PIHL Notebook – 03/28/2017

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, March 28, 2017 | 11:44 PM

It was a whirlwind final five days of the 2016-17 PIHL hockey season. Four champions were crowned with Peters Township, Plum, Franklin Regional and Meadville claiming PIHL gold. Just a few days later, three of those teams competed for state supremacy, with the Indians taking Pennsylvania Cup gold, too. Here’s a quick glance at the action throughout the final week.

AAA: Peters Township defeated Central Catholic 5-2; defeated Holy Ghost Prep 2-1

Unlike the other three PIHL classifications, Class AAA featured the underdog upsetting the favorite. Peters Township, the sixth-seeded team entering the postseason, defeated No. 3 Canon-McMillan in the first round, then blasted second-seeded North Allegheny in the semifinals, and the Indians’ Penguins Cup run culminated in a win against No. 1 Central Catholic at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. In the championship tilt against the Vikings, Peters Township trailed 1-0 after the opening period, but a pair of second-period tallies by Conrad Deemer put the Indians ahead. Although Central Catholic deadlocked the contest late in the stanza, the Indians scored three unanswered goals in the third period, including two by Cal Raymore. Another surprising storyline for the Indians was the unlikely emergence of freshman netminder Alex Wilbert. Wilbert was the backup for the majority of the regular season, but he earned the nod in the crease for the postseason, and the move paid significant dividends, as he made 23 saves against the Vikings’ prolific offense. In the Pennsylvania Cup Championship, Wilbert was even better, as he made 37 stops against the Firebirds. Offensively, Ryan Luppe opened the scoring for the Indians in the first period, and blueliner Williams Barnes concluded the scoring by notching the winning goal on the power play with just over four minutes remaining in the contest.

AA: Plum defeated Greater Latrobe 6-1; lost to Downingtown East 3-1

The Mustangs had not claimed a Penguins Cup since 1989, but that lengthy drought ended in decisive fashion against the IceCats. Plum pounded Greater Latrobe, with the Mustangs’ standouts providing the majority of the offense. Plum scored twice in the first period, with Anthony Borriello and Nolan Puhala tickling the twine, and the Mustangs never looked back. Puhala concluded the affair with two goals and three assists, Borriello had a hat trick and an assist, and Dillon Joyce had four helpers. Although the offense was on full display for the Mustangs, the defense and goaltending was solid, as usual. Netminder Sergio Benitez recorded 26 saves, maintaining the high standard that he set during the regular campaign. The outcome would be much different in the Pennsylvania Cup, however, as the Mustangs were edged by Flyers Cup representative Downingtown East. Although Puhala lit the lamp in the second period for Plum, assisted by his linemates Borriello and Joyce, that was all the offense the Mustangs could muster. Conversely, the Cougars snuck three of their 32 shots past Benitez to secure their first state title.

A: Franklin Regional defeated Indiana 6-1; lost to Bayard Rustin 2-1 in overtime

When Franklin Regional captured the Penguins Cup in 2016, it was widely considered an upset. The Panthers followed up with a disappointing effort in the Pennsylvania Cup, in which they appeared overwhelmed and overmatched. The outcomes were the same in 2017, although they came in complete contrast to the previous season. This year, the Panthers were the prohibitive favorites, and had a target on their back for the postseason. After overcoming a scare in the semifinals, the Panthers showed their superior talent against Indiana with the gold on the line. Similar to Plum, Franklin Regional received a monster performance from its top line, as Oldrich Virag scored twice and picked up an assist, Nick Caretta tallied a goal and two helpers, and Jamie Mauro contributed four assists. Moreover, netminder Dan Soltesz  and the Panthers blueliners helped keep Indiana’s Patrick O’Neal, the class’ top scorer, off the scoresheet. In the Pennsylvania Cup finals, the Panthers defense and goaltending was again a strength, but the offense was held in check by Bayard Rustin. Mauro put the Panthers ahead with a goal in the first frame, but FR did not tally again. The Golden Knights, conversely, tied the game in the second period, and then notched the overtime winner courtesy of a breakaway.

Division 2: Meadville defeated Carrick 2-1 in overtime

Among the four championship games held at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex this season, there is little doubt that the clash between the Bulldogs and Cougars was the show stealer. In the battle of the top two seeds in the classification, Meadville struck first on a first-period goal by Cody Passilla. From that point forward, the Bulldogs continued to pepper Carrick netminder Nathan Norkevicus, who stood tall and made a number of miraculous stops. The Cougars tied the contest at 1-1 early in the third, and the drama reached a climax in the extra period. The overtime was short-lived, though, as Meadville captain Jeff Millin pounced on a Carrick turnover and deposited it past Norkevicus for the winning tally. Although not heavily tested, Eddie Kaufman earned the W for Meadville, making 13 saves. The win marked the end of the journey for Meadville this season, though, as the Division 2 champion does not play in the state finals.

Quotable (excerpt from a recent center stage)

“Going into the postseason, I don’t think any of us imagined us winning the state championship. But after that first game against Canon-Mac, we banded together. We were like a family, and we came together and we just kept rolling…it clicked at the right time.”

Peters Township captain Will Barnes, who scored the winning goal in the Pennsylvania Cup Championship. The full interview can be seen below:

That will put a bow on the final edition of the PIHL Notebook for this season. However, the highly-anticipated All-Icers teams, which recognizes the top individual performers of the past season, will be revealed on Friday. Stay tuned until next season, when the PIHL Notebook will return.