North Allegheny hockey leans on defense while new forwards find footing

By: John Grupp
Saturday, October 19, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Scoring goals was never a problem for the North Allegheny hockey team last season.

The goal this season will be preventing them.

“We bring back five of the top six (on defense),” coach Andrew Siess said. “So that’s really a point of emphasis for us. We know we’re very strong in the back end. We will need to be reliant on them all year.”

One season after scoring a PIHL Class 3A-leading 83 goals and reaching the Penguins Cup finals, North Allegheny is looking for new faces to lead the offense in support of an experienced, battle-tested back line.

The Tigers blanked South Fayette, 4-0, in the Sept. 30 opener before taking back-to-back losses to Mt. Lebanon and Peters Township to begin a 20-game regular season that runs through February.

“It’s early, but we’re going to be figuring it out throughout the year,” said Siess, in his third season. “It’s that next cast of kids we’re looking to take that big step forward this year.”

The top three scorers from last season are gone. Leading scorer Luke Walkauskas (11 goals, 16 assists), who would have been a junior, transferred to a Connecticut prep school, and PIHL All-Star forwards Evan Kerber (17g, 7a) and Ryan Jackman (9g, 13a) graduated.

Senior center Marc Joyson, a returning PIHL All-Star, is poised to fill the scoring void. He totaled 10 goals and 10 assists last season and netted a team-high three goals through the first three games this year.

“I think it’s a challenge,” Joyson said. “But I’m up for it. I’m ready to take that role as a goal-scorer and generate more offense and take more of a leadership role.”

Joyson is flanked by a pair of varsity newcomers, senior William Kasunich, who has two goals on the young season, and sophomore Cedric Otey.

Other top forwards include senior assistant captain Gianni Lochiatto, junior Ed Scherer, sophomore Topher Moran and senior Ravi Desai, who will join the club after finishing his season with the school’s WPIAL Class 3A champion boys golf team.

Joyson said the offense is generating opportunities, but the front line needs to work on finishing.

“Right now we are having some trouble with scoring,” Joyson said. “We are creating a lot of chances. We are cycling and moving the puck well. But we have to figure out a way to put a statement on the play.”

In the meantime, the Tigers can count on the back end.

Senior captain and PIHL All-Star Travis Lamark, a four-year starter, anchors the defense, along with seniors Brock Murphy and Tyler Bianchin, and juniors Alex Costa and Noah Logan.

Senior goaltender Cam Junker returns after splitting time last season with graduated PIHL All-Star Andrew Long.

“The team looks good,” Siess said. “We’re bringing back a handful from last year that really got to experience a great run at the end. They are coming back hungry. But we are also bringing in the next wave of talent.”

North Allegheny went 14-4-2 last regular season before losing to Pine-Richland, 3-2, in the Penguins Cup final. NA lost to Pine-Richland, the eventual state champion, in all three meetings last season, all by one goal.

“We’re really motivated,” Joyson said. “It really hurt to lose that final. We were so close. We all really want to be back there. It was very fun, and it was kind of heartbreaking at the end to lose like that.”

North Allegheny, which has reached at least the Penguins Cup semifinals each of the past 10 seasons, will visit Pine-Richland on Dec. 2 and host the Rams on Feb. 20 at Baierl Ice Complex in Warrendale.

“For almost all of these guys, that Penguins Cup game might be the biggest game of their lives in a lot of ways,” Siess said. “It’s a great experience for them, and we were so close last year, to the very end. It just didn’t go our way. … Those seniors want their opportunity to play in that Penguins Cup championship, and it’s no different this year.”

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