North Allegheny hockey looking forward to important tournament at Notre Dame

By: John Grupp
Saturday, February 1, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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An upcoming road trip for the North Allegheny hockey team could pave the path for another long playoff journey.

The Tigers (6-6-2-0) are returning to the prestigious Hoosier Cup on Feb. 8-10 in South Bend, Ind., where they will face a rugged schedule that last season helped catapult them into the PIHL Class 3A championship game.

“I couldn’t agree more with that,” NA coach Andrew Siess said. “Last year, it absolutely gave us a quiet confidence once we returned home from the trip.”

North Allegheny, stuck last season in a second-half PIHL slump, advanced to the 2024 Hoosier Cup finals, losing 1-0 in double overtime to Edina (Minn.), one of the top programs in a hockey-rich state. The Tigers, who went 4-1 at Notre Dame, returned to win their final four regular-season PIHL games and reach the Penguins Cup final, where they fell to eventual state champion Pine-Richland, 3-2.

“Notre Dame last year was a big turning point,” PIHL Class 3A All-Star senior forward Marc Joyson said earlier this season. “We were on a three-game losing streak, and we went to the (Hoosier Cup) finals. From there, we picked up our game.”

The Tigers will open Feb. 8 against St. Andrew’s Prep (Ontario) at Notre Dame’s Compton Family Ice Arena. They also meet Culver Academy (Ind.) and Lakeland (Ohio) St. Edward as part of the pool play.

Senior goalkeeper Camden Junker, who started in goal in the PIHL Class 3A Blue’s 8-4 victory over the Class 3A Gold all-stars on Jan. 26 at Neville Island, said the trip to Notre Dame allows the Tigers to grow as a unit while playing top competition.

“It’s a fun trip. There’s a lot of team bonding, and we play some really good teams,” he said. “After that (last year), we knew that it was in us, and we knew we could play that way.”

North Allegheny’s style of play has changed from last season. The Tigers, who led the PIHL Class 3A with 83 goals last year, rely on an experienced defense and an outstanding season from Junker, a first-year full-time starter.

Junker, who split time as a junior, is 8-5 with a 2.44 goals-against average, which ranks fourth in PIHL Class 3A among goalies who have played at least 300 minutes.

Despite losing PIHL All-Star defenseman Travis Lamark to a torn ACL three weeks into the season, the Tigers are thriving defensively. Only Mt. Lebanon and Seneca Valley have allowed fewer goals per game among Class 3A teams.

In Lamark’s absence, senior captain Brock Murphy has led the backline while juniors Alex Costa and Kyle Imm have embraced increased roles. Another junior defenseman, Noah Logan, was named to the PIHL Class 3A all-star team, along with senior forward William Kasunich.

“I love all of them,” Junker said of his defensemen. “They protect me at all costs.”

Junker, who has committed to Pitt and hopes to play for the school’s Division I club team, does a lot of protecting himself. The Tigers, who have reached at least the Penguins Cup semifinals in 10 consecutive seasons, have held 12 of their 13 opponents to three goals or fewer. At the National Invitational Scholastic Showcase from Dec. 6-8 in Jamestown, N.Y., Junker blanked eventual champion Glenbrook South (Ill.), 1-0, in a shootout win.

“When you have a kid like him, you have an opportunity to win every night,” Siess said. “He works extremely hard. He just continues to get better. His game has been really strong this year for us.”

North Allegheny is one of only two Pennsylvania programs at the 12-school Hoosier Cup, joining Erie McDowell. Other schools hail from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Virginia, Texas and Ontario, Canada.

“It’s a great weekend,” Siess said. “The kids spend a lot of time together with no noise or distractions. The competition is top-notch and high level. It’s a great way to benchmark ourselves. We’re really looking forward to get up there and hopefully to win it this year.”

Tags: North Allegheny