PIHL Notebook – 03/21/2017

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, March 21, 2017 | 3:11 PM

After nearly six months of regular season and playoff action, the final week of the 2016-17 PIHL season is upon us. Tonight and tomorrow, four champions will be crowned at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. Here’s a detailed look at the matchups in Class AAA, Class AA, Class A and Division 2.

Class AAA: No. 1 Pittsburgh Central Catholic vs No. 6 Peters Township at 8 p.m. Wednesday with Steve Nagler and Cory Campano

Path to the championship: Central Catholic defeated No. 8 Butler 5-3, defeated No. 5 Seneca Valley 5-4 in double overtime; Peters Township defeated No. 3 Canon-McMillan 2-1, defeated No. 2 North Allegheny 7-0

Earlier meetings: Central Catholic 8, Peters Township 6; Central Catholic 5, Peters Township 3

Previous titles: Central Catholic – 1998; Peters Township – 2014, 2002-2005

Keys to victory for Central Catholic – The Vikings were the highest-scoring team in Class AAA in regular season, as they boasted three players with 30 or more points – Ryan Kingerski, Jake Tepe and Ryan Haag. That trend has continued into the playoffs, as Central Catholic has scored five goals in each of its two wins. The Vikings must find a way to keep scoring near that pace against an Indians team that has allowed just one postseason goal.

Keys to victory for Peters Township – The Indians have received outstanding goaltending from an unexpected source: freshman Alex Wilbert. Wilbert must be at his best with the title on the line, though, as he faces his toughest test to date. Similarly, the Indians have seemingly benefited from being the underdogs in their first two playoff contests. They need to continue to feel loose and play energized hockey, as all of the pressure will be on the top-seeded Vikings in this affair.

Class AA: No 1 East Plum vs No. 4 East Greater Latrobe at 8 p.m. Tuesday with Matt Vandriak and Kevin Zielmanski

Path to the championship: Plum defeated No. 5 East Shaler Area 5-2, defeated No. 3 East Hempfield Area 5-2; Greater Latrobe defeated No. 5 West Mars 5-4, defeated No. 1 West Moon 6-3, defeated No. 3 West Quaker Valley 6-3

Earlier meetings: Plum 4, Greater Latrobe 2; Plum 8, Greater Latrobe 6

Previous titles: Plum – 1989; Greater Latrobe – 2013, 2008-2010

Keys to victory for Plum – Plum entered the Class AA playoffs as the hottest team, but the Mustangs have gotten off to slow starts in their postseason affairs. Plum has allowed the first goal in each of the past two games, but has improved as the games progressed. Against the IceCats, the Mustangs will need to be at their best from the opening faceoff.

Keys to victory for Greater Latrobe – The Mustangs top line of Nolan Puhala, Dillon Joyce and Anthony Borriello has arguably been the best combination in the PIHL this season, so the IceCats must limit the production of that trio. In Plum’s last game, Puhala was kept in check by Hempfield, but  Borriello filled the void by netting a hat trick. Greater Latrobe’s blueliners, led by Blake Rossi, must make life difficult on the prolific Mustangs forwards, and IceCats netminder Ryan Pal must continue his strong play recently, after he endured an inconsistent regular campaign.

Class A: No. 1 East Franklin Regional vs No. 2 East Indiana at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday with Bob Orkwis and Mike Azadian

Path to the championship: Franklin Regional – defeated East No. 5 Westmont Hilltop 6-0, defeated West No. 3 Thomas Jefferson 6-4; Indiana – defeated West. No 7 South Park 10-2, defeated West No. 6 Sewickley Academy 6-2, defeated West No. 5 Montour 5-4 in overtime

Earlier meetings: Franklin Regional 7, Indiana 2; Franklin Regional 4, Indiana 2

Previous titles: Franklin Regional – 2016; Indiana – None (won Division 2 in 2015)

Franklin Regional keys to victory – The Panthers used a suffocating defense all season long to cruise to the top spot in Class A, but lately, it has been the offense that has propelled Franklin Regional. Still, the Panthers are at their best when they hold their opponents to low-quality chances, and when netminder Dan Soltesz is locked in. Last year, Soltesz turned in a masterful performance in the championship victory against South Fayette and their prolific scorer Jordan Timmons, and the Panthers need him to be just as good this time against Indiana’s Pat O’Neal.

Indiana keys to victory – The aforementioned O’Neal will be a marked man by the Panthers’ defense, so Indiana will need other players to chip in offensively. Mitchell Lewis and Ethan Boyer each topped 40 points during the regular slate, and Tyler Barker eclipsed 30 points, so they have the ability to produce, too. Defensively, the Little Indians will need to limit the Panthers top line of Jamie Mauro, Oldrich Virag and Nick Carretta, as they have combined for 18 points in just two tilts. Conversely, the rest of the Panthers combined have just seven points.

Division 2: No. 1 Meadville vs No. 2 Carrick at 5:30 Wednesday with Sean Meyers and Sean Saputo

Path to the championship: Meadville defeated No. 8 Burrell 9-0, defeated No. 4 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 11-0; Carrick defeated No. 7 Kennedy Catholic 5-2, defeated No. 3 Central Valley 3-1

Earlier meetings: Meadville 11, Carrick 1; Meadville 5, Carrick 4 (OT)

Previous titles: Meadville – 2003, 1999, 1992-1996, 1989, 1987 (all Penguins Cups); Carrick – None

Meadville keys to victory – The Bulldogs have not lost at all this season, so as long as they stick to their regular game plan, they should be successful. Meadville has been stifling on defense, but its scoring depth has been nothing short of incredible, as 16 players scored 16 or more points in the regular season. The Bulldogs might’ve learned a lesson from the last time they faced Carrick, though, as the Cougars rallied with three goals in the third period, including two in the final two minutes, to force overtime. Although Meadville ultimately prevailed, the Bulldogs will need to focus on closing out the contest better if they take a lead into the third period again.

Carrick keys to victory – Although the the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex is considered a neutral site, the Cougars need to turn it into a home game. When Carrick traveled to Meadville earlier in the season, things got ugly for the Cougars quickly, but it was a different feel when the teams squared off at the Cougars’ rink. Also, this is the third consecutive finals appearance for the Cougars, so they need to play as the hungrier team. For some of the veterans like netminder Nathan Norkevicus and forward Tyler Wolf, this is their last chance to claim gold.

Quotable (excerpt from a recent center stage)

“The team in front of me I know is going to do their job, they always do. I got to come ready to play, and I do every game, so hopefully we come out on top.”

Carrick goaltender Nathan Norkevicus, discussing his mindset heading into the Division 2 Championship game against Meadville on Wednesday. For the full interview, watch below:

Top-Shelf Trivia

Last week’s answer: Bethel Park, which three-peated from 2000-2002

That’s all for the penultimate edition of the PIHL Notebook, but check back next week for the final installment, which will wrap up the 2016-17 season. Also, the Chatham University PIHL Power Play Show will air at a special time this week, Thursday at 8 p.m. Hosts Josh Rowntree and Kevin Zielmanski will talk to members of each of the four victorious teams from the title games, and will also preview the Pennsylvania Cup Finals, which will take place this weekend.