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NORTH ALLEGHENY VARSITY ICE HOCKEY

GAME SUMMARIES

TIGERS TOO MUCH FOR KISKI AREA, 6-0

To listen to a replay of the game, click here!

The Tigers dominated the Kiski Area Cavaliers in a 6-0 victory at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Tuesday night.  Junior defenseman Paul Dittrich had a goal and four assists to lead NA while senior center Garrett Waldschmidt added two goals.  Sophomore Wes Waldschmidt tallied a goal and three assists, senior Matt Pekins had a goal and two assists, and junior Alan Halapin scored the other NA goal.

The Tigers were in command from the outset but they could not score in the first period.  Kiski goalie Brian McLaughlin was able to stymie all NA attempts.  Garrett Waldschmidt had a great chance in the first minute of the game but shot wide.  Dittrich set up Pekins at the 10:04 mark but McLaughlin made the save.  McLaughlin stopped Pekins again with a diving save on an NA two-on-one shorthanded chance.  Finally, at the 1:50 mark, Pekins stole the puck right in front of the Kiski goal, but McLaughlin made an unbelievable glove save to keep the game scoreless after one period.  NA outshot Kiski, 8-3, in the period.

In the second period, the Tigers kept the puck in the Kiski zone for most of the stanza.  The Tiger pressure resulted in scoring opportunities by both Waldschmidts, Pekins, and Dittrich early in the period.  Finally, the Tigers broke through on Dittrich's power goal on a blast from the left point at the 4:22 mark.  Just over five minutes later, Dittrich set up Halapin on the right side and the Tiger junior beat McLaughlin again to give NA a 2-0 advantage with 5:21 remaining in the period.  The Tigers were unable to score again although they piled up a 27-1 advantage in shots in the second period.

Kiski made things a little easier for NA in the third period as they committed four penalties.  The Tigers made them pay with three power play goals.  Dittrich slid a pass across the goal mouth while sliding on the ice to set up Wes Waldschmidt at the 4:22 mark as the Tiger lead went to 3-0.  Garrett Waldschmidt followed with his first goal at the 6:58 mark to push the margin to 4-0.  Less than two minutes later, Garrett made a great move to deke McLaughlin out of position and deposit a backhander into the net for another power play goal as the lead went to 5-0.  After being frustrated all game long, Pekins was finally able to beat McLaughlin with just 1:08 left in the contest as the Tigers went on to a 6-0 victory.

The Tigers totally controlled the contest, and only the goaltending of McLaughlin kept Kiski in the game into the third period.  NA scored four power play goals on seven attempts.  Junior Jeff Kristan played the first period, and JV goalie Adam Lutty kept the Cavaliers off the board in the second and third periods to share the shutout.

The Tigers outshot Kiski, 47-5, as they picked up their 18th consecutive victory against just one loss in the opening game of the PIHL season.  The Tigers host Butler on Monday at Bladerunners in an 8:00 pm contest before traveling to Bethel Park on Thursday for the showdown with the Blackhawks.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 6  KISKI AREA - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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SOUTHWEST ALL-STARS CRUSH NORTHEAST, 7-0

All-Star Rosters

Junior defenseman Paul Dittrich scored a goal to help the Southwest All-Stars to an easy 7-0 victory over the Northeast All-Stars at the Ice Castle in Castle Shannon on Sunday afternoon.  Senior goalie Jeff Kristan was one of three Southwest goalies that shared the shutout. 

 Seniors Matt Pekins, Garrett Waldschmidt, Kristan, along with Dittrich, played against the Northeast All-Stars.  Senior Derek Rusbarsky was selected but will miss the game because of injury.  Senior Matt Zrebiec was chosen as an alternate.

The Tigers will be back in action tomorrow night when they host the Kiski Area Cavaliers at Bladerunners in Warrendale.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 8:10 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 8:20 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
SOUTHWEST ALL-STARS - 7  NORTHEAST ALL-STARS - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

CLICK HERE to listen to a replay of the game!

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GARRETT WALDSCHMIDT'S HAT TRICK LEADS TIGERS OVER CATHEDRAL PREP, 6-0

Senior Garrett Waldschmidt scored three times and added an assist as the Tigers rolled over Cathedral Prep, 6-0, at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Friday night.  Senior Matt Pekins, junior Chris Simanic, and senior Brandon Lied also scored for the Tigers who won their seventeenth consecutive PIHL contest.

Garrett Waldschmidt scored his first goal from Pekins in the first period as the Tigers took a 1-0 lead to the first intermission.  In the second period, Pekins made it 2-0, on assists from junior Alan Halapin and Garrett Waldschmidt.  After two periods, the Tigers held a 2-0 advantage.

NA added four more goals in the third period.  Garrett Waldschmidt picked up goals two and three to push the margin to 4-0.  Simanic's goal, on an assist from junior Danny Gaertner, made it 5-0, and Lied closed out the scoring with an unassisted shorthanded goal as the Tigers captured a 6-0 victory.  Senior Jeff Kristan and junior Brandon Wiedwald shared duties in goal as they combined for the shutout.  NA outshot the Ramblers, 45-6.

Garrett Waldschmidt, Matt Pekins, Paul Dittrich, and Jeff Kristan will play for the Southwest All-Stars in the PIHL Class AAA All-Star game on Sunday.  Derek Rusbarsky was selected to play but will miss the game due to injury.  Game time is set for 4:30 pm at Ice Castles in Castle Shannon.

With the win, the Tigers improved their PIHL record to 17-1 on the season.  NA will host Kiski Area on Tuesday at Bladerunners with game time scheduled for 8:20 pm.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 8:10 pm.

(Thanks to Jim Pekins for info in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 6  CATHEDRAL PREP - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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SENECA VALLEY NO MATCH FOR TIGERS, 8-0

Senior Garrett Waldschmidt recorded a hat trick to lead the Tigers to an 8-0 victory over Seneca Valley at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Tuesday night.  Sophomore Wes Waldschmidt added a goal and three assists while senior Matt Pekins scored two goals and had an assist.

The Tigers took an early 1-0 lead on a goal by junior Chris Simanic, assisted by seniors Matt Zrebiec and Brandon Lied.  Wes Waldschmidt scored to increase the margin to 2-0.  Zrebiec's goal gave NA a 3-0 advantage after one period of play.  In the second period, Garrett Waldschmidt netted his first goal, on assists from brother Wes and senior defenseman Paul Dittrich as the Tigers took a 4-0 lead to the second intermission.  

In the third period, the rout was on as the Tigers added four more goals.  Garrett Waldschmidt scored early in the period and Pekins followed with two consecutive goals to push the margin to 7-0.  Garrett ended the scoring with his third goal as the Tigers rolled to an 8-0 victory.  Senior Jeff Kristan was in goal for the shutout as the Tigers outshot Seneca, 37-7.

The win was the sixteenth consecutive victory for the Tigers in PIHL play as they maintained their lead in the West Division.   NA will host Cathedral Prep on Friday night at Bladerunners with game time scheduled for 7:50 pm.

(Thanks again to Jim Pekins for the info in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 8  SENECA VALLEY - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS ROLL OVER MEADVILLE, 8-3

The Tigers defeated Meadville, 8-3, at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Friday night.  Senior Garrett Waldschmidt scored four goals and senior Matt Pekins added six assists for the winning Tigers.  The Tigers scored early and often as they dominated the Bulldogs.

In the first period, Garrett Waldschmidt scored two goals in the first 34 seconds as the Tigers took control from the outset.  Sophomore Wes Waldschmidt and Pekins assisted on both tallies.  Junior Chris Gilson scored to make it a 3-0 NA lead and junior Alan Halapin finished the first period scoring with another goal as the Tigers took a commanding 4-0 lead after one period.

Garrett Waldschmidt scored early in the second period to wrap up his hat trick and give NA a 5-0 lead.  After Meadville scored, Halapin scored his second goal of the game on assists from junior Chris Simanic and Pekins as the Tigers extended the margin to 6-1 after two periods of play.

Waldschmidt scored his fourth goal and Gilson added his second in the third period as the Tigers rolled to an 8-1 lead.  Meadville scored two late goals to make the final score, 8-3.

The win was the fifteenth consecutive PIHL victory for the Tigers as they improved their record to 15-1 on the year.  NA will meet Seneca Valley on Tuesday night at Bladerunners in Warrendale in an 8:20 pm contest.

(Thanks again to Jim Pekins for info in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 8  MEADVILLE - 3

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS SHUT OUT McDOWELL, 5-0

Junior Alan Halapin scored a pair of goals to lead the Tigers to a 5-0 victory over McDowell at the Erie Civic Center on Thursday night.  Sophomore Wes Waldschmidt, senior Garrett Waldschmidt, and senior Matt Pekins scored goals for the winning Tigers.  Senior Jeff Kristan recorded the shutout for NA.

After a scoreless first period, senior defenseman Matt Zrebiec sent Halapin away on a breakaway and the Tiger junior converted to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.  Later in the period, junior defenseman Paul Dittrich made another outstanding pass to send Wes Waldschmidt all alone.  The Tiger sophomore scored to give the Tigers a 2-0 advantage after two periods.

The Tigers broke the game open in the third period with three goals.  Garrett Waldschmidt made it 3-0 on assists from Pekins and Zrebiec.  Pekins, the Tigers' leading scorer, then scored on an assist from junior Danny Gaertner to give NA a commanding 4-0 lead.  Halapin scored his second goal on another assist from Dittrich as the Tigers wrapped up a 5-0 victory over the division rival Trojans.

The Tigers outshot McDowell, 33-9, in winning their fourteenth consecutive PIHL victory after losing the season opener to Upper St. Clair.  With the win, the Tigers extended their lead over second-place McDowell (10-4-1).  The Tigers will host division rival Meadville tonight at Bladerunners in Warrendale.  Game time is scheduled for 7:50 pm.

(Thanks to Jim Pekins for info in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 5  McDOWELL - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS KNOCKED OUT OF BETHEL PARK TOURNAMENT

The Tigers stepped out of PIHL play over the weekend to play in the Bethel Park Martin Luther King Invitational Tournament.  Play was held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Bladerunners in Bethel Park. 

 The Pittsburgh Predators defeated the Tigers, 4-0, on Friday in the tournament opener.  It was the first loss for the Tigers in 24 games.  When the Predators opened a 2-0 lead after one period, it marked the first time in twenty-four games that NA was behind!  The Predators added goals in the second and third periods on their way to the victory.

On Saturday morning, the Tigers defeated Carmel (IN), 5-2.  Senior Garrett Waldschmidt gave NA a 1-0 lead after one period.  In the second period,  junior Chris Simanic, Garrett Waldschmidt, and senior Matt Pekins all scored to give the Tigers a 4-1 advantage after two periods.  After Carmel cut the lead to 4-2 early in the third period, sophomore Wes Waldschmidt scored an unassisted goal off a faceoff to put the game away.  Junior Brandon Wiedwald was in goal for the victory.

On Saturday afternoon, the Tigers met Orchard Park (NY) in a rematch of the Central Catholic Tournament semifinals.  After a scoreless first period, hard work by the Tigers resulted in a goal and a 1-0 lead.  After senior Brandon Lied won the puck after a battle in the corner, Simanic set up junior Alan Halapin for the tally.  The Tigers held the lead until late in the third period when Orchard Park tied the contest at 1-1 with just over a minute remaining.  After a scoreless overtime period, the game went to a shootout.  Orchard Park won the shootout to advance to the semifinals of the tournament.

BETHEL PARK MARTIN LUTHER KING INVITATIONAL
January 14-17, 2005

GAME SCHEDULE

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PENN-TRAFFORD FALLS TO TIGERS, 3-1

To listen to a replay of the game, click here!

Goals by junior forward Alan Halapin, senior center Garrett Waldschmidt, and junior center Chris Simanic were enough for the Tigers to defeat the Penn-Trafford Warriors, 3-1, at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Tuesday night.  NA dominated the game, outshooting Penn-Trafford, 61-10.  Dan Sidle scored the only goal for the Warriors in the third period.

The Tigers had numerous chances to score throughout the first period but were stopped by junior Joel Sterniak.  Just 25 seconds into the game, senior Matt Pekins was open in front of the net, but he was unable to get off a good shot.  Later in the period, Garrett Waldschmidt had a good opportunity but Sterniak made a glove save at the 10:03 mark.  The Tigers took the lead late in the period when Dittrich blasted a slap shot from the right point that Halapin tipped into the net at the 4:41 mark.  It was the only goal of the period as the Tigers took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.  NA outshot Penn-Trafford, 21-3, in the period.

The second period was more of the same as the Tigers dominated.  Just two minutes into the period, Garrett Waldschmidt broke free in the slot but Sterniak once again made the save.  Pekins was robbed by a Sterniak kick save at the 10:13 mark, but the Tigers finally scored again on a power play goal.  After a big scramble in front, Garrett Waldschmidt was able to beat Sterniak from the right side to give NA a 2-0 advantage with 7:26 left in the period.  Senior goal Jeff Kristan made a good glove save with 5:10 remaining to stop a Warrior power play attempt.  The hitting picked up in the second period with both teams picking up two penalties.  Once again, the Tigers outshot the Warriors, this time by a 16-3 count.

Early in the third period, Simanic made a nice move in front of the net and beat Sterniak cleanly to give the Tigers a commanding 3-0 lead. The Warriors began to show some frustration in the period, picking up six of the nine penalties called.  Dan Sidle was able to deflect a shot by brother Kyle with 8:37 remaining to cut the NA lead to 3-1.  Penn-Trafford played most of the remainder of the period shorthanded.  After Dan Sidle scored, he was whistled for a penalty at the 8:31 mark, and a double minor and game misconduct with less than four minutes remaining.  The Tigers had a two-man advantage for a full two minutes but could not score again.  NA had great chances, outshooting Penn-Trafford, 24-4, in the final period.

It was a tough hard-fought victory for the Tigers, who were frustrated by Sterniak for most of the evening.  For his efforts and hard work, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Matt Pekins as the Player of the Game.  Pekins picked up only one assist but had great chances throughout the game.

The win was the thirteenth consecutive PIHL victory for the Tigers and kept them in first place in the West Division.  The Tigers will be in action again over the weekend when they play in the Bethel Park Martin Luther King Invitational.  NA will be back in PIHL action next Thursday when they travel to Erie to face McDowell in an 8:15 pm contest.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  PENN-TRAFFORD - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS BLANK PLUM, 4-0, FOR TWELFTH STRAIGHT WIN

Led by the Waldschmidt brothers and a smothering defense, the Tigers defeated Plum, 4-0, at the Center Ice Arena in Delmont on Thursday night.  Sophomore Wes Waldschmidt had two goals and an assist while senior center Garrett Waldschmidt posted three assists.  Senior Matt Pekins added a goal and an assist.

The Tigers took an early lead on Wes Waldschmidt's first goal on assists from Garrett Waldschmidt and Pekins.  NA took a 1-0 lead to the first intermission.  The Tigers broke the game open in the second period with three unanswered tallies.  Early in the period, it was Wes Waldschmidt again, assisted by Garrett, to make it a 2-0 NA lead.  Pekins pushed the margin to 3-0 with Garrett Waldschmidt again assisting.  Senior Brandon Lied capped off the scoring in the period on an assist from Wes.

Neither team scored in the final period as the Tiger defense shut down a Plum team that came into the game leading the North Division with a 9-1-1 record.  Senior goalie Jeff Kristan earned the shutout with 13 saves.  Credit a tough Tiger defense led by seniors Matt Zrebiec and Ryan Sheran, along with juniors Paul Dittrich and Ian McGlumphy, for holding the Mustangs in check.  

The Tigers outshot Plum, 34-13, in picking up the victory.  A special note - sophomore Stephanie Moon made her varsity debut in the game marking only the second time in over thirty years of NA hockey that a girl played on the boys' varsity team!

The win improved the NA record in PIHL play to 12-1 and extended their winning streak to twelve.  The Tigers will host Penn-Trafford on Tuesday night at Bladerunners in Warrendale.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 6:20 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 6:30 pm.

(Thanks to Jim Pekins for info in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 4  PLUM - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS BOUNCE BETHEL PARK, 5-1, TO WIN SCHOLASTIC SHOWCASE CHAMPIONSHIP

The Tigers knocked off #1-ranked Bethel Park, 5-1, at the Center Ice Arena in Delmont on Wednesday night to win the championship of the Scholastic Showcase Tournament for the second consecutive year.  Senior Garrett Waldschmidt had a pair of goals to pace the Tigers while senior Matt Pekins, junior Alan Halapin, and sophomore Wes Waldschmidt tallied a goal each in the decisive victory.

The Tigers took a 1-0 lead after one period with Wes Waldschmidt scoring on assists from Pekins and Halapin.  In the second period, Dittrich sent Pekins in all alone to score a short handed goal and increase the NA lead to 2-0.  Garrett Waldschmidt added a power play goal to give the Tigers a 3-0 advantage as the teams went to the second intermission.

With less than eight minutes remaining, Bethel Park cut the margin to 3-1, but Halapin answered on assists from senior Brandon Lied and Dittrich as the Tigers regained the three-goal lead at 4-1.  Garrett Waldschmidt closed out the scoring as the Tigers went on to a convincing 5-1 victory.

For his efforts, Garrett Waldschmidt was named the winner of the R.J. Umberger Most Valuable Player award.  Pekins, Dittrich, and Kristan were selected to the Director's Dozen All-Tournament team.

(Thanks again to Jim Pekins for info in this report!)

CONGRATULATIONS TO COACH PANDOLFO AND THE TIGERS!!!!

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 5  BETHEL PARK - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

9TH ANNUAL PA HOCKEY SCHOLASTIC SHOWCASE
December 26-29, 2004

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TIGERS ADVANCE TO SCHOLASTIC SHOWCASE FINAL AGAINST BETHEL PARK

The Tigers tied Montour, 3-3, on Tuesday morning at the Center Ice Arena at Delmont to move on to the semifinals of the Scholastic Showcase Tournament.  On Tuesday night, senior center Garrett Waldschmidt scored a pair of goals while sophomore brother Wes scored another as NA defeated Penn-Trafford, 3-1, to advance to the championship game.

Against Montour, the Tigers jumped off to a 2-0 lead after one period.  Senior Brandon Lied and junior Chris Simanic scored for the Tigers who were looking for their third straight tournament victory.  Montour came back to cut the advantage to 2-1 after two periods.

With ten minutes remaining in the third period, the Spartans tied the game at 2-2.  Senior Matt Pekins scored three minutes later to give NA a 3-2 advantage, but Montour tied the game with just 14 seconds left.  In the overtime period, the Tigers had several opportunities but could not score.  NA won their group with a 2-0-1 record in preliminary round play.

In the semifinal contest, Garrett Waldschmidt gave NA a 1-0 first period lead with a power play goal on assists from junior Alan Halapin and Pekins.  Garrett Waldschmidt scored again in the second period as the Tigers took a 2-0 lead into the final period.

Wes Waldschmidt extended the lead to 3-0 on assists from Garrett and Pekins.  The Warriors came back to score with five minutes remaining to cut the lead to 3-1, but senior goalie Jeff Kristan was able to hold off Penn-Trafford for the remaining time as the Tigers advanced to the final.

The Tigers will play #1 ranked Bethel Park in the championship final tonight.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm at the Center Ice Arena.

(Special thanks to Jim Pekins for the info in this report!)

GAME SUMMARIES
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  MONTOUR - 3

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  PENN-TRAFFORD - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS SETTLE SOUTH PARK, 5-1, IN SCHOLASTIC SHOWCASE

Junior forward Chris Simanic scored twice as the Tigers defeated South Park, 5-1, in preliminary round action at the Scholastic Showcase Tournament on Monday night at the Center Ice Arena in Delmont.  Senior defenseman Ryan Sheran, junior forward Joe Camut and senior forward Matt Pekins also scored for NA as they moved to 2-0 in Group A.

The Tigers got on the board first when Simanic tallied his first goal on assists from sophomore Wes Waldschmidt and junior forward Chris Gilson.  Sheran made it 2-0 with Gilson and senior defenseman Matt Zrebiec picking up the helpers.   After South Park cut the lead to 2-1, Camut extended the margin to 3-1 as the first period ended.

In the second period, Pekins tallied the only goal on assists from Garrett Waldschmidt and senior defenseman Paul Dittrich.  In the final stanza, Simanic made it 5-1 with his second goal.  Zrebiec, Dittrich and Gilson all had two assists.  NA outshot South Park, 32-9, in picking up the victory. 

The Tigers play Montour at 8:30 am this morning in their last game in Group A and with a victory will move on to the semifinals tonight.  Game time for semifinal action is scheduled for 8:30 pm.

(Special thanks to Jim Pekins for the information in this game report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 5  SOUTH PARK - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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PEKINS' HAT TRICK LEADS TIGERS OVER PLUM, 5-1

Senior Matt Pekins scored three goals and senior Derek Rusbarsky added two more as the Tigers knocked off #3 ranked Plum, 5-1, at the Scholastic Showcase Tournament on Monday night at the Center Ice Arena in Delmont.  The Tigers opened a 3-0 lead after one period and controlled play during the final two periods to earn the victory.

Rusbarsky got the Tigers on the board first on an assist from Pekins to make it a 1-0 NA lead.  Pekins followed from Rusbarsky to increase the margin to 2-0, and Pekins tallied an unassisted goal to give the Tigers a commanding 3-0 advantage after one period.

Rusbarsky scored the only goal of the second period on an assist from Pekins as the Tigers took a 4-0 lead into the final period.  In the third period, Pekins completed the hat trick on an assist from senior center Garrett Waldschmidt to close out the NA scoring.  Plum scored with just one second remaining to avoid the shutout.

The Tigers outshot Plum, 27-14, on the way to the first round victory.  NA will play South Park and Montour today and tomorrow in Group A action.

First round action continues today in preliminary round play.  The Tigers will take on South Park as they look to win their group and move on to the semifinals.  Game time today is scheduled for 5:00 pm at the Center Ice Arena.

(Thanks again to Jim Pekins for the info in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 5  PLUM - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

SHOTS ON GOAL

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TIGERS TOP McDOWELL, 5-2, TO EXTEND DIVISION LEAD

To listen to a replay of the game, click here!

Led by junior defenseman Paul Dittrich's three assists and strong defense, the Tigers defeated McDowell, 5-2, at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Monday night.  After McDowell closed to within 2-1 after two periods, the Tigers scored three third-period goals to secure the victory.  Senior forward Matt Pekins had a goal and an assist for NA.

The Tigers dominated play in the first period, outshooting the Trojans, 11-1.  Pekins had a good chance early at the 12:49 mark, but junior goalie John Cleary made a good save for McDowell.  NA finally broke through at the 10:15 mark when senior forward Brandon Lied had several attempts at a rebound and finally got it past Cleary to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.  Hard work by junior Alan Halapin behind the goal sent the puck out front where Lied scored.  Later in the period, junior Chris Gilson tipped in a shot by Dittrich from the right point to extend the NA lead to 2-0.  Late in the period, senior defenseman Matt Zrebiec launched two hard slapshots from the left point, but Cleary was able to make the saves.  In the last minute, senior forward Brian Hammel got loose on a breakaway, but senior goalie Jeff Kristan was able to stop his attempt as the Tigers took a 2-0 advantage to the first intermission.

In the second period, the Tigers continued to dominate the contest, but Cleary was unbeatable.  Pekins had two tries at the 10:42 mark but was unable to convert.  With three and a half minutes remaining in the period, Hammel made an outstanding individual play to cut the lead in half.  The Trojan forward banged the puck off the boards on the left side, recovered his own pass, and skated in on a two-on-one against Kristan.  Hammel's shot went over Kristan's right shoulder, and McDowell was back in the game trailing only 2-1 after two periods.

With 1:30 still remaining on a second-period penalty, the Tigers made the Trojans pay.   Dittrich skated from his own end all the way to the McDowell goal line.  He then set up Pekins with a perfect pass that the Tiger forward drove home to give NA a 3-1 advantage only 32 seconds into the period.  The goal energized the Tigers and they continued to apply pressure on the Trojan goal.  Just 2:24 later, senior forward Derek Rusbarsky was able to get a rebound past Cleary to push the margin to 4-1.  Pekins and Dittrich earned assists on the play.  McDowell continued to work hard, however, and senior Mark Skirzynski barely missed scoring as Kristan made a kick save at the 13:16 mark.  Pekins came close with 5:30 left when he hit the right post.  The Tigers scored again at the 1:41 mark when senior defenseman Ryan Sheran intercepted a clearing pass and drove a hard shot from the point that hit both posts but just got over the line to make it a 5-1 NA lead.   McDowell got a consolation goal with just 50.9 left in the game when sophomore Brandon Oathout scored a power play goal.  There was no further scoring and the Tigers came away with an important 5-2 victory.

It was a great team effort again for the Tigers with five different players scoring goals.  The Tiger defense was superb with Zrebiec, Sheran, junior Ian McGlumphy and Dittrich all contributing.  For his efforts at both ends of the ice, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Paul Dittrich as the Player of the Game.  The Tigers outshot McDowell, 45-12, in the contest.

The win improved the NA record to 11-1 while McDowell fell to 8-2-3.  The Tigers will be back in action again on Sunday when they begin play in the 9th Annual Scholastic Showcase Tournament at the Center Ice Arena in Delmont.  NA will meet Plum at 6:00 pm in first round action.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 5  McDOWELL - 2

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

SHOTS ON GOAL

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TIGERS CONTROL CENTRAL CATHOLIC, 7-1

The Tigers won their tenth consecutive PIHL game on Thursday night at Bladerunners in Harmarville when they defeated the Central Catholic Vikings, 7-1.  Seniors Matt Pekins and Derek Rusbarsky recorded two goals and an assist each to pace the Tigers.  Senior defenseman Paul Dittrich added a goal and three assists with senior Garrett Waldschmidt picking up three assists.

Central Catholic came out hard at the beginning of the game and dominated the early play, but senior goalie Jeff Kristan made several key saves to keep the game scoreless.  The Tigers got the game's first goal, however, when Pekins scored on a power play on assists from Dittrich and Garrett Waldschmidt.  The Tigers took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

The Tigers took control of the game in the second period scoring four unanswered goals, including three power play scores.  Pekins made it 2-0 with Central a man down early in the period on assists from Rusbarsky and Garrett Waldschmidt.  Dittrich increased the lead to 3-0 on another power play with junior Chris Simanic and Garrett Waldschmidt earning the helpers.  Rusbarsky scored the next two goals, the first on an assist from senior David Hudzinsky and the second another power play set up by Dittrich and Waldschmidt.  The Tigers took a commanding 5-0 advantage into the second intermission.

Senior Brandon Lied pushed the lead to 6-0 early in the third period before Central came back to score their only goal of the game.  With NA leading 6-1, freshman defenseman Andrew Crivella tallied his first varsity goal to close out the scoring as the Tigers brought home a 7-1 victory.

The win improved the NA record to 10-1 in the West Division and kept them in first place.  The Tigers will host second place McDowell on Monday night at Bladerunners in Warrendale.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:50 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 8:00 pm.

(Thanks again to Jim Pekins for the info in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 7  CENTRAL CATHOLIC - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

Any questions or comments should be directed to Athletic Director Bob Bozzuto at:  bbozzuto@northallegheny.org