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2002 Penguins Cup Semi-Final - Peters Twp/Latrobe
Posted by Jeff Mauro at Mar 19, 2002 4:00PM PST
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Peters finally cracks gritty Latrobe club for Final berth !
ROSTRAVER -
Latrobe entered their Penguin Cup Semi-Final matchup with Mark Cooper's # 1 Peters Township squad, relishing their two big playoff victories over Greensburg CC and Pine Richland. Coach Coopers team on the other hand has waltzed into the semi-final round with convincing poundings of Moon and defending State Champ Beaver and had to believe that Latrobe would be a stiffer challenge.
Coach Makoski's Wildcats carried the play in the opening moments to Peters and Nick Loughner buried a Matt Makoski rebound at 13:46 of the 1st period and Latrobe took a surprise 1-0 lead. Peters Twp handled this well and responded as speedy Matt Schwartz scored on the backhand to tie the game at 1-1 at 9:49.
The Indians have depth and balance across all of their forward lines and began to wear down Latrobe early, but could not solve Wildcat goaltender Matt Bloom until 1:31 remaining in the first period, when freshman Chris Clackson scored to give Peters the 2-1 lead.
The Indians continued their assalt on Matt Bloom and it looked as if Latrobe would remain in this game as long as their goaltender kept turning away shots. Then the Wildcats got a break as two Indians were whistled an sent to the box putting Latrobe on a 5 on 3 advantage at 3:55.
Tim Armanious scored an apparent tying goal, but the whistle blew prior to the puck crossing the line and the score remained 2-1 at 3:24. Peters Brandon Rubeo made a terrific clearing play late in the Latrobe power play and the Wildcats never threatened again. The Indians killed the penalties in a key turning point of momentum.
Now Peters was looking for the knock out punch as they continued to pressure Latrobe with their awesome offense and at 8:48 of the third, Matt Clackson blasted a slapshot which beat Bloom and put the game on ice at 3-1. Jeremy Simmons added another to make the final outcome 4-1 and Peters Twp will make its second appearance in the Penguins in their history (the other in 1998) against Indiana. ![image](https://photos-images.active.com/file/1/60/604905/original/6d3ec66e-13e7-4158-8ef7-f54c7d0e1679.gif)
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2002 Penguins Cup Semi-Final ~ Indiana/Kittanning
Posted by Jeff Mauro at Mar 19, 2002 4:00PM PST
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Indiana hitting full stride with big win over Kittanning !
ROSTRAVER -
Kittanning coach Jeff Smouse had mixed emotions entering the Wildcats Penguins Cup Semi-Final matchup with arch rival Indiana. On one hand, coach was very excited about the opportunity for his young team and on the other hand he knew of the firepower they would face in Ron Hellen's Indians.
Indiana looked to be the nervous team early as they agressive Wildcats carried the play in the opening minutes being cheered on by a large contingent of Kittanning faithful. The Indians survived a couple of power plays and the score remained 0-0 until Aaron Smith's wrist shot at 2:32 beat Adam Toy to give Indiana a 1-0 lead, which it maintain after one.
In the second period, the Indians took the game over as freshman phenom Casey Haines threaded a beautiful back door pass to Zach Diamond at 8:51 to make it 2-0. Then, captain Nicko Spielmann had his shot blocked but recaptured the puck and walked down the slot at 6:27 and beat Toy and made it 3-0. Mike Nesper blew by the Wildcat D shorthanded and scored another Indian tally at 1:53 to put the Indians up 4-0 and one period away from their first trip to the Penguin Cup Finals since 1996.
In the third period, Haines and Diamond added goals and Mike Lady earned the shutout stopping all 24 Kittanning shots for a 6-0 victory. The Indians got a terrific effort as they have all season from the defensive corps and excellent backchecking from their second and third line forwards, who will play a key role in the Indians chances for their first Penguins Cup ever against Peters Twp. ![image](https://photos-images.active.com/file/1/60/604905/original/6d3ec66e-13e7-4158-8ef7-f54c7d0e1679.gif)
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2002 Penguins Cup Semi-Final-Bishop McCort/Elizabeth Forward
Posted by Jeff Mauro at Mar 18, 2002 4:00PM PST
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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.
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2002 Penguins Cup Semi-Final - Serra Catholic/Freeport
Posted by Jeff Mauro at Mar 18, 2002 4:00PM PST
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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.
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Young Cats rally to defeat KO and their 'Crazies' in 3rd !
Posted by Jeff Mauro at Mar 14, 2002 4:00PM PST
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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! ![image](https://photos-images.active.com/file/1/60/604905/original/daa13825-0f0e-40f4-85b1-7f0615102508.gif)
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