North Allegheny inline hockey team thrives outside spotlight

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, January 14, 2023 | 11:01 AM

North Allegheny has a high school sports team that’s undefeated this winter, a motivated roster that’s trying to avenge a second-place finish from last year.

Yet, most folks probably know little about the program, said inline hockey coach Dom Manz, who hopes the team’s success might spark renewed interest in the sport.

“I’d like to see some of the younger kids come out and actually see the game, because it is a very different game from ice,” said Manz, a second-year varsity coach and former inline player for North Allegheny. “A lot of passing, a lot of movement without the puck. You have a lot more space than you do on an ice rink.”

Manz’s team reached mid-January undefeated and atop the standing in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Roller Hockey League, which has eight high schools competing at the Varsity 1 level. The league, which plays games at the RMU Island Sports Center on Neville Island, uses one fewer skater than ice hockey.

The top division includes teams from Canon-McMillan, Penn-Trafford, Pine-Richland, Shaler, Seneca Valley, Upper St. Clair and West Allegheny. North Allegheny, the league’s runner-up a year ago, started its 18-game regular season with 13 straight wins.

The Tigers lost to rival Pine-Richland in the league finals last season.

“Two years ago, we won. Last year, we took second. Hopefully this year we can go all the way,” said Manz, who joined the NA coaching staff soon after graduating high school in 2014.

The PIRHL season runs from September to February.

The Tigers have a 10-player roster led by junior goalie Mitchell Ludwick, senior defenseman Evan Barnhart and senior forward Brett Baker, the league leader with 31 goals.

“I’ve been coaching these kids for a long time,” Manz said. “They’re all very smart kids. We’re doing very well.”

Inline hockey is traditionally an offensive game, but NA has shut out four opponents and held five others to one goal. The team allowed one goal combined in a four-game stretch starting in late October.

“My goalie is very, very good, which in inline is a huge factor, because inline games are very high scoring,” Manz said. “When you have a good goalie, it helps you out a lot.”

The league has divisions for various age groups. The number of teams overall has declined in recent years, said Manz, who started playing inline hockey in third grade.

“NA used to have probably 14 teams throughout elementary, middle school to high school,” he said. “Now, NA only has five. Unfortunately, it’s dying off a little bit, but a lot of kids still play. … I’d like to see more younger kids get into it, but it’s hard to get them if the parents don’t know about it.”

Manz sees the sport as a good year-round complement to ice hockey. All but one of the players on the inline roster have an ice hockey background, he said, and some continue to play both versions.

“What first drew me and my brother to it was the cost, really,” he said. “Not that we didn’t have money, but you didn’t have to have ice skates to go out and play every single day. You could just go outside in your driveway.”

Increased accessibility to ice time at area rinks, coupled with fewer inline hockey facilities, probably contributed to the decline in inline players, Manz said.

“It’s not the best feeling, because it’s been my whole life, whether I was playing or coaching,” he said. “Just to see it get smaller and smaller doesn’t feel great, but if the kids are there, I’m still going to coach.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: North Allegheny