PIHL All-Star Game Recaps

By: Bruce Markey
Sunday, January 29, 2017 | 8:21 PM

The best of the best in district high school hockey were on display Sunday afternoon at the Alpha Arena in Harmarville. You can hear and listen to the archive broadcasts here on the MSA Sports Network by clicking HERE. Check out the game recaps from all four PIHL All-Star games.

A special thanks to Rob Longo, Steve Nagler, Sean Meyers and Kevin Zielmanski for their help on these recaps.

CLASS 3-A ALL-STAR GAME:  Team Gold 3- Team Black 2 in Overtime Shootout

All Star Games have a reputation for being free-flowing offensive exhibitions where skilled forwards get to demonstrate their flashy skills, however, it would be a mistake to overlook the goaltenders selected to participate in an All Star Game because they have the talent to steal the show. Among the stars on display at the AAA All Star Game at the Alpha Ice Complex, it was a few goaltenders that shined brightest as Team Black defeated Team Gold 3-2 in a shootout. The Gold team opened the scoring at the 3:43 mark of the first period when AAA leading scorer Ryan Kingerski (Central Catholic) converted in front of the net after a nice passing sequence along with Vincent Lavorgna (Canon-McMillan) and Erik Chidester (North Allegheny). The Black team tied the game in the last minute of the first period when Jack Clandaniel (Canon-McMillan) poked home a loose puck after a two-on-one rush by his linemates Elliott Stevenson and Jacob Bacik (both of Upper St. Clair), assists awarded to both of them. Gold reclaimed the lead at the 9:46 mark of the second period when Erik Chidester got a fortunate rebound off Wesley Kaylor (Peters Township) when he attempted to make a pass across the crease, the puck hit Kaylor and came right back to Chidester and he easily converted the goal; assist awarded to Kingerski. The story of the second period was Team Gold goaltender Brandon Dumas (Cathedral Prep) who made some stellar saves to keep Black from scoring during the entire period, including two noteworthy saves. Dawson Richard (North Allegheny) took advantage of a poor line change to walk in on a breakaway, with two trailing teammates so a 3-on-0 Rush, he challenged Dumas on the glove side but Dumas made a fantastic glove save. Later in the period, right before intermission, it was Nate Hawkins (Pine-Richland) who made a nice move on Dumas and looked to shoot five-hole but Dumas denied him. The score at the intermission was 2-1 in favor of Team Gold. Team Black got the equalizer at the 3:44 mark of the third period when Bryce Evans (Bethel Park) score an unassisted goal. It was Evans’ teammate from Bethel Park, but his opponent in this game, goaltender Nick Guimond and his opposition at the other end, Ryan Heil (North Allegheny) that stole the show in the third period with a handful of marvelous saves the kept either team from wining the game in regulation time. A three minute overtime period was played and neither team scored so the game went to a shootout. The shooters displayed nifty moves during the first three stanzas where both teams converted all of their chances. Finally, in the bottom of the fourth stanza it was Heil stopping Chidester for the only save of the shootout that secured the win for Team Black.
Three Stars:
#3 – Ryan Heil (North Allegheny)
#2 – Ryan Kingerski (Central Catholic)
#1 – Brandon Dumas (Cathedral Prep)
 

CLASS 2-A ALL-STAR GAME:  Team Gold 6 – Team Black 2

Six unanswered goals, including a hat trick by Nate Mickey, propelled the Gold All-Stars to a 6-2 victory against the Black All-Stars in the Class AA matchup at the Alpha Ice Complex in Harmarville. Mickey, representing Penn-Trafford, notched the winning goal on a feed from Keaton Hanna about halfway through the third period. Hanna, of Mars, assisted on all three of Mickey’s tallies. The typically high-scoring affair began with a scoreless first period, as Black’s netminder Maxime Clouser made several sparking stops, while Plum’s Sergio Benitez was solid on the other side for Gold. Black netted the first goals of the game early in the second period, as Ryan Quinn and Jared Maxin lit the lamp just 58 seconds apart. With four minutes remaining in the stanza, though, Mickey got his team on the board. In the third, Joey Sell, a blueliner, pulled his team even just more than six minutes into the period, and Mickey put his team ahead shortly thereafter. Blake Rossi, Mickey, and Brayden Lange finished the scoring for Gold, while Greater Latrobe’s Ryan Pal earned the win in net, making nine saves in the final stanza. Quaker Valley’s Philip Gagne took the loss between the pipes, as he surrendered five goals but was bombared by 16 shots.

CLASS 1-A ALL-STAR GAME:  Team Gold 6 – Team Black 2

Daniel Harrold (Thomas Jefferson) scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner early in the 2nd period to lead Team Gold past Team Black in the 1A PIHL All-Star Game at the Alpha Ice Complex in Harmarville, PA.  Harrold scored both of his goals in a 4-goal second period for Team Gold.  Zach Zapata (Serra Catholic) and Jake Casto (Chartiers Valley) also netted two goals each for Team Gold.  Team Gold scored the first six goals of the game before Nick Carretta was able to score on a rebound late in the 2nd period, putting the puck past Cole Luther (Sewickley Academy).  That was the only goal that Luther surrendered in the fifteen shots he faced in the 2nd period.  Team Gold’s initial goaltender Cole Shannon (Baldwin) held Team Black scoreless in the first period.  Team Black was able to score the only 3rd period goal (Pat O’Neal – Indiana) to cut the lead to 6-2 but they could get no closer.  Daniel Soltesz (Franklin Regional) pitched a shutout in net in the 3rd period for Team Black, turning aside all nine shots that he faced.  Today’s game marked the second straight year that Team Gold defeated Team Black in the 1A PIHL All-Star Game.

DIVISION II ALL-STAR GAME:  Team Black 6 – Team Gold 5

All-Star games are full of fun and friendly competition, and the PIHL Division 2 All-Star Game Sunday was no different at the Alpha Ice Complex in Harmarville as Team Black beat Team Gold 6-5. With teammates split between the two squads, some continuity had to be created with unfamiliar line mates and teammates for most. However, it didn’t take long for these talented players to find the back of the net, as Team Black struck first thanks to Elizabeth Forward’s Wesley Scott, with an assist from Devin Brown of Ringgold, who finished the day with two more assists. A few minutes later, Team Gold evened the game Sean Steinle’s first of two goals on the afternoon, while Carrick’s Jake Sakulsky’s first of two goals on the afternoon let Team Gold take the 2-1 lead after 17 minutes of play. In the second period, it seemed that Team Gold would run away with the contest after taking a 4-1 lead, but Team Black stormed back to even the game with 32 seconds to play in the stanza with Tyler Wolf’s first goal of the game.
In the third period, it seemed destined the game would go to overtime. Central Valley’s Cameron Drake notched his second tally for Team Gold with a little under 10 minutes to play. Wolf answered for Team Black late in the period with 2:50 to play, and capped off the comeback with another goal 24 second later to finish off a hat trick as well. Team Gold’s last-ditch effort failed as it pulled the goalie with a little over a minute to go. Brown earned the third star of the game thanks in part to his three assists for Team Black, while Cameron’s three-point performance propelled him to the second star of the game with Team Gold. Of course, Wolf, from Carrick, earned the first star with his game-tying and game-winning goals.