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NORTH ALLEGHENY VARSITY
INLINE HOCKEY

GAME SUMMARIES

TIGERS WRAP UP REGULAR SEASON

by Inline Hockey Contributor

North Allegheny’s Varsity 1 inline team concluded their regular season with back to back games with rivals North Hills and Shaler.

In the game against North Hills, the Tigers started fast and never looked back. They dominated every part of the game and finished off the 2^nd seeded Indians 8-0. Tiger goal scorers were senior defenseman Eric Barger (3 goals), sophomore forward Troy Martin (2 goals) and senior forward Corey Lamagna, junior defenseman Joe Kirk and junior forward David Lamagna with one each. Sophomore goaltender Tyler Kuhn recorded his first shutout of the season.

In the final regular season game the Tigers battled the Shaler Titans. The game was a well-played contest that fittingly ended in a 3-3 tie. The Tigers got goals from junior forwards Zack Morton (2) and David Lamagna.

The Tigers finished the season at 9-6-1 and will be the sixth seed heading into the playoffs. They will face third seeded Penn Trafford February 19^th at 2pm at Bladerunners in Harmarville.

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TIGERS EARN SPLIT

by Inline Hockey Contributor

North Allegheny’s Varsity 1 inline team had a bust week as they hosted Penn Trafford and then traveled to Harmarville for a game against the Seneca Valley.

In the game against Penn Trafford the Tigers fell behind 3-0 before staging a third period comeback powered by senior defenseman Eric Barger’s two goals both set up by sophomore forwards Troy Martin and Karl Renner. The Tigers pulled the goalie with under a minute remaining but the Warriors were able to tally an empty netter to make the final 4-2.

The Tigers bounced back with one of their best efforts of the season against Seneca Valley. Sophomore forward Troy Martin scored unassisted at 1:41 of the first period to give the Tigers an early lead. After the Raiders tied the game, junior forward Zack Morton cashed in a pass from junior defenseman Joe Kirk to give the Tigers 2-1 lead. Martin then cashed in on a power play, putting home the rebound of a shot from junior defenseman Anthony Guntrum to extend the lead to 3-1. That was all the scoring there would be as the Tigers defense and penalty killing led by junior forward David Lamagna, junior defenseman Peter Kovacevic and senior defenseman Eric Barger kept Seneca Valley  scoreless the rest of the way. Sophomore goaltender Tyler Kuhn was again sharp in recording his seventh win of the season.

The Tigers are now 8-6 on the season and face North Hills and Shaler this Sunday at RMU. It is also Senior Day as forward Corey Lamagna and defenseman Eric Barger will be recognized for their contribuions to NA Hockey. First game is 12:45.

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TIGERS BEAT PINE RICHLAND

by Inline Hockey Contributor

North Allegheny’s Varsity 1 inline team traveled to Harmarville for a game against the Pine Richland and beat the Rams 7-2 on Saturday night.

The Rams got the first goal of the game and led 2-1 after the first period. However, the Tigers scored six unanswered goals starting with sophomore forward Troy Martin’s breakaway 21 seconds into the period and ending with sophomore forward Karl Renner’s unassisted goal at 5:33 of the third period.  In between the Tigers received goals and assists from junior forward David Lamagna, senior forward Corey Lamagna, junior defenseman Peter Kovacevic and senior defenseman Eric Barger. The Tiger defense led by juniors Joe Kirk and Anthony Guntrum held the Rams to only 12 shots on goal. Senior goaltender Anthony Ferraro played well in earning the victory.

The Tigers are now 7-5 on the season and face Penn Trafford in a key divisional game Sunday at 12:45 at RMU.

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TIGERS LOSE TO BETHEL PARK

by Inline Hockey Contributor

North Allegheny’s Varsity 1 inline team returned home for a game against 3^rd ranked Bethel Park on December 18th.

The Tigers played well early and built a 5-2 lead through two periods. However, Bethel Park showed why they are highly ranked as they mounted a strong comeback tying the game 5-5 with three minutes left and then scoring the game winner with only fifteen seconds left.

The Tigers face #1 ranked and undefeated Hempfield at home on January 8^th.

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TIGERS OVERWHELM GREENSBURG SALEM

by Inline Hockey Contributor

North Allegheny’s Varsity 1 inline team went on the road for another meeting against the Greensburg Salem Golden Lions Sunday afternoon.

The Tigers defense led by juniors Peter Kovacevic, Joe Kirk, Anthony Guntrum and Donny Oesterle limited the Golden Lions to only ten shots and sophomore goalie Tyler Kuhn was good on nine of them to earn his sixth win. The Tigers got big performances from their forwards as well as senior captain Corey Lamagna tallied four goals and five points, sophomore Troy Martin one goal and three points, junior Zack Morton three goals, and junior David Lamagna one goal to give the Tigers a 9-1 victory. The Tigers have a 7:30pm game with a very tough Bethel Park team on Saturday at RMU.

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TIGERS AVENGE EARLIER LOSS TO BALDWIN

by Inline Hockey Contributor

North Allegheny’s Varsity 1 inline team returned home for a game against the Baldwin Highlanders Sunday afternoon. The game was a rematch of an earlier penalty filled contest won by Baldwin.  This time the Tigers would come out on top, 6-3. 

The Highlanders got the only two goals of an evenly played first period. The last two periods clearly belonged to the Tigers as they scored six unanswered goals. Junior forward Zack Morton got things started with an unassisted goal at 1:40 of the second period. Junior forward David Lamagna tied the game at 9:35 with Morton assisting. The Tiger defense was very active in the offense as senior Eric Barger, juniors Joe Kirk, Anthony Guntrum and Peter Kovacevic continually made great outlet passes to the Tiger forwards. The Tigers next goal were a direct result of this as Morton gave the Tigers the lead at 1:25 of the third from a Barger assist. Senior forward and captain Corey Lamagna gave the Tigers a two goal lead when he buried at shot at 7:03 off an assist from sophomore forward Troy Martin. Martin then put a rebound off a Corey Lamagna shot past the Highlander goalie from the slot. Martin scored again at 11:49 off another Corey Lamagna assist. Baldwin scored a disputed goal at the final buzzer to make the final 6-3. Sophomore goaltender Tyler Kuhn had another solid game in net especially in the first period and earned his fifth varsity win. The Tigers have a 1:00 pm rematch with Greensburg Salem on Sunday at Hot Shots in Mt. Pleasant.

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TIGERS LOSE THRILLER TO NORTH HILLS

by Inline Hockey Contributor

North Allegheny’s Varsity 1 inline team fell 5-4 to undefeated North Hills on Saturday night at RMU.

The Indians got on the board first with a late first period goal by Sam Quatrini. North Hills expanded their lead in the second period with Quatrini notching his second and Christian Scott scoring unassisted to give the Indians a 3-0 lead after two periods. The Tigers started a frantic third period with junior forward Zack Morton scoring off an assist by junior defenseman Anthony Guntrum. The Tigers pulled to within one after sophomore forward Troy Martin scored an unassisted shorthanded goal. North Hills restored their two goal lead 40 seconds later with a goal by Michael Punzak.

The Tigers pulled within one again two minutes later with senior forward Corey Lamagna scoring from in front from another Guntrum assist. The Tigers’ junior forward Peter Kovacevic appeared to have tied the game with one minute left and sophomore goalie Tyler Kuhn, who stopped 17 of 21 shots, pulled but the ruling was no goal. North Hills’ Punzak scored an empty netter but the Tigers’ Morton answered with twenty nine seconds remaining to again pull the Tigers within one. The Tigers’ junior defenseman Joe Kirk and junior forward David Lamagna both had chances in the last seconds but North Hills held on for an exciting 5-4 win.

The Tigers currently are in fourth place in the 12 team tier 1 varsity division. They will resume play after the Thanksgiving break.

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TIGERS REBOUND FOR WIN

by Inline Hockey Contributor

North Allegheny’s Varsity 1 inline team went back on the road Sunday and picked up an 8-4 win over the Greensburg Salem Golden Lions.  The Tigers got the only goal of a tight checking first period when senior forward Corey Lamagna blasted one from the top of the left circle after a great pass by junior defenseman Anthony Guntrum.

After Greensburg Salem tied it early in the second period the Tigers took control.  First, junior forward Zack Morton converted a perfect pass from junior forward David Lamagna then Morton returned the favor, setting up David Lamagna who buried the puck to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead. The lead grew as Corey Lamagna dug the puck out of the corner and slid a backhand pass to sophomore forward Troy Martin who snuck it by the Golden Lion goaltender. Corey Lamagna closed out the period with a power play goal set up with a point to point pass from senior defenseman Eric Barger. The Golden Lion goaltender never saw the puck due to the strong net front presence established by junior defenseman Joe Kirk.

Greensburg Salem scored early in the third but the Tigers responded with two more as Corey Lamagna scored unassisted, again from the left circle and Martin redirected a perfect back door pass from Corey Lamagna. Morton finished of the scoring with an unassisted goal of his own. It was by far the best overall game to date for the Tigers as they played a fast, physical and disciplined game getting balanced scoring with Corey Lamagna notching a hat trick, Martin and Morton scoring two each and David Lamagna adding another. The defense and goaltending again was solid with Barger, Guntrum and Kirk limiting the scoring chances enabling sophomore goaltender Tyler Kuhn to earn his fourth win of the season. The Tigers return home to face rival North Hills at RMU on Saturday night at 9:30pm.

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TIGERS DROP GAME TO BALDWIN

by Inline Hockey Contributor

North Allegheny’s Varsity 1 inline team returned home for a game against the Baldwin Highlanders Sunday morning, but fell to Baldwin 7-4.

The Tigers got on the board midway through the first period when senior forward Corey Lamagna sent a perfect long pass to sophomore forward Troy Martin who beat the Baldwin goaltender on the breakaway to make it 1-0, Tigers. After Baldwin scored twice early in the second, Corey Lamagna’s slap shot tied things up for the Tigers at 2-2. It was shortly afterward that the Tigers began to self destruct, taking six second period penalties, including two game misconducts. The Tigers were shorthanded by two men twice and Baldwin cashed in. The Highlanders scored on four of the six penalties to take a commanding 6-2 lead into the third. The Tigers did rally on two goals by junior forward Zack Morton but Baldwin added a late insurance goal to hold of the Tigers 7-4.

North Allegheny’s season record now stands at 3 - 2.  The Tigers will look to rebound on the road against a tough Greensburg Salem team on Sunday, November 14^th.

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TIGERS WIN AGAIN

by Inline Hockey Contributor

North Allegheny’s Varsity 1 inline team continued their season on the road with a 4-1 win over the Seneca Valley Raiders Sunday night. The Tigers were dominant for most of the contest playing sound defense and continuing to improve their puck possession game.  

NA got on the board first when senior defenseman Eric Barger carried the puck from the right point down low and sent a perfect backhand pass to junior forward David Lamagna who buried a one timer past the Seneca Valley goalie. Later in the first period junior forward Zack Morton beat two defenseman before being stopped by the Raider goalie, however junior forward Joe Kirk, who predicted earlier he would score, lifted a rebound shot up high to give NA a 2-0 lead after one period.

 The Tigers added to their lead in the second period with a power play goal. Junior defenseman Peter Kovacevic slid a pass to Morton who blasted a slap shot through a screen. The Raiders attempted a rally with an early third period goal but the Tiger defense remained solid with junior defenseman Anthony Guntrum blocking several shots and sophomore goalie Tyler Kuhn making several key stops. The Tigers then put the game away when sophomore forward Troy Martin saucered a pass to senior forward Corey Lamagna who went from skate to stick with the puck and then bar down with his shot to seal the victory.  It was the Tigers 3^rd win in four games and second consecutive road win. The Tigers are return home to RMU Island Sports Center for a game against Baldwin. Game time is Sunday at 9:45am.

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TIGERS SPLIT ON THE ROAD

North Allegheny’s Varsity 1 inline team went on the road this past weekend for a pair of games against ranked opponents Hempfield and Penn Trafford.

After top ranked Hempfield Spartans handed NA their first loss, the Tigers then took on the Penn Trafford Warriors. The Tigers opened the scoring when sophomore forward Troy Martin redirected a perfect shot pass by junior defenseman Joe Kirk. The Warriors then scored the games next two goals, taking a 2-1 lead into the third period. The Tigers were able to keep the Warriors off the board with great penalty killing by junior defensemen Peter Kovacevic and Anthony Guntrum, junior forward David Lamagna and sophomore goaltender Tyler Kuhn. Kuhn made several stops on point blank shots keeping the Tigers within a goal. Then with a little over five minutes left in the game senior forward Corey Lamagna blasted a slapshot by a stunned Warrior goalie to tie the game at 2-2. After a frantic finish with crossbars hit by both teams in the final minute the teams headed to overtime. During the three on three overtime senior defenseman Eric Barger sent a perfect stretch pass to junior forward Zack Morton who slid a centering pass to Martin who deked the Warrior goaltender before going upstairs with a backhander for the overtime winner.                   

The Tigers are 2-1 on the season and travel to Bladerunners in Harmarville on Sunday for  a game against rival Seneca Valley. Game time is 6pm.

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TIGERS WIN OPENER

North Allegheny’s Varsity 1 inline team opened the season with an 8–3 victory over Pine Richland, Saturday night at RMU.

The Rams opened up the scoring, but senior defenseman Eric Barger would tie things up on the Powerplay. Thanks to the strong play in net by sophomore Tyler Kuhn, the Tigers would then take control. Late in the first period, junior forward Zach Morton would set up sophomore forward Troy Martin for a one–timer that squeaked by the Pine Richland goaltender.

Midway through the second period, Martin would add his second goal on a two–on–one shot that rang off the post and found its way in. The Rams refused to go away, scoring a goal to cut the lead to one. Then, junior forward David Lamagna would set up Barger for his second goal of the game.

Heading into the third period, the Tigers were up 4–2. They added icing to the cake when senior forward Corey Lamagna would slide one over to Martin for a redirect. Then,  Morton took the puck wide, came in front, and jammed one in on the far side. With the score 6–2, it seemed as though the Tigers were surely going to win. However, the Rams refused to give up, scoring their third goal of the game. Then, off the center face–off, Martin took the puck wide, came in on goal, and lifted a backhander up under the crossbar. That was Martin’s fourth goal of the game. Then, the Tigers added one more as Martin would set up Barger for his third, and the Tigers’ eighth, goal.

It was a great effort by the defense as well with juniors Joey Kirk, Peter Kovacevic,  Donny Osterle and Barger providing excellent puck management and strong defensive zone play to help Kuhn earn his first Varsity win.

The Tigers go on the road for their next two games at Hempfield and Penn Trafford.

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