PIHL Notebook – 02/23/2016

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, February 23, 2016 | 1:01 AM

Welcome to another edition of “PIHL Notebook,” your weekly companion to “The PIHL Power Play” on the MSA Sports Network. First up, “Melting the Ice” provides your weekly thermometer of streaking teams around the league. Meanwhile, this week’s “Scoreboard Watch” includes a battle between two defending Penguins Cup champions in Class AAA, a playoff clincher in Class AA, and two offensively charged affairs in Class A and Division 2. Last but not least, we round things out with a preview of upcoming MSA broadcasts, featuring some of the best defenses Class AA and D2 have to offer. So, let’s light the lamp on this edition of “PIHL Notebook.”

MELTING THE ICE (Records listed indicate current unbeaten streak):

Class AAA: North Allegheny (9-0-1); Erie Cathedral Prep (7-0-1)

Class AA: Mars (3-0-2); Fox Chapel (4-0-0); Armstrong (3-0-1); Bishop Canevin (3-0-0)

Class A: Freeport (8-0-0); Bishop McCort (5-0-0); South Fayette (4-0-1); West Allegheny (4-0-0)

Division 2: Beaver (15-0-0); Elizabeth Forward (4-0-0); Central Valley (3-0-0)

SCOREBOARD WATCH:

Class AAA

2/16/16 – Erie Cathedral Prep 3, Canon-McMillan 1… After more than half the hockey game ticked by, Jack Zaphiris finally broke the ice and put the Ramblers (11-5-3) up 1-0 at 11:27 of the second period. Vincent Lavorgna tied it up for the Big Macs (8-8-3) at 2:02 of the third, but penalties would cost his team from there. Joe Kelly buried the winner on the power play at 8:19, and Dillon Elliott tacked on some insurance with the man advantage at 15:38. Jack Becker contributed two assists for Prep while Jacob Kucharski stopped 22 shots. Credit Conor Hartnet of Canon-McMillan with 30 saves in this potential playoff preview.

Class AA

2/15/16 – Baldwin 5, North Hills 4 … The Highlanders (10-10-1) led 4-2 after one period and 5-3 at intermission. Jeremiah Polaski scored at 6:05 of the third for the Indians (7-15-0), but Baldwin held the fort from there and clinched a spot in the postseason. Kenny Dee scored twice, including the deciding goal at 7:10 of the second, and added one assist. Max Milan also lit the lamp twice while Paul Knerr added two points (1 G, 1 A) to the winning effort. Gannon Warrick starred for North Hills with four points (3 G, 1 A), but his team was outshot 31-16.

Class A

2/18/16 – Bishop McCort 6, Serra Catholic 5 … In a classic battle among the old guard of Class A, the Crimson Crushers (16-4-1) erased two first period deficits and held off the stubborn Eagles (9-11-1) from there, but it was far from easy. McCort led 4-3 after one, but Serra tied it late in the second, and had it even again at 11:10 of the third. Anthony Formica had the final word at 13:36 to keep his team atop the Eastern Conference. Formica and Brett Seitz each registered one goal and three assists in the win. Roman Kraemer paced the losing side with four points (2 G, 1 PP, 2 A) while Tyrik Barkley made 54 saves with his team outshot 60-31.

Division 2

2/16/16 – Ringgold 6, Kennedy Catholic 5 … This one may not have playoff implications, but it sure was an exciting hockey game. The Golden Eagles (6-13-0) dominated the first period by a 3-1 count. The Rams (5-13-1) took the second 3-2, though, pulling within a goal before the Zamboni hit the ice. That set the stage for Devin Brown to complete his hat trick and seal the comeback victory, tying it on the power play at 7:16 of the third before netting the shorthanded winner at 16:21, barely avoiding overtime. Anthony Vavasori (1 G, 1 A) and Gavin Gallaher (2 A) also contributed multiple points for Ringgold. Kennedy got two man advantage markers from Colton Attisano along with four points from William Piacitelli (1 G, 3 A) and three from Darrin Smith (1 G, 2 A). Shots were dead even at 38 apiece, but Cole Crownover made that one extra stop for the Rams.

UPCOMING MSA BROADCASTS

2/22/16 – Class AA – Moon Tigers vs. Mars Fighting Planets @ Baierl Ice Complex in Warrendale … The Tigers (14-5-2) are 3-2-0 in their last five, ranking second in the class with 56 goals allowed and eighth with 91 scored. The Planets (15-4-2) are unbeaten in five straight as noted above, leading the class with 42 goals allowed while placing fifth with 112 scored. Luke James (17 G, 5 PP, 1 GW, 15 A) leads a balanced Moon attack with eight teammates between 13 and 26 points. Meanwhile, Ryan Durkin (13-5-2, 2.59 GAA, 0.908 SV%, 2 SO) continues to be one of the best backstops in the league. Tyler Spreng (2.00 GAA, 0.900 SV%, 3 SO) isn’t too shabby, though, earning every decision for Mars this season. Beau Heakins (17 G, 5 PP, 1 SH, 16 A) is the top point getter for an offense 10 other players ranging from 12 to 32 points. The Tigers edged out the Planets in the previous meeting by a 3-2 count on November 12. The puck drops at 7:00 PM with Matt Vandriak and Greg Kuntz on the call.

2/22/16 – Divison 2 – Beaver Bobcats vs. Carrick Cougars @ Ice Castle in Castle Shannon … The Bobcats (17-2-0) have been quite simply the hottest team in the league for much of the season, winning 15 in a row as the top seed in D2. Their 149 goals lead the class while 36 allowed is second only to the Cougars (13-5-1) with 34. Offensively, Carrick is sixth in the class with 102 goals, and is 2-2-1 in its last five outings. Beaver boasts three players north of 40 points, including Evan Komlenic (22 G, 6 PP, 2 GW, 24 A), Antoni Chirgott (22 G, 1 PP, 1 SH, 1 GW, 23 A), and Ryan Hartman (19 G, 4 PP, 1 SH, 2 GW, 26 A). Ten others have between 10 and 32 points while James Soisson (10-1-0, 1.81 GAA, 0.884 SV%, 1 SO) has played slightly more minutes in the team’s one-tow goaltending punch. Jacob Speicher (28 G, 6 PP, 2 SH, 5 GW, 14 A) and Tyler Wolf (14 G, 1 GW, 18 A) key the Cougars up front along with six other double-digit scorers. Nathan Norkevicus (8-3-1, 1.57 GAA, 0.947 SV%, 4 SO) leads the aforementioned defense, and is arguably the top goalie in the league this season. These two have locked horns twice already with Carrick dominating 5-0 on October 26, but Beaver got revenge 2-0 on December 20. The puck drops at 7:00 PM with Steve Nagler and Kevin Zielmanski on the call.

That wraps up this edition of “PIHL Notebook,” but check back every Monday through March for more news from around the league. In the meantime, Josh Rowntree and Kevin Zielmanski host another episode of “The PIHL Power Play” this Wednesday night at 8:00. Joining us this week will be Baldwin forward Paul Knerr and OLSH head coach Derrick Smith. Your home for the 2016 Penguins Cup Playoffs is the MSA Sports Network!