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GAME SUMMARIES

GRIFFIN'S TWO GOALS LIFTS NA OVER PLUM, 3-1

Sophomore Joe Griffin sparked North Allegheny with two goals to help the Tigers to a 3-1 win over the Plum Mustangs in the first round of the Penguins Cup PIHL playoffs.  Griffin tallied the first goal on a backhand shot just over three minutes into the game to give North Allegheny a 1-0 lead.  With only a minute left in the opening stanza, Griffin scored again on a shot that was deflected on its way in by a Plum defender to increase the Tigers advantage to 2-0.  For his big first period goals, Griffin was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

Early in the second period, junior Jake Hubert gave NA a 3-0 lead by pushing the puck past Plum goalie Taylor Cestra with 12:15 on the clock.  Behind back-up goaltender Tyler Kuhn who got his first start, the Tigers kept the Mustangs off the board until under a minute to go.  With 43 seconds left in the game, Plum scored their lone goal on a power play slap shot by Jason Pastucha to bring the final score to 3-1.  Kuhn made 13 saves as the NA defense allowed only 14 shots on goal.

While the Mustangs were able to use their power play to great success in a preliminary round win over Mt. Lebanon and a previous victory over North Allegheny on March 1, this time the Tigers avoided any careless penalties and prevented Plum’s thoroughbred scorers from tickling the back of the net.  Plum ends the season with a 8-12-2 record.  North Allegheny improves to 13-6-2 and advances to play Upper St. Clair at the Ice Castle in Castle Shannon on Wednesday night.  NA is looking to avenge a 5-1 defeat to the Panthers on January 7.  All the action of the Tigers-Panthers quarterfinal contest will be broadcast live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network.         

SCORING SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  PLUM - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS TO HOST PLUM IN FIRST ROUND
OF PIHL PLAYOFFS

For the third time this season, the North Allegheny Ice Hockey team will square off against the Plum Mustangs.  Winners of Sunday night’s preliminary round game over Mt. Lebanon, the 12^th seeded Mustangs earned the right to play the Tigers again in the PIHL first round on Tuesday.  In a see-saw game at the Rostraver Ice Gardens, Plum defeated Mt. Lebanon 5-4 in overtime as the Mustangs Tyler Galanis scored the game winning goal on the first shot of the extra period.

In their previous meetings, North Allegheny (12-6-2) and Plum (8-11-2) split the two contests.  The Tigers picked up a 2-1 win at Plum on Valentine’s Day, while the Mustangs returned the favor with a 5-3 win over NA at the Airport Ice Arena last week.  The all important rubber match of this season series will be played at 8:00 pm on Tuesday night at the Bladerunners complex in Warrendale.  All the action will be carried live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network.

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TIGERS GET 5th SEED
FOLLOWING UPPER ST. CLAIR WIN

As result of Upper St. Clair’s 9-2 victory over Penn-Trafford on Friday night, the North Allegheny Ice Hockey Team will play a first round game in the PIHL playoffs.  The Panthers seized the fourth-seed in the upcoming playoffs and the final available first round bye.  The top four seeds in the PIHL playoffs all receive first round byes.  North Allegheny, winners of Section-2 with a record of 12-6-2, will open the playoffs at home on Tuesday night at 9:30 pm.  NA will face the winner of Sunday night's preliminary round game between Plum and Mt. Lebanon.    

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McDOWELL THROWS WRENCH INTO NA'S PLANS
FOR FIRST ROUND BYE

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NA FALLS TO PLUM, 5-3

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                NA EDGES PLUM 2-1 ON ROAD

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                TIGERS TAKE DOWN SHALER 3-2

North Allegheny ended a brief two game winless skid with a 3-2 defeat of the Shaler Titans on Tuesday night.  The Tigers and Titans skated evenly in the first period with the game remaining scoreless at 0-0.  Shots on goal were nearly identical in the opening period as NA held a one shot edge, 10-9.

The first goal of the game came off the blade of Josh King, whose shot found the back of the Shaler net just 1:28 into the second period.  The Tigers took a 2-0 lead when Ryan Worsena scored his team best 12th goal of the season with 10:47 remaining in the period.  Shaler quickly rallied with a goal of their own just 16 seconds later to make the score 2-1, Tigers.  The Titans' Dalton Shuring netted the Shaler goal, the first of two on the night for Shuring.

Midway through the third period in a tight game, North Allegheny took a big two goal lead on a Joe Griffin tally with 6:41 to play in the contest.  With the score 3-1, a late power play allowed Shuring to score again and bring Shaler to within one goal at 3-2.  NA goalie Matt Goda made sure the lead would stand, saving 22 of 24 shots on the night.  While shots on goal were even early, the Tigers dictated the flow of the game in the second and third periods, out shooting the Titans 45-24.

North Allegheny improves to 11-4-2 on the season, holding a nine point lead in the Section-2 standings over second place Erie McDowell.  The Tigers will try to lock up a section crown when they visit Plum on Monday, February 14.  Opening face-off is scheduled for 9:00 pm.

SCORING SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3   SHALER - 2 

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   HEMPIELD EDGES NA IN PENALTY FILLED GAME

In a game marred by penalties, the Tigers fell to Hempfield on Tuesday night, 6-5.  The game was played under protest by North Allegheny Head Coach Jim Black.  The NA penalties proved costly as Hempfield would cash in three power plays goals, two in the third period.

Hempfield's Kyle Rosendale posted a hat trick in the game, scoring the game's first and final goals.  Rosendale's third goal, the game winner, came with just 1:49 remaining in the contest to give Hempfield the 6-5 victory. 

In a see-saw game, the Tigers were led by Joe Griffin's five point night.  The NA sophomore scored one goal and added four assists.  Junior Josh King posted two goals for North Allegheny, both of which came back-to-back in the second period to give the Tigers a 4-2 lead.

However, three straight power play goals put Hempfield in front at 5-4 early in the third period.  A bench minor penalty on the Tigers with 14:21 remaining in third period prompted Coach Black to play the remainder of the game under protest.  Unfortunately, the protest didn't keep Hempfield from scoring as Sam Bejster, and Anthony Ciocca followed with power play goals.  Ciocca's tally gave Hempfield a one goal lead with 12:03 remaining.  North Allegheny fought back to tie the game at 5-5 on a Dalton Landman goal with 6:46 to play.  That set the stage for Rosendale's hat trick and game winning goal nearly five minutes later.

The Tigers fall to 10-4-2 on the season and will host Shaler next Tuesday.  Hempfield improves to 4-7-1 and will play Seneca Valley on Thursday. 

SCORING SUMMARY
HEMPFIELD 6   NORTH ALLEGHENY 5 

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TIGERS TIE SENECA VALLEY 3-3 AT OUTDOOR CLASSIC

North Allegheny settled for a 3-3 tie with Seneca Valley on Friday night at the Outdoor Classic.  The North Park Ice Rink hosted a pair of games for the Outdoor Classic with the NA-Seneca Valley tilt being the second game of the twin bill.  The Tigers struck first in the contest when Dalton Landman scored late in the first period to give NA a 1-0 lead.  The lead was short lived however as Seneca Valley scored with just 12 seconds remaining in the period to tie the game at 1-1.  Luke Reed netted the Raiders goal to end the first period. 

Unfazed, the Tigers retook the lead quickly at the beginning of the second period.  John Mammay poked the puck past Seneca Valley goalie Michael Singel and NA was back in front 2-1.  As would be the trend in this game, the Raiders tied the score again midway through the second period.  Following a hooking penalty on the Tigers, Chad Parise scored a power play goal for Seneca Valley to knot things up at 2-2.  Just before the end of the period NA jumped ahead on a goal by Matt Neurohr to make the score 3-2, Tigers.

In the third period, an elbowing penalty on North Allegheny opened the door for another power play goal by the Raiders.  With 7:44 remaining in regulation, Noah Wallace pushed the puck in the Tigers' net and the game was tied at 3-3. 

The game would go to overtime where the Tigers put nine shots on net, but Singel turned North Allegheny away and the game ended in a 3-3 tie.  For the game, NA outshot Seneca Valley 51-23 but the Raiders' net minder single handedly held the Tigers at bay.   

North Allegheny's record is now 10-3-2.  Seneca Valley's record sits at 2-9-1.  The Tigers are back in action Tuesday night against Hempfield at the Warrendale BladeRunners.  The puck drops at 7:50 pm.   

SCORING SUMMARY

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TIGERS POWER PLAY CUTS DOWN KNIGHTS 4-1

To listen to an archived broadcast of the game, click here!

North Allegheny made Norwin pay for costly penalties, turning those infractions into goals as the Tigers power play cut down the Knights on Thursday night, 4-1. The PIHL Player of the Month for December, Ryan Worsena, tallied the game’s first goal at 11:34 of the first period to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.  The goal for Worsena was his 11^th of the season. 

Just under five minutes into the second period, Harry Kramer let go of a low line-drive shot near the blue line that found its way through traffic and into the Norwin net to increase the Tigers advantage to 2-0.  With Norwin reeling, the Knights committed three penalties later in the period in which they would pay a high price for.  Norwin senior Neil Stewart was hit with a penalty with 6:05 remaining in the second period.  About 20 seconds later, the Knights’ Joseph Demarchi was called for playing with a broken stick, another infraction, to give the Tigers a lengthy two-man advantage.  North Allegheny would not waste the opportunity as Eric Barger deflected the puck past Norwin goalie Scott Cromling to put NA on top, 3-0.  Later in the period, North Allegheny’s power play unit struck again.  Sophomore Joe Griffin accepted a beautiful feed in front of the net from Matt Fantaski and stroked the puck past Cromling again for a 4-0 Tigers lead with 2:24 left in the period.  To their own credit, Norwin answered with a power play goal of their own when Mark Swankler boomed his own rebound into the NA net to cut the Tigers lead to 4-1.

In the third period, the physical nature of the game picked up but the score would remain the same.  North Allegheny’s penalty kill successfully kept Norwin from converting two power play chances to start the period.  The defense, and goalie Matt Goda, took care of the rest keeping Norwin off the board for the rest of the game.  Barger, a senior defenseman, posted two points on the night with one goal and one assist and was very much apart of the NA effort that held Norwin at bay.  For his performance, Barger was named the Wright Automotive player of the game. 

North Allegheny improves to 10-3-1 on the season and remains in the first place in Section-2.  Norwin drops to 4-8-1 and will play Penn-Trafford next week.  The Tigers will face section foe Seneca Valley next Friday night for the Outdoor Classic at North Park Ice Rink.  The puck drops at 8:30 pm.   

SCORING SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY 4   NORWIN 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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THREE TIGERS SELECTED TO PIHL ALL-STAR GAME

With North Allegheny skating to a 9-3-1 record and first place in Section-3, it is not surprising that Tigers have several representatives on the PIHL Class AAA All-Star Team.  Among those representing the Southeast All-Stars will be NA’s leading scorer, forward Ryan Worsena.  The senior leads the Tigers with 10 goals and 10 assists.  Defenseman Eric Barger will join Worsena.  Barger has scored four goals and six assists from his defensive post.  Junior goaltender Matt Goda will also represent the Tigers at the All-Star game.  Goda has made over 200 saves this season and has been a key to NA’s success.  Of the Alternates that were chosen, they include defenseman Ryan Stupy.  The Class AAA All-Star game will be played on Sunday, January 23 at the Rostraver Ice Gardens at 5:30 pm.    

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TIGERS TROUNCE BUTLER 8-1

Matt Neurohr's hat trick and four assists by Connor Cash was all part of a big night on Monday for North Allegheny as the Tigers ripped apart Butler, 8-1.   Neurohr scored the game's first two goals to give NA a 2-0 first period lead.

The Tigers' scoring outburst continued with a four goal second period.  Josh King, Cody Black, Charlie Johnson and Matt Fantaski all netted goals to put North Allegheny on top, 6-0.  The Tigers advantage swelled even further in the third period when Dalton Landman scored on a power play and Neurohr completed the hat trick with his third goal of the night to make the score 8-0, NA. 

It appeared that Collin Smeresky was on his way to a shutout in goal for the Tigers, but Cody Bachman spoiled that bid by notching a goal with just two seconds left in the game.  The Butler tally did not spoil Smeresky's third win and North Allegheny's ninth victory of the season.  The Tigers now own a 9-3-1 record and remain atop the Section-2 standings with 19 points.  North Allegheny will play next against Norwin on Thursday night at 8:00 PM at the Warrendale Bladerunners.  The game will be carried live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network.

SCORING SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY  8   BUTLER  1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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UPPER ST. CLAIR DEFEATS NA 5-1

North Allegheny stumbled on road ice Friday night, falling to Upper St. Clair 5-1.  The Panthers proved to be unwelcome hosts by jumping on NA for three first period goals.  On his way to a three-point night, junior Stephen Gielarowski tallied the first goal of the night at 5:24 of the opening period.  Just 11 seconds later, C.J. Murray made it 2-0 for the Panthers with another goal.  USC's Timmy Shoup rounded out the period by pushing the puck into the Tigers net with 6:57 on the clock.

After a scoreless second period, the Panthers put the game away with two more goals to take a 5-0 lead.  NA would get on the board before the contest went final as on the power play sophomore defenseman Harry Kramer notched the only Tigers goal of the night.  Joseph Griffin picked up the assist on the Kramer score.

Despite the loss, the Tigers remain in first place in Section-2 with an 8-3-1 record.  NA will skate again on Monday night when the Tigers visit Butler.  The puck drops at 7:00 pm.

SCORING SUMMARY
UPPER ST. CLAIR 5   NORTH ALLEGHENY 1  

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS SET DOWN BLUE DEVILS WITH 5-3 WIN

North Allegheny bounced back into the win column with a 5-3 victory at Mt. Lebanon on Monday night.  Everything was going the Tigers way early in the game as NA built a 3-0 lead in the first period and chased Mt. Lebanon starting goaltender Kevin Smyth from the contest.  Dalton Landman, Matt Neurohr, and Jake Hubert all tallied goals to spur on the NA outburst.

When Mt. Lebo’s Clay Wyda took over in net late in the first period, the sophomore helped lead the Blue Devils back into the game.  With Wyda keeping the Tigers’ sharpshooters off the board in the second period, the Blue Devils would mount a comeback.  Trevor Nelson and Christopher Ford scored goals to cut the NA lead to 3-2 after two periods of play.  Early in the third period, Mt. Lebanon knotted things up with another strike from Nelson to even the score at 3-3 with 13:02 to go in the game. 

Unfazed, North Allegheny regained the lead with 7:15 remaining on a goal by sophomore Cody Black to make it 4-3, Tigers.  Forty-five seconds later, NA struck again on a goal by junior Josh King to increase the Tigers advantage to 5-3.  Junior goalie Matt Goda made sure that the lead would stand up by blocking 26 shots on the night for his sixth victory of the season.

Overall, the Tigers improve to 8-2-1 and lead the Section-2 standing with 17 points, four points ahead of second place Erie McDowell.  North Allegheny is back in action on Friday night when the Tigers visit Upper St. Clair at 9:00 pm.     

SCORING SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY 5   MT. LEBANON 3  

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS FALL TO CENTRAL CATHOLIC 4-2

North Allegheny lost for only the second time this season on Tuesday night as Central Catholic defeated the Tigers 4-2 at the Warrendale BladeRunners.  The night began in a positive fashion for the Tigers when Ryan Worsena scored his 10^th goal of the season to put NA on top 1-0 at 7:22 in the first period.  An interference penalty on Worsena later in the period set the Vikings up for the game tying goal.  Eric Smith knotted things up with a power play goal for Central Catholic to bring the score to 1-1 with 3:46 left in the first period.

Like the opening period, the Tigers scored first in the second period as well.  Connor Cash, who helped set up Worsena’s goal earlier, scored a power play goal midway through the second period to put NA back on top, 2-1.  Two minutes later with Central Catholic on the power play, Connor Dunning tied the score again by slipping the puck in the Tigers’ net to even the score at 2-2.  With 1:41 left in the second period, Anthony Parucci scored to give the Vikings a 3-2 lead.

Even though the Tigers out shot Central Catholic 10-3 in the final period, the Vikings held on and added onto their lead.  Smith score his second goal of the game with 7:10 left in the third to put the game away for Central Catholic, 4-2.

North Allegheny falls to 7-2-1 on the season but still remains in first place in the section, two points ahead of McDowell.  The Tigers are idle through the holiday break before playing Mt. Lebanon on January 3.    

SCORING SUMMARY
CENTRAL CATHOLIC 4   NORTH ALLEGHENY 2  

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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NA BLANKS STATE COLLEGE 2-0

The North Allegheny Tigers notched their fifth win in-a-row by shutting out State College on Thursday night, 2-0.  The road victory came against the fifth-ranked team on the MSA Sports Network rankings.  In recent weeks, it's the second huge road win for the Tigers over a highly touted opponent.  North Allegheny is ranked second by MSA.

Good defense and goaltending kept the game scoreless in the first period.  With just over five minutes elapsed in the second period, the Tigers struck first on a goal by Cody Black to give North Allegheny a 1-0 lead.  Before the end of the period, NA scored again when leading scorer Ryan Worsena placed the puck behind State College goalie Joe Abrizzo to increase the Tigers advantage to 2-0 at the end of two periods. 

The top ranked goalie in Class AAA made sure that those two goals were all that were necessary for the Tigers offense as Matthew Goda posted his fourth shutout of the year, and third shutout in-a-row.  Goda stopped all 31 shots he faced.  

North Allegheny improves to 7-1-1 on the season to maintain the top spot on the Section-2 standings.  State College falls to 3-3-2 on the season.  The Tigers are back at home at the Warrendale BladeRunners on Tuesday night against Pittsburgh Central Catholic.  The puck drops at 8:30 pm.

SCORING SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY 2   STATE COLLEGE 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT

Senior Ryan Worsena's hat trick helped the North Allegheny Tigers win their fourth in-a-row and defeat Penn-Trafford 6-1 on Tuesday night.  Of the Tigers' six goals, two came on the power play and two were of the short-handed variety.  With Penn-Trafford on the power play in the first period, the Tigers penalty kill notched the first score of the contest on a goal by Matt Neurohr to break the ice and give NA a 1-0 lead.  Less than two minutes later and with North Allegheny on the power play, Worsena scored the first of his three goals on the evening to up the Tigers' lead to 2-0 with 5:32 left in the first period.  As the first period neared its end, Worsena struck again to increase the score to 3-0, North Allegheny.

In the second period, sophomore Cody Black put one past Penn-Trafford net minder Michael Cheswick on another Tigers' power plat to make it a 4-0 game.  At 7:32 in the period, Penn-Trafford finally cracked the scoreboard when Conlon Sodrosky placed in the net to cut the NA lead to 4-1.  That was the last of the Warriors' success in this game as Tigers goalie Collin Smeresky stopped 23 of 24 shots to earn his second win of the season.  Less than a minute after Penn-Trafford's goal, North Allegheny answered the score one of their own.  It was Worsena who hit the back of the Penn-Trafford net again, helping the Tigers build a 5-1 advantage by the end of the second period.

North Allegheny added another goal, a short-handed score by Black, in the third period to bring the score to its eventual final, 6-1.  Black finished with four points on the night as he tallied two assists as well. The victory improves NA's record to 6-1-1 and puts the Tigers in sole possession of first place in Section-2.  Penn-Trafford falls to 3-4-1 with the loss.  Up next for the Tigers is a meeting with State College on Thursday night. 

SCORING SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY 6   PENN-TRAFFORD 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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NA HANDS CANON-McMILLAN FIRST LOSS

The North Allegheny Tigers went to Southpointe and earned a big 1-0 win over Canon-McMillan on Monday night.  The Big Macs entered the game undefeated and were the top ranked team in Class AAA according to MSA Sports.  The Tigers could’ve cared less as NA skated past Canon-Mac for their fifth win of the season, and third in-a-row, putting them in a first place tie in Section-2 with Erie McDowell. 

From the opening face-off, the game remained in a scoreless tie unitl midway through the third period.  That's when Ryan Worsena was able to push the puck into the Big Macs' net to give North Allegheny a 1-0 lead.  Matt Neurohr and Eric Barger had the assists on Worsena's goal.  That one goal was all NA needed thanks to outstanding play by goaltender Matt Goda, who stopped all 27 shots he faced for his second shutout of the year.  

The win was a measure of revenge for the Tigers who have been eliminated from the PIHL Class AAA playoffs the last two years by the Big Macs.  Overall, North Allegheny improves to 5-1-1 with the win while the defending Penguin Cup champions, Canon-McMillan, fall to 7-1-0.  Up next for the Tigers is a meeting with Penn-Trafford on Tuesday, December 14.  The puck drops at 8:30 pm at the Warrendale BladeRunners.      

SCORING SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY 1   CANON-McMILLAN 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS BLANK SENECA VALLEY 8-0
by Jordan Dee

The Tigers avenged last season’s two shutout losses to Seneca Valley with an 8-0 win over their PIHL Section 2-AAA rival Wednesday night at Bladerunners in Warrendale. Officially, it was a road game for the Tigers, as both schools call Bladerunners home.

Eric Barger and Cody Black each scored two goals for North Allegheny. Matthew Goda needed just 15 saves to record the shutout victory.

It took the Tigers just seven seconds to take a 1-0 lead. On the opening face off, North Allegheny raced up ice and promptly scored the first goal of the night on a shot by Barger. Joe Griffin and Dalton Landman were given assists.

The quick goal was a first-period theme for North Allegheny. A little more than five minutes into the game, Ryan Worsena won a face off Raider territory. With 9:16 remaining in the period, Matthew Neurohr put the puck past Seneca Valley’s Michael Singel to extend the lead to 2-0. Each team committed a penalty over the next five minutes, but neither could capitalize on the power play.

With 1:16 to go in the first period, Jacob Hubert took the puck from a Landman face off win and buried it past Singel to make it 3-0 Tigers. It stayed that way for the remainder of the period.

NA was called for a delayed penalty as the clock expired, so Seneca Valley began the second period with a power play. Again, the Raiders were unable to cut into the Tigers lead. That penalty kill seemed to propel the North Allegheny attack. Black extended the lead to 4-0 with a wraparound goal with 11:56 remaining in the second period.

Seneca Valley committed its second penalty of the night about two minutes later. The Tigers took full advantage, as Black took a Charles Johnson pass and scored a power-play goal with 7:58 left in the period to make it 5-0.

Each team took penalties separated by about 40 seconds. With 6:03 remaining in the second period, Barger scored his second goal on a 4-on-4 to make it 6-0. Seneca Valley took yet another penalty with 57 seconds remaining in the period. It looked like it would carry over into the final 15 minutes, but instead Harry Kramer scored with 0.1 seconds on the clock. Hubert and Josh King were credited with assists. The 7-0 lead meant the third period would be played under a mercy-rule running clock.

The Raiders took a penalty less than 1:30 into the third period. With a 3-minute power play thanks to the running clock, North Allegheny’s Griffin scored his first goal of the night to make it 8-0. King and Barger were credited with assists. That’s where the scoring ended and physical play continued to escalate. The Tigers were assessed with one more penalty, while Seneca Valley committed three violations over a 5:30 span. One of those Raider penalties also drew a game misconduct.

With the victory, the Tigers ran their record to 4-1-1 and stay in second place in Section 2-AAA. Seneca Valley drops to 1-5-0 and remains in fourth place in the section.

The offensive barrage meant there were several worthy candidates for the Wright Automotive North Allegheny Player of the Game. Barger scored three points – including two goals. Landman, Griffin, and King each added two points. In addition, Ryan Stupy was solid defensively and Goda kept the Raiders off the board. Ultimately, though, the North Allegheny Sports Network chose Cody Black for the honor. Black scored two second-period goals and played well as a fore-checker on the penalty kill.

The Tigers’ next game will be Monday, December 6 at Canon-McMillan. North Allegheny will once again have revenge on its mind, as the Big Macs have eliminated NA from the PIHL Class AAA playoffs each of the last two seasons.

SCORING SUMMARY

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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NA TAKES DOWN BALDWIN 5-2

To listen to an archived broadcast of the game, click here!

(11/17/10) Behind two goals from senior Ryan Worsena, the North Allegheny Tigers topped the Baldwin Highlanders 5-2 on Tuesday night.  The Tigers dictated the pace of play early in the contest, dominating shots on goal in the first period, 17-3.  While the Tigers spent most of the period in the Baldwin end of the ice, Highlanders goalie Mike Cundra did a nice job of holding North Allegheny at bay.  But with the Tigers relentlessly peppering Cundra with shots, NA tallied the first goal of the game off the stick of junior Jacob Hubert to take a 1-0 lead.

After killing a double-minor penalty to end the first period, Baldwin opened the scoring early in the second period when Neil Isler came free on a rush and scored on a backhand shot to tie the game at 1-1.  The game didn’t stay tied for long though as 18 seconds later North Allegheny’s Cody Black gave the Tigers the lead back at 2-1, with 13:44 remaining in the second period.  NA held that one goal advantage throughout most of the period thanks to their defense.  After a pair of penalties were called on the Tigers midway through the period, North Allegheny killed a 5-on-3 Baldwin power play to keep the score at 2-1.  However, another Tigers penalty late in the period led to a power play goal by Baldwin’s Jesse Powell with 2:41 on the clock to make it a 2-2 game.  With the score tied again, the Tigers would once more answer the Highlanders goal.  Ryan Worsena put North Allegheny back in front by poking in a loose rebound with just six seconds remaining in the second period and the Tigers went into intermission with a 3-2 lead.

In the third period, North Allegheny wore down Baldwin with their constant offensive pressure.  Another goal by Worsena widened the Tigers advantage to 4-2 with 7:52 left to play.  Over a minute later, sophomore Connor Cash put the game out of reach with a point blank, top-shelf goal to bring the score to its eventual final, 5-2.  Junior goalkeeper Matthew Goda stopped 13 shots to earn his second win of the year.

For his two goal effort, Ryan Worsena was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.  With the win, the Tigers improve to 3-1-1 on the season and move into a first place tie with Erie McDowell in Section-2.  Baldwin falls to 0-5 with the loss.  Up next for North Allegheny is a section meeting with Seneca Valley on Wednesday, November 24 at 8:00 pm at the Warrendale Bladerunners.  If you’re unable to be there in person, you can listen to the game live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network.   

SCORING SUMMARY

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NA TAKES FIRST LOSS AT FOX CHAPEL

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NA SKATES PAST BUTLER 7-3

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TIGERS BLANK BETHEL PARK 3-0

(10/30/10) The North Allegheny Tigers earned a big win over a quality opponent by blanking Bethel Park on Thursday night, 3-0.  The Blackhawks were ranked fourth by the Post-Gazette in the pre-season, but the Tigers were able to skate past Bethel Park for their first win of the season.  Playing on the road, North Allegheny received goals from sophomores Charlie Johnson and Matt Fantaski, and senior Ryan Worsena.  Worsena also added an assist, along with two more by junior Josh King.  Goaltender Matt Goda stopped all 19 shots from the Blackhawks, posting a shutout between the pipes. 

The Tigers improve to 1-0-1 on the season and will next play section foe Butler on Tuesday, November 2.  Game time is slated for 6:30 at the Warrendale BladeRunners. 

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 TIGERS TIE McDOWELL 3-3 IN
SEASON OPENER

The North Allegheny Ice Hockey Team opened the regular season with a 3-3 tie against Erie McDowell on Tuesday night.  It was a hard fought game that saw the Tigers battle back from a late 3-2 deficit to tie the score with only three minutes to play in the third period on a goal by Josh King. 

A good crowd was on hand for this section contest.  Those in attendance watched Ryan Worsena and Conner Cash also score goals for North Allegheny in the game.    Matt Fantaski added two assists in his first game back from injury. 

The Tigers next game is on Thursday, October 28, against Bethel Park at the Bethel Park BladeRunners.  Game time is at 8:20 pm. 

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TIGERS POST 3-1 RECORD IN PRESEASON TOURNAMENT

The North Allegheny Ice Hockey Team kicked off their pre-season schedule this past week by placing second in the St. Margaret Pre-Season PIHL Fall Face-Off Tournament.  The Tigers went 3-0 in the preliminary rounds, thrashing Pine-Richland, 9-1, and Hampton, 8-1, before squeezing past Mt. Lebanon, 4-2.  However, the Tigers could not maintain their domination, falling Monday in the semi-finals to Canon-Mac, 6-3. 

This season, North Allegheny will again compete in Class AAA of the PIHL along with 16 other teams.  NA has been placed in Section 2-AAA along with Seneca Valley, Butler, and Erie McDowell.  In fact, the Tigers will open their regular season at home against Erie McDowell on Tuesday, October 19 at 8:30 pm.  All home hockey games will be played at Bladerunners in Warrendale.  Several games will be broadcast on the North Allegheny Sports Network throughout the season.

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TIGERS OPEN SEASON IN ST. MARGARET'S FALL FACE-OFF TOURNAMENT

The Tigers will open the 2010-11 season with games in the St. Margaret's Foundation Fall Face-Off Tournament.  NA will take on neighborhood rival Pine-Richland in the opener on Monday, October 4th at 5:30 pm.  On Tuesday, the Tigers will face Hampton at 5:00 pm and on Wednesday Mt. Lebanon at 5:30 pm.  The top teams in group play will advance to the semifinals and finals on Monday, October 11th.  All games will be played at Bladerunners in Harmarville.

2010 ST. MARGARET'S FOUNDATION FALL FACE-OFF
Bladerunners in Harmarville
October 3-11, 2010

SCHEDULE OF GAMES

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TIGERS, SENECA VALLEY TO MEET
IN OUTDOOR SERIES

The Tigers will play Seneca Valley in the Outdoor Charity Series at the North Park Rink on Friday, January 21 as announced by the PIHL.  The proceeds from the game will benefit the Susan G. Komen charity as it has in the past.  NA has met Pine-Richland for the past two years in the outdoor contest.

The game has been well supported by NA fans and by the Tiger players who enjoy the chance to play outdoors.  The game will count in the league standings as NA and Seneca Valley are both part of Section 2 in Class AAA of the PIHL.

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