PIHL High School Hockey Notebook – Class AAA Preview

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, October 8, 2012 | 12:19 PM

Welcome to the first ever installment of “PIHL Notebook” (formerly dubbed “PIHL News & Notes”) and our annual season preview. Over the next four Monday’s, we will provide thumbnail sketches of all 63 PIHL teams to make sure local high school hockey fans are ready when the puck drops on October 29.

Class AAA is virtually unchanged from last season. Fox Chapel will not field a varsity squad, and Section 3 switched places with Section 4, but otherwise the landscape remains the same. Whether the same teams will make deep playoff runs or new contenders will emerge is the question the next few months will answer. Can Bethel Park actually win some games in October to improve its chances of defending the Penguins Cup? Will Canon-McMillan or Peters Township make another run at the gold? Can Mount Lebanon take the next step onto the big stage at Consol Energy Center? Can Penn-Trafford possibly manage an encore performance after being hit so hard by graduation? Read on for our take on your favorite Class AAA program.

(Teams listed in order of 2011-12 winning percentage)

SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE

SECTION 1:

Canon-McMillan Big Macs
2011-12 record: 19-3-0; 1st Section 1
2011-12 playoffs: Lost in Semifinals
Key departures: Zach McKown (14 G, 24 A); Alexander Baskakov (12 G, 13 A)
Key projected returns: Anthony Tonkovich (20 G, 25 A); Ryan Christian (15-2-0, 2.71 GAA, 0.868 SV %)
The skinny: The Big Macs return the ninth leading scorer in the class along with a goaltender who posted the second-best record in Tonkovich and Christian respectively. Those performances helped the team to a second-best 116 goals and fourth-best 56 allowed. That said, there is a huge hole to fill on the blue line with the graduation of two-way threat Baskakov. Of course, there was no shortage of kids competing to fill that slot in training camp (more on that in three weeks), which should come as no surprise for a program which has made three straight appearances on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ home ice, two of which ended in the finals.

Peters Township Indians
2011-12 record: 14-5-2; 2nd Section 1
2011-12 playoffs: Lost in Finals
Key departures: Cole Snyder (15 G, 18 A); Davan Groom (14 G, 8 A)
Key projected returns: Trevor Recktenwald (19 G, 11 A); Brian Baker (11-4-2, 1.75 GAA, 0.938 SV %, 4 SO)
The skinny: The Indians’ leading scorer was one of 13 seniors to leave the program in June. Of course, Peters has more than proven its depth over the years, and bringing back a pair of 30-point guys in Recktenwald and Patrick Hannan (13 G, 17 A) should help soften the blow. This team’s real strength was its defense, though, and that should continue. Baker led his fellow starting goaltenders in goals against average, save percentage and shutouts, helping his squad rank second in the class with 45 goals allowed.

Bethel Park Black Hawks
2011-12 record: 14-7-1; 3rd Section 1
2011-12 playoffs: Won Penguins Cup; Lost Pennsylvania Cup
Key departures: Zach Volzer (8 G, 15 A); Dylan Jones (7 G, 4 A)
Key projected returns: Derek Lesnak (15 G, 21 A); Alex Blum (12-3-0, 2.38 GAA, 0.879 SV %, 1 SO)
The skinny: We are not going to bother rehashing what was said so often in this space and on “The PIHL Power Play” last season. Everyone remembers how bad Bethel’s first half was before it became a championship year. The question now is can the Black Hawks make things a bit easier on themselves by not stumbling out of the gate for a change? The gold medalists are destined to get the best out of every opponent, so poise is needed to achieve early success. Luckily, four of the top five scorers were underclassmen, and Blum returns after helping his team lead the class with 42 goals allowed.

Upper St. Clair Panthers
2011-12 record: 11-9-2; 4th Section 1
2011-12 playoffs: Lost in First Round
Key departures: Andrew Schmitt (0 G, 5 A); Michael Sweterlitsch (0 G, 3 A)
Key projected returns: Michael Sweeney (21 G, 13 A); Michael Ambrose (6-7-1, 2.86 GAA, 0.890 SV %, 3 SO)
The skinny: Despite a disappointing early exit from the postseason after winning the 2011 state title, the Panthers can theoretically chalk it up to having a young team. Consider the two seniors listed above were the only ones on the ’11-’12 roster. To play devil’s advocate, though, both goaltenders from the championship team did play last year in Ambrose and Michael Stein. The former will now have to carry the load by himself as a senior, which should not be a concern given his impressive numbers despite an individual losing record. The question will be if the guys in front of him learned what was necessary to improve.

SECTION 2:

North Allegheny Tigers
2011-12 record: 16-5-1; 1st Section 2
2011-12 playoffs: Lost in Quarterfinals
Key departures: Jacob Hubert (7 G, 11 A); Matthew Goda (13-3-1, 2.43 GAA, 0.880 SV %, 3 SO)
Key projected returns: Joseph Griffin (18 G, 16 A); Matthew Fantaski (9 G, 16 A)
The skinny: The Tigers were fifth in the class with 104 goals last season despite not having anybody crack the top ten individually. That depth will be on full display again with the team’s top four scorers all back in the lineup. The big question mark will be on defense. North Allegheny ranked third with 47 goals allowed, but the challenge this year will be replacing Goda. Tyler Kuhn was serviceable as a backup (2-2-0, 2.15 GAA, 0.892 SV %, 1 SO), but whether he is ready for the main job or somebody new will step in remains to be seen.

Mount Lebanon Blue Devils
2011-12 record: 15-6-1; 2nd Section 2
2011-12 playoffs: Lost in Quarterfinals
Key departures: James Phillips (11 G, 15 A); Jason Hartman (14 G, 11 A)
Key projected returns: Trevor Nelson (18 G, 20 A); Thomas Horn (22 G, 11 A)
The skinny: Despite losing nine seniors, including captain Hartman, the Blue Devils still get back their leading playmaker and goal scorer in Nelson and Horn. That’s good news for an offense which ranked fourth with 107 goals. Defensively, Mount Lebanon placed fifth with 58 goals allowed. Staying in the upper echelon will mean Clay Wyda (9-1-1, 2.16 GAA, 0.882 SV %, 2 SO) likely has to double his workload after splitting the work with graduate Michael D’Orazio (6-5-0, 2.36 GAA, 0.896 SV %, 1 SO) last season.

McDowell Trojans
2011-12 record: 7-15-0; 3rd Section 2
2011-12 playoffs: Lost in First Round
Key departures: Alex Margraf (23 G, 13 A); Ryan Guzek (16 G, 12 A)
Key projected returns: Daniel Miller (4 G, 9 A); Mitchell Reichert (4 G, 5 A)
The skinny: This will be a rebuilding year for the Trojans after losing 10 seniors, including their top three scorers who accounted for 47 out of the team’s 76 goals. It will fall on players like sophomore Miller and junior Reichert to pick up the torch. The defense might have even more work to do after giving up a third-worst 119 goals. Mind you that was with a senior between the pipes for the bulk of the action in Tyler Sutula (7-14-0, 5.11 GAA, 0.846 SV %).

Seneca Valley Raiders
2011-12 record: 3-19-0; 4th Section 2
2011-12 playoffs: N/A
Key departures: Brandon Wehner (7 G, 4 A); Logan Rose (4 G, 6 A)
Key projected returns: Luke Reed (10 G, 11 A); Andrew Gagnon (10 G, 8 A)
The skinny: For a team which posted a third-worst 53 goals and allowed a fifth-worst 100, the Raiders individual stats are not as bad as one might think. Consider there were six 10-point getters in the lineup, and four of them are back. Seneca Valley also trotted out a pair of sophomore goalies, so one would think Ethan Helbig (3-14-0, 4.76 GAA, 0.840 SV %, 1 SO) and Ian Fraer (1-4-0, 4.05 GAA, 0.871 SV %) will do better as juniors.

NORTHEAST CONFERENCE

SECTION 3:

Penn-Trafford Warriors
2011-12 record: 19-2-1; 1st Section 4
2011-12 playoffs: Lost in Semifinals
Key departures: Dan Maier (40 G, 29 A); Conlan Sodrosky (29 G, 35 A)
Key projected returns: Jacob Miller (3 G, 9 A); Patrick Cortazzo (2 G, 3 A)
The skinny: The Warriors boasted the top offense in the class with 146 goals, the top two scorers in Maier and Sodrosky and the number four scorer in Joseph Boyer (18 G, 36 A), all of which got them to Consol Energy Center. The bad news is the team’s top eight scorers have all graduated. Can underclassmen like Miller and Cortazzo kick things up a notch or three? Penn-Trafford will also obviously boast a young defense, one which must perform without top goaltender Michael Cheswick (16-2-0, 3.28 GAA, 0.888 SV %, 1 SO), one of 17 seniors on the ’11-’12 squad.

Norwin Knights
2011-12 record: 11-9-2; 2nd Section 4
2011-12 playoffs: Lost in Quarterfinals
Key departures: Scott Cromling (6-5-1, 2.71 GAA, 0.899 SV %, 2 SO); Ryan Boccabella (5-4-1, 3.24 GAA, 0.887 SV %, 1 SO)
Key projected returns: Daniel Merz (25 G, 22 A); Timothy Palmer (15 G, 18 A)
The skinny: The Knights should be just fine offensively with their top four scorers back in the lineup, including Merz, who ranked eighth in the class. The challenge will be on defense with the loss of what was arguably the best one-two punch between the pipes in the entire league. For the record, Norwin graduated eight seniors from a group which ranked seventh both offensively (88 GF) and defensively (66 GA).

State College Little Lions
2011-12 record: 11-10-1; 3rd Section 4
2011-12 playoffs: Lost in Quarterfinals
Key departures: Daniel Moscone (36 G, 24 A); Corey Brown (2 G, 11 A)
Key projected returns: Stefan Horgas (23 G, 28 A); Dalton Brown (16 G, 29 A)
The skinny: The Little Lions ranked third in the class with 110 goals scored. Despite losing the number three point getter overall in Moscone, State College still brings back two other top ten performers in Horgas and Brown. At the other end of the ice, the team ranked tenth with 84 goals allowed as Mac Ross (6-4-0, 3.73 GAA, 0.850 SV %) and Zach Woytowich (4-5-1, 3.85 GAA, 0.850 SV %) split the goaltending duties. One of them may need to emerge as the clear favorite for this group to advance deeper into the playoffs.

Hempfield Spartans
2011-12 record: 4-18-0; 4th Section 4
2011-12 playoffs: N/A
Key departures: Clay Plyler (31 G, 17 A); Austin Williams (23 G, 9 A)
Key projected returns: Michael Donofrio (4 G, 9 A); Channing Gorsack (6 G, 5 A)
The skinny: As usual, the Spartans were able to score goals, boasting the seventh leading point getter in Plyler. Unfortunately, he and Williams combined for 54 of the 74 goals the team registered, so youngsters like Donofrio and Gorsack need to step up this season. Hempfield’s problem since moving up to Class AAA continues to be defense and goaltending, once again ranking last with 168 allowed.

SECTION 4:

Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings
2011-12 record: 11-9-2; 1st Section 3
2011-12 playoffs: Lost in First Round
Key departures: Eric Smith (15 G, 21 A); James Pozycki (17 G, 7 A)
Key projected returns: Anthony Parrucci (6 G, 7 A); Christopher McCambridge (4 G, 9 A)
The skinny: The Vikings may have won a section title, but the simple numbers in that four-team group show there is work to do for this bunch to make it past the first round of postseason play. Offensively, 89 goals was not a bad total, but guys like Parrucci and McCambridge will have to find another gear with Smith and Pozycki gone. Between the pipes, Central gave more minutes to Brian Burger (4-7-2, 6.31 GAA, 0.737 SV %, 1 SO), but Kevin Dziubek (8-2-0, 3.34 GAA, 0.848 SV %, 1 SO) should clearly get the nod as the starter in ’12-’13.

Shaler Titans
2011-12 record: 6-14-2; 2nd Section 3
2011-12 playoffs: Lost in First Round
Key departures: Taylor Colamarino (3 G, 11 A); Joseph Sobolak (3 G, 3 A)
Key projected returns: Jacob Hetz (34 G, 18 A); Luke Lynch (17 G, 14 A)
The skinny: That Shaler made the playoffs despite allowing more goals (95) than it scored (86) is a story in itself. The offense should only improve with the top four point getters still in the lineup. Defensively, the Titans platooned three goaltenders, and all posted GAA’s north of 4.00, but the best of the bunch was also the youngest. Theodore Vincent Evans (4-6-2, 4.09 GAA, 0.875 SV %) should get the starting nod on most nights during his sophomore season.

Butler Golden Tornado
2011-12 record: 1-21-0; 4th Section 3
2011-12 playoffs: N/A
Key departures: Corey Chuba (5 G, 5 A); Jacob Tomasovic (2 G, 6 A)
Key projected returns: Tanner Gilliland (17 G, 9 A); Troy Double (5 G, 11 A)
The skinny: The Golden Tornado must be given credit for at least showing up. Despite the worst offense (39 GF) and second-worst defense (167 GA) in the class last season, Butler is back for another round this year. The club can at least build on having its top two scorers back in the lineup, but obviously need to show vast improvement in most areas to become part of the postseason discussion.

That wraps up our Class AAA preview, but we still have three more to go, so check back next Monday as we delve into Class AA. Your home for the 2013 Penguins Cup Playoffs is the MSA Sports Network!

Tags: Bethel Park, Butler, Canon-McMillan, Erie McDowell, Hempfield, Upper St. Clair