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CANON-MAC ELIMINATES TIGERS FROM PIHL PLAYOFFS, 3-0

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In a tough, defensive battle, the Canon-McMillan Big Macs defeated the Tigers, 3-0, in a PIHL First Round contest at the Ice-O-Plex at Southpointe on Thursday night.  Neither team could score until later in the second period when C-M's Brett Oldaker put in a rebound with 2:55 left in the period.  The Big Macs added a pair of late third period tallies to secure the victory.

Both teams started slowly offensively with the first scoring chance coming 3:35 into the game when junior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft had to stop a hard shot from the right side by Joey Mottiqua. Less than two minutes later, Ian Lewis drove a strong shot from the left point that Holdcroft turned aside.  With 8:45 remaining, Mario Dalessandro tested the NA netminder but again Holdcroft was there for the stop.  At the 6:45 mark, NA got its first scoring opportunity but senior forward Bo Schwab's attempt was stopped by C-M's Ryan Palonis.  After junior defenseman James Harper was called for holding, Oldaker evened the sides when he took a tripping penalty just 24 seconds later.  With the teams playing four aside, the Big Macs put pressure on the NA goal with Holdcroft standing tall against good attempts by all-star defenseman Nilan Nagy and Kyle Almasy.  Late in the period, senior forward Patrick Moynihan got off a good attempt from the right side with 1:05 left but Palonis made the save.  Waldschmidt drove a slap shot from the left point with 53 seconds left, but again Palonis was there.  Mottiqua broke free down the left side as time was running out, but a good defensive play by freshman defenseman Dalton Landman prevented a shot.  Time ran out in the first period with the game still scoreless.

Early in the second period, Mottiqua had another chance, but Holdcroft turned his shot aside.  Dallesandro had an opportunity two minutes later but again the NA junior netminder made the save  The Tigers countered with senior forward Donny Lewis sending a rebound just wide of the goal, and Waldschmidt drilling another hard shot from the point that Palonis stopped.  Nagy was sent off for interference at the 3:42 mark giving the Tigers their first full power play of the game.  NA put pressure on the C-M goal as Schwab forced Palonis to make a good save with the rebound sliding just wide of the net.  In a scramble in front of the goal, Lewis had another good chance but Palonis made a diving stop to keep the Tigers off the board.  NA continued to attack the C-M goal with junior defenseman Matt Ogle sending a hard attempt that Palonis stopped with 9:25 left in the period.  Seconds later, junior forward Kevin Kelly drove a shot just wide of the net with a penalty being called on Alex Pihakis for boarding with 8:17 remaining.  Again the Tiger power play kept the puck in the C-M zone for most of the man advantage but could not score.  Palonis stopped another shot by Ogle with Lewis unable to push in the rebound from in front of the goal.  With 6:48 left, Almasy and Landman drew coincidental minors.  The Big Macs' Ryan Thomas got loose on the left side and came in alone but shot over the goal with 6:36 on the second period clock.  With 4:42 remaining, Kelly had another opportunity from the right side, but Palonis again was there to make the save.  With 2:27 remaining, Schwab and Moynihan sent shots toward the net that Palonis had to stop.  Less than a minute later, Moynihan had a great chance from in front of the goal, but Palonis robbed him with a sparkling glove hand save.  Neither team scored in the remaining time as Canon-McMillan took a 1-0 advantage into the third period.

Canon-Mac came out in a defensive posture early in the third period and kept the Tigers from getting a good scoring chance.  At the 3:49 mark, C-M's Matt Rivetti drove a hard shot from the right side that Holdcroft had to stop.  On the play, Grant Strimel was sent off giving NA yet another power play.  Lewis had the best chance from the left point that Palonis stopped.  The rebound from the slot was tipped on the way to the net, but Palonis grabbed it again with the glove hand to stop play.  After C-M killed off the power play, the Big Macs went into the defensive mode again not allowing another NA shot until Schwarb sent a blast wide of the goal with 6:15 remaining.  Thomas came in from the right side and had a good chance but Holdcroft was there to make the save with 4:53 left.  Off the ensuing faceoff, Rivetti drove a hard shot that Holdcroft again was able to handle.  With the Tigers trying to pressure the Canon-Mac goal, the puck came free into the NA defensive zone where Mottiqua skated in and shot wide.  The Tigers tried to clear the puck, but Grant Strimel picked off the pass and sent it toward the NA goal where it deflected in off a Tiger skate.  The Big Macs had their insurance goal as they increased the lead to 2-0 with only 4:24 remaining.  With 3:15 left, Oldaker got free on a breakway but Holdcroft made a spectacular save to rob the Big Mac leading scorer.  With 1:55 remaining, both junior Jordan Beck and Ogle were sent off.  With C-M holding a 5-on-3 advantage, Coach Jim Black pulled goalie Holdcroft in a last ditch effort to get on the board.  The puck came out of the NA zone where Thomas skated in and shot it over the empty net.  Mottiqua got the rebound and could not score with the puck coming back to center ice.  From there, Nagy blasted it into the goal for an empty net power play goal that completed the scoring.  The Big  Macs were on their way to the quarterfinals with a 3-0 victory over the Tigers.

The Tigers again gave a great effort but were unable to take advantage of power plays and rebound attempts.  In net, Holdcroft had another outstanding game keeping the Tigers in the contest during most of the first period.  The game was the last for the Tiger seniors including captain Brady Waldschmidt.  The game also marked the end of an era in NA hockey.  Brady is the youngest of four Waldschmidt brothers that have played for the Tigers over the last ten years.  It will seem strange in 2009-10 to not see a Waldschmidt skating for NA!!!  For his efforts in the game and for the Tigers, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Brady Waldschmidt as the Player of the Game.

With the loss, the NA season came to an end with a final record of 9-8-6 on the year.  Canon-McMillan advances to the quarterfinals and a date with Upper St. Clair at the Ice Castle in Castle Shannon next Wednesday. 

GAME SUMMARY
CANON-McMILLAN - 3  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

PIHL CLASS AAA

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TIGERS BATTLE BACK TO TIE NORWIN, 2-2

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After trailing 2-0 after one period, the Tigers came back with goals in the second and third periods to tie the Norwin Knights, 2-2, in the regular season finale at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Tuesday night.  Senior forward Brian Nimmo and freshman forward Jake Hubert scored the NA goals while junior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft made 27 saves the preserve the tie.

Norwin wasted no time in taking the lead scoring just six seconds into the contest.  The Knights won the opening faceoff and took it to the NA goal.  Holdcroft made the first save, but Anthony Maroadi put in the rebound from the left side to give Norwin a 1-0 lead.  The Tigers took the ensuing faceoff and senior captain Brady Waldschmidt skated in from the left side but was stopped by Norwin goalie Dante Bertoni.  On the play, Maroadi was called for interference giving NA their first power play of the game.  Senior forward Tyler Hagy had the best chance with the man advantage, but Bertoni made a good save.  At the 3:18 mark, Maroadi got free on a breakaway but shot high and wide of the net.  Junior forward Kevin Kelly answered with a shot from the left side, but Bertoni made the stop.  Two minutes later, Kelly stole the puck in the Norwin zone but was unable to get off a good shot.  With 8:41 left, senior forward Cody Burdwood tried to set up senior forward Thomas Gillespie in front of the goal but the pass was just too long.  With 6:19 remaining, senior forward Patrick Moynihan tried a wraparound from behind the Norwin goal, but Bertoni got just enough of the puck to keep it out of the net.  With 5:53 left, the Knights struck again with Neil Stewart sending a rebound into the net to give Norwin a 2-0 lead.  The Tigers were able to kill off a penalty to Hagy before Maroadi was sent off again with 2:54 left.  On the power play, Waldschmidt had a good chance from the right point, but Bertani was able to get a blocker on the attempt.  With 1:12 left, Bertani had to stop Moynihan again to keep the 1-0 lead.  With 49 seconds left, senior forward Donny Lewis was called for high sticking.  The Knights could not score in the remaining time but took a 2-0 lead to the first intermission.   NA outshot Norwin, 11-6, despite trailing by two goals.

Norwin still had time remaining on the power play early in the second period, but the NA penalty killers held the Knights without a shot.  At the 1:46 mark, Norwin captain Steve Saska was sent to the box.  It took the Tigers just nine seconds to score.  After an initial shot was stopped by Bertoni, Nimmo was able to push the rebound into the net out of a scramble in front of the goal.  Moynihan and senior forward Bo Schwab picked up assists on the goal as the Tigers cut the lead to 2-1.  At the 2:28 mark, Kelly had a good chance in the slot, but Bertoni was there to make the save.  The Tigers kept the pressure on as they tried to tie the game.  At the 4:10 mark, junior defenseman Matt Ogle sent a hard shot from the point that was stopped.  Seconds later, Ogle drove another hard attempt from the point that Bertoni stopped also.  With 5:59 remaining, Hubert had a good chance from the slot, but Bertoni continued to stymie the Tigers with another good save.  With 5:23 left, Lewis got the puck alone in front of the net but could not beat the Norwin netminder.  With 3:15 left, Moynihan sent another hard shot from the left side, but Bertoni turned it away.  Norwin was finally able to get a scoring attempt with 2:42 left, but Holdcroft made a tough glove save on Josh Schweitzer.  Forty seconds later, the Knights came in on a 2-on-1 but Holdcroft again stopped Schweitzer to keep it a 2-1 game.  With 1:29 left in the period, the Tigers broke in on a 2-on-1 but Bertoni made a diving save on Schwab to keep the Knights in the lead.  Waldschmidt had two good scoring chances in the last minute, but Bertoni was again able to make the stops.  Although the Tigers outshot Norwin, 13-3, in the period, the Knights took a 2-1 advantage in the final period.

Early in the third period, Tokarski had a chance from the left side, but Holdcroft was there to make the save.  At the 1:32 mark, Lewis got open in front of the net but again was unable to beat Bertoni.  After Moynihan had a shot stopped at the 2:20 mark, Schwab was robbed by Bertoni as the Knights continued to lead.  At the 3:36 mark, the NA pressure finally paid off.  After initial shots by both Kelly and Siess were stopped by Bertoni, Hubert was able to find the net on the rebound and tie the game at 2-2.  With 10:15 still left in the period, Lewis had two shots but was unable to score.  After holding off the initial NA surge, the Knights came back with a number of shots on goal.  The best chance came on an attempt by Nico Vecchio from the left side that Holdcroft stopped with 7:30 left.  A minute later, Holdcroft had to dive after a loose puck and clear it from in front of the net.  After a battle near the blue line, three players were sent to the box with NA getting a power play with 6:22 remaining.  Vecchio was given a game misconduct for his actions during the melee.  The Norwin defense stepped up, however, and did not allow a shot on goal during the man advantage.  With 2:41 left, Siess had a chance from the left circle, but Bertani again was there for the stop.  With 1:00 remaining in the period, Schwab was sent to the box.  After a Norwin time out, the Knights pressured the NA goal in the remaining time.  Only a spectacular kick save by Holdcroft with five seconds left kept the game tied at 2-2 Norwin lead regulation time ran out.  The Knights outshot NA, 16-7, in the period.

Norwin opened the overtime period with a minute still left on Schwab's penalty.  The Tigers did a good job of killing off the remaining time with the only good chance coming on a shot from the left point by Stewart.  Although each team had four shots in the extra period, neither team was able to score.  NA finished the game with 35 shots on goal to 29 for Norwin.  For her efforts in the net, particularly late in the game, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Lindsay Holdcroft a the Player of the Game.

With the tie, the Tigers completed section play with a final record of 9-7-6.  NA has qualified for the playoffs but will open first round play next week on the road.  The date, opponent and time have not yet been decided.  As soon as the information is available, we will post it on the website.

Photo Gallery

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2  NORWIN - 2

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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LEWIS' OVERTIME GOAL BEATS
PENN-TRAFFORD, 4-3

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Senior forward Donny Lewis drove home a rebound just 28 seconds into overtime to give the Tigers an important 4-3 victory over Penn-Trafford at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Sunday night.  Junior forward Andrew Siess scored twice and senior forward Tyler Hagy once as NA broke a three-game losing streak.

Penn-Trafford got off to a quick start with B.J. Zagorac getting a good scoring chance just 25 seconds into the game, but NA junior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft made the stop.  The Tigers came back two minutes later when Siess was stopped by P-T goal Mike Cheswick from right in front of the goal.  At the 4:51 mark, freshman Jake Hubert skated down the right side and set up Siess who gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead with his first goal of the game.  Penn-Trafford applied offensive pressure over the next several minutes.  The pressure paid off when Kevin Fulton scored on a slap shot from the right point to tie the game with eight minutes remaining in the period.  Carlin Crombie had a chance from the left circle just a minute later, but Holdcroft made the save.  NA sophomore defenseman Ryan Stupy came back just 18 seconds later with a good chance that Cheswick had to stop.  With 4:20 left, Hagy drove a hard shot that Cheswick stopped, and senior forward Bo Schwab drove the rebound wide of the net.  Penn-Trafford counter-attacked and scored to take the lead when Dulemba scored from the left side with 4:00 remaining.  With 3:03 left, Stupy was sent off for high sticking giving the Warriors the first power play of the game.  Holdcroft had to make two tough saves to keep the game close as Penn-Trafford took a 2-1 lead to the first intermission.  The Warriors outshot NA, 12-10, in the period.

Early in the second period, senior forward Patrick Moynihan was stopped by Cheswick just 20 seconds into the stanza.  At the 35 second mark, Dan Maier was sent to the box giving NA their first man advantage of the game.  The Tigers had two good chances on the power play with Cheswick stopping senior captain Brady Waldschmidt's hard shot from the point early, and Hagy's attempt later.  P-T's Conlon Sodrosky got loose on a breakaway at the 3:47 mark, but Holdcroft came up big to make the save.  A minute later, Crombie got off a hard backhander from the slot that Holdcroft turned aside.  With 8:56 left, NA's junior forward Kevin Kelly was called for interference.  Early in the power play, Holdcroft made another good save on Maier.  Late in the power play, Lewis came close on a shorthanded attempt but missed the net.  With 3:51 left, Siess also shot wide of the goal.  Junior forward Tyler Wright followed with another attempt that Cheswick stopped.  With 2:53 on the second period clock, Holdcroft made a sparkling glove hand save to rob A.J. Swanstrom.  With 1:51 remaining, Kelly was sent off again giving the Warriors a power play for the remainder of the period.  The Tiger defense held off P-T and did not allow a good scoring chance as the period ended with the Warriors still holding the 2-1 advantage.  Penn-Trafford outshot NA, 12-5, in the period.

Early in the third period, the Warriors tried to add to their lead.  After Holdcroft stopped a shot by Maier at the end of the penalty to Kelly, P-T got off two more attempts that Holdcroft had to save to keep the game at 2-1.  The Tigers came back strong, however, to tie the game.  After Hubert was stopped by Cheswick with a hard shot from the slot, Siess put home a rebound on another Hubert shot to tie the contest at 2-2 at the 2:37 mark.  The Tiger continued to pressure the P-T goal with Waldschmidt hitting the cross-bar at the 4:31 mark.  Penn-Trafford came back to get off a pair of shots that Holdcroft had to stop in the next minute.  Kelly came down the left side on the next shift to get off a good attempt that Cheswick had to cover up.  With 9:42 left, Hagy drove a hard shot from the right circle that beat Cheswick and give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.  With 8:32 left, Kelly skated in from the left side and was stopped by Cheswick.  After the shot attempt, Kelly was called for interference giving the Warriors a chance to tie the game.  Early in the power play, Crombie had a chance from the left,  but Holdcroft was there to make the stop and hold the puck.  Later in the power play, Holdcroft robbed Dulemba from right in front of the goal as NA continued to hold the 3-2 lead.  With 4:24 left, Joey Boyer skated across the blue line and launched a hard slap shot that Holdcroft again stopped.  With 2:11 remaining, senior defenseman Cody Burdwood had a hard attempt kept out of the net by Cheswick.  With time running out, P-T Coach Brett Farrow pulled Cheswick.  The move paid off when captain Robbie Maier drove a hard shot that deflected into the net with just 13 seconds left to tie the game at 3-3.  Neither team scored in the remaining time and the game went to overtime.  P-T outshot NA, 11-9, in the final period.

Early in the overtime period, Stupy made a good defensive play to stop a P-T rush and send the puck back to the neutral zone.  Junior forward Jordan Beck sent it behind the net where was able to chase it down.  After Beck came around the right side and got off a shot, Lewis was there to send in the rebound and win the game just 28 seconds into the overtime period.

It was a key win for the Tigers who played well for most of the game although being outshot 35-27.  Hubert picked up a pair of assists and Holdcroft was key in making 32 saves during the contest.  For his effort in scoring a pair of goals, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Andrew Siess as the Player of the Game.

With the win, the NA record in PIHL play improved to 9-7-5.  The Tigers have qualified for the PIHL playoffs that will start next week.  NA will conclude the regular season tomorrow night when they host Norwin at Bladerunners.  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.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 4  PENN-TRAFFORD - 3

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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SHALER'S LATE GOALS SINK TIGERS, 7-3

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Shaler broke a 3-3 tie when Zac Lynch scored on a backhander with 8:35 remaining as the Titans went on to a 7-3 victory over NA at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Tuesday night.  Junior forward Jordan Beck had tied the game earlier in the period on a pass from senior forward Donny Lewis.  Shaler scored four shorthanded goals on their way to the win.  Tiger captain Brady Waldschmidt assisted on all three NA goals.

Special teams got into action early in the physical contest.  Shaler's Patrick Schafer was sent off for tripping at the 2:15 mark.  Waldschmidt and senior forward Bo Schwab had chances during the power play but shot wide.  Twenty seconds after the power play expired, junior defenseman Matt Ogle went to the box.  NA junior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft made two good saves, and freshman defenseman Dalton Landman was able to clear a pair of rebounds to keep the game scoreless early in the man advantage.  With 8:11 left, Landman and freshman forward Jake Hubert were both sent off giving Shaler a 5-on-3 power play for an entire two minutes.  Again Holdcroft came up big stopping two good chances with Shane Shiring getting the best opportunity.  Beck was able to block a shot from the right point late in the power play and sent the puck out of danger.  With 5:37 left, Lynch took a rebound of an NA shot and skated coast-to-coast only to be stopped by Holdcroft.  With 4:25 remaining, Holdcroft made another good stop.  After Shaler's Billy Dobson was called for holding with 1:32 left in the period, Lynch was called for slashing with 42 seconds remaining.  The Tigers took advantage of the two-man advantage when Lewis scored from right in front of the goal as time ran out in the period.  NA took a 1-0 lead into the second period as NA outshot Shaler, 6-5, in the stanza.

The Tigers were unable to score in the remaining time on the man advantage early in the period.  Junior forward Andrew Siess had a chance at the 2:46 mark but Shaler goalie Oscar Prom made a good glove hand save.  Shaler's Dillon Burkarth was sent to the box with 7:52 left and the Tigers made Shaler pay again.  After Waldschmidt had two hard shots from the right point blocked on the way to the goal, the third chance was tipped in by senior forward Brian Nimmo to give the Tigers at 2-0 lead with 6:25 left in the period.  The Titans got a power play midway through the period when senior forward Patrick Moynihan was called for roughing with 5:39 remaining.  Once again, Holdcroft had to make a pair of saves on Lynch and Schafer to keep NA on top.  With the Titans' Tyler Schreiber in the box, Beck hit the right post with the puck stopping in the crease before Prom could cover up.  With Shaler shorthanded, Lynch made a great individual play as he took the puck behind the NA goal and scored on a wraparound to put the Titans on the board with 1:31 left.  It took Shaler only ten seconds to score again shorthanded and tie the game as Schafer skated in alone.  Holdcroft made the initial save, but Schafer poked in his own rebound to tie the game at 2-2 with 1:21 on the clock.  With 42 seconds left, Sean McCue had another shorthanded chance but Holdcroft was there to stop the shot.  The teams went to the second intermission tied at 2-2 as NA had a 9-8 advantage in shots on goal in the period.

Early in the period, the Titans had a chance to take the lead when Billy Dobson skated in from the right side but was stopped by Holdcroft.  At the 2:02 mark, Holdcroft came out of the net but was beaten to the puck by Shiring who slid it into the goal to give the Titans a 3-2 lead.  Shaler's Drew Martz sent a hard shot toward the goal at the 3:20 mark that Holdcroft stopped.  At the 4:01 mark, junior Eric Barger was called for tripping and eight seconds later Shaler's Piskurich joined him in the box.  With the teams playing 4-on-4, Waldschmidt drove a hard shot from the right point that Prom had to glove.  At the 4:53 mark, Lewis skated down the right side and set up Beck in front of the net where the NA junior was able to beat Prom and tie the game at 3-3.  With time still remaining on the Shaler penalty, Lynch blocked a shot from the point, got the rebound and skated in alone to beat Holdcroft with a shot high into the corner of the net.  The Titans took a 4-3 lead with 8:55 remaining.  It was the third shorthanded goal of the game by Shaler and they were not finished.  After Waldschmidt was stopped again by Prom, Shaler defenseman Tim Mooney was sent off for tripping with 5:44 left.  Once again, it was Shaler scoring their fourth shorthanded goal when Shiring skated in from the right side and blasted the puck into the net to put the Titans on top, 5-3, with 4:14 left.  Lynch completed his hat trick by stealing the puck and scoring on a backhander from the slot to put Shaler up, 6-3, with 3:17 left.  Lewis had a good chance from the right side with 2:52 left, but his shot just missed the corner of the Shaler net.  After senior forward Tyler Hagy was called for cross checking with 2:25 remaining, McCue got a power play goal from the left side to complete the scoring as Shaler took a 7-3 lead with just 1:50 on the clock.  Landman was called for roughing with just six seconds left as Shaler skated out the final time to post the come from behind 7-3 victory.  In the final period, the Titans outshot NA, 12-5, to record a 25-20 edge in shots for the game.

It was another good effort by the Tigers who were able to lead the game until late in the second period before Shaler picked up the shorthanded goals to tie the contest.  For his efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Donny Lewis as the NA Player of the Game.

With the loss, the NA record fell to 8-7-5 in PIHL play.  The Tigers will host Penn-Trafford on Sunday night in a game that was postponed from earlier in the season.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:45 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 8:00 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
SHALER - 7  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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SENECA VALLEY STOPS TIGERS, 5-0

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The Seneca Valley Raiders scored four second period goals on their way to a 5-0 victory over the Tigers at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Tuesday night.  Seneca outshot NA, 21-17, as they downed the Tigers in a key PIHL contest.

Both teams came out defensively in the first period.  Early in the period, the Raiders came in on a 2-on-1, but a good defensive play by junior defenseman Ryan Stupy broke up the attempted shot.  At the 3:18 mark, senior forward Tyler Hagy tried a wraparound from behind the Seneca goal, but SV goalie Ryan Schuette was able to make the save.  A minute later, senior forward Donny Lewis tried to set up an open senior forward Thomas Gillespie in front of the net, but the pass was just too long.  With 9:42 left, senior forward Bo Schwab had a chance but shot wide of the net.  Less than a minute later, freshman Jake Hubert sent a shot toward the SV goal that Schuette had to stop.  Later in the period, the Raiders mounted some offensive pressure.  A good defensive play by junior defenseman Tyler Wright stopped a potential Raider scoring threat with 5:01 left.  The Raiders' Erik Larson shot wide of the Tiger goal with 3:25 left.  With 2:01 left, Gillespie shot wide of the Seneca goal as the game remained scoreless.  In the last 20 seconds of the period, junior defenseman Matt Ogle made sure that Seneca did not get off a shot with three hard checks along the left wing boards.  The teams went to the first intermission scoreless with NA outshooting SV, 5-3.

Early in the second period, penalties got the Tigers in trouble.  After senior forward Patrick Moynihan was sent off just 12 seconds into the game, Lewis joined him in the box at the 1:35 mark.  Early in the first penalty, NA captain Brady Waldschmidt drove a hard shot from just inside the blue line that Schuette stopped.  Tiger junior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft made two tough saves to keep Seneca off the board, but the Raiders finally made NA pay as SV captain Michael Rohm took an errant clearing pass, cut across the middle, and beat  Holdcroft to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead with just 4 seconds left on the two-man advantage.  The goal energized the Raiders and Holdcroft had to make another good save at the 4:25 mark.  The Tigers came back, however, just over a minute later, but SV defenseman Tayler Wagner made a strong defensive play to prevent an NA shot.  The Raiders' Sean Sokolowski was sent to the box at the 5:04 mark to give NA their first power play of the game.  The best scoring chance came when Moynihan drove a hard shot just over the SV net from right in front of the goal.  Later in the power play, Waldschmidt sent a hard shot from the left point that Schuette had to stop.  Seconds after the power play expired, Schwab had a great chance from point blank range, but Schuette somehow came up with the puck.  From this point on, the Raiders dominated.  With 6:13 remaining, the Raiders Sam Jarrett took a pass at the left post and sent it into the net to give Seneca a 2-0 lead.  With 5:26 left, Holdcroft made a spectacular save to keep the game at a two-goal Raider lead.  Waldschmidt came back a minute later with another long attempt from the blue line that Schuette stopped.  With 1:44 left, the puck came free of the Raider zone after some NA offensive pressure.  Tyler Mesisca picked up the loose puck at center ice and skated in alone to score the third SV goal with 1:44 left in the period to make it 3-0.  Holdcroft came up big again after a big scramble in front of the NA net with 1:11 left.  Seconds later, Larson was able to score from right in front of the NA goal to give the Raiders a 4-0 advantage.  The period ended with Seneca Valley holding a commanding four-goal lead after two periods.  In the second period, the Raiders outshot NA, 12-5.

NA coach Jim Black sent in freshman goalie Matt Goda at the beginning of the period.  Early in the stanza, the Tigers came close to scoring with both Waldschmidt and Lewis getting off good shots that Schuette had to stop.    After the scoring chances, the pace slowed as Seneca went into a defensive mode to protect the big lead.  With the Tigers pressing the attack, the Raiders were able to get another goal when Jarrett put home a rebound at the 3:54 mark as the score went to 5-0.  At the 4:27 mark, Waldschmidt again drove a hard shot from the point that Schuette stopped.  Mesisca had a chance at the 4:22 mark but shot wide of the NA net.  Less than a minute later, Hubert was stopped by Schuette.  The Seneca defense was able to hold off the Tigers for the remainder of the period as NA had few scoring chances.  A good defensive play by Wright stopped a Seneca rush with 4:20 left.  Sokolowski came in on a breakaway with late in the period, but shot wide.  Time finally ran out as Seneca Valley completed the shut out in a 5-0 victory.  NA outshot the Raiders, 7-6, in the third period.

In spite of the second period outburst, the Tigers played good defensive hockey for most of the contest.  For his efforts on the blue line, the North Allegheny Sports Network named junior Matt Ogle as the NA Player of the Game.

With the loss, the Tigers dropped to 8-6-5 in PIHL play while the Raiders improved to 10-5-4.  NA will host Shaler on Tuesday night in another important 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.

GAME SUMMARY
SENECA VALLEY - 5  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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McDOWELL BLANKS TIGERS, 3-0

The Tigers traveled to the Erie Civic Center on Thursday night and were defeated by the McDowell Trojans, 3-0.  The Trojans scored in each of the three periods with goalie Jared Pickens stopping all 26 NA shots.  Alex Margraf scored twice for the winning Erie team.

Early in the first period, Margraf gave McDowell the lead for good with a goal at the 2:48 mark.  Margraf scored again in the second period at the 8:03 mark to extend the lead to 2-0.  Shane Reese added the final goal in the third period as McDowell defeated NA for the second time this season.

With the loss, the Tiger record in PIHL play dropped to 8-55 while McDowell improved to 7-6-3.  NA will meet Seneca Valley on Tuesday night in a key section contest 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.

GAME SUMMARY
McDOWELL - 3  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

WALDSCHMIDT'S HAT TRICK LEADS
TIGERS OVER ALTOONA, 8-2

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

Senior captain Brady Waldschmidt tallied three straight goals in the second period to pace NA to an 8-2 victory over Altoona on Senior Night on Friday night at Bladerunners in Warrendale.  Senior forward Brian Nimmo added a pair of goals and an assist.  Three more seniors scored for NA with forward Donny Lewis, forward Bo Schwab and forward Cody Burdwood all finding the net for the winning Tigers.

The Tigers started quickly and applied pressure on the Altoona defense early in the period.  Altoona goalie Patrick Jacobs was forced to make a tough save on a deflection just 1:25 into the contest.  At the 4:20 mark, freshman forward Jake Hubert broke in alone but shot wide of the Mountain Lion net.  With 8:30 remaining, sophomore forward Ryan Worsena made a nice move around the Altoona defense but Jacobs made the save.  Junior defenseman James Harper had a chance from the right point with 8:06 left, but Jacobs was there again.  After NA dominated play, it was Altoona that got on the board first as James Rossi broke in alone from the right side and scored to give the Mountain Lions a 1-0 lead with 7:46 remaining.  NA continued to apply pressure, however, with a shot by Waldschmidt from the blue line stopped by Jacobs seconds after the goal was scored.  With 7:23 remaining, Lewis and Waldschmidt sent a pair of shots that Jacobs was able to stop.  With 4:51 left, Nimmo was finally able to beat Jacobs with a high shot from the slot to tie the game at 1-1.  The Tigers had two more scoring chances with another long shot by Waldschmidt and a good attempt from the right side by junior Jordan Beck.  With 2:20 remaining, Altoona's Scott Burgmeier skated down the right side, but junior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft made the save.  On the ensuing faceoff, Julian Fazi took the puck in front of the net and scored to give Altoona 2-1 lead with 2:16 left.  The Mountain Lions had the only scoring chance late in the period, but Holdcroft was able to stop a hard shot by Shane Morgan from between the circles with 25 seconds left.  The period ended with Altoona holding the 2-1 advantage despite being outshot 15-6 by the Tigers.

Early in the second period, Waldschmidt skated down the right side and tied the game with his first goal with senior forward Thomas Gillespie getting the assist.  It took NA only 1:57 to tie the game at 2-2.  After Burdwood and Altoona's captain John Gearhart drew roughing calls for the first penalties of the game, junior Andrew Siess was called for holding to give the Mountain Lions the game's first power play.  After senior forward Patrick Moynihan came close to scoring shorthanded early in the Mountain Lion man advantage, Waldschmidt tallied his second goal with Lewis and Schwab picking up helpers as the Tigers took their first lead of the game on the shorthanded goal at the 3:10 mark.  Seconds after the Altoona penalty expired, Waldschmidt scored his third goal unassisted to give NA a 4-2 lead with 10:39 left in the period.  The three Waldschmidt goals were scored in a span of 2:24.  With 10:15 left, junior defensiveman Eric Barger was sent off giving Altoona another power play.  This time, the Mountain Lions controlled the puck, and Holdcroft had to made two good saves to keep the two-goal NA lead.  The Tigers came back after killing the penalty to score again with Schwab taking a pass from junior forward Kevin Kelly and beating Jacobs cleanly from the right side to give NA a 5-2 lead with 7:43 remaining.  Less than a minute later, Lewis skated out from behind the goal and drilled a hard shot over Jacob's shoulder as the lead went to 6-2.  The Tigers scored again 52 seconds later with Nimmo driving home a rebound for his second of the game on an assist from Gillespie as the Tigers increased the margin to 7-2.  With 4:14 left in the period, Altoona's Chad Murray was called for elbowing giving the Tigers their first power play.  The best NA chance came on a shot by senior defenseman Tyler Hagy from the right point but Jacobs made the save.  One second after Altoona killed off the penalty, Schwab was sent to the box for hooking giving the Mountain Lions yet another power play.  The NA penalty killers again shut down the potent Altoona attack as the Tigers took a 7-2 lead to the second intermission.  NA outshot Altoona, 13-5, in the period.

With the five-goal lead, the Tigers turned up the defensive pressure in the third period.  At the 2:06 mark, Burdwood was called for interference giving the Mountain Lions their fourth power play.  Once again, Holdcroft and the NA penalty killers kept Altoona off the board.  Seconds after killing off the penalty, Schwab got loose on a breakaway down the right side, but Jacobs robbed the NA senior with a sparkling glove hand save.  With 9:50 left, junior defenseman Ryan Stupy sent a hard drive from the right point that Jacobs had to stop.  With 8:55 left, Hagy was sent to the box after some confusion over the penalty call giving Altoona another power play.  Once again, the NA penalty killers were perfect to keep the 7-2 advantage.  In the remaining time, NA had two great scoring chances but hit the post on both shots.  Stupy drilled a hard shot from the blue line with 5:55 left, and Worsena found the right post with 3:12 remaining.  The Tigers added another goal with 2:56 left when Burdwood drove home a rebound with Nimmo picking up the assist.  With 1:37 left in the game, Harper was sent to the box, and Altoona finished the game on the power play.  The Mountain Lions were unable to score as the Tigers came home with the impressive 8-2 victory.  In the final period, NA outshot Altoona, 11-6.

The Tigers dominated the game outshooting the Mountain Lions, 39-17, for the game.  Holdccroft made 15 saves in holding Altoona to just two goals.  The Mountain Lions came into the game averaging just under five goals a game.  For his efforts, particularly the second period hat trick that gave NA the lead, the North Allegheny Sports Network named senior Brady Waldschmidt the Player of the Game.

With the win, the Tigers improved their PIHL record to 8-4-5 and moved to within one point of second place Seneca Valley.  NA will travel to Erie on Thursday night to meet the McDowell Trojans in an important section contest.  Game time at the Erie Civic Center is set for 8:15 pm.

Photo Gallery

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 8  ALTOONA - 2

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

TIGERS, LEBO BATTLE TO 3-3 TIE

The Tigers traveled to Mt. Lebanon on Monday night and finished with a 3-3 tie with the Blue Devils.  Junior forward Jordan Beck, freshman forward Jake Hubert, and senior forward Bo Schwab scored the Tiger goals.  Junior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft stopped 21 of 24 Lebo shots to preserve the tie.

The tie was the second in the last four games for NA as their PIHL record went to 7-4-5.  NA will host Altoona on Friday 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 7:45 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 8:00 pm.  It will be Senior Night when NA Seniors and their parents will be honored before the game.  Armstrong Utilities will also record the game for future broadcast.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

WALDSCHMIDT SCORES TWICE
FOR SOUTHWEST ALL-STARS

Thanks to the MSA Sports Network for the summary below.

PIHL CLASS AAA ALL-STAR GAME:

Southwest Conference 8 - Northeast Conference 7 in Overtime

The Southwest team overcame deficits of 5-1, 6-2, and 7-4 to defeat the Northeast 8-7 on a power play goal by Mount Lebanon’s Mike Rohm with 3:57 remaining in the first overtime period. After a tightly played 1st period that ended in a 1-1 tie, the Northeast scored four times in the first six minutes of the 2nd period to take a 5-1 lead. Jamesy Rossi from Altoona got the 1st of his 2 goals on the night just 1:39 in to start the flurry that was capped by Plum’s Vinnie Somma with a power play tip-in of his Plum teammate John Gratton’s slapper at the 5:59 mark of the 2nd frame. At that point the Northeast appeared to be very much in control, but the Southwest team kept chipping away. A pair of Southwest goals just thirty-nine seconds apart late in the 2nd period by Upper Saint Clair’s Theo Schnieders and North Allegheny’s Tyler Hagy made it 6-4 Northeast at the end of two. The Northeast got a power play goal from Rossi with 12:28 remaining in regulation to push the lead back up to three goals but from there, they would not score again, getting stoned the rest of the way by Wheeling Park net-minder Bryan Blawut. who made a handful of amazing saves to give his club the chance they needed to claw their way back into the game. North Allegheny’s Brady Waldschmidt got his second goal of the night, this one short-handed with 8:40 to play to start the comeback for the Southwest club. Brooks Behling’ 2nd goal of the night with 7:25 to play made it a one goal game before Canon-Mac’s Mario Dalesandro blasted home a loose puck in the slot with just :59 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into OT and set the stage for Rohm’s heroics.

SCORING SUMMARY:

1st Period:

NE: Zach Lynch (Andrew McCoy, Nick Michael) 3:29
SW: Brooks Behling (Theodore Schnieders) 14:17

2nd Period:

NE: Jamesy Rossi (Nick Michael) 1:39
NE: Charles Williams (Tom Svec, Andrew McCoy) 4:16
NE: Cam Beaury (Julain Fazi, Nick Michael) 5:25
NE: Vinnie Somma (John Gratton, Zach Piskurich) PPG 5:59
SW: Brady Waldschmidt (Thom Whetsel, Brian Barney) 6:29
NE: Andrew McCoy (Zach Lynch, Charles Williams) 11:04
SW: Theodore Schnieders (Unassisted) 16:49
SW: Tyler Hagy (Brady Waldschmidt, Brandon Bianco) 17:28

3rd Period:

NE: Jamesy Rossi (Julian Fazi, Cam Beaury) PPG 7:32
SW: Brady Waldschmidt (Bryan Esherick) SHG 8:40
SW: Brooks Behling (Theodore Schnieders, Bryan Esherick) 12:35
SW: Mario Dalesandro (Mike Rohm, Logan Pfeffer) 19:01

Overtime:

SW: Mike Rohm (Kyle Adams, Mario Dalesandro) 1:03

Shots On Goal:
Northeast: 8 – 13 –11 – 1 = 33
Southwest: 12 – 14 – 8 – 2 = 36

Power Play:
Northeast: 2 for 4
Soutwest: 1 for 3

Goaltenders:
Northeast:
Tony Laurito, 12 Shots , 11 Saves
Shane Leonzio, 14 Shots 11 Saves
Oscar Prom, 10 Shots, 6 Saves
Soutwest:
Lindsay Holdcroft, 8 Shots, 7 Saves
Dan Szymanski 13 Shots, 8 Saves
Bryan Blawut 12 Shots, 11 Saves

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

TIGERS, PINE-RICHLAND TIE,
3-3, IN OUTDOOR CONTEST

The Tigers had the lead twice, but Pine-Richland rallied to tie the game at the two neighborhood rivals battled to a 3-3 tie at North Park in the opening game of the PIHL Charity Series.  Junior forward Jordan Beck, junior defenseman James Harper, and junior defenseman Matt Ogle scored for the Tigers.

The Tigers scored early in the game when Beck scored his first goal of the season on an assist by sophomore forward Ryan Worsena as NA took a 1-0 lead just 1:52 into the contest.  The game came on a 2-on-1 break with Beck beating P-R goalie Dan Szymnanski over his right shoulder.  At the 12:24 mark, the Rams' Matthew Lohman was sent off for elbowing giving the Tigers their first power play of the game.  With only seconds remaining on the man advantage, Harper scored the power play goal with assists going to senior forwards Brady Waldschmidt and Donny Lewis.  Late in the period, P-R's Ryan Battin was able to take advantage of an NA misplay in the defensive zone and score an unassisted goal to tie the game at 1-1 with just 1:04 remaining.  The Tigers took a 2-1 advantage into the first intermission.  NA outshot PR, 13-8, in the opening stanza.

In the second period, junior forward Kevin Kelly drew a roughing call at the 11:35 mark giving Pine-Richland their first power play to tie the game at 2-2.  The Rams tied the game with a power play goal by Stephen Brooks with Ryan Hanahan and Toby Nehnevajsa earning the assists at the 9:49 mark.  With 6:49 remaining, Andrew Krall of the Rams was called for interference and the Tigers were able to score to tally another power play goal to give NA a 3-2 lead..  Ogle tied the game on an assist from beck with 5:23 remaining in the period.  Less than two minutes later, Hanahan got the equalizer on assists from Bryan Watt and Nolan Trombetta.  The second period ended with the teams tied at 3-3.  In the period, P-R outshot NA, 17-9.

The physical play picked up in the third period with both teams looking for the go ahead goal.  Both teams were able to check well to keep the game scoreless.  With 8:22  remaining, PR's Lohmann and the Tigers' Ogle were called for coincidental double minor roughing penalties.  With 5:45 remaining, Krall was sent off for tripping but the Tigers could not convert.  Regulation time ended with the game still tied at 3-3.  Shots in the third period favored the Rams, 8-3.

While neither team was able to muster much of an offensive attack in the overtime, Waldschmidt and Trombetta were sent off for roughing and slashing with 3:57 mark.  Later in the period, senior defenseman Tyler Hagy was called for holding and Trombetta for a retaliation roughing call with just 25 seconds left.  The overtime period ended with no scoring as the teams finished in a 3-3 tie.  NA had the only two shots in the extra period.  Total shots for the game saw the Rams with 31 and the Tigers with 27.

It was a hard fought game in front of a large crowd that helped generate funds for the Susan B. Koman fund for the cure of breast cancer.  Commemorative T-shirts are still available for sale at $10 each.  Please contact Julia Hagy at julia.hagy@comcast.net.

With the tie, the NA overall record went to 7-4-4 on the season.  The Tigers will travel to Mt. Lebanon on Monday night to meet the Blue Devils in a 9:10 contest.

Click here to listen to a replay of the MSA Broadcast!

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

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  PINE-RICHLAND - 3

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

TIGERS CRUSH NORTH HILLS, 6-0

Senior forward Donny Lewis marked his return to the ice with two goals and an assist to lead the Tigers to an easy 6-0 victory over rival North Hills at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Tuesday night.  Also scoring for the Tigers were senior defenseman Tyler Hagy, sophomore forward Ryan Worsena, senior forward Patrick Moynihan, and senior forward Brian Nimmo.  Junior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft earned her second shutout of the season stopping all eleven North Hills shots.

After being extended to overtime by North Hills in an earlier game, the Tigers came out early determined to take control of the contest.  Senior captain Brady Waldschmidt set the tone for the game with a huge check at the 8:09 mark.  The Tigers' Bo Schwab was sent off for slashing seconds later, but the Tiger penalty killers did not allow NH any good scoring chances.  With 6:31 remaining, Hagy picked off an Indian clearing pass but has his shot from the blue line stopped by NH goalie Michael Panza.  The Tigers had chances over the next several minutes as Lewis set up junior defenseman James Harper but Panza made the save with 5:45 remaining.  Less than a minute later, senior forward Thomas Gillespie took a pass from Lewis but again Panza was there to make the save.  With 5:15 remaining, Panza had to stop a hard shot from the point by sophomore defenseman Ryan Stupy.  The Indians came back after the ensuing faceoff when NH's Everett Lederer took the puck the length of the ice, but Holdcroft was there to stop the scoring chance.  With 4:37 left, Gillespie sent Waldschmidt in on goal, but his shot went over the net.  With 3:02 left, the Indians' Kevin Lubbert was sent off for tripping giving the Tigers their first power play.  It took NA only six seconds to convert with Hagy scoring on a slap shot from the blue line to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.  Moynihan and Lewis got the helpers on the goal.  With 1:41 remaining, Lederer drew a holding penalty.  Once again the Tigers made NH pay with Lewis scoring on assists from Waldschmidt and Hagy.  The Tigers took a 2-0 advantage to the first intermission.  NA held a 15-3 edge in shots in the opening stanza.

It did not take the Tigers long in the second period to extend the margin.  Lewis got his second of the game on a backhander with sophomore defenseman Tyler Wright and Schwab picking up assists just 39 seconds into the period.  The Tigers continued to pepper the NH goal with Moynihan and Harper getting scoring chances over the next several minutes.  After Holdcroft had to make a save with 12:59 left, senior Brian Nimmo tipped a shot by Stupy over the goal.  After junior forward Andrew Siess was stopped by Panza, the Indians came back with their first real scoring chance of the game.  Christopher Karis left a perfect drop pass to Derek Belke, but Holdcroft was able to make the save with 10:38 remaining in the period.  At the 10:00 mark, a tic-tac-toe passing play from Schwab to Lewis to Waldschmidt saw the Tiger captain shoot just wide of the NH net.  With 9:48 remaining, Waldschmidt was called for high sticking, but again the NA penalty killers did the job.  After the penalty was over, NA had a great scoring chance when Moynihan set up Hagy with a perfect cross-ice pass, but the NA senior defenseman had his shot clang off the post at the 6:51 mark.  With 6:25 left, Holdcroft had to make another good stop to keep the Indians off the board.  With 5:48 left, Harper was sent to the box for holding.  After Holdcroft swept the puck away from in front of the crease, Worsena was able to skate into the NH zone, stop and deke Panza to score an unassisted goal at the 3:44 mark as NA took a 4-0 lead.  The Tigers had another chance with 1:55 left, but Panza was able to make the stop of Ogle's shot.  The Tigers were able to add another goal just before the end of the period when the Tigers won the a faceoff in the NH end, and Moynihan was able to beat Panza with just 5 seconds on the clock.  Assists were given to senior defenseman Cody Burdwood and Ogle.  The Tigers took a commanding 5-0 advantage to the second intermission.  In the period, NA outshot NH, 11-4.

Early in the third period, the Indians had a chance after a giveaway in the NA zone, but the Tiger defense was able to clear the puck.  The Tigers scored again with Nimmo picking up the goal on assists to Gillespie and Schwab as the lead went to 6-0 at the 11:17 mark.  At this point, NH made a goalie change with Ryan Gayso coming in to replace Panza.  With 10:50 left, Moynihan was called for slashing.  The Indians had several scoring chances, but Holdcroft made a stick save on the first and NH shot wide on the second as the Tigers killed off yet another penalty.  With 6:36 left, junior forward Kevin Kelly sent a hard shot that was deflected over the NH net.  With 6:14 left, NH's John Prasko was sent to the box for holding.  Early in the power play, Harper left a drop pass for Waldschmidt, but his shot hit the side of the post.  Later in the power play, Hagy's attempt went wide of the goal.  With 3:45 remaining, Holdcroft had to make another good save after an NA turnover.  Coincidental minors were called with NH's Ben Grom sent off for cross-checking and Kelly for roughing.  The physical play continued as the game clock wound down.  With 41 seconds remaining, NH's Belke and NA's Worsena were sent off for roughing and hooking respectively.  Neither team scored in the remaining time as the Tigers took away a dominating 6-0 victory.  In the third period, NA outshot NH, 11-4, with the Tigers finsiheing with a total of 36 shots to eleven for the Indians.

It was a good win for the Tigers as they broke through to score six goals.  With the victory, the Tigers improved their PIHL record to 7-4-3 on the season.  NA will meet Pine-Richland tomorrow night at North Park in an important section contest.  The game is part of the PIHL's charity series with proceeds from the NA-Pine-Richland game going to the Susan G. Komen fund for the cure for breast cancer.  Game time at the North Park rink is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

(Once again, thanks to Julia Hagy for her efforts in getting the game info to the North Allegheny Sports Network in time for the morning summary!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 6  NORTH HILLS - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

TIGERS DROP 2-1 DECISION TO
CANON-McMILLAN

The Tigers traveled to Southpointe on Thursday night and lost a 2-1 decision to Canon-McMillan.  Senior defenseman Tyler Hagy scored the NA goal in the second period to tie the game only to see the Big Macs tally a power play goal in the third period to secure the victory.  Senior forwards Patrick Moynihan and Bo Schwab earned assists on the NA goal.

The Big Macs came out strong and grabbed an early lead.  Junior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft had to make a glove hand save just 22 seconds into the contest.  Canon-Mac kept the pressure on the NA goal and forced Holdcroft to make another tough save at the 12:32 mark.  The Big Macs finally got on the board when Brett Oldaker pickup up an errant NA clearing pass and scored with 11:49 remaining in the period to give Canon-Mac the 1-0 advantage.  After Holdcroft had to make another good save, the Tigers had a chance at the 11:10 mark when junior defenseman Matt Ogle sent a hard shot toward the C-M goal that was tipped just wide by junior forward Kevin Kelly.  With 10:20 remaining, Moynihan had an opportunity but was stopped by Big Mac goalie Ryan Palonis.  After Moynihan was stopped again by the C-M netminder, Moynihan and C-M's Alex Pihakas were sent off for high sticking.  An additional penalty to to Nilan Nagy for roughing at the 9:53 mark gave NA their first power play of the game.  After senior defenseman Cody Burdwood sent a shot wide of the goal, Big Mac Ian Lewis was also sent off for roughing to give NA a two-man advantage.  The Tigers had a number of opportunities but could not score.  Hagy sent a hard shot that was cleared by the C-M defense, senior captain Brady Waldschmidt had his shot deflected into the netting behind the C-M goal.  After Burdwood was stopped on another chance, sophomore forward Ryan Worsena was stopped by the C-M goalie.  After the power play, the Tigers kept the pressure on with shots by Ogle and junior forward Jordan Beck with senior forward Brian Nimmo stopped on a rebound attempt.  Waldschmidt was stopped again by Palonis at the 6:45 mark, but Holdcroft had to make a good save to keep the deficit at one.  With 2:22 remaining, freshman defenseman Dalton Landman was called for holding giving C-M their first power play.  With 2:05 left, Schwab cleared a Big Mac shot out of the offensive zone.  Once again, the NA penalty killers came up big with clears by Schwab and sophomore defenseman Ryan Stupy keeping the Big Macs off the board.  Although NA outshot C-M, 9-7, during the first period, the Big Macs took a 1-0 lead to the intermission.

Both teams had chances early in the second period but could not score.  Palonis had to come up big with a pair of saves just two minutes into the period while Holdcroft had to answer with a good stop with 12:50 left.  Kelly was called for high sticking at the 11:40 mark giving the Big Macs their second power play of the game.  After a shot hit the post, the Tigers were able to kill off the remainder of the penalty.  At the 9:03 mark, Nagy was sent off for hooling.  Seconds later, C-Ms Brad Stimmel joined Nagy in the box after a tripping call giving the Tigers a two-man advantage.  This time, the Tigers were able to make the Big Macs pay as Hagy tied the game at the 8:26 mark with Moynihan and Schwab earning the helpers.  With the game tied at 1-1, the Tigers continued to pressure the Canon Mac goal.  Palonis had to make saves on attempts by Moynihan, Worsena and Kelly with the last shot coming at the 3:59 mark of the period.  With 3:14 remaining, Waldschmidt was again stymied by Palonis who continued to stand tall with saves against Waldschmidt and Ogle.  With 1:00 minute left in the period, freshman forward Jake Hubert forced Palonis to make a big glove hand save.  With 34 seconds left, C-M's Matt Rivetti was called for slashing NA goalie Holdcroft, but Hagy picked up a roughing call to even the sides.  The second period ended with the game tied at 1-1.  NA outshot the Big Macs, 9-4, in the period.

Early in the third period, action went back and forth with neither side gaining an advantage.  At 13:42, Hubert had a chance but Palonis again made the save.  At the 12:40 mark, NA was called for too many men giving the Big Macs a power play.  Less than a minute later, Ogle was sent off for cross checking giving C-M a two-man advantage.  After an NA time out, the Big Macs were able to take the lead on a power play goal by Ryan Thomas with assists from Joe Mottiqua and Nagy.  One player came out of the box, but the NA penalty killers took care of the remainder of the 5-on-4 power play.  The penalties kept coming with Schwab and Mottiqua called for coincidental minors with 7:03 left.  Less than a minute later, Almasy was sent to the box for cross checking giving NA a late power play.  The Tigers came close to getting the equalizer, but Ogle's shot was stopped at the 5:03 mark and Hagy's attempt from the point forcing Palonis to make a tough kick save.  At 3:56 Holdcroft made a brilliant sprawling save to keep NA close at 2-1.  The Tigers could not score in the remaining time as Canon-McMillan survived with a 2-1 victory.  In the final period, C-M outshot NA, 8-7.  The Tigers finished with 25 shots to 19 for the Big Macs.

With the loss, the NA record dropped to 6-4-3 on the season.  The Tigers will host rival North Hills on Tuesday night at Bladerunners in Warrendale with game time set for 8:30 pm.  On Thursday night, the Tigers will meet Pine-Richland at North Park in the PIHL Outdoor Charity Series.  Proceeds will benefit the Susan G. Komen Fund for the cure of breast cancer.  Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

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

GAME SUMMARY
CANON-McMILLAN - 2  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

WALDSCHMIDT'S LATE GOAL
TIES SENECA VALLEY, 1-1

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

Senior captain Brady Waldschmidt scored a power play goal with just 1:49 remaining in regulation time to give NA a 1-1 tie with Seneca Valley at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Friday night.  Junior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft stopped 26 Raider shots to preserve the tie.

Early in the first period, Waldschmidt had a pair of scoring chances but sent the first over the goal and was stopped on the second by SV goalie Ryan Schutte.  At the 5:20 mark, the Raiders' Brandon Platt broke in from the left side, but was stopped by Holdcroft who made a sparkling glove hand save.  A minute later, Waldschmidt drove a hard shot off the cross bar.  The Raiders broke back on a 2-on-1 and Holdcroft had to make a diving save to keep the game scoreless.  With 7:32 remaining, junior forward Kevin Kelly was sent of for roughing.  The Raiders had two good scoring chances but Holdcroft made the saves.  Late in the power play, Sean Sokolowski was open in front of the NA pass, but the centering pass went just past his stick.  From this point on, the Raiders kept the pressure on the NA defense as they maintained possession of the puck in the NA zone for most of the remainder of the period.  Holdcroft made a good save on a shot by Tyler Rose with 2:58 left.  Less than a minute later, Waldschmidt was able to take the puck into the SV zone but was stopped again by Schutte.   With 46 seconds left, freshman forward Jake Hubert was called for tripping.  The Raiders did not score in the remaining time and the teams went to the first intermission still scoreless.

With the power play still in effect, Holdcroft had to make a good stop on a shot by SV defensemen Tayler Wagner just 15 seconds into the second period.  Derek Hathazy had another chance a minute later, but Holdcroft made the stop as NA successfully killed off the penalty.  At the 2:20 mark, the Raiders broke in on a 2-on-1 but could not get off a shot.  Seneca Valley kept the pressure on with Holdcroft making saves on shots by Sam Jarrett and Sokolowski over the next several minutes.  With 9:15 left, the Tigers finally got a scoring chance on a power play when senior forward Patrick Moynihan drove a shot toward the goal that Schuette saved, and the Raiders cleared the rebound from in front of the net.  SV successfully killed of the power play, but Michael Pietrandrea drew a tripping call with 5:35 remaining in the period.  This time, the Tigers pressured the Raider goal with junior defenseman Matt Ogle sending two hard shots from the right point that Schuette had to stop.  Twelve seconds after the Raiders killed off the penalty, Ogle was sent to the box for holding with 3:27 left.  The Raiders were able to convert with Erik Larson able to drive home a rebound from the left side that got over the shoulder of Holdcroft as Seneca took a 1-0 lead with 2:54 left in the period.  In the remaining time, the Tigers turned up the offensive pressure with Moynihan sending a hard shot from the point that Schuette turned aside.  Sophomore Ryan Stupy drove another hard shot from the right point with Wagner called for holding in front of the net with 1:43 left.  NA was unable to score on the power play as the Raiders took a 1-0 lead to the second intermission.

The Tigers came out strong early in the third period with Waldschmidt and senior defenseman Tyler Hagy both getting good chances that Schuette stopped.  The Raiders came back in the next several minutes with Pfeffer and Larson both being stopped by Holdcroft as the Raiders continued to hold the 1-0 advantage.  With 9:59 left, Kelly was called for holding, but Waldschmidt had the best scoring chance shorthanded.  After the Tigers killed off the penalty, they continued to control play.  Both Moynihan and Waldschmidt drove shots toward the net that were stopped.  Larson broke back on the left side for SV, but again Holdcroft was able to make a glove hand save.  With 6:15 remaining, Moynihan went to the box on a boarding call, but Kaleb Schwab evened things up a minute later as he was sent off for interference with 5:11 left.  The Tigers picked up the pressure with Kelly and Hubert keeping the puck in the SV defensive zone.  With 3:07 left, Wagner drew a high sticking penalty giving the Tigers a chance.  This time, NA made the Raiders pay.  Early in the power play, Moynihan and senior Bo Schwab had scoring chances but Schuette made the saves.  With 1:49 left, Waldschmidt drove a hard shot from the right point that beat Schuette cleanly into the upper right hand corner as the Tigers tied the game at 1-1.  Ogle and Schwab got the assists on the tying goal.  Late in the period, Jarrett had a good chance skating in from the right side but missed the net.  Neither team could score in the remaining time as the game went to overtime with the scored tied at 1-1.

Neither team played conservatively in the overtime period and there were a number of scoring chances.  Early in the period, Moynihan had an opportunity in front of the goal but was stopped by the SV goalie.  With 2:20 left, the Raider's Pfeffer sent a hard shot that Holdcroft stopped, and the NA defense was able to clear the rebound.  With 1:21 left, SV captain Michael Rohm was stopped by Holdcroft to keep the game deadlocked.  With 34 seconds left, Hagy drove a hard shot from the right side that Schuette had to cover up.  Jarrett had the game's final scoring chance with just seven seconds left but his shot from the left point was stopped by Holdcroft as time ran out.  The game ended in a hard-fought 1-1 tie.

It was another good defensive effort by the Tigers.  Early in the game, the Raiders had a territorial advantage, but as the game went on, NA came back to exert pressure.  Seneca Valley outshot, NA, 27-19, for the game with the Tigers earning an 8-6 advantage in the third period.  For his efforts at both ends of the rink, the North Allegheny Sports Network named senior Brady Waldschmidt as the Player of the Game.

With the tie, the NA record went to 6-3-3 in PIHL play, good for third place in Section 3.  The Tigers will travel to Southpointe on Thursday night to meet Canon-McMillan in a 7:20 pm contest.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 1  SENECA VALLEY - 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 2008-09 season.

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