North Allegheny Sports Network - 2009-10 Varsity Ice Hockey

The Tigers gave a great effort against a tough Canon-McMillan team in the first round of the PIHL Penguin Cup Class playoffs at the Ice-O-Plex at Southpointe on Thursday night, but the Big Macs were able to hold on for a 3-1 victory. Junior defenseman Eric Barger scored the NA goal with assists going to senior forward Kevin Kelly and junior forward Ryan Worsena. Senior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft made several key saves to keep the Tigers in the game.

After a scoreless first period, Zach McKown put the Big Macs on the board at the 5:27 mark of the second period. Early in the third period, Doug Harrison made it 2-0 with 9:07 remaining in the game. Barger's goal with 2:15 remaining cut the deficit to one. With Holdcroft pulled for an extra attacker, Joe Mottiqua put the game away with an empty net tally as the Big Macs held on for the victory. Canon-Mac outshot NA, 23-12, in the game.

The loss ended the NA season with a final record of 10-10-3. The Tigers made a great late season run winning seven of their final nine league games to earn a playoff spot. With the win, the Big Macs improved to 15-7-1 and will travel to State College next week for a quarterfinal matchup against the Little Lions.

The Tigers had little trouble with cellar dweller Hempfield as they dominated the Spartans, 8-2, at Bladerunners in Harmarville in the final game of the regular season. Freshman forward Joe Griffin posted a three-goal hat trick to lead NA with senior forward Kevin Kelly adding a pair of goals for the winning Tigers. Also scoring for NA were sophomore forward Mark Kennedy, junior forward John Mammay, and junior forward Ryan Worsena. Junior defenseman Eric Barger, senior forward Jordan Beck and Worsena recorded two assists each.

Sophomore goalie Matt Goda earned the win in net for the Tigers allowing just two goals while stopping 14 of 16 shots. NA outshot the Spartans, 39-16, in the game. NA finished with a final record of 10-9-3 including winning seven of their final nine games.

The Tigers battled Norwin throughout the contest and held a territorial edge for most of the evening but the Knights held on for a 2-1 victory at the Center Ice Arena in Delmont. NA outshot Norwin, 32-15, but could only manage a third period goal by sophomore Jake Hubert on assists from senior defenseman Matt Ogle and senior forward Andrew Siess.

Norwin scored in each of the first two periods to take a 2-0 lead into the final stanza. NA outshot Norwin, 11-3, in the third period but fell short by a goal. Senior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft continued to play well in the net for NA while the Norwin goaltending was outstanding throughout the game.

With the loss, the Tigers dropped to 9-9-3 on the season with just one game remaining. NA will travel to Bladerunners in Harmarville to meet Hempfield in the makeup of a game scheduled earlier in the season. Game time is scheduled for 8:30 pm.

It was Senior Night at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Tuesday night and the NA seniors came through with a huge 5-0 victory over Mt. Lebanon. Five different seniors scored --- defenseman Matt Ogle, forward Jordan Beck, forward Kevin Kelly, forward Tyler Wright, and forward James Harper --- to pace the Tigers to the victory. Senior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft stopped all 14 Blue Devil shots to earn her third shutout of the season.

With the Senior Night ceremonies concluded just moments before the start of the game, the Tigers came out flying with freshman Joe Griffin blasting a shot from the right side that Lebo goalie Travis Lisowski just kicked out at the last second. NA kept the puck in play and Griffin sent a pass to Ogle at the right point and the NA senior drilled it into the top left hand corner to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead just 37 seconds into the game. NA continued to pressure the Blue Devil goal with senior forward Andrew Siess and senior forward Keith Hoover both getting off good scoring chances at the 3:00 minute mark. A little over a minute later, sophomore defenseman Dalton Landman took the puck the length of the ice before being stopped by Lisowski. With 9:48 left, Kelly had a chance from the right side but again Lisowski was there. Lebo came back with some pressure with All-Star defenseman Will Hoeft drilling a hard shot from the left point that was turned aside by Holdcroft with 7:05 remaining in the period. Less than a minute later, sophomore forward Jake Hubert redirected a shot right on goal that Lisowski had to stop. With 3:50 left, junior defenseman Ryan Stupy drove a hard shot from just inside the blue line that Lisowski just got a piece of to keep it out of the net. With 2:42 remaining, Lebo's Steve Beuke was called for hooking as NA went on the game's first power play. It took only fourteen seconds to score as Landman lifted a shot from center point that Beck deflected into the net to give the Tigers a 2-0 advantage. Sophomore forward Josh King had a chance from the right side with 1:32 left but shot wide. Lebo controlled the puck in the last minute of play and Holdcroft had to make a good save with just one second left to preserve the 2-0 lead. NA outshot Mt. Lebanon, 8-5, in the opening period.

In the first minute of the second period, the Tigers again pressured the Lebo goal but could not score. At the 1:43 mark, Griffin was sent off for elbowing as Lebo went on their first power play of the game. The Blue Devils had a chance to get back in the game, but it was NA that got on the board during the Lebo man advantage. Freshman Cody Black blocked a Mt. Lebanon pass as the blue line and slipped the puck ahead to a breaking Kelly. The Tiger senior came in all alone, deked right, and lifted a backhander over the shoulder of Lisowski to give NA a 3-0 lead just 2:14 into the period. Kelly had another chance shorthanded but his shot from the right circle was caught by Lisowski. With 10:50 remaining, Lebo had two good scoring chances but Holdcroft stopped both attempts. The physical play picked up at this point as Jason Hartman came off the Lebo bench to spark the Blue Devils. Hartman had a good chance on a rebound but again Holdcroft was there to make a good save. With 7:40 left, Trevor Nelson hit the right post but the Tigers cleared the puck. With Terry Guttman of Mt. Lebanon in the box for cross checking, Nelson had a chance shorthanded but could not beat Holdcroft. NA had several good scoring chances but Ogle's shot from the right point was stopped by Lisowsky and junior defenseman Eric Barger's rebound attempt from the left side went wide of the goal. In the last minute of play, Lebo captain Mike Teta had his shot blocked away by Holdcroft with Bueke sending the rebound wide of the NA net. The period ended with the Tigers holding a 3-0 advantage. NA outshot Lebo, 12-4, in the period.

Any hopes that Mt. Lebanon had of getting back in the game ended quickly in the third period. Just 16 seconds into the period, Griffin found Wright wide open in front of the net and the Tiger senior sent it home to give NA a commanding 4-0 lead. Guttman answered with a long shot from the left point that Holdcroft sent into the corner with a blocker save at the 1:20 mark. Teta sent a shot wide just a minute later, and Lebo drove two more attempts at the NA goal but Holdcroft again made the stops. With 10:34 left, King skated in from the right side, but his backhander was stopped by Lisowsky. Thirty seconds later, Nelson stole the puck and came all alone on a breakaway, but Holdcroft turned aside his scoring chance. From this point on, the Tigers controlled the remainder of the game. Hoover sent a hard blast toward the Lebo goal that Lisowski had to stop. With 9:43 left, Stupy set up Harper in front of the net and the Tiger senior scored to make it a 5-0 game. With 8:21 remaining, Lebo's All-Star forward Doug Patrick got off a rolling shot that Holdcroft easily covered. Twenty-one seconds later, senior defenseman Ryan Mistick drove a shot from the point that Lisowski kept out of the goal. With 7:25 left, Ogle had another scoring chance but was stopped by the Lebo netminder. With 4:20 remaining, King had his attempt turned aside. With 1:41 left, a hard shot by Wright was stopped again by Lisowski. Time ran out as the Tigers completed the 5-0 victory. In the final period, NA outshot Lebo, 12-4, and finished with a 33-14 edge in shots on goal.

It was a good team victory for the Tigers as they continued their winning streak. With contributions from a number of players, it was difficult to name a Player of the Game. The North Allegheny Sports Network decided to select senior Matt Ogle for getting NA off to the good start and for his stellar defensive play throughout the game. With the win, NA improved to 9-8-3 on the season as they moved into second place in Section 2-AAA. The Tigers will complete the regular season with road games against Norwin on Thursday and Hempfield on Friday as they get ready for the PIHL playoffs next week.

Senior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft stopped 33 of 34 Canon-McMillan shots as the Tigers topped the Big Macs, 3-1, at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Tuesday night. NA got first period goals from junior defenseman Eric Barger and junior forward John Mammay to take an early 2-0 lead. After C-M scored in the second period, sophomore forward Josh King tallied an insurance goal early in the third period and the Tiger defense and Holdcroft held on for the key victory.

It was a measure of revenge for NA as they defeated the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last March. The Tigers control their own destiny with regard to the playoffs as they have moved into a tie for 9th place overall with the top twelve advancing. NA will play three games next week, the last week of the regular season in the PIHL. On Tuesday, it will be Mt. Lebanon at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Senior Night. Senior Night festivities are scheduled to begin at 7:45 pm. The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:35 pm. Game time is scheduled for 7:50 pm.

The Tigers traveled to Bladerunners in Harmarville on Monday night to meet Central Catholic in a key PIHL matchup. NA dominated the Vikings and came home with an important 6-1 victory to move into a playoff spot in the PIHL standings as of today. Six different Tigers scored as NA outshot CC, 35-14, in securing the victory.

The Tigers started quickly putting pressure on the Central defense. Early in the period at the 2:38 mark, sophomore defenseman Dalton Landman skating in and got off a hard shot from the slot that was turned aside by the CC goalie. The pressure paid off when sophomore forward Jake Hubert poked in a rebound on a shot from the point by junior defenseman Eric Barger. Senior defenseman Matt Ogle also assisted on the goal to give NA a 1-0 lead with 11:16 remaining. The Tigers continued to pressure the Vikings with good forecheckiing by freshman forward Connor Cash and junior forward Ryan Worsena. With 8:30 left, both sophomore forward Mark Kennedy and junior forward John Mammay had good attempts turned aside by the Viking netminder. With 6:30 left in the period, freshman Joe Griffin was sent off for interference, but the NA penalty killers kept Central off the board. With 4:14 left, senior defenseman Ryan Mistick gave NA a 2-0 lead on a slap shot from the point with Griffin picking up the helper. After Mammay was stopped on an attempt to stuff the puck in from behind the net, NA senior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft was forced to make a good save on a shot from the circle with 3:39 remaining. With 2:32 left, sophomore forward Josh King broke into the zone and sent a pass across in front of the net but just too far for Hubert. With 1:50 left, Griffin set up senior forward Jordan Beck, but his shot went wide of the net. Six seconds later, the Vikings broke back with a two-on-one but a good defensive play by Barger stopped the rush. With 1:05 left, Central was called for holding. NA could not score in the remaining time but took a 2-0 lead to the first intermission. NA outshot the Vikings, 8-4, in the period.

Early in the second period, Griffin almost converted with time running out on the power play but shot just high. Griffin had another chance seconds later but his attempt was stopped by the CC goalie. After Beck just missed high at the 10:45 mark, Central was called for hooking just twenty seconds later. The Tigers had a number of chances but could not convert on the power play. Kelly drove a hard shot from the point, Landman sent a cross ice pass to Griffin in the circle but his shot was stopped, and both senior forward Keith Hoover and senior forward James Harper had chances from a scrum in front of the net. Seconds after the penalty expired, the Tigers scored with senior forward Tyler Wright slamming in a rebound with Kelly and Beck assisting. NA now had a 3-0 lead with 8:19 left. The pressure by the Tigers continued with shots by Hubert and Kelly going wide of the goal with 7:30 remaining in the period. At 6:13, Hoover was called for tripping. Holdcroft had to make a good save early in the penalty to keep Central scoreless. Near the end of the penalty, the Tigers had a good chance shorthanded on a pass from Griffin to King, but the Central goalie made the save. With 3:40 left, the Tigers came close again as Hubert just missed after a good pass from Beck. A minute later, Holdcroft again had to make a good stop on a Central shot from in front of the goal. With 1:57 remaining, both Kelly and King had chances but could not score. The period ended with the Tigers holding a 3-0 advantage. NA outshot CC, 16-3, in the period.

Early in the third period, Kelly got loose on a breakaway but was stopped by the Central goaltender. Seven seconds later, the Vikings were called for interference. This time, NA made Central pay. After freshman forward Cody Black sent Landman in for a good scoring attempt, Barger scored on the rebound to extend the NA lead to 4-0 with 12:58 remaining. The Tigers added another goal just 26 seconds later when Hoover scored on yet another rebound with Landman and Harper earning assists on the goal as NA made it a 5-0 game. Less than a minute later, Holdcroft made a good save to keep Central scoreless. With 10:36 left, Hubert was sent off for elbowing. The Vikings did not score but Holdcroft was forced to make another tough save late in the penalty. With 6:17 remaining, the Vikings finally broke through with Nate Navarro scoring on an assist from Patrick Burke. The Tigers answered quickly when Cash got free on a breakaway and blasted the puck into the top left corner of the net to give NA a 6-1 lead with 5:55 left. Kelly was called for cross checkeing at the 5:22 mark, but Central was unable to score. With time running out, Central's Ian Haag drew an interference penalty and another two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct. The Tigers held the advantage for the remaining time but did not score again. NA outshot CC, 11-7, in the final period as they came away with the key 6-1 victory. Holdcroft stopped 13 of 14 Central shots to earn the victory in net.

With the win, the Tigers improved to 8-9-3 in PIHL play, good for 11th place in the overall standings with the top twelve teams qualifying for the playoffs. NA will host Canon-McMillan tonight at Bladerunners in Warrendale in a makeup game of a contest that was postponed during the recent winter storms. Game time is scheduled for 9:30 pm.

The Tigers shut out section rival Pine-Richland, 2-0, at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Friday night. Senior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft posted the shutout while junior defenseman Eric Barger and freshman forward Cody Black scored the NA goals. The Tiger special teams had a good night scoring a power play goal and also adding a shorthanded tally.

Early in the first period, senior forward Keith Hoover had the first good scoring chance but is shot was stopped by P-R goalie Dan Szymanski at the 2:10 mark. A minute later, sophomore forward Jake Hubert came back with an attempt from the right side but again Szymanski was there to make the save. At the 4:54 mark, the Raiders had a chance but were unable to get off a good shot in a scramble in front of the NA net. Less than a minute later, Holdcroft had to dive on the puck to stop a PR chance. With 9:14 remaining in the period, the Rams' Nelson Warner was sent off for tripping. Junior defenseman Ryan Stupy got off a strong shot from the point early in the man advantage but Syzmanski made the save and covered up. Later in the power play, sophomore defenseman Dalton Landman drilled a hard shot from just inside the blue line that Barger tipped into the net to give NA a 1-0 advantage with 7:13 left in the period. With 6:10 left, senior forward James Harper sent a backhander from the right side that Szymanski turned away. Senior defenseman Matt Ogle followed with another hard shot from the right point but Szymanski caught the puck on the fly and held on. With 5:34, senior forward Tyler Wright drove another strong attempt from the right side that Szymanski had to make a glove hand save to keep it out of the net as the Tigers kept the pressure on the Ram defense. After junior Josh King was stopped by the P-R goalie, King had to come back to make a good defensive play against the Rams' Braden Pitts to stop an attempted shot with 4:59 remaining. The Rams made a strong attempt to tie the score and got off three good shots led by Warner. On the last attempt, Holdcroft made a sliding kick save to keep the Tigers on top with 3:41 remaining in the period. With 2:;16 left, Scott McAliney was called for cross-checking. Hubert had the best scoring chance for NA but was stopped by Szymanski. With just 2.1 left, Pitts was sent to the box for charging. The Tigers took a 1-0 lead and a man advantage to the second period.

With the Tigers on the power play, Szymanski had to make two good saves on a shot by Barger from the slot and a defection by freshman forward Joe Griffin. Griffin came back with another hard shot but again was stopped by the Ram goalie as the power play ended. With 11:20 remaining, Holdcroft made a good blocker save to keep the Tigers in the lead. A minute later, Wright had several chances in front of the net but could not score. Seconds later at the 10:41 mark, Wright was called for delay of game giving P-R their first power play of the game. The Tiger defense held P-R to just one shot late in the power play in addition to getting a shorthanded scoring attempt by junior forward Ryan Worsena. With 8:25 left, Hubert set up Ogle in front of the net, but Szymanski continued to stymie the Tigers. With 7:42 remaining, John Willard of the Rams was called for tripping. The Tigers had several good chances again during the power play but strong shots by Landman and King were turned aside by Szymanski. With 5:09 left, Worsena was sent to the box. Early in the power play, the Rams' Ryan Hanahan had three chances but could not beat Holdcroft. Late in the power play, it was the Tigers who scored shorthanded. Stupy took advantage of a Ram change to send a long pass to Black who was open at the P-R blue line. Black's first attempt was stopped by Szymanski. On the rebound, several Tigers had chances before Black beat a diving Szymanski to give NA a 2-0 lead with 3:52 remaining in the period. The goal seemed to take some energy from the Rams as NA dominated the remainder of the period. Junior John Mammay stole the puck inside the P-R blue line but his hard shot missed the goal with 1:35 left. Senior captain and forward Kevin Kelly had a chance late in the period but his attempt missed the P-R net. After two period, the Tigers held a 2-0 lead.

Early in the third period, the Rams threatened to cut the lead in half, but Holdcroft made a tough save on a hard shot by Tyler Mikita just 25 seconds into the period. At the 1:26 mark, Stephen Brooks was sent to the bin for tripping. The Tigers came close to adding another goal when Hubert sent a puck off the right post. Hubert had another good chance later in the power play, but Szymanski was there for the save. At the 3:57 mark, Hoover stole the puck and got off a good shot that was blocked by the P-R netminder. Less than a minute later, Mammay got two scoring chances but could not beat Szymanski. With 9:41 remaining, Griffin sent a long shot in from center point but Szymanski made the catch and held on. The Tigers slowed the pace of the game content to send the puck in and defend. With 4:34 remaining, King stole the puck but could not score. A minute later, Kelly had another chance but was stopped by Szymanski. With 3:27 remaining, Landman was called for tripping giving the Rams a chance. Once again, the NA penalty killers did their job allowing just one shot by Hanahan that was stopped by Holdcroft. With 33.7 seconds left, Brooks was called for interference. The Rams' Drew Krall was also sent to the box as the P-R bench protested the call. Time ran out as the Tigers completed the important victory to take the season series from the Rams, two games to none.

For his efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Dalton Landman as the Player of the Game. With the win, the NA record improved to 6-8-3 in PIHL play and moved them into a tie for the 12th and final playoff spot with Penn-Trafford. The Tigers will travel to Bladerunners in Harmarville on Monday night to meet Central Catholic in another key PIHL contest. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

Seven different Tigers scored goals as NA rolled over Fox Chapel, 7-1, at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Tuesday night. Junior forward Ryan Worsena scored a key goal in the first period as the Tigers took a 4-1 lead and control of the game. Also scoring in the first period were senior defenseman Matt Ogle, senior forward Andrew Siess and sophomore defenseman Dalton Landman.

The Tigers almost scored off the opening faceoff when sophomore Josh King sent a hard shot just wide of the goal from the left side. A minute later, King came in from the right side but missed the goal again. NA did take the early 1-0 lead when senior Jordan Beck skated in from the right side and dropped a pass to Ogle who pushed it into the corner of the net at the 1:44 mark. At the 2:40 mark, freshman Cody Black had a chance but could not quite get a stick on the puck with an open net in front of him. Senior forward Kevin Kelly followed with another hard shot wide of the goal. Fox Chapel came back with a pair of shots that were stopped by senior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft. With 9:20 left, Kelly sent another blast wide of the FC net. With the Tigers shorthanded at the 7:30 mark, freshman Joe Griffin broke in alone but Fox Chapel goalie Zack Eisenfeld was able to poke the puck off his stick. The Foxes came back to apply pressure on the power play but Holdcroft was able to made the saves. The Tigers made it a 2-0 game with a power play goal by Siess from the left circle with Worsena picking up an assist at the 9:16 mark. Twenty-five seconds later, senior forward Keith Hoover came down the right side and fed a perfect pass to Landman who sent it into the net. It was a 3-0 NA lead with 5:49 left in the period. With 3:58 left, Eisenfeld had to make a good save to stop Black from scoring. With 2:55 remaining, senior forward James Harper deflected a shot just wide of the goal. The Foxes were able to score with 1:24 left when a pass from the corner was deflected into the net to cut the lead to 3-1. It did not take long for the Tigers to answer. After Worsena had a shot blocked and sent out toward the point, the puck came back to the NA junior and he buried it into the net with a turning shot. The Tigers took a commanding 4-1 advantage into the first intermission.

Early in the second period, FC's Emery Feldman had a chance but Holdcroft turned his shot away. The Tigers came back with two good scoring chances, one by Hoover and the second by junior John Mammay but Eisenfeld was there to make the stops. At the 2:00 minute mark, Holdcroft stood tall on a hard shot by Jacob Friedland and a rebound attempt by Bryan Hovanec to keep the three-goal margin. After Kelly shot wide, the Tigers pressured the FC goal with the best chance coming on attempts by Ogle and Siess. At the 4:58 mark, Stupy drove a hard shot from the left point that made its way into the net to give the Tigers a 5-1 lead. The Tigers continued to work hard in the offensive zone with freshman forward Joe Griffin driving a hard shot that Eisenfeld stopped. Hovanec came back for the Foxes at the 7:20 mark but again Holdcroft was there to make the save. With 6:53 remaining, Feldman sent another hard shot from the right point, but again Holdcroft made the shot and held on without giving up a rebound. Fox Chapel had a 5-on-3 advantage after penalties to Study and Barger, but Christian Wirginis picked up a holding call and was given two more minutes for disagreeing too strongly to the call. With 2:42 left and NA on the power play, Study set up senior Jordan Beck in front of the goal and the NA senior deposited the puck behind Eisenfeld to give the Tigers a 6-1 lead. With 1:35 left in the period, King had another good chance but was stopped by the FC goalie. With 1:20 remaining, Hovanec broke in shorthanded but Holdcroft made the save. The period ended with the Tigers holding a 6-1 lead.

Early in the third period, sophomore Jake Hubert had a tough shot stopped by Eisenfeld at the 1:30 mark. Ogle got off another good attempt from the right point a minute later but again Eisenfeld was there. At the 2:40 mark of the period, Mammay took advantage of a FC turnover by sending the puck high over the shoulder of Eisenfeld to give NA a 7-1 lead. The Tigers had a two-man advantage later in the period when Andrew Fenn and Will Lorenz were sent to the box. NA had several good chances by Hubert and Ogle but could not score. With the Tigers protecting the lead, Fox Chapel's Wirginis had a good scoring chance but once again Holdcroft made the stop. With 4:10 remaining, Friedland drilled a shot off the cross bar. With 1:48 remaining, Holdcroft blocked a shot by Vincent Susi into the corner. Finally with 30 seconds left, Holdcroft stopped Wirginis again as time was running out. The Tigers celebrated a well-played 7-1 victory to move back into playoff contention.

With the win, the Tigers improved to 5-8-3 on the season in PIHL play. At the current time, NA is tied with two other teams for the final playoff spot as the top 12 teams qualify for post-season play. The Tigers will host section rival Pine-Richland 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 5:45 pm. Game time is set for 6:00 pm.

The Tigers traveled to Wheeling on Thursday night and were defeated by the Patriots, 4-1, in a PIHL contest. Geno Catalano scored three goals and Bryan Blawut stopped 37 Tiger shots to lead Wheeling Park to the victory. Freshman forward Cody Black scored the only NA goal with senior forward Kevin Kelly and junior forward Ryan Worsena earning assists.

The loss dropped the NA record in PIHL play to 4-8-3 on the season. The Tigers will travel to Hempfield on Thursday night to meet the Spartans. Game time is scheduled for 6:30 pm.

Junior defenseman Eric Barger scored with 6:39 remaining to give the Tigers a 5-4 victory over section rival Pine-Richland at the North Park Outdoor Rink on Monday night. Senior forward Andrew Siess scored twice for the Tigers with senior forward Kevin Kelly and junior defenseman Ryan Stupy adding goals for the winning Tigers.

The Tigers took an early lead on a power play goal just 3:07 into the contest. Working the puck well in the offensive zone, Siess was able to score with assists going to junior forward Ryan Worsena and sophomore defenseman Dalton Landman. It did not take long for the Rams to answer as Nolan Trombetta tied the game twelve seconds later on assists from Bryan Watt and Ryan Hanahan. A little over a minute later, the Tigers regained the lead on another power play goal. It was Siess scoring again to make it a 2-1 NA lead with senior forward Tyler Wright and Landman picking up assists on the goal. With 6:09 remaining in the period, Stupy drilled a slap shot into the net on an assist from senior defenseman Matt Ogle to give the Tigers a 3-1 advantage. Late in the period, Hanahan cut the lead to one as he scored on assists from Trombetta and Drew Krall. The period ended with NA holding a 3-2 lead.

Snow started falling as the second period began. The Rams were able to tie the score at 3-3 on a power play goal by Hanahan, his second goal of the game at the 3:03 mark. With 9:24 left in the period, Kelly stole the puck at the blue line and scored on a breakaway to give the lead back to the Tigers, 4-3. Neither team could score in the remaining time in the period as NA took the one-goal lead into the final period.

Once again, the Rams were able to tie the game with a power play goal with Trombetta getting the score with an assist going to Watt at the 5:08 mark. With 6:39 remaining in the game, Barger was able to send home a rebound of a shot by Kelly in what proved to be the game winner. The Rams did not have an answer as the Tigers held on for the 5-4 victory. North Allegheny outshot the Rams, 23-22, in the game.

With the win, the NA record improved to 4-7-3 in PIHL play. The Tigers are now just one point out of third place and two points away from second as the season enters the stretch drive. Next up for the Tigers will be a trip to Wheeling Park next Thursday for a 6:30 pm contest.

The McDowell Trojans traveled to Warrendale on Tuesday night and defeated the Tigers, 3-2, in a key Section 2 contest. The Trojans' Gus Martin scored the game winner with 10 seconds remaining in the game. Freshman forward Cody Black and senior forward Andrew Siess scored the NA goals.

After a scoreless first period, Alex Margraff gave McDowell a 1-0 lead at the 4:29 mark of the second period with a power play goal. The Tigers rallied behind Black and Siess to take a 2-1 lead after two periods. With 47 seconds remaining, Black scored on assists from senior defenseman Matt Ogle and junior defenseman Eric Barger. With 14 seconds left in the period, Siess gave NA the lead with senior forward Tyler Wright picking up the assist.

Sean Perhacs tied the game at 2-2 at the 10:16 mark of the third period with Martin and Ryan Chiffon earning helpers. Martin go the game winner with an unassisted power play goal.

The loss dropped the NA record to 3-7-3 in PIHL play. The Tigers will meet Pine-Richland on Monday night at North Park with game time scheduled for 7:00 pm. Proceeds from the game will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure of breast cancer.

The Tigers will compete again in the PIHL in Class AAA along with 18 other teams. NA has been again placed in Section 2-AAA for the 2009-10 season.

SECTION 1	SECTION 2	SECTION 3	SECTION 4
Bethel Park	NORTH ALLEGHENY	Fox Chapel	Gateway
Canon McMillan	McDowell	Plum	Hempfield
Mt. Lebanon	North Hills	Pgh. Central Catholic	Norwin
Upper St. Clair	Pine Richland	Shaler	Penn Trafford
Wheeling Park	Seneca Valley	-	State College

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