PIHL Notebook – 12/30/2015

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, November 30, 2015 | 12:58 PM

Welcome to our first regular edition of “PIHL Notebook” for the 2015-16 season, your weekly companion to “The PIHL Power Play” on the MSA Sports Network. First up, “Melting the Ice” provides your weekly thermometer of streaking teams around the league. Meanwhile, this week’s “Scoreboard Watch” includes a pair of upsets in Class AA and Class A. Last but not least, we round things out with a preview of upcoming MSA broadcasts, including two games in Class A between currently playoff-bound teams. So, let’s light the lamp on this edition of “PIHL Notebook.”

MELTING THE ICE (Records listed indicate current unbeaten streak):

Class AAA: Peters Township (5-0-3); Canon-McMillan (3-0-1)

Class AA: Latrobe (3-0-0); Moon (3-0-0)

Class A: West Allegheny (8-0-0); Bishop McCort (5-0-1); Franklin Regional (3-0-0); Montour (2-0-1)

Division 2: Carrick (8-0-0); Indiana (5-0-0); Meadville (5-0-0); Indiana (4-0-0)

SCOREBOARD WATCH:

Class AAA

11/23/15 – Erie Cathedral Prep 3, Butler 2 … The Ramblers (3-4-1) erased an early 1-0 deficit with goals late in the first period and early in the second to go up 2-1 at intermission. The Golden Tornado (4-2-1) tied the game back up on a power play goal from Connor Scott at 12:06 of the third, but Jack Becker lit the lamp 40 second later to secure the victory for the 2015 Class AA champions. Butler led the game in shots 29-24, but Jacob Kucharski was equal to the task with 27 saves.

Class AA

11/25/15 – North Hills 4, Hampton 3 (OT) … Joseph Gavin started the scoring for the Indians (3-6-0) with a power play goal at 12:35 of the first period. Daniel White then struck for the Talbots (6-3-0) just 2:12 into the second, and it remained tied when the Zamboni hit the ice. A flurry of offense followed as North Hills scored twice in a 1:05 span early in the third, but Hampton scored a pair just seven seconds apart to tie it up. The game nearly ended 3-3, but Jeremiah Polaski buried the winner with just three seconds remaining in the extra frame. Hampton took a slight edge in shots at 32-30, but backup Dominic Porco made 29 saves to earn the win. Gavin finished the night with two goals while Jesse Weideman picked up two assists.

Class A

11/23/15 – Westmont Hilltop 8, Sewickley Academy 3 … The Panthers (1-7-0) led 2-1 after 17 minutes, but the Hilltoppers (3-4-0) tied things up just 45 seconds into period two. It almost stayed that way at intermission, but Nicholas McQuillan got the eventual winner at 16:22 on the power play. Ultimately, Westmont would score six unanswered goals, and took the third by a 5-1 margin. The winning side also dominated the shots column 52-25, and got multiple points from six players, including five from Michael Lamison (2 G, 3 A). Give credit to Cole Luther for making 44 stops in the losing effort while David Cavrak had 22 saves.

Division 2

11/24/15 – Elizabeth Forward 6, Kennedy Catholic 5 (OT) … The Golden Eagles (1-8-0) led 2-1 after the first and 4-3 after the second. When Darren Smith made it 5-3 just 37 ticks into the third, the game seemed well in hand. But then Wesley Scott took over for the Warriors (7-2-0). He scored twice 1:21 apart about 10 minutes after that to send the game into overtime, and then notched the deciding goal at 4:57 of the additional period. The goaltenders were busy to say the least, with Kennedy Catholic taking 54 shots to 53 for Elizabeth Forward. Noah Santo made 49 saves to earn the victory while Michael Morneweck stopped 47 pucks. Scott put on a clinic, factoring into all six goals, scoring five of them, including one with the man advantage. Darrin Smith led the losing side with three points (1 G, 2 A).

UPCOMING MSA BROADCASTS

11/30/15 – Class A – South Park Eagles vs. Serra Catholic Eagles @ Rostraver Ice Gardens … South Park (5-3-0) picked up back-to-back wins before the holiday break while Serra Catholic (4-3-0) has dropped two in a row. South Park has featured a balanced attack with four players at 14 points or more, led by Tanner Orr (9 G, 1 PP, 1 SH, 2 GW, 7 A) with 16 points in six games. Serra has put up 52 goals so far, good for fourth in the class, led by Roman Kraemer (24 G, 5 PP, 1 SH, 3 GW, 10 A), who has put up 34 points to lead the class in only five appearances. The puck drops at 7:10 PM with Matt Vandriak and Kevin Zielmanski on the call.

12/1/15 – Class AA – Penn-Trafford Warriors vs. Moon Tigers @ Airport Ice Arena … The Warriors (4-5-0) are coming off two straight losses while the Tigers (7-2-0) have earned three straight victories. Nathan Mickey (6 G, 1 PP, 10 A) leads the Penn-Trafford offense while Alec Pevornik (4-4-0, 3.09 GAA, 0.904 SV%) has been under siege, facing 261 shots. Moon ranks fifth in the class with 44 goals while placing second with 23 allowed so far. The attack has been a group effort with five players at 10 points or more, led by Jared Maxin (8 G, 1 PP, 1 SH, 2 GW, 8 A). At the other end, starting goaltender Ryan Durkin (6-2-0, 2.43 GAA, 0.920 SV%, 1 SO) has picked up right where he left last season. The puck drops at 7:30 PM with Matt Vandriak and Greg Kuntz on the call.

12/4/15 – Class A – Bishop McCort Crimson Crushers vs. South Fayette Lions @ Bethel Park YMCA … The Crimson Crushers (5-1-1) are unbeaten since losing their opener while the Lions (5-2-0) are 4-1-0 in their last five contests. Bishop McCort has done it mostly with defense, ranking second in the class with 18 goals allowed. John Bradley (2.67 GAA, 0.883 SV%) has played every minute between the pipes while Connor Bunn (10 G, 1 PP, 2 GW, 4 A) leads the offense. South Fayette has been solid defensively as well, with 25 goals allowed good for fifth in the class, while its offense is sixth with 43 scored. Kyle Sharp (3.75 GAA, 0.833 SV%) has also not taken a night off in goal while Jordan Timmons (11 G, 4 PP, 2 GW, 4 A) has managed 15 points in only three outings. The puck drops at 7:00 PM with Steve Nagler and Lou Rood on the call.

That wraps up this edition of “PIHL Notebook,” but check back every Monday through March for more news from around the league. In the meantime, Adam Hoerner, Josh Rowntree, and NEW addition Kevin Zielmanski co-host the eleventh season premiere of “The PIHL Power Play” this Wednesday night at 8:00. Joining us this week will be Mars goaltender Tyler Spreng. Your home for the 2015 Penguins Cup Playoffs is the MSA Sports Network!