PIHL Penguins Cup Semifinals Tuesday Recaps

By: Bruce Markey
Wednesday, March 21, 2012 | 1:33 AM

The PIHL Penguins Cup Semifinals continued Tuesday night with Class AA taking center stage. Both Erie Cathedral Prep and West Allegheny fell behind early before coming back to win at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Complex. Here are recaps from both games.

Erie Cathedral Prep Ramblers 6 – Chartiers Valley Colts 4
By Josh Rowntree

They say the 15th Anniversary the "crystal" anniversary.

But on Saturday, the Erie Cathedral Prep hockey team will be looking for gold as they will play for their third Penguins Cup Championship, with the last coming 15 years ago.

Jimmy Bufalino and Mitch Cambell each netted hat tricks and #4 Prep knocked off #2 Chartiers Valley 6-4 in a wild semifinal matchup at the RMU Island Sports Center.

Early though, it was all CV, as Evegeny Koptsov would take the opening face-off all the way to the back of the net, making it 1-0 CV after only 11 seconds of play. Justin Sabilla, the PIHL's leading goal scorer, would net a power play goal, pushing the CV lead to 2-0 after one period of play.

However, the second period belonged to the Ramblers. Bufalino would capitalize on two undisciplined roughing penalties by CV, scoring back-to-back power play goals less than five minutes apart, tying the game at 2-2. Less than four minutes later, Cambell would get in on the scoring, making it 3-2 Ramblers a second period in which Prep put up 20 shots.

The third period would see five goals, including another by Sabilla, which tied the game at 3-3 just over four minutes into the final frame.

However, the Ramblers seemed to have an answer for CV all night and, just 1:32 later, Cambell would get his second, giving Prep the lead again.

Despite looking heavily fatigued all night, the Colts powered through and, at the 7:59 mark, Anthony Franks would score, tying the game again, this time at 4-4.

But the Ramblers would respond yet again and, just 58 seconds later, Bufalino would collect his hat trick, driving home a slap shot by CV goaltender Noah Stevenson, giving Prep a 5-4 lead. Cambell would hit an empty net, matching Bufalino's hat trick with one of his own, giving Prep the 6-4 victory.

Chartiers Valley, who reached the semifinals last season only to be blown out by Peters Township 8-1, has their season end at 18-5-0.

But the story was the Ramblers, who are now 17-5-1 and advance to the PIHL AA Penguins Cup Championship game on Saturday at 3:30 pm against #1 West Allegheny. Those two teams have met twice this season, with a 1-1 tie and a 4-1 West Allegheny win as the results.

Score By Period
CV: 2-0-2=4
CP: 0-3-3=6

Shots
CV: 32
CP: 42

Scoring Summary
1st Period
Chartiers Valley – Evegeny Koptsov (unassisted) , 0:11
Chartiers Valley – Justin Sabilla (power play) (Evegeny Koptsov, Tyler Stevenson) , 12:09
2nd Period
Erie Cathedral Prep – Jimmy Bufalino (power play) (Joshh Orgoos) , 3:10
Erie Cathedral Prep – Jimmy Bufalino (2) (power play) (Christopher Coombs) , 7:32
Erie Cathedral Prep – Mitch Cambell (Cameron Zbrzeznj, Joshh Orgoos) , 10:57
3rd Period
Chartiers Valley – Justin Sabilla (2) (power play) (unassisted) , 4:02
Erie Cathedral Prep – Mitch Cambell (2) (Jimmy Bufalino) , 5:34
Chartiers Valley – Anthony Franks (Justin Sabilla, Bryan Pustay) , 7:59
Erie Cathedral Prep – Jimmy Bufalino (3) (unassisted) , 8:57
Erie Cathedral Prep – Mitch Cambell (3) (empty net) (Peter Zaphiris, Joshh Orgoos) , 13:56

First Niagara Bank Three Stars
1. Jimmy Bufalino, Erie Cathedral Prep (4 Goals, Assist)
2. Mitch Cambell, Erie Cathedral Prep (3 Goals)
3. Justin Sabilla (2G, Assist)

Mount Lebanon Ice Arena Play of the Game
Jimmy Bufalino's 3rd goal of the game, which proved to be a game winner. Bufalino, who scored the goal unassisted, caused a turnover in the offensive zone before rocketing his third different slap shot by Noah Stevenson.

West Allegheny Indians 5 – Pine-Richland Rams 3
By Don Rebel

Top-seed West Allegheny fell behind for the second time in as many postseason games when Pine-Richland scored less than a minute into the game before the Indians took control and knocked off the stubborn Rams 5-3 Tuesday night at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Complex in a Class AA Semifinals contest. 

After the Rams Dillon Kessy turned an Indians turnover into a goal 50 seconds into the game, West Allegheny picked up their game and scored four unanswered goals, including power play tallies by Jonathan Levitt and Patrick Coburn to make it 4-1 West A late in the second period. Kessey's second goal of the game late in the second period made the score 4-2.

The third period began with the Rams with momentum and on the power play, but the Indians killed off the P-R man advantage, then 30 seconds later, scored on a James Bing floater from the right point that eluded screened Pine-Richland goaltender Chase Takacs. 

Scott McAliney's power play goal on a change up shot close in midway through the third period made things interesting as the Rams again pulled to within two. But they would get no closer thanks to a West Allegheny defense that did a great job throughout the night blocking shots, and the play of senior goaltender Jason Kumpfmiller.

Coburn had a goal and two assists offensively to lead the Indians, who improve to 20-3-0 and are now one win away from sealing the deal on their first ever Penguins Cup championship. The Indians will battle Erie Cathedral Prep on Saturday at 3:30pm at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh and here on MSA Sports. The Indians and Ramblers split their two regular season games.

6th-seed Pine-Richland gallant postseason run ends with a mark of 12-10-1.  

Scoring by Period:
PINE-RICHLAND : 1 – 1 – 1 = 3
WEST ALLEGHENY : 2 – 2 – 1 = 5

Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
PR – Dillon Kessey  (Clint Loney)  :50
WA – Jonathan Levitt  (Patrick Coburn)  4:45  (PPG)
WA – Joshua Linsenbigler  (P.Coburn & Mason Ervin)  12:12
2nd Period:
WA – P. Coburn  (unassisted)  9:01  (PPG)
WA – Matthew Grebosky  (Jared DiSanti)  11:26
PR – D. Kessey  (Luke Wagner)  14:16
3rd Period:
WA – James Bing  (M. Ervin)  2:09
PR – Scott McAliney  (unassisted)  6:47  (PPG)

Shots on Goal:
PINE-RICHLAND : 11 – 13 – 5 = 29
WEST ALLEGHENY : 7 – 6 – 8 = 21

First Niagara Bank 3-Stars of the Game:
#3 – Mason Ervin – West Allegheny
#2 – Dillon Kessey – Pine-Richland
#1 – Patrick Coburn – West Allegheny

Mount Lebanon Ice Arena Play of the Game:
The start of the third period penalty kill by West Allegheny, then a goal 30 seconds after the Pine-Richland power play ends by Indians defenseman James Bing to make it 5-2 West A. 

Tags: Chartiers Valley, Erie Cathedral Prep, West Allegheny