Trib HSSN rewind: A look back at the 2018-19 PIHL season
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Monday, July 8, 2019 | 7:32 PM
The Pine-Richland hockey team celebrates after defeating Downingtown East in the Pennsylvania Cup Class AA championship game March 23, 2019, at RMU Island Sports Center.
A year after being shut out in the state hockey finals, the Penguins Cup winners went 1-2 against the Flyers Cup champs in the three Pennsylvania Cup state championship games at the RMU Island Sports Complex in 2019.
Pine-Richland became only the second Penguins Cup champion to win a Pennsylvania Cup title in the last five years. The Rams shut out Downingtown East, 3-0, in the Class AA final behind Daniel Stauffer’s 24 saves.
The Rams reached the state finals by beating Upper St. Clair in the Penguins Cup Class AA championship game 7-5.
William Studt, Jared Eggert and Joseph Folmer each tallied a pair of goals as the Rams captured their fourth Penguins Cup crown and first in 11 years.
“Just a great feeling,” Pine-Richland coach Jordan Yoklic said. “Happy for the players, they earned it this year. The entire organization earned it.”
North Allegheny finished second behind Peters Township in the Class AAA regular season.
The Tigers and Indians marched through the Penguins Cup playoffs until they met in the finals where Richard Karapandi took over.
The North Allegheny goaltender stopped all 23 shots he faced as the Tigers shut out defending champion Peters Township, 3-0, in the Class AAA Penguins Cup championship game. Aaron Miller scored a pair of goals for North Allegheny.
“This whole playoff season, for whatever reason, I wasn’t nervous with this team,” North Allegheny coach Mike Bagnato said. “I really thought we had a legitimate chance. We had experience, speed and our kids had focus.”
It was the Tigers’ third Penguins Cup championship and first in six years.
In Class A, Montour outgunned South Fayette, 6-3, to win its first Penguins Cup crown.
Richard Froehlich scored two goals and added an assist while Ryan Eisel and Dustin Geregach had a pair of points each for Montour.
Ringgold stunned Burrell in the Division II championship game 4-3. Noah Schroeder scored two goals for the Rams, who also won the D-II title in 2010.
The loss was only the second for the Buccaneers, who came into the game with a 21-1-0 record.
The leading goals scorers for the season by class:
Wyatt George, Mt. Lebanon – 19
Devin Rohrich, Upper St. Clair – 33
Nicholas Frantz, Meadville – 42
Tyler Stewart, Burrell — 50
Tags: Montour, North Allegheny, Pine-Richland, Ringgold
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