PIHL Notebook – 03/14/2016

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, March 14, 2016 | 12:39 PM

Welcome to another edition of “PIHL Notebook,” your weekly companion to “The PIHL Power Play” on the MSA Sports Network. Having already presented you with our annual semifinal preview team capsules, how best to preview the 2016 PIHL Finals set for Monday and Tuesday at the brand new UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry? For that, we go back to something used periodically in this space over the years when the timing has worked out. Below, in diplomatic fashion, we build the case why each of the eight finalists can emerge victorious over the next two nights. So, let’s light the lamp on this edition of “PIHL Notebook.”

PIHL DIVISION 2 CHAMPIONSHIP:

#1 Beaver Bobcats (20-2-0) vs #3 Carrick Cougars (15-6-1) AT The UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry on Monday, March 14th at 5:30pm on MSAsports.net

Why Adam thinks Beaver will win – Where Carrick tore through Division 2 last season, it was Beaver’s turn in 2015-16. The Bobcats have won 18 in a row counting the playoffs. They led the class in goals for (153) and against (36), and were even drew the fourth fewest penalty minutes. Hard to think all signs are pointing to anything other than the program’s third PIHL crown, and first since 2001. I suppose one could wonder if they are top-heavy, but one would quickly dismiss the notion. Three 40-point scorers up front in Even Komlenic (22 G, 6 PP, 2 GW, 24 A), Antoni Chirgott (22 G, 1 PP, 1 SH, 1 GW, 24 A), and Ryan Hartman (20 G, 4 PP, 1 SH, 2 GW, 26 A) are further bolstered by blue line leader Luke Cahill (14 G, 3 PP, 1 GW, 19 A). Three other players cracked 20 points, and a half-dozen more broke 10. The offense was also dangerous on the power play, racking up 25 tallies on the campaign. Between the pipes, while Beaver spread the minutes out pretty well during the regular season, James Soisson has shouldered the entire load through the tournament, and he has dominated with just one goal allowed on 29 shots. Credit the defense for holding first-round opponent OLSH To a mere six shots, but Soisson turned aside all 23 pucks against defending champion Indiana. Not too surprising, though, considering he lead the class with 11 wins and a 1.69 GAA. The Bobcats also took two out of three meetings with the Cougars so far, including two straight by a combined 6-0 score.

Why Josh thinks Carrick will win – This is simple: Nathan Norkevicus. Perhaps the PIHL’s best rebound control goaltender and a guy who has put up the best goals against average and save percentage over the last two seasons, “Nork” has been, at times, dominant. His performance in Carrick’s 2-0 Semifinal win over Meadville, in which he stopped all 32 shots he faced, lifted Carrick to their second straight title game appearance. What Norkevicus has to overcome is a Beaver team that chased him in his last outing of the regular season, a 4-0 Bobcats victory. However, he did shut out the Bobcats, 2-0, in October and allowed just two goals in a 2-0 loss to Beaver in December. But the Cougars are more than their stellar goaltender. Jacob Speicher, who missed Carrick’s first round win over Elizabeth Forward, comes in as the team’s leading scorer with 28 goals and 14 assists. He is complemented nicely by Tyler Wolf, who scored both of Carrick’s goals in the win over Meadville and put up 32 points in the regular season. The Cougars also have a strong group of four defensemen, including All-Star Isaac Eubanks and Jacob Sakulsky, who earned a third star in the win over Meadville. Despite a skid in the back half of the season in which Carrick failed to defeat a Class B team in seven tries, the Cougars come in with tons of momentum and an edge after last year’s Championship Game loss to Indiana. In that contest, the Cougars entered with a perfect 22-0 record, but fell 5-2 at RMU’s Island Sports Center. Matt Maurice’s squad will be heavy underdogs in this one, but Carrick may just have enough of a chip on their shoulder to skate away with their first Division 2 title.

PIHL CLASS AA CHAMPIONSHIP:

#5 Bishop Canevin Crusaders (17-6-1) vs #3 Mars Fighting Planets (17-5-2) AT The UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry on Monday, March 14th at 8:30pm on MSAsports.net

Why Adam thinks Bishop Canevin will win – This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Bishop Canevin. New starting goaltender, top guys gone from the front line, new head coach. But apparently somebody forgot to tell the Crusaders that. They missed the top spot in the Western Conference by a single point, with only Quaker Valley and Mars scoring more goals out of that group as well. When I watched them play earlier in the season, I went in not sure what to expect from the team, in particular lead backstop Neko Borghini. I thought his stat line looked okay, but nothing spectacular. Then I saw the kid play. Sometimes, folks, the numbers do lie, and he played worlds better than his GAA and save percentage at the time indicated. I said at the conclusion of that broadcast if he could play that poised every night, there was no reason the Crusaders could not go deep into the playoffs. And talk about finding another gear in March, Borghini has stopped 44 of 47 shots against Latrobe and Baldwin to get his squad to the big dance. Offensively, the depth is clearly there. Thomas Krivak (24 G, 5 PP, 2 SH, 4 GW, 15 A), Alec Bosnic (18 G, 6 PP, 2 GW, 20 A), and Lukas Krukovski (15 G, 4 PP, 4 GW, 21 A) all broke 30 points. Eight others hit double digits, including two north of 20, and eight players buried five or more goals. Outscoring the opposition 9-3 through two rounds is also a good sign, and Krivak has carried the load with the winner against Baldwin plus four assists over the two contests. As for how Canevin fared against Mars this year, the 9-3 loss early on was before the squad had fully come together. The 3-3 tie on January 21 was a much better indicator of how the two match up, and the Crusaders erased three deficits to earn the point, getting two goals from Krivak. Obviously this one requires a winner, but if Krivak and Borghini show up the way they have been, there is no reason the program cannot make it a crazy eight Penguins Cup titles.

Why Josh thinks Mars will win – Mars is a fixture in the PIHL Penguins Cup Championships… just not in AA. The Planets spin their way into the Class AA title game after winning last year’s Class A Championship. Along the way, Mars squeaked out a late win over a tough Plum squad and upset the Class AA favorite, Armstrong, 5-2. Loaded with talented skill players, the Planets rely most on their tremendous goaltender, Tyler Spreng. The netminder posted a Class AA leading 2.04 goals against average and solid 0.899 save percentage through the regular season and has allowed just four goals in two postseason games. Mars allowed a Class AA best 45 goals in the regular season, 13 goals less than the next closest team. But the Planets are not just goalie and defense, as Mars does feature some terrific offensive depth. Beau Heakins leads the way with 33 points in the regular season, while Captain Jon Kowalkowski recorded 32. Eleven players for Mars put up 12 or more points throughout the regular season and nine players scored a power play goal. In all, Mars scored 24 man advantage markers in 2015-2016. In this postseason, Owen Vasbinder has been terrific, scoring two goals and assisting three more, while Noah Raymundo, a defensemen converted to forward, has hit the net three times. Mars blew out Bishop Canevin, 9-3, in October. But the Crusaders responded with a 3-3 tie in January. With their tight defense, stellar goaltending, special teams prowess and recent Championship Game experience, Steve Meyers’ Fightin’ Planets have a great shot at claiming their fifth Penguins Cup in eight years.

PIHL CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIP:

#5 South Fayette Lions (17-5-2) vs #6 Franklin Regional Panthers (18-6-0) AT The UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry on Tuesday, March 15th at 5:30pm on MSAsports.net

Why Adam thinks South Fayette will win – I could just type the name Jordan Timmons and call it a night, and in a lot of ways, that alone does build the case for the Lions. After all, he did lead the class in points per game at 4.75, putting up a total of 57 points in just a dozen regular season games (34 G, 5 PP, 5 GW, 23 A). He has also carried the team on his back through the postseason, posting nine points (7 G, 1 PP, 1 SH, 2 GW, 2 A). Every championship team needs star power, and South Fayette certainly has it, but there is more to this squad than Timmons. One great story has been Kyle Sharp, not a career goaltender, but his 14-5-2 regular season mark got him the third-best win total in the class, and he has stopped 43 of 48 shots in two playoff outings. The team boasts a backup trio of 30-point producers in forwards Spencer Barber (12 G, 6 PP, 1 GW, 23 A) and Jeremy Anthos (10 G, 2 PP, 1 GW, 21 A), not to mention defenseman John Lipovich (18 G, 2 PP, 1 SH, 2 PP, 16 A). The rest of the lineup provided plenty more scoring depth, with eight other players scoring four goals or more. Not a bad total for a group easily viewed as one-dimensional at first glance. All that being said there are two more big X-factors in South Fayette’s favor. First, look at who they beat to get here. Taking down a perennial Class A playoff contender in Freeport, not to mention top-seeded West Allegheny, can do nothing but boost the confidence of this relatively inexperienced group. Second, there is the simple fact this school is used to long playoff runs. So while it may be new territory for the hockey team, you can bet the student body will know how to psyche their boys up, both before and during the game on Tuesday night.

Why Josh thinks Franklin Regional will win – Franklin Regional knows how to score. And score a lot. The Panthers led Class A’s Eastern conference with 142 goals scored and outscored their opponents by 79 goals in 2015-2016. Offensively, Jamie Mauro has stirred the drink for Franklin Regional this year with 41 points. More of a distributor than goal scorer, Mauro had a stellar 24 assists. However, in the postseason, Mauro has scored five goals, the second highest mark in Class A. But where the Panthers thrive is in their depth. Remarkably, 23 players have registered a point for Franklin Regional this season and 15 have put up double digit points. In the regular season, Nick Paone was the man in net for the Panthers. But, in the postseason, Daniel Soltesz has started and been terrific, shutting out a potent Montour offense in the first round and holding Bishop McCort to three goals on 24 shots in the semifinals. Franklin Regional also has the head-to-head advantage against South Fayette, winning their lone meeting this season, 6-4, in early December. However, in that contest, South Fayette’s leading scorer Jordan Timmons did not play and will produce a daunting challenge for the Panthers. Franklin Regional will need to be good on special teams in this one, as South Fayette only took 208 penalty minutes this season, of the PIHL’s best marks. The Panthers only scored 11 power play goals as a team, but nine different players scored those goals, again showcasing their depth. Once a proud and powerful program, Franklin Regional will look to win their first Penguins Cup, establishing themselves again as a fixture in Western PA hockey.

PIHL CLASS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP:

#1 North Allegheny Tigers (15-5-2) vs #3 Erie Cathedral Prep Ramblers (14-5-3) AT The UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry on Tuesday, March 15th at 8:30pm on MSAsports.net

Why Josh thinks North Allegheny will win – North Allegheny knows how to win tight games. In 2015-

2016, the Tigers are 7-2 in one-goal games, including a pair of overtime wins in the playoffs over Bethel Park (3-2) and Peters Township (4-3). In those wins, North Allegheny has beaten two coaching giants in Mort McVay and Rick Tingle. Nothing fazes this squad. Their numbers are not eye-popping (83 goals scored, 66 allowed in 22 games), but they find ways to win. Erik Chidester leads the Tigers’ offensive punch with 34 points in the regular season. But the postseason has belonged to Dawson Richard.

Richard has scored three goals, including the overtime game-winner against Bethel Park. In the cage, Joe Hubert has been rock solid, posting a 2.85 goals against average and 0.899 save percentage in the regular season. He has a 2.30 goals against average in the playoffs, stopping 63 of 68 shots faced. North Allegheny will be strapped with a harrowing challenge. Cathedral Prep has defeated the Tigers in both meetings, outscoring NA 13-2 in the process, including a 6-1 victory in the regular season finale. Mike Bagnato is too good of a coach to allow that for a third straight game. The Tigers will have a week to figure out the defending AA Champions from Cathedral Prep, who, despite being the three-seed, will be looked at as favorites in this contest. Tight and low-scoring has been the theme of AAA this year. Expect this game to follow that trend as North Allegheny searches for their third title and second in four years.

Why Adam thinks Erie Cathedral Prep will win – First and foremost, this program is no stranger to the final round of this tournament in recent years, having lost a couple in Class AA before capturing the third banner in program history one year ago. Of course big questions abounded, surely internal as well as external, about how the Ramblers would handle the jump to Class AAA this season. Fair to say a class-leading 84 goals and second-best 48 allowed plus missing out on the top seed by just one point answers those questions pretty handily. Jack Becker (13 G, 2 PP, 2 GW, 13 A) and Joe Kelly (14 G, 6 PP, 2 GW, 10 A) lead the Prep attack while seven others cracked double digits in points. Erie got stellar goaltending from both Trent Faulkner and Jacob Kucharski during the regular campaign. While Faulkner played more minutes and won eight games, Kucharski had the better GAA and save percentage. The coaching staff gave him the nod for the postseason, and it has paid off big time. He has stopped 53 of the 55 shots faced against Seneca Valley and Pittsburgh Central Catholic, good for a 0.964 save percentage. Meanwhile, Kelly has found another gear up front, with two of his three playoff goals being winners. There is also the matter of the Ramblers dominating the two-game season series against the Tigers by a combined 13-2 margin. While it is tough to beat a team three times in one season, there is clearly not much reason for the underdog to feel more like the favorite heading into this one.

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 Kevin Zielmanski host another episode of “The PIHL Power Play” this Wednesday night at 8:00. Guest slate to be determined based on which teams win the gold medals on Monday and Tuesday. Your home for the 2016 Penguins Cup Playoffs is the MSA Sports Network!

Tags: Beaver, Bishop Canevin, Carrick, Erie Cathedral Prep, Franklin Regional