Class 3A powers to face off in Penguins Cup semifinals in Thursday’s 3 things to watch

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, March 14, 2018 | 8:51 PM

It has become like the PIHL Civil War. One of the top programs in the north against one of the elite teams in the south as North Allegheny squares off against Peters Township in one of two PIHL Class 3A semifinal games at RMU Island Sports Center on Thursday.

In the last 11 years, both of these teams have won two 3A Penguins Cup championships and have met three times in the postseason in the last five years alone.

In the 2013 finals, Joe Griffin scored a pair of third-period goals and Bradford Thornburgh registered a shutout as North Allegheny beat Peters Township, 2-0.

These two teams have split playoff games the last two years. In the 2016 quarterfinals, the Tigers won 4-3 in overtime when Cameron Zahn scored the game-winner. The Indians got revenge a year later when they blanked NA in the semifinals 7-0 on their way to the 2017 Penguins Cup crown.

The two teams split their two regular-season meetings this year with Peters Township blanking North Allegheny, 3-0, in November, while the Tigers were 5-1 winners over the Indians in January.

Postseason pals

Both teams finished with 12-6 records during the regular season as Seneca Valley was given the second-seed and Erie Cathedral Prep the third-seed in this year's PIHL 3A postseason.

Since Cathedral Prep moved up from 2A to 3A after winning the 2015 title, this marks the third straight year the Raiders and Ramblers have met in the Penguins Cup playoffs.

Cathedral Prep beat Seneca Valley, 2-1, in the 2016 quarterfinals in the first playoff win for the Ramblers in their championship run.

Then in last year's quarterfinals, the Raiders were victorious 3-1 to knock out the two-time champs.

Both PIHL Penguins Cup 3A semifinals games can be viewed Thursday evening on the TribLive High School Sports Network .

PIAA Class 3A swimming and diving

The top high school swimmers and divers across the Commonwealth continue the state championships with Day 2 events at Bucknell on Thursday.

The Class 3A championships will conclude with the girls diving finals, along with five boys and girls swimming finals: 100-yard freestyle, 500 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke and the 400 freestyle relay.

North Allegheny is the defending PIAA Class 3A boys overall team champs, while Avon Grove won the girls overall team title in 3A a year ago.

Don Rebel is a TribLive High School Sports Network broadcaster and staff writer. Reach him at drebel@tribweb.com.

Tags: North Allegheny, North Hills, Peters Township, Seneca Valley