North Allegheny hockey skates to quick start under 1st-year coach

By: John Grupp
Saturday, November 15, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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The North Allegheny hockey team got off to one of its best starts in 20 years, but Justin Glock is staying grounded.

“They are well aware that I think we can play a lot better,” the first-year coach said. “It’s still a work in progress.”

So far, it’s working.

The Tigers (5-1) won their first five games for only the third time since 2005-06. An aggressive offense, opportunistic special teams and a thriving first-year varsity goalie spurred the fast start.

The Tigers’ perfect October included a 2-1 overtime victory against Pine-Richland and lopsided wins over Fox Chapel and Peters Township.

In the past two decades, only the 2012-13 Tigers started faster, going 6-0 in their first six games. The 2021-22 team also began 5-0.

“We are closing out games,” said senior defender Alex Costa, who had a team-high four goals through five games. “We have a lot of new players on our team, and those guys are starting to find their footing and really make an impact on this team.”

The unbeaten start ended with an 8-0 loss to defending state champion Seneca Valley on Nov. 6.

“We’ve been successful so far early in the year,” said Glock, who spent the past 10 seasons at Baldwin. “I just want to keep getting better. I want us to play a certain way, and I told the team we haven’t hit that yet. It’s good we’ve won some games so far, but I still want to get better.”

The Tigers experienced a lot of change since last season. They lost four PIHL Class 3A All-Stars from a 13-9 Penguins Cup semifinalist and introduced a new system when Glock was hired to replace Andrew Siess, who stepped down after three seasons.

There were early growing pains. The Tigers went 0-3 in the preseason PIHL Fall Faceoff, including a loss to Class A Butler.

But Glock has instilled a mindset he acquired playing for three state champions at Bethel Park from 2000-02.

“They have worked really hard so far with the culture and the way I want to play,” Glock said. “They have really taken to that.”

Top players include senior forwards Joey Mitchell (3g, 4a), who scored the OT game-winner against Pine-Richland, and Eddie Scherer (2g, 3a), along with junior forwards Cedric Otey and Anthony Lucas, who scored two goals in a 4-2 win over Franklin Regional. Senior wing Kyle Imm and senior defensemen Adam Bradley are also returning starters.

The offense is finding its way. After scoring more than three goals only five times in 22 games last season, the Tigers did it three times in the first five games this season.

“We had a big thing with dump and chase (in the past),” Costa said. “We’ve gone away from that and more into possessing the puck more on the way into the zone. Looking for higher quality scoring chances is definitely a big thing.”

The Tigers are also solid on defense, allowing one or fewer goals in four of the first six games. While his numbers were inflated in the Seneca Valley loss, sophomore goalie Chris Costa is 5-1 with a 2.14 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. He made only one varsity start last season, but went 8-0 with a 1.00 GAA for a title-winning 12-1-3 JV team.

“He’s gotten better since the beginning of the year,” Glock said. “He’s gotten stronger and stronger. He’s been one of our best players early in the season so far.”

The Tigers, who were scheduled to compete in the 2025 National Invitational Scholastic Showcase on Nov. 14-16 in South Bend, Ind., are excelling on special teams. They have scored on 23.5% of their power plays, despite going 0 for 5 against undefeated Seneca Valley, and own a 93.3% penalty kill with three shorthanded goals.

North Allegheny has reached at least the PIHL semifinals 11 years in a row, and Glock embraces the pressure that comes with that.

“The goal is to contend every year,” he said. “I know a lot of teams say that, but that’s the expectation set out for me when I applied and was hired for the position, and I wouldn’t want it any different.”

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