Hockey
This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 10/10/2016
October 10, 2016
We open up a busy October with a bang with high school football, soccer, volleyball, field hockey, golf and even hockey this week here on the MSA Sports Network. The high school football season kicks off the second half of the regular season with Week Six and The Network has 31 WPIAL football weekend contests starting with the MSA Sports pregame Show Friday at 6pm and concluding with the WPIAL Scoreboard Show Friday at 9:30pm.This Week on the MSA Sports Network – 10/03/2016
October 3, 2016
We open up a busy October with a bang with high school football, soccer, volleyball, field hockey, golf and even hockey this week here on the MSA Sports Network. The high school football season kicks off the second half of the regular season with Week Six and The Network has 31 WPIAL football weekend contests starting with the MSA Sports pregame Show Friday at 6pm and concluding with the WPIAL Scoreboard Show Friday at 9:30pm.
MSA SPORTS CUP RESULTS – Sewickley Kings of Single-A Again
July 12, 2016
Sewickley Academy is once again on top of the Class A standings in the chase for the MSA Sports Cup after leapfrogging defending champ Greensburg Central Catholic. In fact, the Panthers and Centurions have been tagging in for titles the last five years with GCC winning in 2012-2013 and 2014-2015 and SA claiming the Cup in 201--2011, 2013-2014 and now in 2015-2016. The championship for Sewickley Academy is the schools 9th in 13 years of the competition and was aided greatly by district and state championships in boys golf and boys tennis along with WPIAL crowns in boys cross-country and boys soccer.
MSA SPORTS CUP RESULTS – A New Champ Wins Double-A
July 9, 2016
For only the fifth time in the thirteen years of the MSA Sports Cup Class AA chase, the torch has been passed to a new champion. Greensburg Central Catholic won the first three years, followed by a five year run by Shady Side Academy and three of the last four years the AA Cup has gone to Quaker Valley with a one year run at the top by Seton-LaSalle two years ago. Now the AA crown is coming to Beaver County thanks to Beaver High School. After a couple of close calls in recent years, the Bobcats were lifted to the top spot in part because of district championships won in each season...girls tennis in the fall, ice hockey in the winter and a second straight WPIAL title in girls track & field in the spring.
MSA SPORTS CUP RESULTS – SF Three-peats in Triple-A
July 7, 2016
In the first ten years of the MSA Sports Cup, while there were a couple of dominating schools in the other three classifications, the chase for the Class AAA Cup had been up for grabs with eight different schools earning The Cup. However in the last three years of the season long competition, Triple-A has become the pride of the Lions. After finishing as the runner-up in 2012-2013, South Fayette has staked its claim on top in Class AAA as the Lions are the first school in this classification to win a third consecutive MSA Sports Cup.
MSA SPORTS CUP RESULTS – NA Remains Perfect in Quad-A
July 6, 2016
Another school year is in the books and another MSA Sports Cup in Class AAAA is headed to North Allegheny High School. NA captured the schools 13th Cup in 13 years since the MSA Sports Network started this school year long competition to determine the top sports programs in each classification. There are 20 sports in which schools can earn points in the competition and the Tigers earned points in 18 of them. While it was not the highest point total or largest margin of victory, North Allegheny still cruised to their final Quad-A Sports Cup as they will move up to 6-A starting this fall. The second place school finished 430 points behind NA.PIHL Noteboook – MSA SPORTS ALL-ICERS TEAM
March 24, 2016
Welcome to the final edition of “PIHL Notebook,” your weekly companion to “The PIHL Power Play” on the MSA Sports Network. With the 2016 Penguins and Pennsylvania Cup champions crowned, there is just one more order of business we must attend to. It’s time once again to unveil the annual “All Icers” teams as voted on by the MSA Sports Network staff. Did your favorite player make the First Team? How about the Second Team? Read on to find out as we light the lamp on the final 2015-16 edition of “PIHL Notebook.” 2015-16 MSA SPORTS NETWORK “ALL ICERS” – FIRST TEAM: Brendan Johns – Latrobe Regular Season: 20 GP, 37 G, 31 A, 68 PTS, 7 PP, 1 SH, 5 GW, 3.40 PTS/GM Playoffs: 1 GP, 0 PTS
LaSalle Routs Cathedral Prep as Flyers Cup Champs Sweep PA Cup
March 19, 2016
It took the LaSalle Explorers less than a minute to show how explosive they could be offensively. In fact, it took just 38 seconds for LaSalle to score in the Class AAA Pennsylvania Cup Championship, and LaSalle took command in the second period as the Explorers defeated Erie Cathedral Prep 7-1. With the triumph, LaSalle claims its fourth state title, and first since 2012. In the process, the Explorers completed the sweep for Flyers Cup winners, who bested in Penguins Cup representatives in all three games. Joseph Mancuso struck in the game’s first minute, as he slide a shot from the far circle inside the far post, past Cathedral Prep’s sophomore goaltender Jacob Kucharski.
Central Bucks South Beats Bishop Canevin for AA PA Cup
Through the first period of play in the Class AA Pennsylvania Cup Championship, the Bishop Canevin Crusaders battled back and forth with Central Bucks South. The second period, however, was complete dominance by the Titans, who scored five unanswered goals to prevail 7-3 at the Pegula Ice Arena at Penn State University to win their second state title in the past three years. Matt Stoll propelled CB South, as he netted four goals, including three in the decisive middle frame. Additionally, the Titans outshot Bishop Canevin 43-17 in a rematch of the 2014 Pennsylvania Cup Championship.
Franklin Regional Blanked by 3-Time Champ Bayard Rustin in PA Cup A Finals
Bayard Rustin came into the PA Cup Class A Championship game as the defending 2-time titlists while Franklin Regional was making its first appearance in the championship after winning the Penguins Cup title for the first time. The experience advantage for the Golden Knights eventually wore down the Panthers as Bayard Rustin shut out Franklin Regional 6-0, capturing its 3rd straight PA Cup Title.2016 PIHL PENGUINS CUP PLAYOFFS Results
March 17, 2016
The history of the PIHL postseason is that the favorites usually prevail. Up until last year, the playoffs would re-seed, making it tough for surprise teams to go deep. this year under the bracket format, none of the three eventual Penguins Cup champions were favored at the start of the playoffs. Sure, Beaver was the top-seed in the Division II Playoffs and went on to win gold, but Erie Cathedral Prep was a #3-seed in AAA, Bishop Canevin was a #4-seed in AA and Franklin Regional was a #7-seed in A. Here are ALL of the results from the 2016 PIHL Penguins Cup Playoffs. All results with (MSA) after are games that can be heard or viewed archived here on the MSA Sports Network.
Erie Cathedral Prep Wins 2nd Straight Pens Cup With OT Win Over NA
March 16, 2016
Sophomore defenseman Pat Kelly’s power play goal at (8:52) of overtime propelled the Erie Cathedral Prep Ramblers to a 4-3 victory over top seeded North Allegheny in the PIHL Class AAA Championship game at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry and gave ECP its second consecutive Penguins Cup title and the school’s first in Class AAA since 1984.
Franklin Regional Uses Big Third Period To Win First Penguins Cup
March 15, 2016
Goaltending is arguably the most important ingredient for a team making a deep postseason run at any level of hockey. For the Franklin Regional Panthers, an unlikely source, freshman Daniel Soltesz, not only held his own in net, but was the key factor in Franklin Regional’s 4-1 win against South Fayette in the Class A Penguins Cup Championship at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. The victory marks the first ever hockey championship for the school. Soltesz made 44 saves, while Nicholas Carretta recorded a hat trick, as the Panthers scored all four goals in the third period for the triumph. Soltesz’s heroics kept Franklin Regional within striking distance, as the Lions outshot the Panthers 38-16 through the first two stanzas.
Bishop Canevin Beats Mars for 8th PIHL Penguins Cup AA Title
Two quick goals early in the second period were the difference as Bishop Canevin claimed their 8th Penguins Cup championship in program history by defeating Mars 5-1 in the Class-AA Penguins Cup title game. A near capacity crowd was on hand at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry to watch these two Western Conference foes battle for the Penguins Cup. On the regular season these teams met twice. Mars defeated Bishop Canevin 9-3 in both teams second regular season game and the two squads battled to a 3-3 tie in the rematch in January.
WPIAL Alum Q&A – Zac Lynch
Over the past several years, the PIHL has produced an array of notable alumni who have honed their craft either at the NCAA Division I level, or the professional ranks. Often, those players left the area at a young age to pursue their dreams. Zac Lynch has been able to play both his high school and college hockey in his hometown of Pittsburgh, however. Lynch, who is a top performer for the nationally-ranked Robert Morris University Colonials, is the focus of this week's WPIAL Alum Q&A.
Big Burst Helps Beaver Down Carrick to Win PIHL Division 2 Title
March 14, 2016
Things went according to plan for Carrick (15-7-1) through the first half of the 2016 PIHL Division 2 Championship at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry on Monday night. But then Beaver (21-2-0) exploded for three goals in a span of 1:17 late in the second period and rolled from there to a 5-2 victory and its first gold medal since 2001 as a member of Class AA.
