top spot in the Eastern Division. Penn Trafford and Franklin Regional battle for most of the opening period to a scoreless tie. The Warrior’s Chris Cerutti walked out of the corner and beat two FR defensemen and Adam Treml with 1:30 remaining for a 1-0 lead. Less than a minute later with :36 ticks remaining in the 1st ,it was Cerutti on the breakway and beating Treml again for a 2-0 lead. The second period was a penalty fest as the team exchanged power plays as PT clung to a 2-0 lead. The Panthers broke the scoreless drought with 2:05 remaining in the period as Ryan Kramer scored on a rebound to make it 2-1. The Panthers had a golden opportunity to seize the game, but instead decided to play to the capacity crowd of FR and PT fans at Center Ice. The undiscipline of some of the Franklin players put their team shorthanded early in the third period, breaking any momentum of the Kramer goal. The Panthers killed off a 5 on 3 disadvantage, which started at 11:11 and preceded to take another penalty at 9:23 and again at 8:12. Penn Trafford could not mount a serious scoring opportunity during all of the power plays and it looked like the Panthers would survive. In fact, a miracle happened as Joe Nicoletti dove and cleared the puck out of the zone the length of the ice at 7:40 and a misplay by Warrior goaltender Joel Sterniak waundered into an empty net to tie the game at two apiece. Moments later it almost happened again as Greg Peters intercepted a Sterniak clearing attempt and deked the goaltender and the puck lay on the goal line but never crossed at 7:11, which was as close as FR came to taking the lead. The Panthers would take another penalty at 6:50 and this time Penn Trafford would make them pay as Chris Cerutti fired a wrist shot from the left point high over the glove of Treml to complete the hat trick and give his Warriors a 3-2 lead with 5:28 to go. Cerutti iced the game with his 4th goal displaying great speed and then beating the Panther goaltender on the backhand to close out the scoring and give PT a 4-2 victory and sole possession of 1st place in the East Division, despite being outshot 27-24

Plum 5 Norwin 2 DELMONT - Plum 3-4-0 looked to even its record on the season against Norwin 1-6-0 in the late game at Center Ice. Plum coach Sean Keller’s team has some inexperience and will look to make a playoff drive into the season’s 2nd half, while Dave Warren’s Knights have been disappointing after some lofty expectations prior to the season. Norwin took the lead at 6:58 remaining in the opening period as Jimmy Recuperio was in alone and beat Mike Bronder for a 1-0 lead for the Knights. Plum cam back with 1:25 left as Jonathon Smith’s shot from the point through traffic was tipped by Ben Colosmo through the 5-hole Mike Pochan to tie the game at 1-1. On to the 2nd period and Jonathon Smith picked up a loose puck at 12:41 and beat Pochan through the 5 hole to give the Mustangs a 2-1 lead. Plum extended their lead at 4:18 of the second as Jonathon Smith found Matt Giunta in the slot and Giunta roofed a shot over the glove hand side to give the Mustangs a 3-1 lead. Giunta returned the favor with 2:27 of the period finding Jonathon Smith, who fired a wrist shot on the stick side beating Pochan for a 4-1 lead. In the third period, the teams traded gaols as Shawn O’Conner scored an unassisted tally at 12:00 and Jimmy Recupero picked up his second goal for Norwin with a little over 3 minutes remaining to make the final count 5-2 in favor of the Mustangs.

Mt Lebanon 9 Shaler 0 HARMARVILLE – A great night to throw another log on the fire in the fireplace or for the intimate gathering at the BladeRunners an opportunity to see two trains heading in opposite directions [and no references to the CanonBall Please…Ralph and Alf]. Shaler, now 1-8-0 fresh off playing its 7th game in the past four days after an appearance in Erie at the McDowell Invitational, not in the Varsity Tournament, but in a AA Tournament against Beavercreek, Ohio, who the Titans lost to in today’s final 5-3 against and two other teams who are not very competitive. First year coach Steve Esau’s team has rattled off 8 straight losses in league play and appears headed for a 9th this evening on paper against Mt Lebanon. . The Shaler Hockey program, now in its 35th year has struggled the past few years for one reason and one reason only and that’s the pipeline once built by 22 year Coach Ron Steedle has been depleted and replaced by warm bodies, who many could not make Mt Lebanon’s Junior Varsity team. And their parents, many who are former soccer mothers and no nothing about hockey and felt compelled to bend the organization By-Laws and hold a kangaroo court to remove a legendary coach and true gentleman, who built the hockey program and gave it respect and winning seasons for 17 out of 22 years with a record of 245-155-32, which is a .600 + winning percentage during the regular season, which wasn’t good enough for the Tele-Tubbies. Mt Lebanon is on a roll at 8-0 and is the # 1 ranked team in the State of Pennsylvania in the latest Pa Hockey Elite 8 poll. After last season, head coach Paul Taibi appeared headed out of the Mt Lebanon’s organization, but the remaining people in the organization who understand what Taibi brings the program with respect, discipline and hockey knowledge asked him to stay and coach a team with talent, determination and balance needed to win a State Championship for the first time in 29 years. The Blue Devils have destroyed the competition in AAA including an impressive 5-1 victory over defending Class AAA champions Bethel Park. The first period was a Mt Lebanon flurry as the Blue Devils blasted Shaler goaltender Nick Bennardo with 22 shots to the Titans 1, with 2 ½ minutes remaining in the opening period. Lebo started the scoring at 13:16 of the 1st as Jesse Root scored on a backhand through the 5-hole. Then the game turned into the Shane Ferguson show as the crafty winger scored on a tap-in set up by Josh Mandic at 11:10, a one-timer from the opposite face-off circle at 9:16 and a blast over the shoulder of Bennardo at 8:17 as Mt Lebanon cruised to a 4-0 lead. On to the second and the Blue Devils pelted Bennardo with 21 more shot to Shaler’s 4. Ferguson scored his fourth goal on a rebound at 8:43 and added another on a beautiful set-up by Tyler Murovich for a tap-in shorthanded goal at 6:41. What make’s Mt Lebanon a great team was exemplified with under a minute to go in the period as Josh Mandic broke up a two on zero breakaway and poked the puck to safety and preserve Robby Behling’s shutout bid and take a 6-0 lead to the locker room. The third period continued the onslaught on new canon fodder Brent Baburich as Matt Bartkowski scored on a slapshot from the left point at 11:09. Lou Argentari scored another at 6:56 to make it 8-0 and continued the running clock on Shaler, which appears headed to the PIHL holy grail Open Division next season and can hide from playing competitive Varsity hockey with all of the other bad teams doing the same thing. Rick Beuke fought off the Shaler defenders for another goal with 4:45 to go to make it 9-0. Final shots Mt Lebanon 57 Shaler 6 and the playoffs for one team and a 1-9 season for the Titans and a long road ahead.

Mt Lebanon 9 Shaler 0 HARMARVILLE – A great night to throw another log on the fire in the fireplace or for the intimate gathering at the BladeRunners an opportunity to see two trains heading in opposite directions [and no references to the CanonBall Please…Ralph and Alf]. Shaler, now 1-8-0 fresh off playing its 7th game in the past four days after an appearance in Erie at the McDowell Invitational, not in the Varsity Tournament, but in a AA Tournament against Beavercreek, Ohio, who the Titans lost to in today’s final 5-3 against and two other teams who are not very competitive. First year coach Steve Esau’s team has rattled off 8 straight losses in league play and appears headed for a 9th this evening on paper against Mt Lebanon. . The Shaler Hockey program, now in its 35th year has struggled the past few years for one reason and one reason only and that’s the pipeline once built by 22 year Coach Ron Steedle has been depleted and replaced by warm bodies, who many could not make Mt Lebanon’s Junior Varsity team. And their parents, many who are former soccer mothers and no nothing about hockey and felt compelled to bend the organization By-Laws and hold a kangaroo court to remove a legendary coach and true gentleman, who built the hockey program and gave it respect and winning seasons for 17 out of 22 years with a record of 245-155-32, which is a .600 + winning percentage during the regular season, which wasn’t good enough for the Tele-Tubbies. Mt Lebanon is on a roll at 8-0 and is the # 1 ranked team in the State of Pennsylvania in the latest Pa Hockey Elite 8 poll. After last season, head coach Paul Taibi appeared headed out of the Mt Lebanon’s organization, but the remaining people in the organization who understand what Taibi brings the program with respect, discipline and hockey knowledge asked him to stay and coach a team with talent, determination and balance needed to win a State Championship for the first time in 29 years. The Blue Devils have destroyed the competition in AAA including an impressive 5-1 victory over defending Class AAA champions Bethel Park. The first period was a Mt Lebanon flurry as the Blue Devils blasted Shaler goaltender Nick Bennardo with 22 shots to the Titans 1, with 2 ½ minutes remaining in the opening period. Lebo started the scoring at 13:16 of the 1st as Jesse Root scored on a backhand through the 5-hole. Then the game turned into the Shane Ferguson show as the crafty winger scored on a tap-in set up by Josh Mandic at 11:10, a one-timer from the opposite face-off circle at 9:16 and a blast over the shoulder of Bennardo at 8:17 as Mt Lebanon cruised to a 4-0 lead. On to the second and the Blue Devils pelted Bennardo with 21 more shot to Shaler’s 4. Ferguson scored his fourth goal on a rebound at 8:43 and added another on a beautiful set-up by Tyler Murovich for a tap-in shorthanded goal at 6:41. What make’s Mt Lebanon a great team was exemplified with under a minute to go in the period as Josh Mandic broke up a two on zero breakaway and poked the puck to safety and preserve Robby Behling’s shutout bid and take a 6-0 lead to the locker room. The third period continued the onslaught on new canon fodder Brent Baburich as Matt Bartkowski scored on a slapshot from the left point at 11:09. Lou Argentari scored another at 6:56 to make it 8-0 and continued the running clock on Shaler, which appears headed to the PIHL holy grail Open Division next season and can hide from playing competitive Varsity hockey with all of the other bad teams doing the same thing. Rick Beuke fought off the Shaler defenders for another goal with 4:45 to go to make it 9-0. Final shots Mt Lebanon 57 Shaler 6 and the playoffs for one team and a 1-9 season for the Titans and a long road ahead.