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Crimson Crushers reach Penguin Cup for 10th time in 11 years ROSTRAVER - The Elizabeth Forward Warriors in their first year of varsity hockey since 1997 had to be a little in awe of the cinderella nature of the path, which carried them to the Penguin Cup semi-final matchup with perennial Class A power Bishop McCort. The Crushers on the other hand were looking for their 10th trip in 11 years to the Penguin Cup finals and possibly a rematch with Serra for the 3rd straight season. The game was a rematch in which BM defeated EF 3-1 on the opening night of the season. McCort came out with pressure early on the Warriors and established that they would win the battles for loose pucks. Matt Belsky's wrist shot found the net at 11:29 for a 1-0 McCort lead. Matt Domonkos added to the lead at 7:15 with a quick shot on the stick side to make it 2-0. After EF got through the early game jitters, they settled down late in the opening period and started to get some chances. Billy Repas picked up a Jason Wallace rebound and the Warriors were on the board with 2:46 left. The Crushers showed why they earned the # 1 seed as Joe Delic got his own rebound and scored a huge goal at :50 to regain the two goal advantage at 3-1. To start the second period, Reichl made a splendid sliding stop at 14:22 on Danny Thomas and EF came right back and scored as Mike Mitchko beat Anthony Feyock on a great move and all the sudden it was 3-2. Then the big line for the Crushers took things into their own hands as Delic, Matt Domonkos and Thomas scored in a five minute span and McCort surged to a 6-2 lead. McCort's Thomas and Mitchko traded goals in the third period as Bishop McCort advanced to the Penguin Cup for the 4th straight season with a 7-3 victory. A scary moment in the third as freshman sensation EF forward Jeremy Delmaster was involved in a collision and was taken off on a stretcher and we would like to wish him a speedy recovery.

Serra looking for a three-peat ends Freeport run ! ROSTRAVER - Freeport entered the Penguin Cup Semi-Finals on a roll, winning 14 games in a row after a 3-5 start. The defending Pa State Champion Serra Catholic Eagles has an interesting start to its season as well as three of their key players sat on the sidelines and watched a new breed of freshman and sophomores carry the team through the first six games. Serra's game breaker is Steve Leppo and with him in the lineup, the Eagles have been virtually unbeatable. At 13:25 of the first, Leppo gave Serra the lead on a beautiful shot down low on the ice for a 1-0 lead. Freeport's Mike Bender nearly tied the game at 12:10 as his shot hit the post. The Eagles extended the lead to 2-0 at 6:07 as C.J. King faked the slapshot and found Jesse Lubasch wide open, who beat Derek Gaworski through the 5 hole. The play was set up by a great lead pass by goaltender Timmy Johnson. Freeport got a break late in the first when two of their defensemen collided and Leppo was in again and stopped by Gaworski. On to the second and with the Eagles on the power play, Gaworski was holding his team in the game with several great saves. Then, controversy as Lubasch shot the puck and Gaworski apparently made the stop and the goal light went on and the official, who was in no position to make the call, called it a goal and Serra now led 3-0 at 9:33. Then on yet another power play chance, the Eagles capitalized again as Lubuasch return the favor to C.J. King coming late on the play and threaded a pass to C.J. who buried a wrist shot and Serra was on its way 4-0. While Gaworski was trying to hold down the fort at one end, Rob Plocki found Jason Bubb to put Freeport on the board with only 1:03 remaining in the 2nd. Timmy Johnson made several key saves as Freeport built some momentum. The Yellow Jackets continued to press in the third period as Dustin Gaworski scored upstairs at 6:07 to cut the lead to 4-2. Serra would hold on for the victory and a 3rd consecutive trip to the Penguin Cup Finals to face McCort. The end of the game was marred with penalties in one of the most poorly officiated games thus far in the playoffs, as any chance that Freeport may have had in the third was eliminated by questionable calls by the dual referee system. Their was a second on the motion by the Freeport fans, who showered the ice with debris to voice their displeasure with the decidely one-sided officiating crew.

KITTANNING - High School Hockey in Pa Hockeyland is becoming a fun thing for the players and their contingent of fans. Keystone Oaks took the old Paul Newman adage from the movie 'Slapshot' on the road with something like and I can hear KO coach John Harford ..... but we brought our fans, the 'KO Crazies' and they paid their hard earned money to get here...... A packed house at the Belmont of oh, lets say about a 1000 to watch Keystone Oaks take on the hometown Kittanning Wildcats. Keystone Oaks broke out on top, when Chris Harford found a loose puck in the Kittanning zone in the slot and wristed a shot down on the stick side past Adam Toy to give the Golden Eagles a 1-0 lead at 12:14. Then the goaltending took over as KO's Adam Beck stopped Luke Heller twice from in close at 8:53. In the second period, Beck and Toy continued their stellar goaltending with a little help from the goaltenders best friend. Andy Coldren was in on Beck on the breakaway at 7:46 and hit the post. Then Toy stopped Ozanich on the breakaway with just 20 seconds remaining in the first. KO missed a golden opportunity to make it 2-0, Bobby DiPippa had an open net with 11 seconds left an hit the post. The score remained KO 1 Kittaning 0 after two and the shots were almost dead even with KO outshooting the Wildcats 16-15 thru two. While Kittanning coach and his staff were adjusting their game plan, KO coach John Harford was dealing with a distraction of captain Jim Fuhs, who left the game at the start of the third period to attend a team meeting for his travel organization in Cleveland at 11 PM on a school night. Promises of Division 1 scholarships, a spot on Team Pittsburgh and a nearly $ 15,000 investment holding gun to a 17 year old kids head to attend a meeting. Fuhs had to leave his teammates and friends, a great game, a great crowd and a chance at a Penguin Cup to go to a team meeting. Great choice ! Kids as pahns in a chess match between travel hockey and high school hockey. Well enough of that, I am sure you all get the point ! Adam Toy made a great save on DiPippa again just 30 seconds into the final period. Then the strategy as Kittanning began to carry the puck to open ice and it was Zach Cain, who bought time in the KO zone went behind the net and found Rob Lizik in front who slipped a shot down on the ice just inside the post at the 11:00 mark Kittanning tied the game sending the hometown corwd into a frenzy. Then, the Wildcats went on the power play at 10:14, and this time it was the captain Justin Avi rushing the puck the length of the ice and showing the saavy to let his teammates join the play and found David Pore, who then spotted Michael Mercurio coming down Broadway and Mecurio buried a shot between Becks legs at 9:24 and the Wildcats had the lead 2-1. Now Keystone Oaks faced a real uphill battle without their captain and leading scorer, but more so by a hungry young Kittanning squad who was seizing an opportunity to go on in the playoffs. The Wildcats kept the pressure on and while Adam Beck was giving his team a chance with several great saves, it couldn't get the puck out of its zone and Kittanning earned a great victory 2-1 and a date with Route 422 riavl Indiana next Tuesday!

Keystone Games Ice Hockey Wilkes Barre / Scranton TOURNAMENT RESULTS ICE HOCKEY - Ice Box, Pittston MIDGET DIVISION Pocono/Harrisburg 4 Great Lakes/Nittany 3 [2 OT] Delaware Valley 4 Allegheny 2 Delaware Valley 4 Pocono/Harrisburg 3 OT Allegheny 4 Great Lakes/Nittany 2 Delaware Valley 3 Great Lakes/Nittany 1 Allegheny 5 Pocono/Harrisburg 1 Gold - Delaware Valley [Philadelphia] Silver - Allegheny [Pittsburgh] Bronze - Pocono [Harrisburg] Congratulations to Coach Andy Richards on capturing the Gold Medal for the Delaware Valley region ! Bantam Division Pocono/Harrisburg 7 Great Lakes Nittany 2 Allegheny 6 Delaware Valley 1 Delaware Valley 5 Pocono/Harrisburg 3 Allegheny 15 Great Lakes/Nittany 1 Delaware Valley 9 Great Lakes/Nittany 0 Allegheny 10 Pocono/Harrisburg 6 Gold - Allegheny [Pittsburgh] Silver - Delaware Valley [Philadelphia] Bronze - Pocono [Harrisburg] Congratulations to Coach Paul Taibi on capturing the Gold Medal for the Allegheny region ! Junior - Male Great Lakes Nittany 4 Blue Mountain 3 Delaware Valley 4 Allegheny 3 [OT] Delaware Valley 4 Pocono/Harrisburg 0 Great Lakes/Nittany 4 Allegheny 1 Delaware Valley 5 Great Lakes/Nittany 2 Allegheny 4 Pocono/Harrisburg 3 Gold - Delaware Valley [Philadelphia] Silver - Great Lakes/Nittany Bronze - Allegheny [Pittsburgh] Congratulations to Coach Bill Weil on capturing the Gold Medal for the Delaware Valley region ! Junior - Female Great Lakes/Nittany 5 Pocono/Harrisburg 2 Delaware Valley 2 Allegheny 1 Delaware Valley 12 Pocono/Harrisburg 2 Allegheny 4 Great Lakes/Nittany 3 Delaware Valley vs Great Lakes/Nittany Allegheny vs Pocono/Harrisburg Gold - Silver - Bronze -

CRANBERRY - North Allegheny survived the first round in beating a gritty Franklin Regional squad in double overtime to advance against ECP. Coach Nels Whites Ramblers were looking to get back into the Penguin Cup Semi-Finals after a sabatical last season. NA's Jeff Hall picked up right where he left off in the FR game scoring just 44 seconds into the first period. Prep came back with two goals late in the first by Sam Namey and Mike Boiling to take a 2-1 lead after one. Early in the second, Prep's Pat Figurski scored to extend the lead to 3-1, but Hall came back just 16 seconds later to cut the lead to 3-2. The Ramblers shut the door on the Tigers over the final period and a half aloowing only 12 shots and Jon Freeman stopped them all to secure the 3-2 victory and a Semi-Final date with Mt Lebanon.