PIHL Penguins Cup semifinals preview: Championship berths on the line this week

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, March 11, 2018 | 11:30 PM

With a trip to the PIHL championship on the line, the Penguins Cup semifinals in all four classifications take place this week. All of the games will be played at Robert Morris' Island Sports Complex on Neville Island, and will be broadcast on the TribLive High School Sports Network. Here's a preview of the matchups:

Division 2

No. 1 Moon vs. No. 4 Connellsville, Monday, 7:15 p.m. — Moon cruised through the regular season, losing just once in 18 games. The defense was unquestionably the key for the Tigers, as they allowed just 27 goals, half as many as the next closest team. Goalie Lukas Konecsni produced spectacular numbers: 14-1, 1.28 goals-against average and a .950 save percentage. Moon made easy work of Central Valley in the first round, prevailing 9-2.

Connellsville, meanwhile, had a slightly more potent offense than Moon. The Falcons netted 79 goals, the third-best mark in the classification. Forward Ryan Brown led the way, scoring 16 goals and compiling 52 points. The Falcons were also extremely disciplined, accumulating the fewest penalty minutes in Division 2. Connellsville handled Elizabeth Forward, 5-1, in the opening round.

Moon swept the series in the regular season, although both games were tightly contested. The first meeting, in October, required overtime to decide a winner. Moon's Alexander Angevine scored the deciding goal with less than a minute left in the extra period. In the rematch in December, the Tigers scored all of their goals in the third period in a 3-1 triumph. Shawn Hytla, Rich Doyle and Logan Zarin found the back of the net for Moon, the last of which came as an empty-netter to seal the outcome.

No. 2 Ringgold vs. No. 3 Burrell, Monday, 9:15 p.m. — The Rams enjoyed a successful regular season, finishing with 14 wins, including four straight entering the postseason. Ringgold's 82 goals ranked second during the campaign, but the Rams also led the way in penalty minutes, with 366. Nathan Todd led the way with 17 goals, while Noah Schroeder and Evan Eberlein ranked atop of points column. The Rams knocked off Trinity, 4-1, in the first round.

Burrell has made headlines this season because of its explosive offense. With 101 goals scored, the Bucs led the classification by a wide margin. Tyler Stewart led the class with 44 goals and 67 points, while Dylan Zelonka provided 41 points. That duo was at its finest in the 7-3 first-round victory against Kennedy Catholic.

There was a stark contrast in the two regular-season meetings between Ringgold and Burrell. In the first game in November, the Rams prevailed 8-7. Eberlein scored four goals and added an assist for Ringgold, while Stewart also netted four goals, along with a pair of helpers, in the setback. Just more than a month later, the teams engaged in a defensive battle, with Ringgold winning 3-0. Eberlein scored the winning goal in the first period, Ringgold's Evan Cook made 30 saves, and the Rams added a pair of empty-netters in the final two minutes.

Class A

No. 1 Bishop McCort vs. No. 5 Indiana, Tuesday, 7 p.m. — Bishop McCort remains the only undefeated team in the PIHL this season, thanks to its combination of potent offense and suffocating defense. The Crimson Crushers led Class A with 140 goals scored, and also paced the way with 43 goals against. Four different players surpassed 30 points this season, while netminder Cole Bradley went 16-0 with a 2.19 goals-against average. The Crimson Crushers were tested in the quarterfinals, however, edging Sewickley Academy, 7-5.

Indiana has been a proven winner in the postseason in recent years, including a trip to the Class A championship game last year. This season, the Little Indians compiled 30 points in the regular season, good for fifth in the classification. Tyler Barker led the team with 24 goals and 43 points, and Edward Williams had a team-leading 23 assists. The Little Indians held off Kiski Area, 5-4, in the opening round, and then notched a 4-3 overtime victory against West Allegheny to reach the semifinals.

The teams faced off once in the regular season, a 4-3 Bishop McCort win in November. The Crimson Crushers scored all of their goals in the second period, with Matsvei Kurylovich netting a hat trick. Barker contributed a goal and two assists for Indiana in the defeat.

No. 2 Meadville vs. No. 6 South Fayette, Tuesday, at 9 p.m. — The Bulldogs held a winning streak of their own for the first few months of the season, but ultimately dropped three contests down the stretch. Meadville still hung on to the second seed, though, winning a tiebreaker over Thomas Jefferson. The Bulldogs outscored opponents 123-48 in the regular season, with forward Nick Franz and goalie Eddie Kaufman leading the way. Franz produced 39 goals and 63 points, while Kaufman posted a goals-against average of 2.04 and a save percentage of .904. Meadville dispatched Westmont Hilltop, 4-2, in the quarterfinals.

South Fayette compiled 28 points in the regular season, scoring 112 goals and allowing 56. The Lions were balanced offensively, with seven players scoring between 32 and 19 points. Ian Kumar's 20 goals led the way for South Fayette. The Lions earned a 6-3 win against Chartiers Valley in the first round, and then scored a slight upset against No. 3 Thomas Jefferson in the quarterfinals, 5-2.

The lone regular-season tilt between the teams went in favor of South Fayette, as the Lions handed Meadville its first defeat. In the 4-0 victory, South Fayette scored three goals on the power play, with Nolan Sarnowski producing two goals and an assist.

Class AA

West No. 1 Armstrong vs. West No. 3 Hampton, Wednesday, 7 p.m. — The River Hawks dominated in the regular season, as their 32 points was by far the top mark in either division. Armstrong also compiled an 11-game winning streak, and was the only team to top 100 goals for, scoring 121. Zachary Kutch and Jace Rearic led the attack, as they scored 57 and 53 points, respectively, and combined for nine game-winning goals. Armstrong easily dispatched Franklin Regional, 8-2, in the quarterfinals.

Hampton actually had a losing record during the regular season, but the Talbots still comfortably made the playoffs in the North/West Division with 18 points. Hampton outscored its opponents 75-68 during the campaign, with Michael Orban leading the team with 26 points. Talbots' netminders Connor Andrews and Jacob McGee split time between the pipes in the season, with Andrews posting the more impressive numbers: 7-2, 2.55 goals-average average, .896 save percentage. Hampton defeated Upper St. Clair 6-2 in the quarterfinals.

The River Hawks and Talbots met twice in 2018, with Armstrong winning both affairs. The first meeting was a 4-2 outcome, with Rearic and Kutch producing three points each. The second meeting featured significantly more fire power, as the River Hawks prevailed 9-5. A five-goal outburst for Armstrong in the second period proved decisive. Rearic and Kutch again scored three points each, while Jacob Schwarzbach dished out four assists for Hampton.

West No. 2 Pine-Richland vs. West No. 4 Quaker Valley, Wednesday, 9 p.m. — Much like Armstrong, Pine-Richland's transition from Class AAA to Class AA has been quite successful. The Rams outscored their opposition by 22 goals in the regular slate, and Pine-Richland's 92 goals scored ranked third in Class AA. Although nobody topped 30 points, Nick Lindauer and William Studt paced the team in goals and points, respectively. Pine-Richland handed Hempfield a 5-1 defeat to reach the semifinals.

Quaker Valley did not look particularly impressive during the regular season, as the Quakers had a losing record and narrowly outscored opponents 73-71. Defenseman Ben Kuzma led the team with 24 goals, while Beau Tomczak provided 18 assists. The Quakers were hit hard by injuries during the regular campaign, however, and might be playing their best hockey of the season now. The Quakers have notched a pair of overtime wins, 4-3 against Shaler in the first round, and 1-0 in a stunning upset of East No. 1 Latrobe in the quarterfinals.

The teams split the regular season, with the Quakers winning 7-5 in October and the Rams gaining revenge in January, courtesy of a 5-3 outcome. In the first encounter, the Quakers jumped out to a 4-1 lead, and never looked back. Kuzma turned in a three-point effort, with two goals and a helper, while Lindauer produced the same stat line for the Rams. In the second meeting, the Rams scored the final three goals to secure the victory. Antonio Binotto scored two goals and added an assist in the win, while Studt also chipped in with three points.

Class AAA

No. 1 Peters Township vs. No. 4 North Allegheny, Thursday, 7:15 p.m. — The Indians, the defending champions, carried the momentum from that title win throughout the 2017-18 regular season. Peters Township secured 28 points, and also led the class in scoring margin, at plus-29. Depth and balance were key ingredients to the team's success, as the Indians had eight players compile between 11 and 24 points, and all four goaltenders played in at least three games. Peters Township survived an upset scare in the first round, edging Plum, 2-1.

North Allegheny relied upon a familiar formula to have success in the regular campaign, as the Tigers displayed tight defense and strong goaltending. The Tigers allowed 42 goals, which ranked third in Class AAA, and both goalies posted impressive numbers. Richard Karapandi played in 10 contests, posting a goals-against average of 2.10 and a save percentage of .919, while Ryan Heil was similarly impressive in his eight contests, with a GAA of 2.36 and a save percentage of .908. Offensively, Aaron Miller led the way with 17 goals. The Tigers exploded for an 8-3 win against Butler in the first round.

Peters Township won the first meeting 3-0, but North Allegheny evened the season series with a 5-1 victory in the second tilt. In the Peters Township victory, the Indians scored all three of their goals in the second period, and goalie Alex Wilbert posted a shutout with 38 saves. In the rematch, Miller and Will Parreaguirre each scored twice.

No. 2 Seneca Valley vs. No. 3 Cathedral Prep, Thursday, 9:15 p.m. — The Raiders used suffocating defense to have success this season, as Seneca Valley surrendered just 35 goals in 18 games in the regular campaign. Goalie Logan Johnson was terrific, winning 10 games with a goals-against average of 1.72 and a save percentage of .930. Not surprisingly, Seneca Valley limited Bethel Park to just one goal in the Raiders' 4-1 victory in the opening round.

Cathedral Prep, meanwhile, utilized a high-scoring offense throughout the season. The Ramblers topped the classification with 79 goals scored, but also accumulated a league-leading 322 penalty minutes. Donovan Cullen led the way for Cathedral Prep, as he netted 13 goals and provided 29 points. It was the defense, however, which allowed the Ramblers to advance to the semifinals, as they bested Mt. Lebanon, 3-0, in the first round.

The teams split the two games in the regular season, each winning by a 3-1 score. The first meeting went in favor of the Raiders in October, as Johnson made 26 saves and Seneca Valley scored an empty-net goal to secure the win. In the clash in December, the Ramblers scored twice in the third period, including an empty netter, to prevail. Cathedral Prep's Jordan Adams had a goal and an assist.

Sean Meyers is a freelance writer.

Tags: Armstrong, Burrell, Connellsville, Hampton, Indiana, Moon, North Allegheny, Peters Township, Pine-Richland, Quaker Valley, Ringgold, Seneca Valley, South Fayette