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GAME SUMMARIES

PRAIRIE RIDGE KNOCKS TIGERS OUT OF SCHOLASTIC SHOWCASE TOURNAMENT, 5-1

Photo Gallery

The three-year run as champion of the Scholastic Showcase Tournament ended on Saturday afternoon as the Tigers were defeated by Prairie Ridge (IL), 5-1, at the Center Ice Arena in Delmont.  Prairie Ridge dominated NA, outshooting the Tigers, 47-10, on their way to the semifinals.  The loss eliminated NA from advancing.  Prairie Ridge defeated Upper Arlington (OH), 4-3, in two overtimes in the semis to advance to the finals against Quaker Valley.

The Tigers will be back in PIHL action on Friday night when they travel to Plum to meet the Mustangs.  Game time is scheduled for 6:30 pm.

PA HOCKEY SCHOLASTIC SHOWCASE
Center Ice Arena, Delmont
December 28-31, 2006

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
PRELIMINARY ROUND

MEDAL ROUND

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PETERS TOWNSHIP FALLS TO TIGERS, 6-2, IN SCHOLASTIC SHOWCASE

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The Tigers won their second straight game in group play in the Scholastic Showcase tournament as they defeated Peters Township, 6-2, on Friday night at the Center Ice Arena in Delmont.  Six different Tigers scored goals with senior Wes Waldschmidt recording three assists.  Senior Matt Lancaster had a goal and an assist for the winning Tigers.

Peters Township had a chance for an early lead when they broke in two on none in the first minute, but senior goalie Adam Lutty was able to make the save to keep the game scoreless.  For the second straight game, the Tigers scored on their first shot when senior Mike Peterson scored on assists from Lancaster and junior Josh Herbert at the 1:38 mark of the period.  The Indians had another chance when freshman Tyler Wright was sent off for tripping later in the period.  The NA defense held PT to just one shot during the power play.  With just 15 seconds remaining in the period, sophomore Thomas Gillespie scored his first varsity goal on an assist from Wes Waldschmidt as the Tigers took a 2-0 advantage to the first intermission.

The Tigers increased the margin to 3-0 on junior Brian Sharlow's first varsity goal coming shorthanded on another assist from Wes Waldschmidt.  The Indians cut the lead to 3-1 when Greg Jackson scored on a 3-on-1 break with 4:22 remaining in the period.  NA answered two minutes later when sophomore Bo Schwab sent a backhander through the five hole to extend the margin back to three at 4-1 with 2:16 remaining.  Junior defenseman Jake Williams recorded his second assist of the game on the goal.  The period ended with the Tigers holding a 4-1 lead.

Early in the third period, the Tigers increased the margin to 5-1 when sophomore Dylan Rohar scored using a good screen by Schwab in front of the Indian goaltender.  Peters came back later in the period to cut the lead to 5-2 when Jackson scored his second goal on a shot that deflected off several players before going into the net.  Lancaster got the goal back with 3:13 remaining when he put in a rebound of a shot by Herbert.  Neither team scored in the remaining time as the Tigers finished off a 6-2 victory.  The Tigers dominated Peters Township throughout the contest outshooting the Indians, 42-13.

The Tigers will play Prairie Ridge (IL) this afternoon with a win sending them on to the semifinals later tonight.  Game time is scheduled for 12:30 pm at the Center Ice Arena.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 6  PETERS TOWNSHIP - 2

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

SHOTS ON GOAL

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GAERTNER'S HAT TRICK LEADS TIGERS OVER LATROBE, 10-2, IN TOURNAMENT OPENER

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Senior Dan Gaertner scored three times and senior Wes Waldschmidt added two goals and four assists as the Tigers routed Latrobe, 10-2, in the opening game of the Scholastic Showcase Tournament at the Center Ice Arena in Delmont.  Senior Matt Lancaster also scored twice with junior Jake Williams, sophomore Dylan Rohar and sophomore Brady Waldschmidt the other goal scorers for the Tigers.

The Tigers got off to a quick start when Gaertner scored just 29 seconds into the game to give NA the 1-0 lead.  Minutes later, Wes Waldschmidt set up Williams for a power play goal on a cross ice pass.  The Wildcats came back later in the period with two quick goals to tie the game.  Jeff Ragula cut the lead to 2-1 with a goal at the 5:29 mark, and Michael McCurdy tied the score twenty seconds later.  Lancaster answered with another power play goal to give NA the lead for good with 4:30 left in the period.  Rohar just beat the clock to give the Tigers a two-goal lead when he scored with four seconds remaining.  NA took a 4-2 lead into the second period.

In the second period, the Tigers scored five unanswered goals to take control of the contest.  Once again, NA scored with Wes Waldschmidt making it 5-2 just twenty-two seconds into the period with assists going to seniors Brad Schwartzmier and Mike Peterson.  Gaertner picked up his second goal on a deflection of a shot by Schwartzmier from the blue line to increase the margin to 6-2.  Sophomore Donny Lewis set up Brady Waldschmidt for a power play goal to increase the margin to 7-2 with 4:48 left in the period.  The Tigers were not done.  Rohar made a good move to set up Gaertner for his third goal at the 3:56 mark.  Just nine seconds later, Lancaster skated past two Latrobe defenders before driving home his second goal of the game as the Tigers took a commanding 9-2 advantage into the final period.

The only game of the third period came when Wes Waldschmidt scored an  unassisted power play goal early in the period with 13:03 remaining.  The game turned physical when a frustrated Latrobe team started taking penalties.  NA made them pay with four power play goals.  There were 18 total penalties in the game, eleven against the Wildcats.  The Tigers outshot Latrobe, 28-9, allowing just one shot in each of the second and third periods.  Give credit to the NA defense with good efforts given by Williams, freshman Tyler Wright, junior Corey Sheran, Wes Waldschmidt and sophomore Adam Jacob.  

With the win, the Tigers moved to 1-0 in the Group A standings in the tournament.  NA will meet Peters Township tonight at 8:30 pm as group action continues.  The Tigers will complete group play tomorrow afternoon when they face Prairie Ridge (IL) at 12:30 pm.  The semifinals will be played tomorrow night with the final on Sunday at noon.

(Thanks to Elaine Lutty for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 10  LATROBE - 2

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

SHOTS ON GOAL

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TIGERS OUTSCORE CENTRAL, 8-4, IN
NORTH DIVISION BATTLE

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

Freshman defenseman Tyler Wright scored his first two varsity goals and senior forward Dan Gaertner added two more as the Tigers downed Central Catholic, 8-4, at Bladerunners in Harmarville on Monday night.  Sophomore Dylan Rohar recorded three assists  and sophomore Bo Schwab a goal and two assists as the Tigers won their third straight game.

Central grabbed the lead off the opening faceoff when C.J. Burke took the puck through several NA players and scored just nine seconds into the contest.  The Tigers answered quickly when Gaertner scored from the right side on assists from Schwab and Wes Waldschmidt to tie the game at 1-1 with 13:22 remaining in the period.  After senior defenseman Brad Schwartzmier was sent off at 11:35, Doug Dietrich scored a power play goal to put the Vikings back ahead, 2-1.  For most of the remainder of the period, Central was short handed.  The Tigers had a five-on-three for a full two minutes at one point but could not beat Central goalie Phil Salerno.  NA had great chances by junior forward Josh Herbert and senior forward Matt Lancaster but failed to finish.  With less than a minute remaining, Tiger junior goalie Max Richards made a tough save on Dietrich to keep the score at 2-1 at the end of the period.

The second period belonged to the Tigers.  Early in the period, Lancaster stole a clearing pass and set up Herbert who scored from the left side to tie the game just 43 seconds into the stanza.  Richards made a good save on a shot by Andy Hanno at the 10:07 mark to keep the game tied.  After Salerno stopped Schwab just nine seconds later, Wright's shot from the right point deflected off a Central player into the net to give NA a 3-2 advantage with 7:05 remaining.  Wright scored again with a hard shot along the ice that beat Salerno at the 5:28 mark to extend the Tiger lead to 4-2.  The Tigers almost scored again when Herbert hit the crossbar with two minutes remaining.  As time was running out, Gaertner put in his own rebound with just 9.6 seconds on the clock as NA took a 5-2 lead into the second intermission.  The Tigers outshot the Vikings, 14-6, in the period as they scored four unanswered goals.

Early in the third period, Central cut the lead to 5-3 on a power play goal by Jake Roberts who scored 23 seconds into the final stanza.  The goal seemed to energize the Vikings as they continued to pressure the NA goal.  Burke scored his second goal of the game at the 12:05 mark to cut the lead to 5-4.  The Tigers then took a pair of penalties giving Central a 5-on-3 advantage.  The Vikings responded with their own pair of penalties creating a rare three-on-three situation.  Wes Waldschmidt stole the puck in the NA end and then raced the length of the ice to beat Salerno and make it a 6-4 game with 8:37 remaining.  When the NA players returned from the penalty box, the Tigers capitalized on the five-on-three with their first power play goal of the game by senior Mike Peterson to extend the margin to 7-4.  With a Central player still in the box, the Tigers scored again when Schwab found the net out of a scramble in front to give NA a commanding 8-4 lead.  At this point, Central turned up the physical play which resulted in a succession of penalties against the Vikings.  Central played shorthanded for the remainder of the game as six penalties were called against the Vikings in the waning moments.  The Tigers did not score again but still went home with a convincing 8-4 victory.

It was a quality win for the Tigers against the #2 ranked Vikings.  Special credit should be given to Wes Waldschmidt who rarely sat down during the contest.  For his efforts, however, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Tyler Wright as the Player of the Game.  Although Central scored four times, Richards made some key saves in stopping sixteen Viking shots.

With the win, the Tigers improved their record to 8-4-0, good for a first place tie in points with Central. NA will participate again in the Scholastic Showcase Tournament at the Center Ice Arena in Delmont over the winter break.  The Tigers have been tournament champions for the past three years.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 8  CENTRAL CATHOLIC - 4

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

SHOTS ON GOAL

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TIGERS AVENGE LOSS TO NORTH HILLS
WITH 7-1 VICTORY

The Tigers got revenge for last week's loss to North Hills with a 7-1 victory over the Indians at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Friday night.  Sophomores Brady Waldschmidt and Bo Schwab scored two goals each while sophomore Dylan Rohar recorded three assists to pace NA.  Seniors Matt Lancaster and Wes Waldschmidt, along with junior Josh Herbert, scored the other Tiger goals.

North Hills came close to taking an early lead, but junior goalie Max Richards made a great save to keep the game scoreless in the first minute.  The Tigers were able to take the lead minutes later when Brady Waldschmidt scored on assists by junior Corey Sheran and sophomore Donny Lewis at the 12:22 mark.  Later in the period, NH captain Dan Stein broke in on Richards in an attempt to tie the score, but sophomore Tyler Wright made a good defensive play to knock the puck away.  With 2:22 remaining in the period on a Tiger power play, Schwab batted in a loose puck from in front of the goal to make it 2-0.  The period ended with NA holding the two-goal lead.

In the second period, the Tigers scored four times to break open the game.  Again early in the period, Richards was forced to make a tough save on a 2 on 1 NH break to keep NA on top, 2-0.  The Tigers increased the margin to 3-0 on Lancaster's shot over the shoulder of the Indian goalie at the 12:16 mark.  The Tigers then scored a pair of shorthanded goals to put the game out of reach.  With junior Jake Williams in the box for holding, Herbert skated through the NH defense and scored high again to give the Tigers a 4-0 lead at the 9:57 mark.  Just under two minutes later, Wes Waldschmidt took a pass from Rohar to increase the margin to 5-0 as the Tigers were killing off a 5 on 3 disadvantage.  Mark Ringeling broke free to break the shutout at the 6:31 mark as the Indians cut the lead to 5-1.  Brady Waldschmidt answered less than a minute later when he scored his second of the game.  The Tigers took a commanding 6-1 lead into the final period.

In the third period, the Tigers held off NH on four power play opportunities allowing only five shots on goal in the period.  NA came close to scoring yet another shorthanded goal when sophomore Brett Schindler set up Brady Waldschmidt in the crease, but the shot hit the post.  The Tigers added a final goal when Schwab scored his second of the game after taking a great pass from Rohar.  As time ran out, the Tigers celebrated a 7-1 victory.

With the win, the Tigers improved their PIHL record to 8-3 still good for a first place tie with Central Catholic.  The Tigers will meet the Vikings on Monday night in a battle for the lead in the North Division.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:15 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

(Thanks to Elaine Lutty for the info in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 7  NORTH HILLS - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

SHOTS ON GOAL

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TIGERS REBOUND TO DEFEAT BUTLER, 5-2

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

After two losses in the last three games, the Tigers came back strong to defeat Butler, 5-2, at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Tuesday night.  Sophomore Donny Lewis scored just seventeen seconds into the contest as the Tigers built a 5-0 lead.  Senior Matt Lancaster, junior Josh Herbert and senior Wes Waldschmidt all contributed a goal and an assist with senior Dan Gaertner also scoring for NA.

Lewis got the Tigers off an running early as he raced down the right side and beat Butler goalie Justin O'Donnell on the first NA shot of the game.  Just 17 seconds into the contest, Butler coach Joe Honzo called a time out!  The Tigers kept pressure on the Butler goal throughout the period.  At the 6:51 mark, Herbert had a good chance but O'Donnell made the save.  Fourteen seconds later, the Tornado sent a shot over the head of NA junior goalie Max Richards.  It was the best Butler chance of the period.  Late in the period, Wes Waldschmidt sent in Gaertner on the right side and the NA senior beat O'Donnell with a good shot into the upper left hand corner of the net.  The Tigers took a 2-0 advantage into the first intermission.

Early in the second period, O'Donnell made a good blocker save on Gaertner to keep the score at 2-0.  With the Tigers on a power play, it appeared the NA had scored at the 10:59 mark but the goal was waved off.  Less than a minute later, Herbert scored on a hard shot from the right circle after replacement Butler goalie Tim Smith came out of the net.  With the 3-0 lead, the Tigers continued to pressure the Butler net.  Herbert was pulled down in front of the goal at the 8:04 mark but the Tigers could not convert on the power play.  Later in the period with the Tigers shorthanded, Wes Waldschmidt scored to increase the lead to 4-0.  The physical play picked up in the period as five minor penalties were called.

The Tigers scored again early in the third period on a pretty passing play with Herbert setting Lancaster who tapped the puck into the Butler net at the 12:44 mark.  The Tigers had another good chance when sophomore Thomas Gillespie broke in on the Butler net, but Smith stopped him.  NA was sent to the penalty box three times in the final period, and Butler finally cashed in when Zach Pennington scored with 2:41 remaining in the game.  After Wes Waldschmidt set up brother Brady for a good chance with 1:07 left, Butler's Josh Elsass sent a long pass to Zach Carben who scored the second Butler goal on a breakaway with 58 seconds on the clock.  There was no further scoring as the Tigers held on for the 5-2 victory.

It was a good overall performance for the Tigers who were playing without several of their defenseman.  NA outshot Butler, 43-11, on the game as the were able to get back on the winning track.  For his efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Josh Herbert as the Player of the Game.

With the win, the Tigers improved their PIHL record to 7-3, good for first place in the North Division.  NA will host North Hills on Friday night at Bladerunners in Warrendale and will try to avenge a 6-3 loss to the Indians last Friday.  Game time is scheduled for 8:00 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 5  BUTLER - 2

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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NORTH HILLS UPSETS TIGERS, 6-3

The North Hills Indians won their first game of the season with a 6-3 upset victory over the Tigers at the RMU-Island Sports Center on Friday night.  Senior Wes Waldschmidt led the Tigers with a goal and two assists with sophomore Donny Lewis and junior Jake Williams also scoring for the Tigers.  Casey Cummings had a three-goal hat trick to pace North Hills.

North Hills got an early opportunity when sophomore Brady Waldschmidt was sent off for holding just two minutes into the contest.  The Tigers, however, had the best scoring chance when Wes Waldschmidt set up senior forward Matt Lancaster but his shot was stopped by the Zaid Alzaid, the NH goalie.  NA goalie Adam Lutty was forced to make three good saves during the power play to keep the game scoreless.  After the Tigers killed off another penalty, Cummings got loose all alone in front of the NA goal and scored just as the penalty expired to give NH a 1-0 lead at the 6:40 mark.  The Tigers tied the game a minute and a half later when Wes Waldschmidt sent a pass back to the point on a delayed penalty and Williams scored with 4:16 remaining.  A minute later, the Indians caught NA in a line change and NH captain Dan Stein scored on a breakaway to give the Indians a 2-1 advantage after one period of play.  The Indians outshot NA, 15-5, in the opening stanza.

In the final two periods, the Tigers came alive but had difficulty scoring.  Early in the second period, NA had a great opportunity to tie the game with a two-man advantage for a minute and sixteen seconds.  Alzaid was able to keep NA off the board during the power play, and the Indians took a 3-1 lead on an unassisted goal by Stein with 9:2 remaining.  Cummings got his second goal of the game on a deflection off a face-off to the right of the NA goal as the Indians opened a 4-1 lead.  Junior Max Richards replaced Lutty in goal, and the Tigers came back to cut the lead to two when Wes Waldschmidt scored on an assist from junior Josh Herbert.  Late in the period, NA sophomore forward Brett Schindler saved another NH scoring chance with a big check on Cummings.  The period ended with the Indians holding a 4-2 lead.

In the third period, North Hills extended the margin to 5-2 when Cummings snuck a roller under Richards' right pad at the 10:59 mark.  The Indians got themselves in trouble in the period with four penalties.  NA capitalized on another 5-on-3 when Lewis scored on Wes Waldschmidt's second assist to cut the margin to 5-3 with 7:46 remaining.  Late in the period, NA had yet another two-man advantage with 1:50 remaining.  With a minute left, Coach Jim Black pulled the goalie but the Tigers still could not score.  Bob Stebler put the game away with an empty goal with 28.6 on the clock and the Indians went home with the 6-3 upset victory.  The Tigers outshot North Hills, 31-11, over the final two periods but to no avail.

The loss dropped the NA record to 6-3 in PIHL play.  The Tigers will host Butler on Tuesday night at Bladerunners in Warrendale in their next game.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:40 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 7:50 pm.

(Thanks to Elaine Lutty for info in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH HILLS - 6  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

SHOTS ON GOAL

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TIGERS REBOUND TO CRUSH McDOWELL, 7-1

After losing a tough 2-0 decision to Mt. Lebanon on Friday, the Tigers came back with an impressive 7-1 victory over McDowell at the J.M. Cochran Arena in Erie in Monday night.  Seniors Wes Waldschmidt and Matt Lancaster had two goals each to pace NA with Waldschmidt adding two assists and Lancaster one.

Junior forward Josh Herbert scored a goal and added two assists while sophomores Dylan Rohar and Brady Waldschmidt recorded a goal and and an assist.  Senior captain Dan Gaertner added an assist.  Junior Max Richards was in goal for the Tigers allowing just one goal while making 27 saves.  Brandon Oathout scored the McDowell goal.  The Trojans outshot the Tigers, 28-27, on the game.

With the win, the Tigers improved their PIHL record to 6-2 and kept them in first place in the North Division.  The Tigers will meet rival North Hills on Friday night at the RMU-Island Sports Center.  Game time is scheduled for 6:30 pm.

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LEBO BLANKS TIGERS, 2-0, IN REMATCH
OF PIHL FINAL

The Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils defeated the Tigers, 2-0, at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Friday night.  The game was a rematch of last year's PIHL final won by Lebo, 3-1.  NA outshot the Blue Devils, 27-18, but could not beat Lebo goalie Rob Behling.  Mt. Lebanon scored two power plays for the difference in the contest.

In the first period, Lebo took advantage of an early penalty to senior captain Dan Gaertner to take the lead.  Mike Roman scored just 1:40 into the game to give the Blue Devils a 1-0 advantage.  The Tigers had a chance later in the period when Mt. Lebanon was called for too many men on the ice.  Junior defenseman Corey Sheran came close to tying the game but his blast from the blue line went just wide.  Lebo took a 1-0 lead to the first intermission despite being outshot, 12-6, by NA.

In the second period, the Tigers took another early penalty, but good stops by NA senior goalie Adam Lutty and good defense by junior Josh Herbert kept Lebo off the board.  The Tigers had several power play opportunities but could not beat Behling.  Late in the period, senior Mike Peterson was sent off for interference.  Lebo was able to take a 2-0 lead when top scorer Sean McDermott scored a second power play goal.  The Blue Devils took a two-goal advantage into the second intermission.

In the third period, it was NA with the early power play.  The Tigers came close again when Gaertner tipped a shot by Peterson just wide of the goal.  Later in the period, Lebo caught the Tigers in a line change and went in on a two-on-none break.  Lutty was able to make the save and cover the rebound to keep the game at 2-0.  The Tigers had a golden opportunity to get back in the game when they got a 5 on 3 advantage for a minute and a half but could not score.  With just 1:44 remaining, the Tigers pressured the Lebo goal as senior defenseman Brad Schwartzmier made a great play to keep the puck in the Lebo zone.  Even with Coach Jim Black pulling the goalie for the extra attacker, the Tigers could not score.  Mt. Lebanon went home with a 2-0 victory.

With the loss, the Tigers North Division record fell to 5-2 still good for first place in the division.  NA will travel to McDowell on Monday night to meet the Trojans in a PIHL contest.  Game time is scheduled for 8:30 pm.

(Thanks again to Elaine Lutty for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
MT. LEBANON - 2  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

SHOTS ON GOAL

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GAERTNER'S THIRD PERIOD GOAL BEATS
PENN-TRAFFORD, 4-3

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

Senior captain Dan Gaertner scored early in the third period to break a 3-3 tie, and the Tigers held off Penn-Trafford for the remainder of the game as the Tigers defeated the Warriors, 4-3, at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Tuesday night.  Junior Josh Herbert, senior Matt Lancaster, and junior Corey Sheran also scored for the Tigers as they won their fourth straight PIHL contest.  Senior forward Wes Waldschmidt added three assists for the winning Tigers.

The Tigers dominated play in the early going but could not score.  Wes Waldschmidt had two good chances but was stopped by P-T goalie Anthony Laurito.  Sophomore forward Donny Lewis had an opportunity at the 9:50 mark, but Laurito made the save.  Penn-Trafford was able to take a 1-0 lead when Zach Lawther's shot from the right point was deflected into the NA goal but one of the Tiger defenders at the 8:01 mark.  After Wes Waldschmidt had two additional scoring chances in the next minute, the Tigers finally cashed in on a power play.  Herbert was able to beat Laurito at the 3:31 mark to tie the game at 1-1 with Wes Waldschmidt and Lancaster earning assists.  Junior goalie Max Richards made a good save on the Warriors' leading scorer Chase Keibler with 2:10 remaining to keep the game tied.  Lancaster gave NA a 2-1 lead scoring on a backhander from in front of the goal with 1:32 remaining in the period.  Jesse DePietro came back just 28 seconds later to tie the game at 2-2.  With 30 seconds left, Dan Hrovath was sent off giving NA a final power play.  The Tigers got off three shots in the final seconds but Laurito denied the chances as the period ended with score tied at 2-2.

Penn-Trafford came out strong in the second period and dominated play in the early going but could not beat Richards.  Keibler got loose on a breakaway at the 12:05 mark, but Richards made the save although the Tigers picked up a penalty on the play.  Richards again stood tall during the power play making a great save on a chance by junior captain Eric Likar.  Later in the period, Richards was forced to make a glove hand save against White's shot from the slot.  The Tigers finally took the lead late in the period when Sheran's shot from the left point rolled past Laurito into the net with 2:31 remaining.  NA had a chance to make it a two-goal game with a 2-on-1 break but Laurito was able to stop Herbert's attempt.  After Hrovath was caught holding with 1:33 left, the Tigers looked to increase the lead.  Likar had other ideas as he stole the puck, skated behind the NA net, and set up White who scored a shorthanded goal to tie the game at 3-3 with 1:00 left.  The period ended with the teams tied.

After killing off the NA power play, the Warriors again pressured the Tiger goal but Richards could not be beaten.  With 8:41 left and the Tigers on a power play, Rohar slammed a hard shot off the boards behind the Warrior goal.  Gaertner grabbed the rebound and tucked it in under a sliding Laurito to give the Tigers a 4-3 advantage.  Just nineteen seconds later, DePietro broke free on a breakaway and was hauled down from behind and given a penalty shot.  On the attempt, Richards was able to come out of the net and deny DePietro's backhand shot to keep NA ahead.  Wes Waldschmidt came close to increasing the lead with 8:09 left but was stopped by Laurito again.  The Tigers then took three consecutive penalties starting at the 4:45 mark resulting in a two-man advantage for the Warriors.  With Wes Waldschmidt doing a good job of clearing the puck and Richards staying strong in goal, P-T was unable to score.  Finally, Gaertner made a good play in drawing a penalty against Hrovath to cut the advantage to a 4 on 3.  The Tigers were finally able to stave off the power plays and hold on for the 4-3 victory.

It was a good team victory for the Tigers with many players contributing.  For his efforts in scoring the winning goal and drawing a crucial penalty in the third period, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Dan Gaertner as the Player of the Game.

With the win, the Tigers improved their division record to 5-1, good for first place in the North Division of the PIHL.  NA will host Mt. Lebanon on Friday night in a rematch of last year's PIHL championship game won by Lebo, 3-1. Game time is set for 8:00 pm.  The MSA Sports Network will broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:45 pm.

Click here to listen to the MSA Broadcast!

 NA STUDENTS WILL BE ADMITTED FOR ONLY A $1.00 STUDENT TICKET!  COME OUT AND SUPPORT THE TIGERS!!!!!

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 4  PENN-TRAFFORD - 3

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS BLAST SHALER, 7-2, FOR
THIRD STRAIGHT PIHL WIN

Led by senior captain Danny Gaertner's two goals, the Tiger defeated Shaler, 7-2, at Bladerunners in Harmarville on Monday night.  NA built a 6-0 lead in the second period before Shaler could get on the board.  Senior Wes Waldschmidt and sophomore Dylan Rohar both added a goal and three assists as the Tigers beat the Titans for the second straight time in the back to back series.

After neither team could score in the early going in the first period, junior defenseman Jake Williams gave NA a 1-0 lead when he banged one off the post and goalie and into the net at the 6:31 mark.  The Tigers added two goals in the last minute to take a three-goal lead.  Rohar scored a power play goal with just 52 seconds remaining and Gaertner made it 3-0 on an assist from junior forward Josh Herbert with just three ticks left on the first period clock.  The Tigers took a 3-0 advantage into the first intermission.

The Tigers wasted no time in turning the game into a rout with three goals in the first 4:44 of the second period.  Senior Matt Lancaster scored just 2:50 into the stanza on an assist from Wes Waldschmidt to push the margin to 4-0.  Twenty seconds later, Rohar found Herbert open in front of the net to extend the lead to 5-0.  Gaertner was able to tally a shorthanded goal at the 10:16 mark as the Tigers made it 6-0.  Shaler finally was able to score when Patrick Schaffer drove home a power play goal with 7:45 remaining in the period.  Wes Waldschmidt answered just 38 seconds later with Rohar assisting on a delayed penalty.  The Tigers took a commanding 7-1 lead into the final period.

The Tigers outshot Shaler, 15-4, in the final period but could not score.  The Titans scored the only goal of the period when Drew Martz was given a disputed tally with only two seconds left.  NA outshot the Titans, 38-23, on the game with senior goalie Adam Lutty earning the victory stopping 21 Shaler shots.

With the win, the Tigers improved their section record to 4-1 and moved into a first place tie with Fox Chapel in the North Division.  NA will host Penn-Trafford next Tuesday 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 8:20 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 8:30 pm.

(Thanks to Elaine Lutty for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 7  SHALER - 2

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

SHOTS ON GOAL

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