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FOX CHAPEL RALLIES TO TIE TIGERS, 3-3

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The Tigers saw leads of 2-0 and 3-1 slip away in the third period as Fox Chapel rallied to tie NA, 3-3, at the Valley Sports Complex on Monday night.  Tiger goals were scored by junior defenseman Matt Ogle, sophomore forward Ryan Worsena, and senior forward Brian Nimmo.

In the first period, it appeared that NA had taken an early 1-0 lead just 1:25 into the contest, but the goal was waived off due to a kicking motion.  Senior forward Brady Waldschmidt was stopped on a wrap around attempt minutes later as FC goalie Zach Eisenfeld made the save.  With 5:20 remaining, Ogle gave NA the lead on a shot from the point with assists from senior forward Patrick Moynihan and senior defenseman Tyler Hagy.  With just 12 seconds left, junior forward Kevin Kelly was sent off for cross checking.  The first period ended with the Tigers holding a 1-0 advantage.  NA led in shots, 6-3.

With the Tigers shorthanded at the beginning of the second period, it was NA's senior forward Donny Lewis who had the first chance just five seconds into the stanza with Eisenfeld making the save.  .  Tiger junior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft and the NA defense held off the Foxes on their initial power play with Holdcroft making a good save at the 1:03 mark.  The Tigers came back with several scoring attempts but shots by Waldschmidt and sophomore defenseman Ryan Stupy were stopped by the FC goalie.  Lewis tried to send senior forward Thomas Gillespie in on a breakaway at the 5:08 mark, but the pass was just wide of Gillespie's stick.  The Tigers continued to pressure the Fox Chapel goal with chances by senior defenseman Cody Burdwood and Hagy stopped by Eisenfeld.  With 8:35 remaining in the period, the Foxes drew a penalty for charging giving NA their first power play.  The Tigers converted with Worsena scoring on an assist from Moynihan as the NA lead went to 2-0 with 7:03 left.  The Foxes' Aris Panklas was sent off with 4:50 remaining, but the Tigers were unable to score on the power play.  With 2:10 left, NA had a great chance on a centering pass from Kelly to Burdwood that just missed connecting.  With 1:25 left, Charles Williams of Fox Chapel drew a slashing penalty giving NA their third power play of the period.  Senior forward Bo Schwab was able to tip in a shot for an apparent goal, but it was ruled off a high stick and the goal was disallowed.  It was the second NA goal of the game to be waived off.  Ogle was called for an interference penalty with 29 seconds left, and Burdwood for holding eight seconds later to give the Foxes a man advantage.  The Foxes got off one last attempt with 13 seconds left, but Holdcroft made the save.  The teams went to the second intermission with NA holding a 2-0 lead.  NA posted 12 shots in the period to just five for the Foxes.

Fox Chapel started the third period on a power play with an early shot stopped by the NA defense.  The Foxes gained another man advantage for several seconds, but the Tiger defense was able to keep FC off the board.  At the 2:18 mark, Williams was called again for slashing.  It was the fourth NA power play of the game.  This time, however, it was Fox Chapel that was able to score with Jake Friedland breaking in to pick up a short handed goal that cut the margin to 2-1 with 12:19 remaining.  The Tigers were able to answer on the power play with Nimmo scoring on a one-timer from in front of the net on a pass from Schwab from behind the net as the NA lead went to 3-1.  After Waldschmidt was sent off for tripping with 10:31 left in the period, Holdcroft had to make two good saves to preserve the two-goal advantage.  With the Foxes coming on, NA Coach Jim Black called a time out.  With 1:35 left, Williams was able to find the upper right hand corner of the net to cut the NA lead to 3-2.  The Foxes then took a time out that paid off in the tying goal with just 41 seconds remaining.  The Foxes' Michael Tommarello scored from the right side of the Tiger net to knot the game at 3-3.  Neither team could score in the remainder of regulation time as the game went to overtime.  Fox Chapel outshot NA, 12-2, in the third period.

Neither team had a good scoring threat in the overtime period, although Eisenfeld had to cover a puck in the crease at the 3:23 mark.  The final shot tally showed NA with 21 and Fox Chapel with 20 for the game. 

The NA record fell to 3-0-1 with the tie.  The Tigers will be at home again on Tuesday when they host the McDowell Trojans in a section contest.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 6:15 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 6:30 pm.

(Thanks to Julia Hagy for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  FOX CHAPEL - 3

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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HUBERT'S GOAL IN OT BEATS CENTRAL CATHOLIC, 3-2

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Freshman Jacob Hubert scored at the 1:39 mark of overtime on an assist from junior Andrew Seiss to give the Tigers a 3-2 victory over Central Catholic in the home opener at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Tuesday night.  Senior forward Patrick Moynihan and junior forward James Harper also scored for NA as they came back from a 2-1 deficit after two periods.

Central started quickly when Patrick Burke had a good scoring opportunity from the right circle at the 2:58 mark, but NA junior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft made the save.  The Tigers came back a minute later when senior forward Brady Waldschmidt sent a pass through the crease that senior forward Donny Lewis just missed deflecting toward the net.  At the 4:32 mark, Sean Dietz was able to put in a rebound from the right side to give the Vikings a 1-0 advantage.  The Tigers came back with some offensive pressure, but CC goalie Matt Plutt was able to make the save.  With 5:45 remaining, Burke stole the puck at the NA blue line and skated in alone but sent the puck wide of the goal.  Less than minute later, the Vikings pressured the NA goal with Holdcroft making a good save on Kevin Kline to keep the game at 1-0.  Junior defenseman Tyler Wright made a good defensive play at the 3:10 mark with junior forward Kevin Kelly getting a good shot off, but Plutt was there to make the save.  With 54 seconds left, Central's Brendon Lewis was called for tripping and the Tigers made Central pay.  On the power play, Moynihan got off a good shot from the right side that deflected off the crossbar.  Harper jumped on the rebound and got it off Plutt and into the net as the Tigers tied the game at 1-1 with just 20 seconds left.  The period ended with the teams tied at 1-1.

Early in the second period, it was NA with the pressure but no good shots on goal.  At the 1:50 mark, senior defenseman Tyler Hagy sent a hard shot that was stopped by Plutt.  At the 4:37 mark, Moynihan drove a shot toward the goal that was deflected by Plutt into the corner.  Central came back two minutes later forcing Holdcroft to make two tough saves to keep the game tied.  A minute later, junior forward Jordan Beck had a chance from the right side, but his shot hit the side of the Central net.  At the 5:00 minute mark, Central's Dan Hickton was called for holding, but the Vikings got the best chance on a shorthanded attempt by Jon Coulter that was shot wide of the NA net.  With 7:40 left, junior defenseman Matt Ogle drove a hard shot that was stopped by Plutt who also was able to make a save on the rebound attempt by sophomore forward Ryan Worsena.  Less than a minute later, Seiss came off the bench to get two good shots that were stopped by Plutt.  Kyle Cronin of the Vikings came back with 4:34 left in the period, but Holdcroft was there to make the save.  The Vikings were able to take the lead with 2:23 left when John Wyda converted on a pass from behind the NA goal by Coulter.  The Tigers had two shots from the point that were stopped by Plutt, the first from freshman Dalton Landman and the second by Hagy as time ran out in the second period.  The teams went to the intermission with the Vikings holding a 2-1 advantage.

Early in the third period, the Tigers were called for a pair of penalties as both Waldschmidt and Hagy were sent off.  The Vikings had a 5-on-3 advantage for almost a minute, but Holdcroft and the NA defense was able to keep CC off the board.  During the last minute of the second half of the power play, Donny Lewis broke free on a breakaway and was robbed by Plutt who made a sparkling glove hand save at the 3:06 mark.  After killing the penalty, the Tigers came back with good pressure on the Central goal with Kelly and Hubert getting good chances.  With 9:10 left, the Vikings broke in on a two-on-one but Holdcroft made a good save to keep NA just one goal down.  Harper came back for NA less than a minute later but shot over the Viking net.  With 7:39 remaining, senior forward Bo Schwab drove a hard shot from the right circle but Plutt again was there to make the stop.  The Tigers kept up the pressure on the Central goal with Kelly sending a shot in from the left side that was stopped with 6:59 left.  A minute later, Moynihan split the defense and broke in on Plutt, but the Central netminder again was there to make the save.  Hagy had to make a good play on Burke who had broken free at center ice, but the Tiger defenseman caught him from behind and sent the puck into the corner.  The Tigers finally got the tying goal with just 1:29 left when Moynihan scored from the right side of the net after taking a pass from Beck behind the Central goal.  Central took a time out, but neither team scored in the remaining time sending the game to overtime.

Both team had chances early in the overtime period.  At the 57 second mark, Lewis was stopped by Plutt.  Wyda came back for the Vikings with a hard shot from just inside the blue line, but Holdcroft was able to deflect the puck over the net.  The Tigers then got the game winner as Seiss raced down the right side and found Hubert open in front of the net.  The NA freshman made no mistake as he blasted the winning goal past Plutt to give the Tigers the win in the home opener.

The Tigers played well for most of the game controlling play as they outshot the Vikings, 36-18.  Only the inspired play of Plutt in the Central net kept NA off the board.  For his efforts in the offensive end, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Patrick Moynihan as the Player of the Game.  With the win, the Tigers improved their record to 3-0 in the early season.  NA will be on the road on Monday when they travel to the Valley Sports Center to meet Fox Chapel.  The site has been changed for this 7:30 pm PIHL contest.

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GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  CENTRAL CATHOLIC - 2

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS BLANK UPPER ST. CLAIR, 1-0, FOR SECOND WIN

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The Tigers won their second straight game with a 1-0 victory over Upper St. Clair at the Ice Castle in Castle Shannon on Monday night.  Senior forward and captain Brady Waldschmidt scored just 32 seconds into the contest, and the NA defense and junior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft held off the Panthers for the remainder of the game to secure the victory.

The Tigers set the tone for the game with the early goal with junior defenseman Matt Ogle picking up the assist on the goal by Waldschmidt.  The Panthers' Theo Schneiders was called for tripping at the 12:15 mark but the Tigers could not score on the power play.  USC came close to tying the game midway through the period, but good defensive plays by junior defenseman Tyler Wright and sophomore defenseman Ryan Stupy stopped the Panther offensive attempts.  In the final minute and a half, NA had several shots but USC goalie Michael Stein was able to make the saves to keep it a one goal game.  The Tigers took a 1-0 lead to the first intermission.  NA outshot USC, 9-6, in the first period.

The Tigers started strong in the second period but could not score despite several shots in the first minute.  At the 10:46 mark, Waldschmidt was sent off on an interference call giving USC their first power play of the game.  Good penalty killing by senior Donny Lewis and senior forward Thomas Gillespie kept the Panthers off the board.  Credit Holdcroft with some great saves during the power play.  The Tigers picked up the physical play started with a huge check by senior defenseman Tyler Hagy midway through the period.  At the 8:05 mark, Gillespie sent a pass toward the Panther goal that Waldschmidt just missed.  Two minutes later, the Tigers forced a two-on-one by junior forward Jordan Beck and senior forward Patrick Moynihan, but Stein was able to make the save.  The puck ended up in the net at the end of the play, but the goal was waived off because the net was dislodged when the Panthers' Parker Phillips knocked an NA player into the goal.  Phillips drew a roughing call giving the Tigers their second power play at the 6:27 mark.  The NA power play kept the pressure on with junior Kevin Kelly getting a good chance that was stopped by USC netminder Stein.  The period ended with the Tigers still holding the 1-0 advantage.  Shots in the period favored USC by a 7-4 count.

Early in the third period, Holdcroft had to make a save just 33 seconds in to keep the one goal lead.  At the 14:00 mark, Lewis was called for interference giving the Panthers a power play and a chance to tie the game.  Once again, the Tiger penalty killers, led by senior forward Brian Nimmo and sophomore forward Ryan Worsena were able to stop the Panther power play including a shorthanded attempt by Waldschmidt.  Midway through the period, the Panthers had a great chance at the equalizer when NA turned the puck over in the neutral zone.  Skating one on one, Tiger senior defenseman Cody Burdwood was able to poke check the puck away preventing a scoring chance.  Less than a minute, Worsena had a chance but was stopped by the USC goalie.  After an NA time out, the Tigers came out looking for an insurance goal.  Good play by Kelly, freshman forward Jake Hubert and junior forward Andrew Seiss was able to create several opportunities but did not result in a good scoring opportunity.  Ogle, Moynihan, and junior forward James Harper were able to keep the puck in the USC zone but could not score.  The Panthers had some late chances but could not beat the NA defense or Holdcroft as the Tigers came home with an impressive victory.  Each team had four shots in the third period with the final tally showing NA and USC with seventeen each for the game.

It was a good victory for the Tigers who got revenge for a 5-2 loss to USC in the St. Margaret's Fall Faceoff Tournament earlier.    With the win, NA is now 2-0 in the early season.  The Tigers will be in action again on Tuesday night when they host Central Catholic in the home opener 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 8:15 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 8:30 pm.

(Thanks to Julia Hagy for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 1  UPPER ST. CLAIR - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS OPEN SEASON WITH 2-1 WIN AT BETHEL PARK

The Tigers surprised #1 Bethel Park with a 2-1 victory over the Blackhawks at Bladerunners in Bethel Park on Thursday night.  Seniors Donny Lewis and Patrick Moynihan scored to give NA a 2-0 lead after two periods.  The NA defense and junior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft held off a third period Bethel Park rally to record the 2-1 victory.

Neither team gained much of an advantage throughout most of the first period with the NA defense and the play of Holdcroft in goal keeping the Blackhawks off the board.  The Tigers broke through with just 43 seconds left in the period as Lewis scored an unassisted goal to give NA a 1-0 advantage after one period of play.  NA outshot BP, 6-5, in the opening stanza.

In the second period, the Tigers needed only 59 seconds to take a 2-0 lead on an unassisted goal by Moynihan.  Moynihan broke in on a two-on-one and hit the top right corner of the net from just inside the blue line.  Bethel Park changed goalies after the NA goal.  Senior defenseman Cody Burdwood had a chance at the 3:17 mark but his shot was stopped by the BP goalie.  A minute later, senior defenseman Tyler Hagy had another opportunity but his attempt was blocked by the Blackhawk defense.  Junior forward Kevin Kelly was stopped by the BP goalie at the 4:14 mark of the period.  The Blackhawks came back with a scoring chance less than a minute later, but Holdcroft made the save.  With 8:46 remaining, Bethel Park was called for too many men on the ice giving the Tigers their first power play.  The Blackhawks killed off the penalty getting the best scoring chance with 7:31 left.  With 6:36 left, Hagy was sent off for tripping giving Bethel Park their first power play.  The NA penalty killing unit, led by senior forward and captain Brady Waldschmidt and Lewis, were able to kill off the man advantage.  Sophomore forward Ryan Worsena and senior forward Thomas Gillespie also assisted in killing the penalty.  With 5:05 remaining in the period, junior defenseman Matt Ogle was called for interference giving BP a five on three advantage.  Once again, the Tigers were able to kill off the penalty and preserve the two-goal lead.  The period ended with NA on top, 2-0.  Bethel Park outshot NA, 9-7, in the period.

After neither team could score early in the third period, penalties dominated play.  After the Blackhawks took a minor penalty with 8:46 left, Ogle was called for a check from behind and given a two-minute minor and a ten-minute major.  Sophomore defenseman Ryan Stupy was sent off with 7:45 remaining to give BP a 4-on-3 advantage.  Bethel Park threatened with a shot that hit the post and another that was stopped by Holdcroft.  The Blackhawks finally converted with 6:15 remaining on a deflected goal off an NA player to cut the lead to 2-1.  The Tigers were able to kill off the remainder of the penalty to preserve the lead.  With 2:40 remaining, the Tigers were called for another bench penalty for too many men that gave the Blackhawks yet another power play.  After a time out with 1:16 left in the period, BP pulled their goalie to try and tie the game.  The Tiger penalty killers were up to the task, however, as they kept BP off the board in the remaining time to secure the 2-1 victory.  Shots in the third period favored Bethel Park, 12-8, and for the game, 26-21.

With the win, NA moves to 1-0 in division play.  The Tigers will be in action again on Monday night when they travel to the Ice Castle in Castle Shannon to meet the Upper St. Clair Panthers.  Game time is scheduled for 8:30 pm.

(Thanks to Julia Hagy for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2  BETHEL PARK - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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PIHL ALIGNMENT - 2008-09
CLASS AAA - 19 TEAMS

The Tigers will compete again in the PIHL in Class AAA along with 18 other teams.  NA has been placed in Section 2-AAA for the upcoming season.

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