Canon-McMillan Blanks Butler 4-0 to Win Penguins Cup AAA Championship

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, March 14, 2015 | 10:40 PM

Sometimes the most unlikely heroes are found in championship games and the Class AAA PIHL Championship game was no exception. Austin Czartorski scored two goals in ten seconds to help the Canon-McMillan Big Macs to their second championship with a 4-0 victory over the Butler Golden Tornados at Consol Energy Center.

{Left: Austin Czartorki’s two goals 10 second apart late in second was a huge key to Big Macs second Penguins Cup in five years}

Czartorski’s tallies came late in the second period with Canon-McMillan holding a 1-0 lead. The flurry came after Austin Tonkovitch missed on a great opportunity with 3:35 left in the period. Czartorski scored his first goal on a rebound, knocking it past Clay Bachman for a 2-0 lead. He said, while choking back his emotions, that he was just trying to go to the net.

Big Macs head coach Terry Virtue played a hunch and left his third line on the ice, it paid off as Canon Mac won the draw and Czartorski blew thru the defense to score. Czartorski said he was surprised that his line was left on the ice after the first goal, as he scored only four goals during the regular season. Tonkovich said that it reminded him of Max Talbot’s two goals in the Stanley Cup Finals over Detroit.

Butler, the number six seed in the bracket, took the body in the first six minutes of the game and had several scoring chances in the opening period. Gavin Morrison had a slap shot in the near circle, Connor Scott could not lift a shot over Conor Hartnett and Dustin Davis tried to wrist a rebound home, but all of Butler’s chances were stopped by the Canon-McMillan netminder.

On Canon-McMillan’s first goal, Luc Lavella chipped a pass from the near boards out to Tonkovich, who broke in alone and went high on Bachman for the opening goal.

The Golden Tornado had a chance to tie the game, but Brendan Ackelson missed the net on a breakaway. Canon-McMillan held Butler to just four shots in the second period, after allowing ten in the first.

The Big Macs scored a power play goal to cement the win in the 3rd period, as Tonkovich played tic-tac-toe with Jack Clendaniel, who rifled a shot by Bachman just fifteen seconds after Ackelson went into the box for cross-checking with less than five minutes remaining.

After his team took the championship trophy, Czartorski came out of the runway with a sign to ask his girlfriend to ask her to the prom. And of course she said yes.

Bladerunners Scoring Summary:
Canon-McMillan Big Macs 1 – 2 – 1 = 4
Butler Golden Tornados  0 – 0 – 0 = 0

First Period:
CM:  Austin Tonkovitch (Luke Lavella)  13:16

Second Period:
CM:  Austin Czartorski (Brad Folino/Josh Miller)  14:57
CM:  Czartorski (unassisted)   15:07

Third Period:
CM:  Jack Clendaniel PPG (Tonkovich/Lavella)   12:16

Shots on Goal: 
Canon McMillan 21
Butler 19

Power Play:
Canon Mac 1-4
Butler 0-2

Management Science Associates Three Stars:
# 3:  Tonkovich – CM
#2:  Hartnett – CM
#1:  Czartorski – CM

Mount Lebanon Ice Arena Play of the Game:
Czartorski’s second goal.

Tags: Butler, Canon-McMillan