PIHL Notebook – 03/17/2014
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Monday, March 17, 2014 | 2:48 PM
Welcome to another edition of “PIHL Notebook,” your weekly companion to “The PIHL Power Play” on the MSA Sports Network. After yeoman’s work by Josh Rowntree and Mike Azadian recapping the semis and previewing the 2014 Penguins Cup Finals on “The PIHL Power Play” show last Thursday night, how best to supplement that? For only the third time in this column’s history (but second in a row, so this may become tradition) Adam Hoerner returns from sick leave along with Josh to “choose sides” in Monday night’s championship match-ups, telling you why each of the six teams skating at Consol Energy Center have a chance to win gold. So, let’s light the lamp on this special postseason edition of “PIHL Notebook.”
CLASS A PENGUINS CUP FINAL:
#1 Quaker Valley Quakers (23-1-0) vs #3 Thomas Jefferson Jaguars (17-5-2) AT CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh on Monday, March 17th at 4:30pm on MSAsports.net
Why Josh thinks Quaker Valley will win – Quaker Valley is the number one seed. They’ve proven that all season. They’re clearly the deepest and most skilled team in Class A and have three (count ’em, three) head-to-head victories over Thomas Jefferson this season. Those games, in fact, weren’t all that close. QV beat the Jaguars 5-2, 7-1 and 5-4. In the last game, the Quakers had a 5-1 lead in the third period before letting TJ back into the game. A scenario like that will not play out at Consol Energy Center. Sure, Quaker Valley is here on a miracle comeback in the last 32 seconds against Freeport and might not be playing their best hockey. But the Quakers know the big stage and will not get caught up in the bright lights, something that TJ will have to overcome. Offensively speaking, Quaker Valley is dynamic and led, sporting the top offense in Class A this season. They’re led by Jimmy Perkins, who had a Class A-leading 72 goals in the regular season and who has eight points in two playoff games. Assisting Perkins in these playoffs has been their seconds leading scorer, Connor Quinn. Quinn had 70 points in the regular season and has seven here in the postseason. But the Quakers will have to rely on defense and will need to shut down TJ’s juggernaut of a top line. If anyone can do it, it is the Quakers, who sported the top defense in Class A this season. In fact, in three wins over TJ, Quaker Valley only allowed one goal from TJ’s leading scorer, Zach Uhlyar. The Jaguars are peaking at the right time and the Quakers are not playing their best, but Quaker Valley is the favorite and has a great chance of proving that at Consol Energy Center.
Why Adam thinks Thomas Jefferson will win – Building a case for any team other than Quaker Valley, especially after its performance in the semifinals, is difficult. To beat the top seed and two-time defending champions, you will need hot goaltending, timely scoring and contributions throughout your lineup, which is exactly what has gotten Thomas Jefferson into this position. Taking those points in order, you may look at TJ’s 5-4 victory over Deer Lakes in the Quarterfinals and think Nick Ripepi was bailed out by his offense. Look beyond the scoreboard, though, and witness the Lancers blasting 51 shots, 20 more than the Jaguars mustered. Ripepi simply played out of his mind, just as he did in the regular season finale against semifinalist Freeport (a game you also heard on these airwaves). Solidifying his stance as a worthy adversary to the defending champs, he turned aside 24 shots in defeating Mars 4-2 in the Semifinals, again on a night when his team was nearly doubled up in that category. While Thomas Jefferson would certainly like to muster more shots, and may absolutely need to on Monday afternoon, you have to love their conversion rate along with the variety of guys contributing. Sure, scoring leader Zach Uhlyar has been his usual productive self, pacing the team with five points (3 G, 1 PP, 1 SH, 2 A), but it was Brendan Mason who notched the winner over Deer Lakes, part of a two-goal performance. Uhlyar may get credit for the deciding goal over Mars, but it was Tommy Kimmick’s solid two-way effort and pinpoint shooting (2 G, 1 A) that took center stage all game long. It is not just in the playoffs the Jags have found their stroke, though. Not some happy accident for a bottom seed. Only QV scored more goals during the regular season, and the TJ defense was solid as well, tied at fourth in the class. Solid will not do the job against the Quakers. Ripepi has to play out of his mind. Guys like Brad Delenko need to clear rebounds and the front of the net. Uhlyar, Kimmick, Nicholas Tamburi and everyone else need to bury their chances. It will not be easy. Thomas Jefferson has lost three times to Quaker Valley. The second one was not pretty, a 7-1 final that we broadcast and wondered how strong the Jaguars were. They have since answered those questions emphatically, but even in a 5-4 loss on January 30, the shot margin was tilted noticeably in favor of the winning side. If the lowest seeded team playing tonight can turn that statistic around and keeps everything else clicking, it might just pull off the upset special.
CLASS AA PENGUINS CUP FINAL:
#1 Bishop Canevin Crusaders (22-2-0) vs #2 Erie Cathedral Prep Ramblers (18-4-2) AT CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh on Monday, March 17th at 6:45pm on MSAsports.net
Why Adam thinks Bishop Canevin will win – As the Crusaders look for the lucky number seventh title in program history tonight, it is hard to bet against them. Lead the class in goals scored? Check, but acknowledgement to Prep for finishing just one behind them. Lead the class in goals allowed? Check again, and that one was not even close. Granted the Ramblers did hand BC one of its two losses, but they took overtime to do it, and that was way back in November. Besides, head coach Kevin Zielmanski made sure his guys did their film study, and they passed the second test 8-5 in the regular season finale. Randy Unger’s 75 points in the regular season take a lot of the spotlight, but three others topped 20 goals, and six averaged better than a point per game, so no worries when it comes to scoring depth. And of course Nikita Meskin remains perhaps the top goaltender in the class, if not the league, backstopping every minute of action en route to a 2.03 GAA, 0.915 save percentage and four shutouts. As for the postseason schedule, there has been no letdown for this bunch, outscoring North Hills and Hampton by a combined 14-3 in the first two rounds. Blaine Adams has scored four of those goals to lead the team, one shorthanded, while Unger has scored two on the power play and set up six others. Not that Meskin has been bored, stopping 34 out of 37 shots to help his team back to the gold medal round. It is hard to figure what exactly Bishop Canevin did wrong in two games against Erie. They took very few penalties, allowed only one goal on special teams and carried the shot margin both times. The Ramblers are simply a quality opponent, so perhaps the answer is simple. Keep your foot on the gas pedal, as it clearly has been so far this March, and Unger could end his senior year the way he did his freshman one – hoisting a trophy.
Why Josh thinks Erie Cathedral Prep will win – Certainly, Bishop Canevin is the favorite heading into this game. But Cathedral Prep has a terrific shot at knocking off the top seed. For starters, the Ramblers are one of the two teams to beat the Crusaders this season (Armstrong). But what I love about Cathedral Prep is their balance and depth right now. Nine different players have score for ECP in the postseason. Leading the way has been a pair of great assistmen, Ben Eliason and the surprising William Kelly, who each have six assists in the last two games. ECP is battle tested too, going through Chartiers Valley and Armstrong in the playoffs and winning both matchup in impressive fashion. After surrendering a 3-0 and 5-3 lead to Armstrong, the Ramblers finished strong, winning the contest 9-5. The last time ECP won a Penguins Cup, many of their seniors were still in diapers. That hunger to reclaim gold for a proud hockey community in Erie is strong and something the Canevin will have to match. Ultimately, the Ramblers’ fate will come down to goaltender Grant Kennedy. Both games with Bishop Canevin have been high scoring, with an 8-4 Canevin win coming on the last night of regular season play. Kennedy will probably have to make 4-5 impressive saves in order for the Ramblers to hoist their first title since 1997. If he can keep ECP around, they have a great shot at knocking off the Crusaders.
CLASS AAA PENGUINS CUP FINAL:
#1 Bethel Park Black Hawks (19-3-0) vs #2 Peters Township Indians (18-4-0) AT CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh on Monday, March 17th at 9:00pm on MSAsports.net
Why Josh thinks Bethel Park will win – Bethel Park is arguably the most well coached team in the PIHL. That is, in no way, a knock on any other coach. Mort McVay is just that good. Riding a hunch, McVay turned to backup goalie Tre Lowe in the playoffs. Lowe has been stellar, allowing just one goal in their two wins. Defense is the name of the game for the Black Hawks. They allowed a PIHL low 39 goals in the regular season. While not dominant offensively, Bethel Park can score when they need to and have a slew of terrific puck movers. Derek Lesnak, a hybrid defenseman who can play forward, is possibly the best of the bunch. Chris Siak, who led Bethel Park in scoring this season, has a cannon of a slap shot and netted two power play goals in the Quarterfinals. Bethel Park’s biggest surprise has been Jacob Worcester. Their sixth-leading scorer in the regular season, Worcester has a team-leading seven points in these playoffs. Peters Township provides a great challenge, as these two teams split in the regular season. If Bethel Park can control Peters Township’s best forward, Adam Alavi, they will win. It’s not an easy task, but if anyone can do it, it’s the best defense in the PIHL. This is a rematch of the 2012 AAA Championship, which Bethel Park won 2-1. The Indians have been snakebitten a bit at CONSOL, losing three Penguins Cups in a row and scoring just three goals in those games. Bethel Park is going to try to continue that success and, if history repeats itself, the Black Hakws will hoist their eighth Penguins Cup.
Why Adam thinks Peters Township will win – Only one victory, a mere two points, kept the Indians from taking at least a share of the Section 1 crown and top seed in the Class AAA playoff bracket. Whether you want to say that win should have been the 6-3 loss to Bethel Park on February 13 or a 6-5 decision to Penn-Trafford in the regular season finale, it is all water under the proverbial bridge now. Head coach Rick Tingle has gotten his squad back to the big dance, and you can bet they know the steps. Offensively, Peters may appear one-dimensional when you consider Adam Alavi led in all categories (20 G, 4 PP, 3 SH, 4 GW, 16 A). But this program is all about depth, and it showed with 18 different goal scorers, not to mention a complete second varsity team playing the Open Class. In the playoffs, Alavi may have five points (2 G, 1 GW, 3 A), but Jonathan Dagnal leads in goals and points (4 G, 1 GW, 2 A). And let’s not forget about two defensemen who seem to enjoy playing Bethel Park this season. Carter Ekburg has put up four points (1 G, 3 A) while Josef Kittelberger has notched three (2 G, 1 PP, 1 GW, 1 A). Those performances aside, what went right and wrong for Peters in its previous meetings with the Black Hawks? In the aforementioned loss, the Indians simply lost the special teams battle. They did score two power play goals, but they also allowed two along with a shorthanded tally. In general, they just could not stay out of the box with seven penalties to three for Bethel. Compare that to a 4-2 victory for Peters on November 14 wherein although another power play goal was surrendered, the winning side only took two penalties. It will be interesting to see which goaltender the number three defense in the class goes with. Brian Baker has been the hot hand in the first two rounds, stopping 60 out of 62 shots in defeating Seneca Valley and Penn-Trafford by a combined 10-2 margin. However, Baker took the loss to the Hawks while Tony Lejeune made 37 saves in the victory. Tingle is smart and gutsy enough of a coach to make either call. You can also bet the guys in the locker room will back either one to a man. That is what makes this team so dangerous.
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, Adam Hoerner and Josh Rowntree host the ninth season finale of “The PIHL Power Play” on Wednesday night at 8:00 to recap the Penguins Cup Finals and preview the state championship games. Your home for the 2014 Penguins Cup Playoffs is the MSA Sports Network!
