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TIGERS EDGE GATEWAY, 2-1, FOR FIRST VICTORY

The Tigers went on the road on Friday night and earned their first PIHL victory of the season with a 2-1 win over Gateway at the Center Ice Arena in Delmont.  Sophomore forward Josh King got the game winner with 5:24 remaining in the third period.  Junior forward Ryan Worsena also scored for NA with senior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft stopping 17 Gator shots to secure the victory.

The Tigers got off to a good start early in the first period when junior defenseman Ryan Stupy sent senior forward Andrew Siess into the Gateway zone, but his shot hit high off the post just 15 seconds into the game.  At the 2:48 mark, Worsena gave NA a 1-0 lead on a great wrist shot with assists going to senior Kevin Kelly and Siess.  The Gators came back with a scoring chance less than a minute later, but Holdcroft made the save.  At the 4:09 mark, senior forward James Harper made a good play to keep an offensive possession alive in the Gateway zone.  The Gators came close to tying the game on a breakaway with 7:57 left but the shot went over the NA net.  Less than a minute later, junior forward John Mammay shot wide of the Gator goal from the left circle.  With 5:59 remaining, senior forward Keith Hoover was sent off for tripping.  With NA shorthanded, Kelly took a good pass from Stupy but was stopped by the Gateway goalie.  With 3:04 remaining, Mammay drew a cross checking penalty.  With the Tigers again shorthanded, freshman Cody Black blocked a Gator shot and took the puck into the Gateway zone but shot high and over the goal.  Neither team scored again in the period as the Tigers took a 1-0 lead to the first intermission.  In the period, NA outshot Gateway, 7-4.

Early in the second period, the Tigers had a good scoring chance on a play by freshman Joe Griffin and senior Jordan Beck but they could not convert.  At the 2:57 mark, the Gators stole the puck in the NA defensive zone but could not beat Holdcroft.  At the 3:35 mark, senior defenseman Matt Ogle sent a hard shot from the blue line but it was turned away by the Gator netminder.  Two minutes later, senior defenseman Ryan Mistick had a good chance on a rebound slap shot but the attempt was stopped.  With 7:08 remaining, Gateway's Andrew Plate got loose on a breakaway and tied the game at 1-1.  Less than a minute later, Ogle sent in another hard shot from the point but could not score.  With 4:03 remaining, Griffin stole the puck in the neutral zone and was pulled down as he raced toward the net drawing a penalty against the Gators.  The Tigers pressured the Gateway goal on the power play with numerous shots but could not score.  With 1:01 left, King was called for tripping.  The Tigers killed off the penalty for the remaining time in the period as the teams went to the second break tied at 1-1.  Shots in the period favoried NA by a 13-8 margin.

Early in the third period, the Tigers killed off the remainder of the penalty allowing no Gator shots.  NA then began to pressure the Gateway goal keeping the puck in the Gator defensive zone but could not get the go ahead tally.  Later in the period, the Gators took the puck away and had a scoring chance but were denied by Holdcroft.  With 6:49 remaining, Kelly took a pass from Griffin and got off a good scoring chance that was stopped by the Gateway goalie.  Less than a minute later, sophomore defenseman Dalton Landman had to make a good defensive play to stop a Gateway 2-on-1 to keep the game tied.  With 5:24 left, King was able to finish off a good Tiger attack to give NA a 2-1 advantage.  Stupy and Barger picked up helpers on the goal.  With 4:56 remaining, the Gators had a chance on a strong shot from the point but Holdcroft was there again to make the save.  With 2:23 left, Hoover came close with a shot from the right circle but could not score.  The Gators pulled their goalie with 32 seconds remaining, but the NA defense did not allow any scoring chances in the remaining time to preserve the victory.  In the final period, NA outshot Gateway, 15-6, to post a 32-18 advantage for the game.

With the win, the Tigers improved to 1-4-2 in PIHL play.  NA will travel back to Delmont on Monday night to meet the Penn-Trafford Warriors as league play continues.  Game time is scheduled for 8:30 pm.

(Thanks to Scott Kelly for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2  GATEWAY - 1

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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BETHEL PARK HOLDS OFF TIGERS, 4-2

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

An empty net goal with 48 seconds remaining secured a 4-2 Bethel Park victory over the Tigers in a PIHL contest on Tuesday night at Bladerunners in Warrendale.  Senior forward Jordan Beck scored both NA goals but it was not enough as the Blackhawks held of for the win.  The Tigers outshot Bethel, 31-18, in the game.

Bethel Park had several chances early in the first period.  Zach Volzer stole the puck in the NA zone just 1:08 into the game, but NA senior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft made the save on his shot attempt.  Less than a minute later, Holdcroft had to turn aside a shot from Tyler Shipley.  The Tigers came back with a pair of chances with freshman forward Cody Black shooting over the BP goal at the 2:20 mark.  Freshman Joe Griffin had a chance from the left circle, but Blackhawk goalie Dillon Ondrako made the stop at the 3:11 mark.  After BP's Jim Cullen was stopped on a shot from the blue line, senior defenseman Matt Ogle drove a hard shot from the right point that Ondrako had to stop at the 4:47 mark of the period.  Less than a minute later, Black blasted a puck in from the left point that Ondrako blocked.  Sophomore Josh King skated in from the right side but again Ondrako was there for the save with 8:59 left.  Less than a minute later, Holdcroft had to make a save on a hard shot by BP's Connor Wells from just inside the blue line.  Griffin came back to lift the puck toward the goal from the left point, but Ondrako caught the attempt on the fly with 5:53 remaining.  With 4:37 left, Ogle was sent off for interference.  Michael Shipley was called fro cross checking with 2:56 remaining to even the sides.  With NA on a power play, Beck was able to send home the rebound of a shot by junior defenseman Ryan Stupy to give NA a 1-0 lead with just 1:51 left in the period.  The lead did not last long as the Blackhawks tied the game just 42 seconds later on a shot from the left side by James Stitt that found the left corner of the net.  Ogle tried to answer with a hard slap shot with 51 seconds remaining, but Ondrako made the save.  The teams went to the first intermission tied at 1-1.  NA outshot BP, 11-9, in the first period.

Early in the second period, senior defenseman Kevin Kelly had a chance to give NA the lead again but his hard shot from the right point was stopped by Ondrako.  Griffin was then sent to the box for interference at the 1:33 mark.  Bethel Park made the Tigers pay when a shot by Michael Shipley was deflected into the net to give the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead at the 2:24 mark.  Less than a minute later, Volzer came in on a breakaway from the right side and lifted a backhander into the net to extend the BP advantage to 3-1 at the 3:15 mark.  Kelly came back with another hard shot from the right side but could not beat Ondrako at the 6:16 mark.  The Tigers had two more chances but junior forward Ryan Worsena and Griffin were both stymied by Ondrako as he kept NA off the board with 7:50 remaining in the period.  Bethel's Dale Reither was robbed by Holdcroft on consecutive shots from right in front of the net with 6:09 left to keep it a 3-1 game.  King broke free down the left side with 4:02 remaining, but his shot went wide of the goal.  Less than a minute later, Holdcroft had to make a good save on Michael Seifert.  Junior defenseman Eric Barger drove a shot from the point with 3:01 left but again Ondrako was there to make the save and cover up.  The Tigers kept the pressure on and had several chances from a scramble in front of the BP goal but could not covert.  With 2:24 left, Worsena sent in a hard shot from the right circle, but Ondrako made a glove save.  Neither team could score in the remaining time as Bethel Park took a 3-1 lead into the final stanza.  NA outshot the Blackhawks, 10-8, in the period.

The Tigers came out early and took control of play in the third period.  Senior forward Andrew Siess had a chance at the 2:22 mark but Ondrako made the save.  Less than a minute later, Griffin was stopped by the Bethel netminder.  At the 3:55 mark, Ondrako made a glove hand save on King who was right in front of the BP goal.  At the 4:13 mark, junior forward John Mammay rolled a shot through traffic from the right point that Ondrako covered up.  With 8:40 left, Stupy drilled a high shot that was deflected over the Bethel goal.  The pressure finally paid off with 7:17 left when Siess was hooked trying to get out from behind the goal giving NA a power play.  Just seven seconds later after senior Keith Hoover sent a shot toward the goal, Michael Shipley was sent off for cross checking giving NA a 5-on-3 advantage.  After a time out by NA coach Jim Black, the Tigers continually worked the puck around in the Bethel zone, but two good defensive plays by Wells cleared the attempts.  Finally, with time running out on the power play, Beck skated down the right side, broke in on the goal, and lifted the puck high into the net to cut the Bethel lead to 3-2 with 5:17 still remaining in the game.  With 2:17 left, however, senior forward James Harper was called for boarding.  With NA down a player, coach Black had to pull goalie Holdcroft to try to get the tying goal.  After Siess had a shorthanded attempt go over the BP goal, Bethel was able to turn the puck over in the Tiger zone and Reither scored into the empty net for a rare power play and empty net tally that put the game away.  The goal was the only Bethel Park shot of the period.  Time ran out on the Tigers as Bethel took home the 4-2 victory. 

It was a tough loss for NA as they outshot Bethel, 10-1, in the final period and 31-18 on the game.  The Tigers gave a good effort with a number of players contributing to the NA cause.  For his efforts on the offensive end, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Jordan Beck as the Player of the Game.  With the loss, the NA record in PIHL play dropped to 0-4-2 on the season.  The Tigers will travel to Gateway on Friday night to meet the Gators at the Center Ice Arena.  The starting time is scheduled for 8:15 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
BETHEL PARK - 4  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS, PLUM END IN 2-2 TIE

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The Tigers picked up a point in the league standings after rallying for a 2-2 overtime tie with the Plum Mustangs at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Friday night.  Junior defenseman Eric Barger scored the first NA goal with senior defenseman Matt Ogle getting the equalizer on a power play.  Senior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft stopped 27 Plum shots in the game.

Early in the first period, senior forward Andrew Siess broke in and got off a good shot that was stopped by Plum goalie Shane Leonzio with a right pad save just 1:46 into the game.  Less than a minute later, the Mustangs had a chance after a takeaway in the NA defensive zone, but Holdcroft made a good save to keep the game scoreless.  At the 3:10 mark, senior forward Jordan Beck send a backhanded shot just over the Plum net.  Two minutes later, freshman Joey Griffin shot just wide after a pass from junior forward Ryan Worsena.  Midway through the period, the Tigers applied pressure on the Plum goal with several shot attempts led by junior forward John Mammay.  With 6:36 left, Plum forward Nick Cicolini flipped a puck from behind the net that went in off the back of Holdcroft to give the Mustangs a 1-0 lead.  Less than a minute later, senior defenseman Tyler Wright sent Siess in for a good scoring attempt but his shot was stopped by Leonzio.  With 5:36 left, Plum's Lenny Dunnivan was sent off for cross checking.  On the power play, senior forward Kevin Kelly sent in a one-timer just wide of the net.  Plum answered with a shorthanded attempt that Holdcroft was able to stop.  With 2:19 remaining in the period, junior defenseman Ryan Stupy drove a hard shot from the point that was turned aside.  With 1:37 left in the period, Worsena was called for cross checking.  The Mustangs capitalized on the power play chance with a goal by Cody Brenner that gave Plum a 2-0 lead with 1:17 remaining.  Neither team scored in the remaining time as Plum took a 2-0 lead to the intermission despite being outshot by the Tigers, 16-7.

Early in the second period, the Mustangs drew a high sticking penalty.  During the man advantage, sophomore forward Josh King had a good hit to keep Plum from a shorthanded scoring chance.  Just two seconds after the penalty expired, an apparent Tiger goal on a rebound was waived off by a quick whistle.  The Tigers finally broke through to cut the lead to one as Barger scored on a shot from the point through traffic in front of the Plum net.  Kelly and senior forward James Harper picked up the assists on the goal.  A minute later, Worsena's hard wrister was stopped by the Plum goalie.  The Tigers continued to pressure the Plum goal with the Mustangs finally calling a time out with 9:20 left in the period.  Less than a minute later, freshman forward Cody Black got loose on a breakaway but shot over the net.  The Mustangs answered with pressure on the NA goal but could not score.  With 5:36 left, Black set up Beck with a good scoring chance but the shot went wide of the net.  With 4:44 remaining in the period, Barger made a good defensive stop to keep Plum off the board.  With 4:02 left, Plum's Chris Krieg was called for holding.  The Tigers made Plum pay with a power play goal from Ogle from the center point just inside the blue line.  Griffin picked up the helper as the Tigers tied the game at 2-2 with 3:38 left in the period.  Plum came back with a 2-on-1 with 2:00 left but Holdcroft stopped the scoring attempt.  The period ended with the game tied at 2-2.  NA outshot Plum, 14-9, in the second stanza.

Early in the third period, Griffin made a good defensive play but was called for roughing.  Less than a minute into the Plum power play, Ogle had a chance from the blue line but was stopped.  The teams then began exchanging penalties.  Stupy was sent off from holding at the 1:50 mark, but Plum was called for tripping with just 34 seconds later.  At the 3:03 mark, after a good defensive play, Wright was sent off for high sticking.  Neither team was able to take advantage of power plays during the penalty exchanges as the game remained tied.  With 6:12 left, Brenner had a good scoring chance, but Holdcroft made a tough save to keep the game tied.  With 5:37, Ogle was sent off but the Tigers were able to kill off the penalty.  With just 2:37 left, NA Coach Jim Black called a time out.  Less than a minute later, Barger good off a good attempt but was stopped by Leonzio.  Neither team scored in the remaining time as regulation time ended in a 2-2 tie.  Plum outshot NA, 13-4, in the third period.

In the overtime period, Siess broke in on a 2 on 1 with 3:30 remaining but was stopped by the Plum defense.  After that, neither team had a good scoring chance as the game ended in a 2-2 tie.  Shots in the OT favored Plum, 3-0, but NA finished with a final 37-29 advantage in total shots.

With the tie, the NA record now stands at 0-3-2 in PIHL play.  The Tigers will host Bethel Park on Tuesday night as league play continues.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 8:15 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 8:30 pm.

(Thanks to Scott Kelly for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2  PLUM - 2

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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SENECA VALLEY TOPS TIGERS, 3-0

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

Seneca Valley scored two goals late in the third period to break open a 1-0 game and take a 3-0 victory over the Tigers at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Tuesday night.  The Raiders' Logan Pfeffer scored all three Seneca goals as Seneca Valley won their fourth straight without a loss.

The Tigers had a great chance to take an early lead when senior forward Ryan Worsena broke in on a 2-on-1 and set up senior forward James Harper from the left side.  Harper's shot hit the post and was cleared just 2:38 into the game.  Senior forward Kevin Kelly was stopped by Seneca goalie Ryan Schuette at the 4:41 mark.  NA's senior defenseman Tyler Wright was called for holding at the 6:38 mark giving the Raiders the first power play of the game.  The Tiger defense held SV to just a single shot on goal during the power play with senior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft making the save.  With 4:28 left, senior forward Andrew Siess stole the puck and skated in alone but shot over the Raider goal.  With Seneca's Tyler Rose in the box, freshman Joe Griffin had a chance from the right circle during the power play, but Schuette made the save.  NA had another power play with 1:42 remaining in the period with Kelly getting the best chance from the left circle.  Neither team scored in the remaining time as the period ended with no score on the board.  Seneca outshot NA, 8-4, in the period. 

Early in the second period, the Raiders killed off the remaining time in the penalty to Brandon Platt.  At the 1:46 mark, Siess went coast-to-coast after picking up the pick in his own zone but his backhand attempt was stopped by the SV netminder.  The Raiders put good pressure on the NA defense in the first several minutes of the period but could not score.  At the 4:48 mark, Schuette had to make a diving save on an attempt by Worsena.  Less than a minute later, Larkin broke in alone but was robbed by Holdcroft with Michael Pietrandrea sending the rebound wide of the goal.  At the 6:30 mark, Holdcroft was forced to make another good save to keep the game scoreless.  Later in the period, the Raiders' Tyler Mesisca broke across the middle and was stopped by Holdcroft with both players sliding into the net and knocking it off the moorings.  With 5:39 left, Larkin was sent off for roughing giving NA a brief power play.  With 1:07 left in the man advantage, Wright was called for elbowing.  With the teams playing four aside, Pfeffer skated in from the left side and was able to get the puck around a sliding Holdcroft for the game's first goal.  Seneca took a 1-0 advantage with 4:19 left in the period.  Kelly drew another penalty with 3:51 left giving Seneca a 5-on-3.  During the power play, Pfeffer hit the left post and the Raiders drove several shots wide of the net, but NA managed to kill off the penalties.  With 2:28 left, Larkin was called for goaltender interference giving the Tigers a power play.  With 1:01 left in the period, junior John Mammay sent a pass across the ice to a breaking freshman Cody Black who shot wide of the goal.  The Raiders killed off the remainder of the penalty and took a 1-0 lead to the second intermission.  The Raiders held a 7-6 advantage in shots during the period.

The Tigers came out strong early in the third period led by the aggressive play of captain Kevin Kelly.  Kelly had a chance from the left side at the 2:40 mark, but Schuette made the save.  At the 3:01 mark, Kelly was called for boarding.  The Raiders kept the puck in the offensive zone during most of the power play, but the only real scoring chance came on a slap shot by Kaleb Schwab that was stopped by Holdcroft.  The Tigers came back with pressure after killing off the power play with junior defenseman Ryan Stupy getting a chance on a slap shot from the right point that Schuette turned aside.  With 6:56 remaining, Rose broke in from the left side but was stopped on a good save by Holdcroft.  With 6:02 left, Pfeffer picked up a loose puck in his own end and took it the length of the ice and scored into the right hand corner of the net to give Seneca a 2-0 lead.  With 4:41 remaining, Mesisca was called for interference giving NA a power play and a chance to get back into the game.  Pfeffer ended any Tiger hopes when he skated across the crease shorthanded and scored his third goal of the game to give the Raiders a commanding 3-0 lead with 4:28 remaining.  The Seneca defense held off the Tigers for the remainder of the contest to take the 3-0 victory

It was a tough defensive struggle for most of the night with both defenses and goaltenders playing well.  On the backline for NA, Stupy, Wright, and senior Matt Ogle along with junior Eric Barger held off the Raiders for most of the game.  NA had some scoring chances but could not beat the Raider goaltender.  For his leadership and play in the offensive zone, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Kevin Kelly as the Player of the Game.

With the loss, the NA record in PIHL play dropped to 0-3-1 on the season.  The Tigers will host Plum on Friday night as league play continues.  Game time at Bladerunners in Warrendale is scheduled for 6:00 pm.

Photo Gallery

GAME SUMMARY
SENECA VALLEY - 3  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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STATE COLLEGE BLANKS TIGERS, 5-0, IN HOME OPENER

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The State College Little Lions shut out the Tigers, 5-0, in the home opener for NA at Bladerunners in Warrendale on Friday night.  The Tigers outshot State College, 25-21, but the Lions prevailed on the scoreboard to take the PIHL victory.

The Little Lions started strong and almost scored on a breakaway just 15 seconds into the game, but NA senior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft made a good save to keep the game scoreless.  Less than two minutes later, SC's Abe Edson had another good scoring chance but Holdcroft again made the save.  The Tigers came back with several good scoring opportunities with senior forward James Harper being stopped by SC goalie Patrick Weiler at the 3:13 mark.  With 7:20 left, senior Keith Hoover blasted a shot off the right pad of Weiler as the game remained scoreless.  With 4:48 remaining, the Lions' Eric Stidsen was sent off for hooking.  Unfortunately, the Tigers had troubled clearing the puck from their own end and Edson scored a shorthanded goal to give the Lions a 1-0 lead with 4:11 left in the period.  Senior defenseman Matt Ogle had a chance from the blue line but his shot was turned aside by Weiler with 2:45 remaining.  The period ended with the Lions holding a 1-0 advantage.  Shots in the first period finished with six each.

In the second period, the Lions started quickly again with a shot from the left circle stopped by Holdcroft just 44 seconds into the stanza.  At the 3:26 mark, the Lions hit the goal post.  At the 9:00 mark, the Tigers put good pressure on the SC goal but could not score.  With 8:43 left, junior Eric Barger sent a hard shot that Weiler stopped with senior Jordan Beck's rebound attempt also stopped by the Lion netminder.  Seconds later, senior forward Andrew Siess was also stopped by Weiler.  With 5:44 left, Holdcroft was forced to make a good stop on a breakaway attempt by the Lions.  State College's Daniel Mascone finally converted on a 2 on 1 to give the Lions at 2-0 advantage with 5:08 left.  Darin Spicer added an unassisted goal just 25 seconds later to increase the margin to 3-0.  After an interference goal on NA's junior defenseman Ryan Stupy, the Lions added a power play goal with 1:46 left to take a commanding 4-0 lead with 1:46 remaining in the period.  SC's Christian Conlon picked up a penalty at the end of the period, but the Lions took the 4-0 lead into the second intermission.  State College outshot NA, 8-6, in the period.

The Tigers started with a power play early in the third period but could not score.  NA continued to pressure the Lion goal early but a shot by Stupy from the point was stopped by Weiler at the 1:10 mark.  A little over a minute later, senior Kevin Kelly and Siess had good chances but were turned away by the Lion goalie.  At the 3:12 mark, Ogle's shot was stopped by Weiler.  At the 5:12 mark, the Tigers stopped a Lion breakaway but penalties were called on both Kelly and Stupy.  NA was able to kill off the 5 on 3, but Ogle drew another penalty with 8:36 left.  Again, the Tigers killed off the penalty and pressured the SC goal after the teams returned to equal strength.  With NA desperately trying to score, the Lions got loose on a breakaway to add a final goal with 3:07 left.  In the final period, NA outshot SC, 13-7, but the Lions prevailed on the scoreboard by  the 5-0 score.

With the loss, NA dropped to 0-2-1 in PIHL play.  The Tigers will host rival Seneca Valley on Tuesday night as league play continues.  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.

(Thanks to Scott Kelly for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
STATE COLLEGE - 5  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS DROP 4-3 HEARTBREAKER
TO SHALER IN OVERTIME

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The Tigers fought back from a 3-0 deficit to tie defending champion Shaler in regulation time only to see the Titans score the game winner in overtime.  Freshman Joey Griffin, senior James Harper and senior Matt Ogle scored the NA goals.  Senior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft stopped 37 Shaler shots in the tough loss.  All seven goals in the game came on power plays.

Shaler started strong getting off a barrage of early shots but Holdcroft and the NA defense held off the early Titan pressure.  NA was called for a pair of penalties but killed them off.  Late in the period, senior Zac Lynch struck for two quick goals to give Shaler the lead.  With 1:48 left, Lynch scored an unassisted goal to make it a 1-0 game.  A little over a minute later, Lynch got loose on a breakaway and scored again to give the Titans a 2-0 advantage at the first intermission.  Shaler held a 16-6 lead in shots on goal after one period.

After Shaler scored again early in the second period to take a 3-0 lead, the Tigers began to battle back.  Good shots by senior forward Ryan Worsena and junior defenseman Ryan Stupy forced Shaler goalie Oscar Prom to make several good saves to keep NA off the board.  With 7:35 remaining in the period, Holdcroft made a good save on a Lynch backhand to keep the deficit at three.  With 2:57 left, Griffin got the first NA goal on a power play with assists going to Harper and Worsena.  The period ended with Shaler holding a 3-1 lead.  The Tigers and Titans recorded 11 shots each in the period.

Early in the third period, the Tigers held off a Shaler power play allowing no shots on goal.  With 7:29 left in the period, Harper scored on a backhand with senior defenseman Matt Ogle and senior forward Jordan Beck picking up assists on the play.  With the Tigers down by one, Ogle scored the equalizer on a pass from Beck to tie the game with just 1:02 remaining in regulation.  Neither team could score again as the game went to overtime.

Early in the overtime, Lynch had a good chance to win it just 58 seconds into the extra period.  Lynch's third goal on a power play with 2:26 left gave the Titans the hard-fought 4-3 victory.  With the loss, the NA record in PIHL play dropped to 0-1-1.  The Tigers will host State College on Friday night at Bladerunners in Warrendale in the home opener.  Game time is scheduled for 6:00 pm.

(Thanks to Scott Kelly for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
SHALER - 4  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS, McDOWELL IN 3-3 TIE IN SEASON OPENER

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The McDowell Trojans scored three times in the second period, but the Tigers escaped with a 3-3 overtime tie in the PIHL season opener at Tullio Arena in Erie on Thursday night.  Senior forward Jim Harper, junior forward Ryan Worsena, and freshman Joe Griffin scored the NA goals as they battled back in the third period to tie the game.

The first period featured even play as both teams played well in the opening stanza.  With 6:57 left in the period, NA was called for a too many men penalty, but the Tiger defense killed it off without the Trojans threatening.  The teams went to the first intermission in a scoreless tie.  Both teams posted five shots on goal in the period.

In the second period, McDowell came alive early to take the lead.  Forward Steve Martin scored on a wrist shot from close range just 16 seconds into the period to give the Trojans a 1-0 advantage.  A little over a minute later, Harper sent home a rebound of a shot by sophomore forward Jake Hubert to tie the game at 1-1.  McDowell answered at the 3:11 mark of the period off a face off.  After the Trojans won the draw, defensemen Jeff Clark drilled a wrister through traffic that caught the net to give McDowell a 2-1 lead.  Two minutes later, NA senior goalie Lindsay Holdcroft stopped a McDowell breakaway to keep the deficit at one goal.  The Trojans did score again, however, with 5:46 remaining as Sean Perhacs sent a slap shot over the NA defense to give the Erie team a 3-1 lead.  The Tigers rallied near the end of the period to cut the lead to one.  With 1:44 left, Worsena scored from in close with assists going to freshman forward Joe Griffin and senior forward Jordan Beck.  The period ended with McDowell holding a 3-2 lead.  Shots in the period favored the Tigers by an 11-6 margin.

Early in the period, the Tigers had several chances on a power play but could not score.  McDowell was able to hold off NA for most of the period, but the Tigers came back to tie the game late.  Griffin scored with 3:37 remaining on assists from Worsena and Beck.  With 27 seconds left in the period, the Tigers took a penalty but killed it as regulation time ended.  The teams went to overtime tied at 3-3.  NA outshot the Trojans, 8-4, in the third period.

In the overtime period, the Tigers were able to kill off the remainder of the penalty at the beginning of the extra period.  Neither team could score in the overtime and the game ended in a 3-3 deadlock.  NA finished with 28 shots on goal while McDowell recorded 19.  Each team was called for three minor penalties in the contest.

The Tigers will travel to Bladerunners in Harmarville on Monday to meet the defending Class AAA Champion Shaler Titans.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

(Thanks to Scott Kelly for the information in this report!)

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3  McDOWELL - 3

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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TIGERS WIN TWO AT ST. MARGARET'S FALL FACE-OFF

The Tigers opened play in the 2009-10 season with play in the St. Margaret's Fall Face-Off Tournament at the Harmarville Bladerunners.  The Tigers won two of three games in the preliminary round but failed to qualify for the semifinals.

In the first game, the Tigers downed Seneca Valley, 2-1, and knocked off Plum, 4-1, in the second game.  In game three, Pine-Richland defeated NA, 6-3.  Because of the tournament structure, a tie for first place in the preliminary group sent Seneca Valley to the semifinals.  The Raiders went on to defeat Shaler in the semis and Upper St. Clair in the final.

ST. MARGARET'S FALL FACE-OFF
Harmarville Bladerunners
October 5-8, 2009

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PIHL ALIGNMENT - 2009-10
CLASS AAA - 19 TEAMS

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.

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