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

3/23/04~NEXT Peters Twp has coming out party over Kittanning PITTSBURGH – The Kittanning hockey program was established in 1972 out of the Belmont Ice Complex and is one of Western Pennsylvania’s most storied schools. Originally, the Armstrong Arrows and know known as the Kittanning Wildcats, there have been many fine teams resulting in 476 wins 213 losses and 35 ties heading into the 2004 Penguins Cup playoffs including a stretch from 1996-97, where the ‘Boys from Belmont’ have been to the playoffs 7 out of the past eight seasons. Head coach Jeff Smouse and former head and now assistant Al Stipp, have had a big hand in developing these teams into contenders for the Penguins Cup, with the goal of bringing the State Championship to Kittanning. In the early 1990’s, Armstrong Central had two great opportunities bowing to Council Rock in Philadelphia 5-4 in the 1991 Pennsylvania Cup AAA Final after defeating Meadville and again in 1992 losing to Meadville in the Penguins Cup final 8-5. The nemesis these days for the Kittanning hockey program is Peters Twp. The Indians defeated Kittanning in last years Penguins Cup 6-3 on their way to a second consecutive Pennsylvania State Championship. In addition, it was Peters Twp, who in 1998 knocked off # 1 seed Kittanning 5-1 at Southpointe ending a 22-1-0 season for the Wildcats. Peters Township has built a power in hockey and after capturing the Pennsylvania State AA title in 2003 with a stomping of Flyers Cup Champion Holy Ghost Prep 9-3 at IceLine to follow up a 10-3 pounding of Archbishop Carroll in 2002, many observers of Interscholastic Hockey felt that the Indians run of State Championships would come to a hault in 2004. Head coach Mark Cooper has quietly reloaded the lineup with some up and coming players to mesh in with the veterans like Chris Clackson, Si Bishop, and Dan Crogan and are thinking but not talking about a three-peat. The one thing we all need to remember is that Peters Twp is the State Champion until they are defeated. The game was very even in the opening minutes as Kittanning was looking to pressure freshman goaltender Rob Madore, but the young Indian goaltender looked like a crafty veteran early on with several nice saves. Dan Crogan’s shot from the left point trickled past Adam Toy at 7:47 and Gerry Raymond was there to poke it home for a 1-0 PT lead. Momentum in a hockey game is critical at this juncture of the season and Kittanning went on the power play after a great shift by John Ford, Lee Heilman and Tyler Ochs forced Peters to take a penalty. What would happen next would ultimately break Kittanning’s back and send the Indians on their way. Chris Clackson made an terrific poke check on the penalty killing forced the Kittanning defenseman to cough up the puck and Si Bishop read the play beautifully and took the puck and beat Adam Toy on the backhand at 5:37, killing the Wildcat momentum and giving PT a 2-0 lead. Clackson showed why he is one of the most feared plays in Western Pa as he overpowered the Kittanning defense and buried a wrist shot over the glove side of Toy at 3:30 for a 3-0 lead. With 1:10 remaining Dustin Roux threaded a great lead pass to Bryan Papciak, who scored on the breakaway and Peters was off and running 4-0 after the first period. The second period was a penalty filled slugfest as Kittanning became frustrated and Peters continued to play with the edge that has been an integral part of two State Championships. Gerry Raymond scored his second goal at 9:42 and Chris Clackson converted another shorthanded tally with :52 seconds remaining on a great pass from Dustin Roux. Raymond [7:23] and Clackson [6:39] both completed the hat tricks to turn this one into a rout 8-0. Kittanning’s Wade Bowser broke Rob Madore’s shutout bid with 3:50 left tipping a Michael Mecurio shot on the Wildcats 37th shot. Madore was outstanding and looks to be a key in another State Title run as Peters Twp will attempt to win their 3rd straight Penguins Cup on Sunday March 28th at the Mellon Arena.

3/23/04~Indiana shocks TJ with little O & Heavy D 3-2 in OT PITTSBURGH ~ Indiana coach Dom Glavech is the guy who shows up at a game on a cold Jaunary night at the Ice Connection or at Bethel Park or at Rostraver, when I am there for a 9:30 game to watch Class AA action to get a feel for what is going to take place in the playoffs. I think coach Glavech likes the company, but what he is really doing is his homework and scouting the competition. Indiana has a veteran club in 2004 and reached the Penguins Cup in 2002 only to be edged by Peters Twp 3-2 in a game where the Little Indians could have pulled off the upset and moved on to the State Finals but didn’t seize the opportunity. A lot of the players on that team are now seniors including Zach Diamond, Mike Nesper, Michael Hart making up the core of the 2004 squad. Thomas Jefferson has had an outstanding season going 19-0-1 and ripping Greensburg CC in the opening game of the 2004 playoffs. Head coach Don Powell is hoping to get the Jaguars back into the Penguins Cup for the first time since 2000, which was the third of three straight Pennsylvania Cup State Championships for TJ. The Jaguars has a strong well balanced attack and great goaltending of Danny Hartman, who is one of the top netminders in State of Pennsylvania in my opinion. TJ welcomed the return of top defenseman Grant Heinauer, who has been out for most of the season with a injury and would be a key of any championship runs for the Jags. Indiana was the aggressor in the 1st period outshooting TJ 13-9, but the Jaguars opened the scoring on the power play as Brandon School slapped a Luke Wawrzeniak rebound out of the air at 10:24 for a 1-0 lead. Indiana would answer as Zach Diamond belted home a Michael Nesper rebound at 7:44 and the game was tied at one apiece. Great players make things happen when they are called upon and at 2:34 of the first period Michael Nesper showed why he is one of those players as he used his speed to the outside after taking an excellent Joe Lenz outlet pass and beat Danny Hartman with an overpowering backhand in full stride high over the glove side to give the Little Indians a 2-1 lead. On to the second period and Thomas Jefferson showed why they went undefeated this season by pouring the pressure on Indiana. Indians goalie Mike Mentch, who has been up and down all season, was just spectacular stopping several Jaguar opportunities and keeping Indiana in the lead. Brandon School would not be denied as the speedy TJ forward walked to the middle of the ice and buried an over powering wrist shot over the glove side of Mentch to tie the game 2-2 at 6:25. The teams battled into the third period as Danny Hartman and Mike Mentch turned this playoff game into a playoff dual. Both teams had several opportunities but the best came with 1:55, when Brandon School looked to complete the hat trick but Mentch stoned him and the game went to overtime. End to end they went in the overtime and this one was looking more like TJ’s game with Kittanning in the 2003 semi-finals with near misses and great goaltending. Luke Wawrzeniak and Brandon School had a golden opportunity with a little over six minutes left in the opening overtime period as Wawrzeniak threaded a perfect feed to School, who shot it just outside the post. Michael Hart would make the key play in this hockey game as the big Indiana defenseman lugged the puck through center ice and into the Jaguar zone. The puck was poked into the corner and Danny Hartman tried to get there first, but Hart used his long reach to center the puck to a wide open Zach Damico, who put a little ‘Heavy D’ behind a wrist shot an buried it into the empty net and sending the Indiana faithful into a frenzy giving Indiana a heartstopping 3-2 victory over # 1 seed Thomas Jefferson and a date with Peters Twp in the 2004 Penguins Cup.

3/23/04~NEXT Peters Twp has coming out party over Kittanning PITTSBURGH – The Kittanning hockey program was established in 1972 out of the Belmont Ice Complex and is one of Western Pennsylvania’s most storied schools. Originally, the Armstrong Arrows and know known as the Kittanning Wildcats, there have been many fine teams resulting in 476 wins 213 losses and 35 ties heading into the 2004 Penguins Cup playoffs including a stretch from 1996-97, where the ‘Boys from Belmont’ have been to the playoffs 7 out of the past eight seasons. Head coach Jeff Smouse and former head and now assistant Al Stipp, have had a big hand in developing these teams into contenders for the Penguins Cup, with the goal of bringing the State Championship to Kittanning. In the early 1990’s, Armstrong Central had two great opportunities bowing to Council Rock in Philadelphia 5-4 in the 1991 Pennsylvania Cup AAA Final after defeating Meadville and again in 1992 losing to Meadville in the Penguins Cup final 8-5. The nemesis these days for the Kittanning hockey program is Peters Twp. The Indians defeated Kittanning in last years Penguins Cup 6-3 on their way to a second consecutive Pennsylvania State Championship. In addition, it was Peters Twp, who in 1998 knocked off # 1 seed Kittanning 5-1 at Southpointe ending a 22-1-0 season for the Wildcats. Peters Township has built a power in hockey and after capturing the Pennsylvania State AA title in 2003 with a stomping of Flyers Cup Champion Holy Ghost Prep 9-3 at IceLine to follow up a 10-3 pounding of Archbishop Carroll in 2002, many observers of Interscholastic Hockey felt that the Indians run of State Championships would come to a hault in 2004. Head coach Mark Cooper has quietly reloaded the lineup with some up and coming players to mesh in with the veterans like Chris Clackson, Si Bishop, and Dan Crogan and are thinking but not talking about a three-peat. The one thing we all need to remember is that Peters Twp is the State Champion until they are defeated. The game was very even in the opening minutes as Kittanning was looking to pressure freshman goaltender Rob Madore, but the young Indian goaltender looked like a crafty veteran early on with several nice saves. Dan Crogan’s shot from the left point trickled past Adam Toy at 7:47 and Gerry Raymond was there to poke it home for a 1-0 PT lead. Momentum in a hockey game is critical at this juncture of the season and Kittanning went on the power play after a great shift by John Ford, Lee Heilman and Tyler Ochs forced Peters to take a penalty. What would happen next would ultimately break Kittanning’s back and send the Indians on their way. Chris Clackson made an terrific poke check on the penalty killing forced the Kittanning defenseman to cough up the puck and Si Bishop read the play beautifully and took the puck and beat Adam Toy on the backhand at 5:37, killing the Wildcat momentum and giving PT a 2-0 lead. Clackson showed why he is one of the most feared plays in Western Pa as he overpowered the Kittanning defense and buried a wrist shot over the glove side of Toy at 3:30 for a 3-0 lead. With 1:10 remaining Dustin Roux threaded a great lead pass to Bryan Papciak, who scored on the breakaway and Peters was off and running 4-0 after the first period. The second period was a penalty filled slugfest as Kittanning became frustrated and Peters continued to play with the edge that has been an integral part of two State Championships. Gerry Raymond scored his second goal at 9:42 and Chris Clackson converted another shorthanded tally with :52 seconds remaining on a great pass from Dustin Roux. Raymond [7:23] and Clackson [6:39] both completed the hat tricks to turn this one into a rout 8-0. Kittanning’s Wade Bowser broke Rob Madore’s shutout bid with 3:50 left tipping a Michael Mecurio shot on the Wildcats 37th shot. Madore was outstanding and looks to be a key in another State Title run as Peters Twp will attempt to win their 3rd straight Penguins Cup on Sunday March 28th at the Mellon Arena.

3/23/04~Indiana shocks TJ with little O & Heavy D 3-2 in OT PITTSBURGH ~ Indiana coach Dom Glavech is the guy who shows up at a game on a cold Jaunary night at the Ice Connection or at Bethel Park or at Rostraver, when I am there for a 9:30 game to watch Class AA action to get a feel for what is going to take place in the playoffs. I think coach Glavech likes the company, but what he is really doing is his homework and scouting the competition. Indiana has a veteran club in 2004 and reached the Penguins Cup in 2002 only to be edged by Peters Twp 3-2 in a game where the Little Indians could have pulled off the upset and moved on to the State Finals but didn’t seize the opportunity. A lot of the players on that team are now seniors including Zach Diamond, Mike Nesper, Michael Hart making up the core of the 2004 squad. Thomas Jefferson has had an outstanding season going 19-0-1 and ripping Greensburg CC in the opening game of the 2004 playoffs. Head coach Don Powell is hoping to get the Jaguars back into the Penguins Cup for the first time since 2000, which was the third of three straight Pennsylvania Cup State Championships for TJ. The Jaguars has a strong well balanced attack and great goaltending of Danny Hartman, who is one of the top netminders in State of Pennsylvania in my opinion. TJ welcomed the return of top defenseman Grant Heinauer, who has been out for most of the season with a injury and would be a key of any championship runs for the Jags. Indiana was the aggressor in the 1st period outshooting TJ 13-9, but the Jaguars opened the scoring on the power play as Brandon School slapped a Luke Wawrzeniak rebound out of the air at 10:24 for a 1-0 lead. Indiana would answer as Zach Diamond belted home a Michael Nesper rebound at 7:44 and the game was tied at one apiece. Great players make things happen when they are called upon and at 2:34 of the first period Michael Nesper showed why he is one of those players as he used his speed to the outside after taking an excellent Joe Lenz outlet pass and beat Danny Hartman with an overpowering backhand in full stride high over the glove side to give the Little Indians a 2-1 lead. On to the second period and Thomas Jefferson showed why they went undefeated this season by pouring the pressure on Indiana. Indians goalie Mike Mentch, who has been up and down all season, was just spectacular stopping several Jaguar opportunities and keeping Indiana in the lead. Brandon School would not be denied as the speedy TJ forward walked to the middle of the ice and buried an over powering wrist shot over the glove side of Mentch to tie the game 2-2 at 6:25. The teams battled into the third period as Danny Hartman and Mike Mentch turned this playoff game into a playoff dual. Both teams had several opportunities but the best came with 1:55, when Brandon School looked to complete the hat trick but Mentch stoned him and the game went to overtime. End to end they went in the overtime and this one was looking more like TJ’s game with Kittanning in the 2003 semi-finals with near misses and great goaltending. Luke Wawrzeniak and Brandon School had a golden opportunity with a little over six minutes left in the opening overtime period as Wawrzeniak threaded a perfect feed to School, who shot it just outside the post. Michael Hart would make the key play in this hockey game as the big Indiana defenseman lugged the puck through center ice and into the Jaguar zone. The puck was poked into the corner and Danny Hartman tried to get there first, but Hart used his long reach to center the puck to a wide open Zach Damico, who put a little ‘Heavy D’ behind a wrist shot an buried it into the empty net and sending the Indiana faithful into a frenzy giving Indiana a heartstopping 3-2 victory over # 1 seed Thomas Jefferson and a date with Peters Twp in the 2004 Penguins Cup.

Flyers Cup 2nd Round Class A Second Round Results Springfield High 6 Central Dauphin 2 Highlights: Mike Kelly & Kevin Brawley with a goal & an assist each as Springfield races to 4-1 lead in 1st Period Radnor 6 Lower Merion 1 Highlights: Ed Devine with the hat trick for Radnor, while Colby Cohen picks up a goal & 2 assists for the Raiders Lower Dauphin 8 Marple Newtown 6 Highlights: Bryan Chiavetta scores 2 goals & 2 assists to lead the comeback for Lower Dauphin as the Falcons erase a 4-2 Marple Newtown lead & come back to win Hatboro/Horsham 6 Methacton 3 Highlights: Alex Cohen with 3 goals & an assist, Miles Winter with 2 goals & 2 assists as Hatters score 5 goals in 6:32 to erase 2-1 Methacton lead in the 3rd period. Horsham outshoots Methacton 31-23. Class AA Second Round Results Thursday March 18 Abington Ghosts 4 West Chester Henderson Warriors 0 ***GAME SUMMARY IS NOW AVAILABLE*** Archbishop Carroll Patriots 8 McDevitt Crusaders 4 Highlights: Shane Aldinger with 3 goals & 2 assists and Greg Manz picks up 1 goal & 2 assists as Patriots have a 4-goal and advance to the Flyers Cup Semi-Finals 2nd period Friday March 19 Archbishop Wood Vikings 4 Neshaminy Redskins 2 Central Bucks West Bucks 6 Haverford High Fords 2 Class AAA Second Round Thursday March 18 Malvern Prep Friars 3 Eastern Regional Vikings[NJ] 1 Highlights: Chris Campanale scores a goal & assists on two more as the defending Flyers Cup champs open playoffs with a victory. The win could prove costly as four Malvern players receive Game Misconducts including Warren Byrne, Will Averona and Tim Gehring will sit for a game against Cardinal O'Hara or Holy Ghost Prep. Friday March 19 LaSalle Explorers 7 Downingtown Whippets 4 West Chester East Vikings 5 Germantown Academy Patriots 3 Highlights: Vikings Greg Scherbacki & Jeff Martin tally 2 points as WC East pounds GA with 54 shots to 20 for Germantown Holy Ghost Prep Firebirds 3 Cardinal O'Hara Lions 1